The Blue Spirit
by silentplayermc03
Summary: A vision has been seen by Arceus: a world covered in darkness, corrupting both humans and Pokemon but there is hope as it also showed two heroes fighting against it. A plan is formed to prepare for war by entering an upcoming tournament to test their strength before it starts. Old & new friends meet, relationships are made & emotions run high. Rated M for violence/language/lemons.
1. Chapter 1 - Abduction

**UPDATE - 08-21-15; Hey everyone, Silent here. I just wanted to say thanks to all my readers, both new and old, that I appreciate you guys taking the time to read this. Also, after getting at least 22 chapters under my belt, I went back to look at these earlier chapters and I must say I could do better. I will update and edit these earlier chapters but only after I finish my story. For those who are just starting to read my story, please bare with these earlier chapters. Since this is my first story, it's a little weak but it should still hold your interest and you can see the improvement in the later chapters. Thanks again and feel free to drop a review as I would greatly appreciate it and please favorite and follow! Take care! :)**

* * *

 _ **A/N -** **Hey everyone, Silent here. This is my very first FanFiction story. I have a big story in mind and hope I'm able to write it well. Please go easy on me as this is the first time I'm doing something like this. Also, I would like to give a shout out to a few FanFiction writers who inspired me to start writing; thanks to** **NoSignalBlueScreen** **,** **Skylight Sparkle** **and** **Epsil0nCha0s and all the others ****for writing such great stories that opened up my imagination and made me want to write. Check out their stuff, they are some of the best I've read so far on this great site. Okay, let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy and like it!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 1 – ABDUCTION

Cerulean City is one of the most beautiful cities of the Kanto Region. It is home to many attractions that both trainers and tourists alike can enjoy. The Cerulean Gym for example is where aspiring Pokémon trainers can battle for their chance at receiving the Cascade Badge from the tough gym leader Misty Waterflower. The gym is also home to her Sensational Sisters' plays that attracts visitors from all over the world. To the north of the city is the Cerulean Cape, a famous dating spot and home to the infamous poke maniac Bill's lighthouse. These are but just a few of the many things to see and do in and around near the city.

But one of the most famous things about Cerulean, is also its darkest; Cerulean Cave, home to many powerful wild Pokémon. It's located a little north of the city, across from a river, next to the cape.

Because of the many powerful Pokémon that reside in the cave, only the best trainers are allowed to go in there, and only with permission from a Pokémon league official, such as Professor Oak or the Champion Lance. Even then, from the few trainers who were able to get permission and enter the cave, most of them couldn't even travel past the first floor and had to get help to get out. Beside Mount Silver, Cerulean Cave is one of the hardest places to explore and train at.

The cave is a very difficult area not only because of the many wild and powerful Pokémon who inhabit it, but also because of its winding and twisting passages, under mountain streams that are powerful enough to sweep away unprepared trainers and Pokémon alike, the little to no visibility and many other reasons. No single trainer has ever fully explored the entire area and many left without their sanity intact. It is a very grueling and dangerous area indeed.

It is because of these many things that a certain Pokémon sometimes calls the bottom most floor of the cave's passages its home, since it's almost impossible to reach down there and will help it hide when it wants to. It likes its solitude since it feels as if it doesn't belong because of its origin and also uses the area to meditate after journeying around the world every now and then. Right now, that Pokémon was back home, deep in meditation after a quick journey through the Johto region.

Suddenly, the purple feline's eyes snapped open and called out into the darkness with its telepathic powers.

" **Who's there?"** Mewtwo asked. No answer.

Knowing there was somebody or something near him, Mewtwo turned around to face the entrance of his cave, since he was at first facing the wall when he was in meditation. He called out again.

" **I know you are there. Show yourself or leave now before you anger me."**

Again, no response. Before he was able to do anything else, a bright light suddenly erupted near the beginning of the area's entrance from the tunnel and sped towards him. Before the bright light engulfed him, he threw up a lightly purple colored psychic shield around him to protect him from the attack, but also shielded his eyes with his arms as the brightness was far too intense.

After a few seconds of being unable to see through the blinding light, it began to slowly fade away. As he sensed this, Mewtwo opened his eyes but kept his psychic shield and guard up.

The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in the cave.

He was standing in a very large and spacious area larger than a pokémon stadium. It had pillars lining the walls around him that had engravings on it of all the known legendary Pokémon. There was also a single, very large throne like chair with gold framing and red cushions on the other side of the room in front of him. He stood quite still, waiting for his abductor to act. He did not want to make a foolish mistake by being too impulsive.

" **I'm surprised and a little disappointed that we were able to bring you here without any fight whatsoever."** A voice said as it echoed around the room.

Mewtwo still did not do anything. He kept still, staying in his defensive position.

" **No response? Hmm…Looks like he's too scared to do anything!"** cackled the voice

" **Wrong."**

And with that reply, Mewtwo shot off two bluish white energy balls, Aura Spheres, one to the right and the other to the left from his three digit hands and then rapidly brought them together and launched a dark purple ball of energy, a Shadow Ball, directly in front of him.

All three attacks were launched with such deadly speed that they all exploded at the same time once they made contact with their targets. The explosions brought forth large smoke clouds that filled the room and the shockwaves caused the room to tremble a bit from the sheer force.

Three different roars cried out from the smoke. Three powerful multi colored beams of energy, Dragon Pulses, were then launched from the unknown attackers within the smoke and hurtled towards him. Mewtwo increased power to his psychic shield to reinforce it as he saw the attacks coming. The pulses hit their mark and even though the shield was kept up, the attacks were so powerful that they caused him to rocket backwards and slam into the wall behind, shield and all, causing a crater to form from the impact.

Mewtwo felt the impact yet was saved from most of the damage because of his shield. He moved forward and dismissed the shield and got into a battle stance, ready to fight more offensively, yet still waited for the attackers to make their move first.

Slowly, the smoke cleared and finally revealed his abductors and attackers. It was the reality Dragon trio of Sinnoh! Dialga stood to the left, Palkia to the right, and Giratina stood in the middle.

" **Very impressive. How did you know there were three of us and where we were?"** asked Giratina as he moved forward towards Mewtwo a little.

" **I can sense where you are, even when you're invisible,"** Mewtwo smirked. He knew who the three were. **"Honestly, I expected more from you three for being basically deities. Pathetic."**

" **Why you arrogant bastard clone!"** spat Palkia and launched another Dragon Pulse at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo scowled at the insult. Before it struck him, Mewtwo teleported out of the way at the last second and reappeared in the same spot.

" **Too slow!"** Mewtwo quipped back and launched another Aura Sphere that hit Palkia and caused him to move back a bit and roar in pain.

Seeing his brother get hit, Dialga roared in anger and launched a Flash Cannon at the psychic type. The purple feline's eyes glowed with a blue color. The stream of white energy became engulfed with a blue outline around it and right before it hit its mark, stopped dead in its tracks. Mewtwo then swung his arm to the side, which sent the attack back towards its user. Dialga's eyes grew wide in surprise and didn't react to it in time. The returned attack struck him in the chest, causing the blue dragon to be pushed back and grunt in pain.

Giratina at first didn't get involved, but after his brothers got attacked, he grew angry. It didn't matter to him that his brothers escalated the confrontation because of a petty remark. Nobody hurt his brothers. He was going to teach this ignorant psychic a lesson.

" **You'll pay for that!"** roared Giratina and launched another Dragon Pulse at him.

Mewtwo brought up his psychic shield again, knowing he couldn't deflect it and the attack struck the shield but caused the powerful feline to be pushed back as well. Mewtwo lost his calm demeanor to his rapidly rising fury.

" **How dare you! You enter my home unannounced, bring me to this place against my wishes, greet me with insults, and then try to punish me for defending myself! You shall pay for your mistakes!"** yelled Mewtwo.

At the end of his statement, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and threw up his psychic shield again. Then he brought up hundreds of tiny psychic balls around him floating in the air near him. He clenched his paws which caused the psychic balls to condense sharply, getting them ready to launch at amazing speeds. More and more were appearing beside him with every passing second.

As the reality trio witnessed Mewtwo ready his attack, they glanced at each other, and then with a curt nod to each other, they readied themselves for their counter attack.

" **No matter how powerful you are, you're still no match for us!"** Giratina yelled back at the psychic feline. With this, the three dragons each began powering up a ball of white energy in front of their mouths, growing larger each second.

Mewtwo realized what they were up to and began to charge up his attack quicker and increased his shield's size. The dragon trio launched their Hyper Beams at the psychic feline and right before hitting him, Mewtwo teleported out of the way and appeared behind them.

" **You fools! Did you really think I would just take that attack?"** Mewtwo scoffed as he launched his Psystrike at the trio.

Each of the dragons was struck by dozens and dozens of psychic bullets, causing them to cry out in pain. It seemed that each hit increased the pain they felt. Still being hit over and over, Palkia glared at Mewtwo as its eyes glowed white and a portal appeared in between them, acting like a vacuum that sucked in Mewtwo's remaining psychic bullets and the portal disappeared after.

Dialga took this opportunity to quickly fire another Flash Cannon at Mewtwo, this time with more power. Before the psychic pokémon could react, it hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He recovered in the air and stopped himself in the air. The three dragons fired different attacks at him as he charged forward at them. He dodged each of their attacks and at the last second, engulfed himself in a blue sphere of energy as he rammed into Giratina, causing him to slam into the wall, receiving considerable damage. Palkia and Dialga counter attack with attacks of their own but Mewtwo teleported away back to his original place when he first appeared in the strange area. Giratina returned to be beside his brothers. The four of them were beginning to get tired but they wouldn't show it.

" **I must admit that I was wrong. You are stronger than you look. But you will not defeat us and will soon apologize for crossing us."**

Mewtwo smirked.

" **Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you three."**

The dragons snarled and began charging up Draco Meteor attacks. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed and formed three Shadow Balls in front of him and concentrated energy into them, making them larger. As they balls of dark energy grew, he raised them above his head and focused on them getting as strong as possible but still kept his eyes on the three dragons. He had to wait for his chance.

As the four powerful legendaries were about to launch their attacks, they heard a booming voice from around them.

" **Enough."**

Even though that single word was spoken calmly, it came from such a tone of voice that it commanded respect and obedience. The dragon trio quickly stopped charging their attacks and stood motionless. Mewtwo stopped charging his attacks but brought out his shield again just in case. He was no fool.

" **You can relax Mewtwo. Also, thank you for coming here,"** _a_ nd with that greeting, Arceus, the Original One, appeared out of thin air, right in front of a stunned Mewtwo.

" **I have something I would like to discuss with you Mewtwo,"** the Alpha Pokémon said.

Arceus turned away from Mewtwo and gracefully moved towards its throne and half sat and half lied down on it before facing the purple feline, waiting for a response.

 _ **A/N - So what you guys think? I hope it captured your interest. Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2 - The Vision

_**A/N - Hey guys, here's the next chapter! You'll find out why Arceus wanted to see Mewtwo! Enjoy!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 2 – THE VISION

Mewtwo stared at the Alpha Pokémon, his psychic shield still up, but no longer worried about the Dragon trio who were still there. After a moment, he let his shield vanish still eyeing Arceus. Finally Mewtwo spoke.

" **You have something to discuss with me?"**

Arceus didn't respond nor moved. Taking it as a yes, Mewtwo continued.

" **Then why did you have these three fools bring me here against my will? Why didn't you come to me yourself if you wished to discuss something with me?"**

The Dragon trio growled at the insult but attempted to do nothing else, since their father was now here and they didn't dare do something in front of their father.

" **I will answer that but before I do, I must warn you that I will not tolerate any more rude or disrespectful behavior from you in this sacred place, the Hall of Origin, which is also my home. This goes for everyone. Are we clear?"**

The dragon trio bowed to their father as a sign of obedience. Mewtwo glared at Arceus, and then gave a very small, curt nod. Even Mewtwo knew not to mess with Arceus.

" **Good. Now, Mewtwo, I had these three seek you out to bring you here, since I was busy with something else but I apologize for their disrespectful actions against you."** He glared at the trio who hung their heads a bit in slight shame. **"Regardless, the reason I have you here is because I have had a vision."**

" **A vision?"** asked Mewtwo.

" **Yes, a vision. I have designated such things for my most powerful and capable children, the legendaries, to take care of but I made it so only the most important come to me instead. I have seen this vision five times already, always right before I wake up in the morning, in the past five days. Now, this vision that I have seen, is one that brings me great sadness and fear just by thinking about it."**

Mewtwo's eyes grew wide in the revelation.

 _This must be something extremely terrible to bring Arceus to worry,_ thought Mewtwo.

" **What did it show you?"**

" **A terrible darkness will rise that will threaten the very world itself. It will carve a path of destruction against all in its path, and those who survive, whether human or Pokémon will be corrupted by it. The corrupted will help the darkness spread its evil all over the world. Sadly, not even my first children, the legendaries, will be able to overcome the corruption. Except for those who have their own worlds or dimensions, such Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, can run and be safe where the evil cannot reach them."**

The Dragon trio looked up at their father with horrified faces. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. Even their incredible powers will be no match? They could be affected as well, even with all their strength and powers? The three shivered in their places.

Mewtwo stared at Arceus in shock, many thoughts racing through his mind.

 _How could such a thing happen? What could be powerful enough to overcome all the legendaries? Wait…_

" **You said none of your children can overcome the darkness that is coming. What about myself? I am not one created by you, but by man. And what about you? Can you be affected as well?"**

Dialga, Palkia and Giratina again looked to Arceus, waiting for an answer, as they too wanted to know.

" **The darkness will affect you as well Mewtwo."**

" **No…"** A horrified expression showed up on Mewtwo's face.

" **As for myself, I am not sure. If I stay here, I will be safe. It may not be able to affect me if I go out from here but I cannot take that chance, for if the darkness does take over me, it will destroy and corrupt absolutely everything in this universe with my power. However, I do not yet know where this evil will be coming from or what causes it to emerge in the beginning so I really cannot say. At this moment, I do not know what or who causes the darkness to emerge or I would have made sure it never happens."**

" **If this is your vision Arceus, why did you bring me here? Why did you want to share this with me? What can I do, if it can affect me so?"**

" **I did see something else in my vision as well that I was about to mention."**

Arceus now stood up and walked forward towards Mewtwo as he spoke.

" **Near the end of my vision, right before I awaken, I see the darkness gathering from all sides to a large mountain along with many corrupted Pokémon and humans. At the top of this mountain, I see the silhouettes of two beings, one human, and one Pokémon, both of whom seem to be fighting the darkness, keeping it at bay."**

As he said this, Arceus locked eyes with Mewtwo. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed in realization.

" **I am the Pokémon you saw in your vision."**

" **Yes you are. Even though you were barely visible in my vision, there is no doubt in my mind. You will be one of the two fighting the darkness."**

" **But you said that the darkness can affect me as well. Why is it that at the end of your vision, it shows otherwise? And why would I fight alongside a human? They are all unworthy and not to be trusted, believing that they are superior and destroy what they deem unimportant in their own misguided beliefs,"** snarled Mewtwo.

" **To answer both of your questions, I merely say this; not all humans are the same. I believe there is a certain human who embodies all the good in the world in great quantities and you have met this person multiple times as well. I believe it is because of him that the darkness does not affect you and that is why you are fighting together in my vision."**

" **There is no such human….how can you…."** Mewtwo trailed off, suddenly remembering who the Alpha Pokémon was talking about. Arceus nodded as he noticed Mewtwo's realization.

" **That boy. The one who risked his life for the Pokémon and me…what was his name…Ash? Yes, Ash, that was his name. Ash Ketchum. But why him? Just because of a few good deeds, doesn't mean he is the one."** Mewtwo wondered out loud, lost in thought.

" **Yes, Ash Ketchum. I believe he is the human in my vision. I have a little more information about the vision but before I say anything else, and before you tell me what you decide, I would like to request something from you."**

Mewtwo looked up at Arceus. After a moment, he nodded.

" **Good. I would like you to find Ash, and bring him here. Do not tell him about the vision just yet, but that I need to see him. We have met before and he will come. I would go myself, but I would like to get something prepared for him while you get him. Plus, it looks like my children like to complicate things for their own amusement so I will not be asking them to go and get Ash."**

Arceus glanced back towards the dragons, which the three of them immediately stared at the floor before facing the psychic again.

" **Mewtwo, I would like to give you this gift."**

Arceus had a one of his Unown, who came out from seemingly nowhere, stop in front Mewtwo. It then glowed a little bit, causing Mewtwo to glow a bit as well. After a few seconds the glowing stopped from both Pokémon. The Unown then vanished back to its unknown place it came from.

" **There. I have given you access to teleport back here once you find him and he agrees to come with you. I shall be waiting for you both. Even though I know you can find him easily, to make things quicker, he is on Mount Silver. I shall see you both soon."**

Mewtwo gave another curt nod, glanced at the Dragon trio and then vanished from his spot as he teleported to Mount Silver. Arceus turned back to go to his throne. Giratina then spoke up.

" **Father, why would you trust Mewtwo? Surely you know of his origin, and what he was created to be? And you know what he has done in the past. Why would you trust such a being, one who is filled with so many doubts and conflicting emotions with something so important? One who only cares for himself?"**

The other two reality Dragons looked up at their father as well and nodded in agreement with their brother Giratina. They wanted an answer.

" **Because he is the one I saw in my vision, along with Ash. I believe the two were destined to meet before. They have shown each other what the world truly holds, both good and bad."**

" **But how would that help them against this darkness?"** asked Dialga.

Arceus was quiet for a moment and then responded.

" **You will come to understand in time. Words can only describe such things so much."**

The reality Dragons responded with glares back at their father, but said no more.

 _ **A/N - So what did you guys think? Sorry for being a little shorter but I'm barely getting into the groove of things.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	3. Chapter 3 - Mount Silver

_**A/N - What is Ash doing at Mount Silver? Read on to find out!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 3 – MT. SILVER

Mewtwo appeared at the base of Mount Silver within a second and instantly brought forth a psychic barrier against his skin to protect against the cold and harsh blizzard of the mountainous area. He glanced around and saw nothing but a few snow covered trees and a very rocky, snow covered mountain in front of him. He could see the mountain's cave entrance in front of him.

 _Hmmm….he might be outside somewhere on or near the mountain. Let me see if I can sense him before going inside._

Mewtwo's eyes glowed a bright blue and then he sent out a faint psychic wave around him, trying to sense if there were any life forms nearby. He sensed a couple Sneasal and Weavile, some Ursaring, as well as some Larvitar and Pupitar underneath the soil around him.

Finally, he sensed that there was a human on the mountain itself, about half way up. Mewtwo quickly teleported to the location, careful to arrive at least a little ways away. He didn't want to cause an accident in such a dangerous location, even though he could probably take care of it, he'd rather not deal with it. He then slowly moved, while floating above the ground, towards the human. As he drew closer, the harsh blizzard died down a bit and was able to see clearly in front of him, which made his brow go up as he witnessed something he hadn't seen before.

A teenage boy was sitting, cross legged, on the cold, snow covered ground, his hands on his knees, with a blue glow outlining his body, from his raven-colored hair to his feet. He was only wearing a short sleeve black shirt, along with black shorts and black and blue shoes. His ever loyal companion, Pikachu, was right next to him, also sitting down on the snow floor, with a blue glow around him as well. They were sitting perfectly still and it seemed that the cold weather was not affecting them at all.

 _They must be meditating,_ thought Mewtwo. _I'm impressed he is able to withstand the cold dressed like that but what is that blue glow around them? Why do I have a feeling that I should know about something like this?_

After a moment of observing their meditation, Mewtwo decided he had seen enough. However, before he began to move, both the boy and Pikachu got up suddenly and walked away, the sound of snow crunching beneath their feet, while still outlined by the blue glow.

As Mewtwo looked on, he saw that the two walked towards a small, snow covered cabin that was part way built into the side of the mountain, which he just noticed. Ash opened the door and both of them walked in as he closed the door behind them, their blue glow shining out the small windows, slowly fading away as faint yellow lights turned on both inside and outside the cabin.

After several seconds, Mewtwo moved towards the cabin. As he neared the door, it opened before he did anything. There stood Ash Ketchum sporting his trademark grin that was spread across his face.

" **What…how did you…"** Mewtwo began to stammer but was cut off.

" **About time you decided to show yourself Mewtwo. So you coming in or do you want to freeze your tail off first?"** joked Ash, looking at the surprised face of the psychic feline.

" **Hmph. I should've known. You always seem to surprise me,"** snorted Mewtwo, as he stepped inside and Ash closed the door. Ash moved towards the meal he was preparing and brought out some more ingredients from a small fridge to add into the pot to make sure there was enough for his guest as well.

" **So what brings you here?"** asked Ash, as he glanced at the food being prepared under a small propane tank. He then began putting on more appropriate clothing over his short sleeve shirt and shorts, such as a sweater and long thick pants.

" **I have come to find you,"** replied Mewtwo as he glanced around the small cabin. It had the basic necessities and a few extra items, such as a bed, a small fridge, a small dresser, a cupboard, and a small propane tank that was being used to heat up the meal Ash was working one. Pikachu waved at him tiredly and then curled up at the foot of the bed, obviously tired, waiting for some food before going to sleep. Then something caught Mewtwo's eye on the right wall, right in the middle of it.

Mewtwo moved closer to it and saw what it was. It was certified document that was laminated and framed, bearing the following words;

INDIGO POKEMON LEAGUE

KANTO & JOHTO JURISDICTION

MT. SILVER

APPROVED TRAINING AREA

CABIN # 1003

 _So, the league is all over the place,_ he thought after he read the document in his mind.

After Ash finished putting on better clothes to keep him warm he spoke again.

" **Looking for me? How come? Not that I don't enjoy the company."**

Mewtwo turned around to face Ash.

" **I've come here to get you as I need your help with something and Arceus would like to meet with you."**

" **Arceus?! Are you serious? Well, if it's that important that it made you personally show up on behalf of him, it must be important. Give me a moment to get ready."**

Just then his infamous stomach gave a loud growl, as if angry he would miss dinner. Mewtwo raised his brow.

" **Ah…heh heh….sorry about that. My stomach has a mind of its own sometimes. Ah, do you think we have some time to get a quick bite? I made some extra for you as well if you'd like. It'll help me stay focused as well as it won't bother us when meeting with Arceus,"** Ash said with a small grin.

" **You're not kidding are you?"** Mewtwo asked as he stared at him. **"Fine, just hurry up."**

He did not know what made him do it, to be patient. Maybe it was this human, this boy, was the only one who treated him with kindness and respect. Maybe that's why he let him eat before they left.

Ash poured the food, which was a chicken vegetable soup, into three separate bowls that were on top of the small fridge, steam rising from the soup. He placed two normal sized spoons in two of them, while the other, simply placed in front of Pikachu on the bed. He knew that Pikachu wouldn't spill any on the bed. He was too careful for that to happen. He then grabbed the second bowl, and offered it to Mewtwo, who was still standing. Mewtwo looked at the bowl then at Ash again.

" **I'm alright."**

" **You sure? I'm not an excellent cook like my friends Brock or Cilan and his brothers, but I manage alright. Isn't that right Pikachu?"**

" **Chaa!"** cooed Pikachu, obviously enjoying it. Ash chuckled a bit.

" **Alright, I'll try it,"** sighed Mewtwo and took the bowl and brought up a full spoon of soup to his mouth.

" **Careful, it might be a little hot,"** warned Ash.

" **Don't worry."**

Mewtwo opened his mouth, placed the spoon inside and then swallowed the soup. It was a little warm, but very tasty.

" **This isn't too bad."**

" **Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment,"** replied Ash as he rubbed the back of his head.

And with that the three ate their soup quickly as it was pretty good. It wasn't extraordinary, but with the cold weather around them, it seemed to just hit the spot. All three of them got seconds as there was still half left in the pot and they wanted some more. After finishing up, Ash quickly cleaned up the bowls and spoons. He placed them with the other bowls in the cupboard next to the dresser. Ash then gathered up his belongings and packed them up into his large backpack, put on his hat, and Pikachu jumped to his usual spot on his shoulder.

" **Alright, I'm ready, let's go!"**

" **Very well."**

Mewtwo's eyes glowed a bright blue and the next second, the three of them vanished.

 _ **A/N - Sorry for the short chapter again, but I felt it needed to be done this way. I will try to slowly flesh out the characters, setting and plot with more details as I get some experience under my belt.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	4. Chapter 4 - Alpha, Legend & Guardian

_**A/N - Not much to say but enjoy!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 4 – THE ALPHA, THE LEGEND, & THE GUARDIAN

Ash, Pikachu and Mewtwo appeared in the Hall of Origin. Ash and Pikachu were amazed at where they now stood. The beautiful room seemed to capture their attention so much that they didn't notice Mewtwo move forward or that they weren't alone.

" **I've brought him just like you requested. Now, what other information is there to that vision?"**

Ash's attention snapped back to Mewtwo, then to the Pokémon who were standing in front of him. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.

" **No way!"**

" **Pika!"**

Ash then dashed forward with Pikachu hanging on to him. He reached the Dragon trio with a big grin on his face.

" **It's so good to see you guys again!"**

" **It's good to see you too Ash,"** said Dialga

" **Hey, you can talk!"**

" **We've always been able to talk. It's just sometimes we simply choose not to,"** replied Palkia.

" **True, as well as other reasons,"** added Giratina.

" **What, no greetings for me?"** a deep, booming, yet oddly calming, voice came from behind the trio.

" **Wait, is that…"** Ash peered behind Giratina. **"It is! Arceus!"** and with that, Ash again dashed forward. He reached Arceus, who was on top of his throne. **"It's been so long. How have you been?"**

" **It has been a while. It's good to see you in good spirits."** Arceus gave the young boy a proud look, one he rarely gave. The Dragon trio became a little envious but made no sound.

" **Thanks!"**

" **Alright, I brought the boy. Now what is the rest of the vision? What else do you need to tell me?"**

Mewtwo was getting inpatient. Even though he had a little respect for Ash and Arceus, he didn't like being ignored and made to wait.

" **Vision? What vision?"** a clueless Ash asked the group at large.

" **Pi ka?"** Pikachu looked lost as well.

" **I shall tell you. I will tell both of you. But first let me have Ash catch up to what you already know."** Arceus said, a hint of annoyance in it that only Ash missed. Mewtwo growled lowly, and crossed his arms, and grew silent. **"Better. Now Ash, I have something important to tell you…"**

And with that Arceus told Ash everything he told Mewtwo; the darkness coming, how the legendaries weren't even safe, how Arceus couldn't get involved, and how he and Mewtwo were meant to fight together against the darkness. After he had been caught up, Ash had some things to say after thinking for a few minutes.

" **Damn….that's really horrible. So even legendaries can be corrupted….this is awful….I want to help…I truly do….but why me?"**

Ash asked as he glanced at each legendary Pokémon there. He took a breath a continued as they stayed silent.

" **I'm just a teenager who hasn't even won a tournament yet. My Pokémon are strong, but I don't think they can handle something like this, especially if even legendary Pokémon can't handle it. I'm not some great hero. I don't think I'm the right person for the job."**

Ash looked down at his feet, ashamed that they thought he was something special, but he wasn't.

 _How could they think I could do it?_

Arceus knew what troubled his young friend.

" **Ash."** The boy looked up at the Original One. **"Aren't you forgetting some things? You are an Aura Guardian and you have done many great things already, even before you knew of your true heritage."**

Mewtwo's face showed a surprised expression, but only for a split second.

 _Of course! That's what it was! I knew what that glow was! So, the boy is an Aura Guardian as well? Hmm…he keeps surprising me. Perhaps there is more to this boy than I thought._

" **You have much potential. Both you and Mewtwo. But there is more to the vision. I mentioned that I have seen the vision every morning for the past five days. I have not seen the vision today though which means something a little good for us. You will have five years to train and prepare for the coming evil."**

" **How do you know that?"** Both Mewtwo and Ash asked at the same time.

" **As I said before, only the most important visions come to me. I have seen visions before and each time, I saw them continuously for some days and then it stops. Once it stops, the amount of days I saw the vision, would be the amount of time in years it would take for it to happen. That is something that never changes. So again, that gives us the time to ready ourselves for what is to come."**

" **So five years. Five years is what we have to either prepare for what may inevitably be a full out war, or to do nothing and just wait for it to come for us…"** Ash spoke quietly.

He glanced down at his shoes, thinking hard. After a few seconds, he clinched his fists and raised his head up to face Arceus.

" **I will prepare by training hard and preparing as much as I can. I will face this coming darkness when it appears to the best of my ability and I will never give up until the end."**

Mewtwo gave a surprised look at the boy.

 _I knew that this human…no...Not this human…_ Mewtwo shook his head mentally. _This boy has shown me great kindness and respect…he is also not running away from this...he deserves my respect and I shall call him by his name…Ash….I knew Ash was different, but I didn't expect him to accept this great burden._

" **I can expect no more from you Ash, even as an Aura Guardian and I am happy to say that I am proud that you are accepting this great burden on your shoulders. I know you will do your best and that you will not give up, like you always have done before. I have some advice and a plan for the both of you that will help out tremendously in your training and preparation."**

Ash and Mewtwo glanced at each other and give a curt nod. They both stepped forward to Arceus and awaited his advice.

" **Before the advice, I have been told from one of my children who has also seen a vision as well, but of a happier event. There will be a tournament of the best trainers across all the regions. It will take place in three years time, hosted at the Indigo Plateau. I think it will be a good test for you Ash to see where you stand against the best of the best and will help you find out of any weaknesses you may still have."**

" **Sounds great, thank you Arceus! I will definitely enter and see where I stack up."**

Ash was excited to hear of a new tournament coming. Pokémon battles always perked him up greatly.

" **As for you Mewtwo, I believe you will be able to achieve greater power and skill if you were to stick with Ash for the next five years. You can learn greatly from Mewtwo as well Ash."**

Mewtwo was silent for a moment, but then gave a slight nod in understanding.

" **Looks like we can learn a lot from each other, huh Mewtwo?"** asked Ash, a little timidly.

He was unsure if the legendary psychic feline wanted to be around him or if he was slightly disappointed to be told to stick with some human. Mewtwo picked up his thoughts as he read his mind.

" **Do not worry Ash. You are the only human I respect and will not hurt intentionally. I believe we can learn much from each other,"** said Mewtwo.

" **Well, I guess we have five years to learn from one another!"** Ash replied back with a smile.

Arceus had a small smile form on his face as well.

" **Mewtwo. Ash."** They both looked at Arceus. **"If you feel you have any advice, objections or different ideas, please feel free to let me know as I give out the details."**

Both Mewtwo and Ash nodded and waited patiently. The Dragon trio, although silent all this time, became still as statues as well, waiting to hear their father's plan.

" **Since we have five years before the darkness emerges, we should break up that time up into smaller goals and objectives so we don't get lost in what to do. Another side note though; Ash, I know you have practiced on your Aura ability a bit, but you should train your Aura abilities every day from now on. Also, you should find that Riolu that you saved a while back as fast as you can. He will become one of your strongest friends."**

Arceus gave a slight pause, as if something just hit him, and then continued.

" **Actually that should be your number one priority. He is on his way to your Mount Silver training area, since that's where he last sensed you."**

Ash nodded in agreement. He was slightly surprised that Arceus mentioned Riolu, but then again, he is the Alpha Pokémon and probably is let on to know everything that happens at some point or another.

Arceus continued on.

" **For the first year, you should travel the world again and look for Pokémon that will aid you in the coming battles. It is a given that you should find powerful Pokémon, but also look for powerful ones who also have true fighting spirits. Your aura senses, along with Riolu's, as well as Mewtwo's psychic senses should help in that regard."**

Arceus paused for a second, waiting to see if either Ash or Mewtwo had questions, but both were silent. Arceus moved on.

" **From the start of the second year until the tournament begins, you should train all of your Pokémon as well as yourself to the best of your and their abilities. Mewtwo, you should help him in this regard and he will help you. You both know how to set up good training regiments. But don't forget to do some research as there maybe some things that you don't know about."**

Another pause. Another silence. Arceus continued.

" **After the tournament, use the results to catch up on things you may not know or weaknesses that you may not have addressed that were exploited. Also, use this time to find other Pokémon that you didn't think about before and train them up to your other Pokémon's levels. During this time, you should also start strategizing how to implement your Pokémon in an actual battle of war, and how to have your Pokémon fight multiple opponents at once."**

Arceus gave a second's pause again before continuing.

" **After the end of the fourth year, you should start scouting out strategic areas to set up camps and bases. Perhaps even set up secret supply stashes that you can use while on the run. Make sure to have some sort of communication system set up between all of your Pokémon, and maybe perhaps your camps so that you can give out commands efficiently while in combat. You should also have some sort of headquarters that will help set everything else up."**

Arceus took a breath. He then finally finished with a couple more statements.

" **That is all that came to mind at the moment. If I come up with anything else, I shall let you two know and please, if you come up with anything, let me know as well. However, this will only help a little to prepare us for what is to come. I cannot say what will happen when the fighting begins."**

Ash was quiet for a moment. After thoughts racing through his head, he had some questions.

" **What about my friends and my mother?"** Ash asked. **"Shouldn't I tell them about all this? Shouldn't they come to train as well? And what about you? And the Legendaries? Actually, shouldn't we let the world know?"**

Arceus thought for a moment.

" **Yes and no. Before you go to tackle these things, you may go tell your friends and mother that you are going on a long training trip. But do not tell anyone, not even your close friends or mother, about the coming darkness. The world will panic and be engulfed in chaos if they let something slip. It may even make the darkness emerge sooner than we anticipate. It may even bring those who are the cause of it to attack you before you are ready. Unfortunately, when the battle begins, I will not get involved. It may not affect me but if it does, it will wreak havoc on the entire universe. I will watch from here, the Hall of Origin as nothing can get in here without me knowing or having my permission. I will give guidance when needed. If the darkness does take over and you two fail, I would have to purge the world and start over again. I would like to not do that though as I care about all of my children."**

Ash scowled. He didn't like to lie or to keep secrets, especially something that involved such high stakes from the people he cares about the most. And there was no way he was letting the world get destroyed, not on his watch.

" **I understand how you feel Ash. You don't want to endanger them, but also don't want to keep secrets from the ones you love and care about. You can tell them to train, as if to battle you, but don't mention the tournament or the coming war, or any of this. It may cause unforeseen consequences. You, your Pokémon and Mewtwo are the only ones who should be training together as it will be grueling, and I fear that if they're with you while training, it may hinder your progress and growth."**

Ash thought long and hard about Arceus's explanation. He knew he was right, but still didn't like what he had to do. Lie to his friends and not see them for a much longer time than usual? The raven haired trainer sighed before talking.

" **I won't tell them anything about this, but I will drop by them to tell them I will be gone for a while and for them to train."**

" **Good. So we are decided then? We have a plan of sorts. I will leave you two to come up with the more intricate details and items of your agenda, but I believe those main points I advised will help you both greatly."**

" **Father, you haven't forgotten have you?"** spoke up Giratina suddenly.

" **Ah, no, of course not. Also, I have one final gift, for the both of you. You may use it or not, up to you. But I have prepared an island specifically for your training endeavors, and you may even set it up for what you need, away from prying eyes and hidden from any and all things, thanks to the Dragon trio here. You both remember New Island correct?"**

Ash and Mewtwo both nodded.

" **Good I'm pleased. Well, I have made several changes to it and I believe it will help immensely for what we are trying to do. You could also use it as your headquarters during the war as well."**

" **If you say it is hidden from all, then how are we supposed to reach it?"** asked Ash. Mewtwo was thinking the same thing.

" **Ah, you're getting ahead of me Ash. Mew, come my daughter!"** called out Arceus.

Suddenly, a pink energy bubble appeared above them, then started moving around rapidly in a zigzag motion across the room, then finally hurtled towards the Alpha Pokémon. It stopped instantly right in front of Arceus' face and the bubble vanished, revealing the small, but powerful pink legendary, Mew.

" **Hello daddy! How are you? I've been having so much fun back home!"** giggled Mew, and then glanced at everyone. **"Hi everyone!"** Ash and Pikachu waved hello.

" **Daughter, thank you for coming so quickly."**

" **No problem daddy!"**

Arceus smiled. **"Did you bring what I asked of you?"**

" **Of course! Here it is!"**

Another pink energy bubble appeared but this one was smaller. The bubble disappeared, and before the inside item fell, Mew caught it. She then held it up in front of Arceus. Arceus eyes glowed a pure white, as did the item. After a couple seconds, the glowing stopped.

" **Thank you daughter. Would you kindly hand that to Ash please?"**

" **Sure thing!"**

Mew zipped towards Ash with such speed, he flinched, thinking she'd run him over. But she stopped instantly, right in front of him.

" **BOO! I gotcha good!"** Mew giggled. She then handed the item to Ash. It was a small blue flower crystal hanging from a black leather necklace.

" **That crystal will allow you to see and get to the island. Otherwise, it is invisible to all else."**

" **If that's the case, wouldn't we require more crystals then? Wouldn't I and the other Pokémon require one of their own?"** asked Mewtwo as Ash put on the crystal necklace over his head, letting it rest against his chest.

" **No, you will not need another one as it will only be necessary for the first time you go to the island. After that, the crystal will disappear and only you, Ash and his pokémon, because of their bond, regardless if they are old or new captures, will be able to see the island and get to it unless Ash brings in someone himself to the island."**

" **I'm impressed,"** replied Mewtwo.

" **I guess that could work,"** Ash said.

" **It will work. But only until the darkness emerges. I don't know if my children will be able to do keep it that way, while being confined in their own dimensions once everything starts or when they are staying here. Until then, they will be able to keep it up since they can roam around back and forth between your world and their own dimensions until everything starts. That's why I advised multiple bases and locations in case one gets overflowed but the island should be easy enough to defend and be used as your headquarters. But it may be a good idea to have a backup made somewhere that is easily defendable."**

Ash and Mewtwo nodded.

" **Alright, you two should get going. If you have any questions, please, visit my daughter Mew. She'll probably know the answer you seek, and it will be good for her to have visitors once in a while, since she cannot leave the Tree of Beginning for too long, unless she comes here. Also, she knows almost everything there is to know about Aura abilities and training. Once you find Riolu, you should visit Mew so she can grant her wisdom to him for your training."**

Ash and Mewtwo nodded. Mew squeaked happily at the thought of them visiting then flew around again, giggling.

" **If there is something she doesn't know, or you must absolutely speak with me, come here. But only do so if it is a must. I will be busy as well, preparing in my own ways for the coming evils."**

" **Alright, let's get going Mewtwo. Arceus, we will do our best. We won't give up!"** Ash turned to Mewtwo. **"Let's go find Riolu first."**

" **Pika!"** agreed Pikachu.

Mewtwo nodded and his eyes quickly glowed blue after. The three of them vanished, heading towards Mount Silver once more.

" **What about us father?"** asked Dialga.

" **Yes, what should we do?"** added Palkia.

" **What can we do to help or to prepare?"** finished Giratina.

" **The only thing we can do is to keep doing our duties, to keep the world spinning. If I or any of my children get an idea, we will meet once more. Until then, go back to your homes and responsibilities. But before you do, Dialga, have you seen any possible outcomes for the future?"**

" **Yes father. I have seen several futures regarding the darkness and our chosen ones."**

" **And?"**

" **Most of them are quite dire indeed, from bad to worse. However, I do see a possible good future where the darkness has been overcome, but to what cost, I don't know yet. But, from all the other futures I've seen, it will take a miracle for something good to happen with the amount of odds stacking against the two."**

" **I see. Thank you my child. We can only hope they grow powerful enough to stop the coming evils, or at least to keep it from spreading. Alright, you may take your leave now. I would like to take a bit of break before starting on my plans. These visions have left me wanting a good rest."**

" **Yes father,"** the Dragon trio acknowledged and each left for their own respective dimensions through some portals.

" **See ya daddy! Have a good rest!"** Mew said before teleporting back to her home, the Tree of Beginning.

" **Farewell my children. And good luck Ash and Mewtwo,"** Arceus said quietly as he lied down on his throne, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

 ** _A/N - The full details of the vision has been explained and a plan has been made! You guys can see where I'm heading towards, as I have a huge story in mind to put out so I don't think this will be a short story. Hopefully I can keep your interest up all the way through._** ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Tree of Beginning

**_A/N - Here's the next chapter! I liked this one and hopefully you see the reason why. :) Enjoy!_**

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 5 – THE TREE OF BEGINNING

Ash and Mewtwo appeared out of thin air right in front of the cabin he was using to train at Mount Silver. While Ash put on his sweater's hood, Mewtwo again brought out his psychic shield against the cold and Pikachu opened Ash's backpack, slipping inside it and then closing it again. Ash looked around the area they were at.

" **I don't see Riolu. Then again, it's kind of hard to see anything, even in this light snowfall. Should we split up?"** asked Ash.

" **No need for that. I will use my psychic senses to look for life forms near us."**

" **Hey, that reminds me, I can try using my aura senses too! It'll help me get better using it as well!"**

" **Might as well give it a shot. Alright then, let us both try."**

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue suddenly and started looking for anything nearby. Ash followed with his own detection as his aura outlined his body faintly in a blue glow and then sent out a transparent, yet light aura pulse around him. After a few minutes of trying to sense something, they got nothing. They both stopped with their actions, Ash breathing a little harder, which was noticed by the feline.

" **Are you alright Ash?"**

Ash glanced at him, a little surprised for the question of concern, even if it was made with no emotion.

" **Yeah, I'm good. Just haven't had much practice. Anyway, I got nothing. How about you?"**

" **Nothing for me either it seems. Perhaps we should try at the base of the mountain."**

" **Okay, let's go."**

Again they disappeared, and barely a second passed and they reappeared at the base of the mountain, in front of the cave entrance. They both tried sensing for Riolu again. After a minute or two, Mewtwo stopped what he was doing and grabbed Ash's arm, causing him to lose focus and leave his aura sense. Before the boy could say anything, Mewtwo raised his other arm and pointed towards their right side.

Understanding the gesture, Ash nodded as Mewtwo glanced at him and they both set off in that direction. Ash struggled a bit walking over the snow, while Mewtwo simply floated over the cold ground. After walking for about two hundred feet, they noticed a small black and blue figure leaning against a tree, with snow covering most of its body. Ash hurried past Mewtwo towards the figure and once he got close enough, he noticed it was the pokémon they were looking for, but in a very bad shape.

The small fighting canine looked to be unconscious. Ash brushed off most of the snow off of Riolu, and noticed some bruises and cuts on him, probably from battling some wild pokémon. What scared Ash the most was that he was hardly breathing and when he checked for a pulse, it was very weak.

" **This is bad Mewtwo. He's very cold and he looks to be in pretty bad shop, probably caused from some fights with wild pokémon. We need to get him to a pokémon center quick."**

Mewtwo looked at Ash, not responding for a moment, and then nodded. Ash gingerly picked up the pokémon, stood up and then gave a nod signaling he was ready. Mewtwo's eyes glowed and the next second, they vanished.

They appeared right in front of an extremely large tree, one that looked as huge as a mountain. As soon as Ash noticed where they were, he turned to Mewtwo, confused.

" **Why are we here Mewtwo? We should be at a pokémon center instead!"**

" **Riolu's wounds are too severe. My sister Mew will be able to heal him much more quickly than any Nurse Joy. Plus, he can receive the aura knowledge. Kill two birds with one stone, no?"**

Ash looked at Mewtwo for a moment before they set off. They walked towards the tree for a little bit, Riolu still cradled in Ash's arms, when the ground began to shake. Suddenly, three large golem pokémon appeared in front of them from under the ground. The guardians of the tree, Regirock, Regice and Registeel had emerged from underground and they blocked their path from going any further.

" **Please we must see Mew! She can help us save Riolu!"** cried out Ash.

The golem trio did not move or respond to his pleas.

" **This is a waste of time,"** stated Mewtwo and his began glowing blue.

" **No! Don't fight them! They're only doing their job! MEW! We need you!"**

Before anything else happened, a pink bubble appeared in front of them suddenly, and then faded away, revealing the pink pokémon, floating a few feet above the ground.

" **Hello there silly. My, you're here quick! Still, what took ya?"** giggled Mew.

" **Mew! Thank Arceus you're here. Please help Riolu!"** pleaded Ash.

Mew came closer to take a look at Riolu after Ash placed him on the ground carefully. After a moment of looking at the weakened and battered pokémon, Mew's eyes glowed blue. Riolu began glowing as well and after a little while, the glowing stopped and Mew's eyes returned to their original color. A few seconds later, Riolu groaned a little, then slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to focus his vision. He saw three figures standing over him, two of them pokémon and the other a human. Riolu realized who two of them were and instantly shot up, surprising the three.

" **I guess you're feeling better, huh, Riolu?"** asked the boy. Riolu turned towards the boy.

" **Yes…thank you. And I remember where I was before. If it wasn't for you, I would've been gone from this world. Looks like you saved my life again. Thank you, Master Ash,"** replied Riolu, as he got up and gave a low bow to Ash.

Ash sweat dropped and hurriedly told the pokémon to not call him master, while also pointing out that Mewtwo and Mew were also involved in saving his life. Riolu thanked both of them but the aura pokémon wouldn't listen to Ash's request.

" **As my ancestors have done before me, whenever we are partnered to an Aura Guardian, or we have our lives saved in any form, we show our respect by calling them our Master, even if they are our friend. It is tradition and a sign of respect. I will not break such a thing. But I must ask, how did you find me?"**

Ash began explaining to Riolu while Mew kept flying around above them, glad to have visitors and Mewtwo was leaning against a tree, with his arms crossed, observing everything. Ash told Riolu everything from his training on Mount Silver, to meeting with Arceus, the vision, what they were advised to do, and that they were supposed to find him and come to Mew, so she can pass on the sacred knowledge of Aura. Riolu took in everything quite well and quickly understood what must be done.

" **So, will you come with us?"**

Riolu looked at Ash for a moment, and then answered.

" **I'm surprised you even asked me that Ash. You have helped me twice already, and you knew I was looking for you. I will be honored to be fighting beside a kind and brave soul such as you."**

Ash smiled and took out a luxury ball from his backpack.

" **I always ask first, even if I kind of know already. Regardless, welcome to the team buddy!"**

Ash held out the luxury ball and Riolu tapped the button with his paw. A flash of light later, he was captured and the ball instantly dinged. Ash quickly let him back out and both of them faced up towards Mew to call her down since she was still zipping around excitedly but was pretending to not have heard their calls.

" **Mew! You pink pinball! Get down here and pass on the knowledge to Riolu already so we can leave!"** called out Mewtwo suddenly.

Ash's and Riolu's jaws dropped at what they just heard. Mew teleported right in front of the purple feline and there was an angry look on her face, one that none of them had ever seen.

" **What did you just call me, little brother?"**

Mewtwo scoffed. **"I think you have to get your facts checked. You're the one who's smaller. And I called you a pink pinball cause that's what you are, constantly zigzagging all over the place. Don't you ever get tired of annoying everyone?"**

Mew glared. The raven-haired trainer and the small aura pokémon glanced nervously at each other, while Pikachu shook his head as he got out of the backpack when he heard their argument. He had been taking a nap since entering the backpack and just woke up.

" **Hmph! I may be smaller, but I am older than you, and more powerful, so don't push it!"**

" **Is that a challenge? Well then, let's go another round,"** Mewtwo replied as he stepped away from the tree and got into a battle stance with a smile on his face.

" **That's it! I'm gonna flatten you like a pancake then I'm gonna serve you to the three Regis!"**

" **Stop it, both of you!"** Riolu roared suddenly. For a small pokémon, he sure did have a loud voice.

Mew and Mewtwo turned their heads with stunned expressions on their faces, surprised to hear the loud voice coming from him.

" **You should be ashamed of yourselves! We are on a noble and important mission and you two are fighting for no reason like a pair of children! Now, let's get back on track and focus on what needs to be done before my master and I leave you here and call your father to let him know you two are playing games when we should be starting on our goal!"**

Riolu glared at the two legendary psychic pokémon, who both sweat dropped. Ash's eyebrows were raised and his eyes were widened in shock at what his pokémon just said.

 _Wow, he must really have no fear_ , thought Ash. _He just scolded those two as if they were children, not caring that they both are powerful legendaries. Arceus was right. Riolu will be a great addition to the team._

" **No! Please don't tell daddy! I promise I'll behave! See, I'll go get some stuff for you guys so you can enter the Tree of Beginning okay? Just give me a quick minute!"**

With that statement, Mew disappeared. Mewtwo however, quickly composed himself and then spoke.

" **I admit I may have gone a little overboard. However, speak to me like that again, and I will not let it go so easily, even if you are Ash's pokémon. Understood?"**

Riolu neither spoke nor moved, just continued to glare at Mewtwo. Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and both shook their heads.

" **This is going to be rough."**

" **Pika Pika…"** agreed Pikachu.

A second later, Mew appeared again in their midst while carrying two aura crystals shaped as poke balls hanging from a necklace. She gave one to Ash and another to Mewtwo.

" **These aura crystals will let you go into the Tree of Beginning. The Regis will not attack and neither will the other defenses the Tree has. As for your pokémon Ash, they don't need one since they are bonded with you. Your aura crystal is enough for you and all your pokémon. Since Mewtwo is not really your pokémon, he needed his own. Now follow me while we head inside!"** after Mew spoke she began leading the way and the three Regis cleared the path. Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo followed.

" **Why must we go inside? Can you not pass the knowledge to Riolu so we may leave without going inside the Tree?"** asked Mewtwo.

" **I could, but it will take longer. The Tree has many Aura crystals inside of it that will help me transfer the knowledge quicker since Riolu and I must connect with our Auras to pass the knowledge over,"** answered Mew.

After walking a few minutes through the Tree's passages, they finally reached the center of the tree. Ash and Pikachu smiled as they were greeted with a beautiful area, as Riolu gasped in surprise to the beauty, while Mewtwo kept his calm demeanor even though he was impressed by the sight.

The inside of the tree had a fairly large lake in the center of it, with a waterfall as well, about a hundred feet up in the air, against the north side of them. There were many aura crystals embedded in the walls of the tree as well as in the ground and lake, from small ones able to fit in one's pocket, to some as large as cars. There was also a circular path to their right that was connected to the walls as well, spiraling up towards the top of the tree, with several different passage openings along the path.

" **Follow me Riolu. Ash, you and my brother can wait here while I transfer the knowledge. Please feel free to relax and take a swim if you'd like!"**

Ash nodded and Riolu followed after Mew. Ash set his backpack down and sat down near the lake, enjoying the view of everything. Meanwhile, Pikachu was running around and gazing at the crystals, making funny faces with his reflections and laughing. Ash chuckled at his pokémon's antics. Mewtwo tilted his head in slight annoyance.

" **What's the matter Mewtwo?"** the boy asked.

" **Nothing is wrong Ash. I'm merely annoyed at what Pikachu is doing and want to leave as soon as possible."**

Pikachu stuck his tongue out at Mewtwo and continued his antics. Ash chuckled.

" **You know, there's nothing wrong in having a little fun. You should try it sometime."**

Mewtwo glared at the raven-haired trainer, which caused him to sweat a little.

" **Or maybe not. Okay, if you don't want to just stand around then how about we start making plans on what we should do?"** Ash reached into his bag and took out a notebook and a pen.

Mewtwo replaced the glare he had on before with his usual stoic expression.

" **Alright, let's go over what Arceus told us and see what we can come up with."**

Ash and Mewtwo then discussed the advice the Alpha Pokémon told them and Ash quickly jotted them down. They then discussed the island that was prepared for their training, the tournament, letting Ash's friends and family know what they were allowed to tell them, which pokémon they should look for and in what locations, what sort of training regiments they should incorporate, what kinds of diets they and the pokémon should be on, what to do about weaknesses, and so on.

As they discussed these topics and many others, Ash was filling up his notebook quite rapidly and Mewtwo was beginning to be more comfortable around him, actually letting his guard down and taking a seat beside the boy. They talked a little more while Ash took down some notes, trying hard to not forget anything as he wrote them down. Mewtwo finished speaking and looked around the area, this time actually taking in what he saw, appreciating the view, while Ash caught up in his notes. Pikachu had curled up next to Ash a little while ago, sleeping, after tiring himself out at making funny faces.

" **And there. Done. Okay, that's the final thing we talked about. Whoa, that's a lot of things we just came up with,"** Ask remarked as he flipped through the filled up pages. **"Once Riolu gets back we'll talk to him as well and try to prioritize this stuff into something that will make sense and help us."**

" **Agreed. It's been a while. How much longer do you think it's going to take?"**

" **I'm not sure Mewtwo. When I had some beginner's training as an Aura Guardian in the Kingdom of Rota with Master Riley that took a couple weeks. This may take a while. Let's rest until they're done."**

" **I suppose you're right. I'm going to explore a bit before I take a rest."**

" **Alright. I'm gonna take a few winks. I'll be here if you need anything buddy."**

Mewtwo nodded and left. Ash got his sleeping bag out of his large backpack and set it up away from the lake and then picked up Pikachu and carefully placed him beside his sleeping bag. He then got in and went to sleep.

While Ash was sleeping, Mewtwo merely stood in front of the lake, going over what they had discussed in his head. He was actually quite surprised as to how the boy was able to come up with such good ideas. He glanced back at the sleeping trainer.

 _Hmmm….he's much more than just a typical trainer. He may seem oblivious to everything else around him, but when it comes to pokémon and battling, he's a natural. I wonder where he gets it from. Perhaps there is something I can learn from him._

Mewtwo face towards the lake again, his arms crossed. He decided to meditate for a while. No sooner had he decided to do so, that he sensed there was something coming. He looked above him and saw Riolu and Mew floating down in a pink bubble.

" **About time. Are you finally finished?"** asked an inpatient Mewtwo.

" **Of course silly! If we weren't, then we wouldn't be here, would we? Geez, and you say nothing gets past you. Yea right!"** teased Mew.

" **Alright enough!"** interrupted Riolu. He sensed Mewtwo getting angry again and didn't want it escalated. **"We have more important things to do. Where's Ash? Ah there he is!"**

The aura pokémon moved towards Ash after reaching the ground. When he passed Mewtwo, the canine pokémon put up an aura shield to stop a small Shadow Ball launched at him from the psychic feline. After the attack, Riolu went on guard, his aura flaring around him powerfully.

" **What was that for?!"** growled Riolu.

" **I was merely testing you. I wanted to see the results of Mew's knowledge transfer,"** replied Mewtwo.

" **Hmph. Stick around. I promise you'll see more."**

The aura pokémon relaxed and the aura around him faded away. Riolu went to Ash and woke him up by shaking him a bit. Finally Ash woke up and as soon as he saw his pokémon, asked him how the transfer went.

" **It went smoothly. I have all the knowledge about aura. Now let us get going."**

" **That's awesome Riolu! Before we go, I want to tell you some things that Mewtwo and I discussed about what we should do next. You should join us Mewtwo."**

The three then discussed the ideas that the guardian and feline came up with and also the advice that Arceus gave them. After about an hour they prioritized what they needed to do. Their objectives were lined up, in a general idea of which to tackle first before the others. Of course they would adjust accordingly if they could do something quicker or had to leave something for later. The list went as follows;

Go to New Island and check it out; figure out what they need to add, what to discard and what to change.

Figure out how to tell his family and friends that he will be gone for a while.

Find the pokémon he let go for the time being and see if they wanted to come back

Move all of his pokémon who wanted to come from Professor Oak's lab to the island

Figure out how to have new pokémon that he captured or befriended on his journey go automatically to the island.

Figure out a way to bypass the maximum 6 pokémon on him rule

Research perfect diet and training regiment for each pokémon and figure out how to combat their weaknesses, while enhancing their strengths naturally

Come up with island defenses for when the darkness comes

Find good locations for secondary bases and secret supply stashes.

" **Okay, this looks like a good plan. We'll follow this outline and we'll make adjustments when and if it's needed. Any questions guys?"**

Riolu and Mewtwo shook their head and stood up, ready to leave. Before anything else happened, Mew squeaked above them and bobbed up and down in the air excitedly.

" **Oh! Oh! Oh! I can help you with a couple of those! Please let me help! Oh! Oh!"** squeaked Mew.

" **Will you cut that out?!"** snapped an annoyed purple feline.

Ash shook his head in amusement then looked at Mew.

" **What can you help us with Mew?"**

" **I know how you can have all your pokémon with you and how you can have them automatically transport to the island instead of your professor's lab!"** Mew spoke very fast and sounded like she was trying to say everything in one breath.

The trio raised their eyebrows in surprise. Pikachu gave a short squeak as well as few sparks shot out from his cheeks, as if to signify for them to be quiet so he can continue his nap.

" **That sounds good. Please tell us, how we can do that?"** asked Ash.

" **Simple silly. All you have to do, is take one of these large aura crystals from here,"** Mew pointed at an aura crystal a short distance away from them, which was the size of a small car. **"And set it on the island. Then, channel your aura into it. This will cause that aura crystal to be connected to you, and you alone. After that, just have all of your poke balls, whether empty or filled, touch the crystal once and it will bond as well. That way, any new pokémon caught with the bonded balls will automatically transfer to the island and whenever you switch out pokémon they'll go there instead!"**

" **Wow, that sounds cool! But wait, you didn't say anything about how I can have all of my pokémon with me?"** Ash asked while scratching the back of his head, confused.

" **Well, you didn't let me finish Ash! Wow, he's almost as inpatient as you brother!"**

Mewtwo scowled.

" **Alright, this is how you can do that. You see that crystal around your neck I gave you?"**

Ash glanced down at the crystal and grabbed it.

" **Yes that one. Have that crystal also touch the giant crystal after you channel your aura into it. Keep that smaller one with you at all times for now. Then you will be able to call any pokémon to your side from the island by using your aura alone by willing them to your side! Their poke ball will appear in your hand and your chosen pokémon will automatically come! It will work over any distance! It will also over ride the rule where you can only have a maximum of 6 pokémon with you at a time, so you can call as many as you wish! Also, you will only need the small crystal until your aura powers become much stronger. Then you can do so without the crystal. Neat huh?"**

" **Neat? That sounds incredible! That's perfect!"** Ash said happily. Riolu and Mewtwo nodded their heads in agreement. Pikachu sent out a Thundershock that hit Ash.

" **Pika!"**

" **Sorry Pikachu. I guess I just got a little too excited. Might as well get up. We're about to leave soon."**

" **Pika…"** Pikachu replied grumpily and slowly stretched then got up. Ash chuckled while the other pokémon stared at the duo's antics.

" **However, I must warn you. Don't use that to your advantage in official matches or battles Ash. I know you won't, but I had to mention it anyways. Of course in unofficial battles, helping others or when you're training go crazy, but don't break any rules when it's official. We don't want anyone knowing about how you can do such a thing. Everyone will go crazy for these things. Of course they wouldn't be able to do it since they are not Aura Guardians, but people don't listen do they?"**

" **No worries Mew. I won't tell anyone, and I won't abuse these special gifts you're giving me."** Ash then turned to the other pokémon. **"Looks like we can scratch off a couple things already huh guys? Alright, let's go check out the island and then we'll come back for the large crystal."** He turned to face Mew again. **"Thanks again for everything Mew! You truly are an amazing pokémon."**

" **And don't you forget it buddy boy!"** giggled Mew.

Ash smiled his trademark goofy grin. He packed up his stuff and Pikachu jumped onto his usual spot on the raven-haired trainer's shoulder and waved goodbye to the pink legendary.

" **Pika pi chu!"**

" **Goodbye to you too Pikachu! Hope to see you soon!"**

" **Thank you for everything Lady Mew. You're help is much appreciated,"** said Riolu with a deep bow. Mew giggled at his proper send off.

" **Thank you."** Mewtwo said after a long pause, and with Mew glaring at him. She then smiled and nodded in acceptance of the thanks, even if it was said half heartedly.

Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo glanced at each other and nodded. Ash took out the small flower crystal that Arceus bestowed on him and placed it in his hand. Riolu and Mewtwo placed their hands onto the crystal as well. A second later, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and they all vanished, heading towards the island, which would soon become their new home for a long, long time.

 _ **A/N - How'd you guys like the interactions between Mew and Mewtwo? I had fun getting this out and I hope you guys enjoyed it as well. I've always pictured Mew as a happy go lucky type of being who was a little spoiled as well but with a short temper.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	6. Chapter 6 - New Island

_**A/N - New chapter is up!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 6 – NEW ISLAND

Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo appeared out of thin air with a slight blue glow around them on the shores of their destination, New Island. No sooner had their feet touch the ground that the crystal given to the raven-haired trainer dissolved into blue sparkling particles before vanishing completely. The group walked on, away from the shore towards the center of the island and came upon a small dirt path and they followed it. The island seemed to be vastly different than when Mewtwo was using it for his base of operations when he wanted to rule the world.

" **It's pretty different than the last time we were here huh Mewtwo?"** asked Ash.

Mewtwo nodded. He was surprised that the island was completely changed than when he had last seen it. Of course when he left, he disabled all the electronic equipment on the island but left everything pretty much intact. Yet, his old fortress and battlefield were long gone, with no trace of them ever existing. It seemed to be more of a tropical island since all they saw was trees, bushes and the dirt path they were following. They hoped it would lead to the center of the island and find something.

They continued walking for about half an hour when they finally came upon a clearing and noticed a black spiked gate that was connected on both ends to white walls that extended pretty long on both sides. There was a design on the gate; it was a picture of the fully evolved forms of the Kanto starters in a group. Venusaur on the left, Blastoise on the right, and Charizard in the middle and a little behind the other two, with its wings spread out. They approached the gate, pushed it open and walked in. What they next saw made all of them gasp.

There was a small water fountain that had a statue of the same design as the gate, and just behind that was a large two story house that looked like a miniature mansion. Ash and Pikachu grinned and then sprinted towards the house, while Riolu and Mewtwo followed shortly after. The young guardian reached the door, grabbed the doorknob and turned it. He and Pikachu stepped inside the building after pushing open the door and their jaws dropped.

They were greeted with a huge living room with three large couches surrounding a decent sized coffee table in the shape and design of a common poke ball, with a large flat screen TV hanging against the wall in front of them. They saw two staircases on both sides of the living room, with door openings under them. The left door opening led to a large dining room, where a long black dining table with a dozen chairs around it was set in the middle of the room. The right door opening led to another living room that doubled as a den, with more couches and another coffee table, all in front of a large fire place.

In the main living room, the wall that had the hanging TV, also had two door openings on either side of the TV, however, they both led to a large kitchen, with many cupboards. There were several brand new appliances that included a refrigerator, dishwasher, electric stove and microwave. There was another door opening to the right that led to a laundry room with brand new washer and dryer. To the left, another door opening led to a pantry, with shelves lining the walls. The kitchen also had a single door in the middle of the back wall that led to the back yard. The backyard had a fairly large patio, with a larger oval pool a little away from the patio, along with a raised oval jacuzzi next to the pool on the other side facing the building. There was also a barbeque area in the patio. The pool also had a several lounge chairs surrounding it.

After checking out the backyard, they went upstairs and saw that there were five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Two bedrooms on the left with a bathroom in between them, with the same thing on the opposite side, and in the middle, a master bedroom, which was also over the main living room, with a master bathroom as well as a large walk in closet. Across the hall from the master bedroom they saw elevator doors. Curious to why it was there, they pushed the button and the elevator door's dinged open. They got in and noticed there were only three buttons next to three words; one next to "Office", one next to "Bedrooms" and the last one next to "Roof". They pushed the button for "Roof" first and felt the elevator go up.

As the elevator dinged and opened the doors, they stepped out. Ash and Pikachu smiled as they saw a good distance out over the island and ocean around them. The two quickly joined Mewtwo and Riolu looking around after. They noticed that on the roof were five large curved solar panels in the middle of the roof, as well as four windmills, one in each corner of the roof.

" **That's great. Now we know how everything is powered and shouldn't have any worries about any electric bills, huh Pikachu?"** joked Ash. Pikachu shook his head at the lame joke. **"Oh alright fine it wasn't that good."** He scratched the yellow mouse behind the ears and Pikachu cooed in happiness.

Riolu motioned them to go back to the elevator. **"Let's see what's in the 'Office', shall we?"**

" **Yes, I am curious as to what it holds as well,"** added Mewtwo.

They got back inside the elevator and Ash pushed the button for "Office". They felt the elevator move down and dinged, opening the doors a second later. They stepped out and Ash let out a whistle.

They stepped into a large room that had a computer and three monitors in a half circle on a large desk with a computer chair in front of them, about ten feet from the elevator doors. Against both side walls were a row of cupboards on the ground, followed with rows of books above them reaching the ceiling. There was a large open area in the middle of the room, and then on the opposite wall, there was again a row of cupboards on the ground, followed with large detailed maps of all the regions hanging on the wall above the row of cupboards.

Riolu and Mewtwo checked out the book shelves, while Pikachu opened each cupboard to see if there was anything inside them. Ash turned on the computer to see if there was anything on it. It was basically a brand new computer that had several useful programs pre-installed, such as a pokémon battle simulator, Sliph Office Works for typing documents, making computer presentations and other things, a CD burning program, an internet browser, as well as many others. He also noticed that the computer had a wireless internet connection, he assumed via satellite, since he saw one set up on the roof. After they finished checking out the room a little, Ash turned off the computer and they decided to head back up. Once they reached the bedroom level, they went back downstairs and relaxed onto the couches in the main living room.

" **Ah! This feels good!"** said Ash as he dropped onto the couch, taking up the whole thing.

" **Chaaa!"** agreed Pikachu while he curled up into a ball on the left couch.

" **These will be good to relax on after a good day's training,"** added Riolu as he too sat and relaxed on the couch where Pikachu was curled up on.

" **I must agree. These aren't half bad,"** finished up Mewtwo as he used his psychic powers to lie down on the last couch on the right, his long purple tail grazing the floor as it swished back and forth.

" **We should figure out where to put the large aura crystal that Mew told us to bring,"** said Riolu after a few silent minutes.

" **Hmm, that's a good point,"** said the raven-haired trainer, still on his back, with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. His hat was lowered over his face a little. They all thought in silence. Then,

" **Pika pika chu chu pi chu pika pi pikachu pi kachu pi pika."**

" **Huh, why didn't I think of that? You're right; we should put it in the office, in the middle of the large open area. Nicely done buddy!"** said Ash.

" **I'm impressed Pikachu. Good work comrade,"** said Riolu. Mewtwo merely nodded when he sensed Pikachu glance in his direction.

" **Alright, let's get that taken cared of now, and then we can call it a night for today. I'll bond with the crystal tomorrow, we'll explore the rest of the island as well and then figure out how to let my family and friends know I'm going to be gone for while."**

The pokémon murmured in agreement and Mewtwo told them he'll go get the crystal and be back quickly since he could use his psychic powers to lift the crystal and teleport back with no problem. The others agreed and watched the purple feline disappear before going back to their resting positions. About five minutes later, they sensed Mewtwo teleport back into the room. Ash opened his eyes a little and saw Mewtwo lying back down onto the couch with a smile on his face.

" **Why are you smiling Mewtwo?"** Ash asked.

Mewtwo glanced at him. **"When I went to pick up the crystal, Mew was there. You know how she is. She kept flying all over the place in her pink ball of energy so…"** A smirk appeared on his face.

" **You didn't…"**

Mewtwo chuckled. **"I told her to stop being such an annoying pink pin ball again. She grew furious at that remark as you know she would and launched an Aura Sphere at me this time. At the last second I called her a 'slowpoke' and teleported back here. I can still see her furious glare,"** Mewtwo finished with a laugh.

Ash laughed out loud. He couldn't believe what he just heard, but what surprised him even more was that Mewtwo was having some fun as well. _He's slowly relaxing and having fun. This is good._

" **So you put the crystal in the office and came here I take it?"** asked Ash after finishing his thoughts.

" **Yes. I made a stand with my psychic powers and placed the crystal on top of it,"** answered Mewtwo.

" **Good,"** Riolu muttered. **"We should get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."** The group agreed and muttered good night before they all fell asleep right there on the couches.

The group woke up in the morning one by one, first one being Riolu, who promptly woke up Pikachu, then Ash and finally Mewtwo. They all stretched a bit and then agreed to go check out the aura crystal that Mewtwo brought and placed in the office. When they got down to the office level, they grouped around the large blue crystal and except for Mewtwo (who saw it already), were astonished as to how beautiful and big the aura crystal is. It was sitting on top of a pure white stand, which looked like it was made of metal, lifting up the crystal into the air by a few feet, making the crystal about a foot taller than Ash. Riolu faced Ash and then asked him if he was ready to channel his aura into the crystal.

" **I don't really know how to do that. Mew didn't tell me. Do you know?"** Ash asked the aura pokémon.

Riolu nodded. **"Of course. All that knowledge being transferred wasn't for nothing you know."**

Mewtwo scoffed. Riolu glared at him before continuing.

" **Anyway, just place your hand on the crystal and then focus on your Aura."**

Ash nodded and did as he was told. He placed his hand on the crystal and then closed his eyes to focus on his aura. Pikachu jumped down onto the floor so as to not bother his friend while he tried to do so. A minute passed, then two. Ash was beginning to get nervous and Riolu sensed his Master's aura spike in distress.

" **You must relax Master. Do not get anxious or inpatient. Just concentrate on your aura. There is no reason for you to feel any kind of distress."**

Ash nodded at the encouragement. He shook his head a little, as if to clear it and refocused. A few minutes passed and then slowly, Ash began having a faint glowing blue outline on his body. Several seconds later, his hand that was placed on the crystal began pulsing out blue energy into the crystal, causing said crystal to glow brighter and brighter as more energy poured to it. Ash soon became tired and stopped the aura pulsing out as he couldn't go on, barely able to keep standing. The large crystal glowed a bright light blue for a moment, and then the glow went away, leaving the crystal the same normal blue color it was originally.

" **Do you guys think that did it?"** asked a weary Ash.

" **Yes it did. The bond has been completed,"** answered Riolu.

" **Let's test it. Ash, hold out Riolu's ball and place it against the crystal,"** said Mewtwo.

Ash took out Riolu's luxury ball and held it up against the large aura crystal and then gently had them touch. The ball instantly glowed blue for a second, and then vanished. The group was surprised. Mew hadn't told them about that happening.

" **Was that supposed to happen?"** asked Ash while scratching the back of his head.

" **Perhaps. Let's give it a shot. Master, try to summon my poke ball."**

Ash began focusing his aura again after telling Riolu to stop calling him Master, who didn't hear him. It was harder now, since he was pretty exhausted already. A small ball of blue energy appeared in his right hand. He raised his hand and focused more energy into making the poke ball appear. The blue energy ball grew larger and the ball of energy faded away to reveal Riolu's luxury ball.

" **Pika pikapi!"** Pikachu congratulated Ash on being able to do it. Riolu and Mewtwo smiled, glad that he was able to do it, especially on his first try.

" **Thanks buddy. Yea, I did it!"** Ash yelled out in joy while pumping his fist. **"Wow, that's cool! With a little more practice I should be able to summon them much more quickly and easily."** Ash tapped the ball with his finger, causing it to shrink into its minimized form and it vanished quickly after. **"Alright guys, I'm afraid that was the easy part. We need to think up of a way to tell my friends and family that I'm going to be gone for a while. Let's go see if there's any food here, make ourselves some breakfast while we think this over."** The others nodded in agreement and the group went back up, moving towards the kitchen to see if they could find any food.

Unfortunately for the hungry group, there was no food to be found. Arceus and the reality Dragons may have set up the island well for their training needs, but it looks like they had to get the basic necessities on their own. Ash sighed as his stomach growled pretty loudly, enough for the others to hear it even though they were at opposite ends of the kitchen. This caused the rest to grin; they know how Ash is when it comes to food.

" **Damn, there's no food here. And I'm pretty sure none of you came up with a way to tell them huh?"** asked the hungry teenager. The others shook their heads **. "Well, let's go check out the rest of the island while we think of a way to tell my friends."** The others nodded and they stepped into the backyard. Mewtwo suggested that he use his psychic powers to levitate everyone into the air so they can check out the island quicker, which they agreed to.

As they rose up into the air, they noticed another building behind the mini mansion and went towards it. They quickly found out that it was a large pokémon tournament field that doubled as a training stadium. Ash commented on how it would help them when they start their training, since they could set up many different regiments for the pokémon. After exploring the rest of the island, they only found a few dozen fruit trees scattered throughout the island, a small mountainous region to the north and that the island was high up from the sea floor, with the only shore the one to the south, the very same one they saw the first time they arrived at the island.

Because of Mewtwo using his psychic powers to have everyone fly over the island while they explored it, it didn't take too long for them to see what was there and soon went back home. They landed back in the back yard and they stepped back into the living room and dropped onto the couches again. Many thoughts began racing around in Ash's head.

 _How am I going to tell everyone? How am I going to just leave them and not see them for so long? Should I meet them in person individually and tell them? Or should I see them in a group? Wait, I know, I'll mail them a letter! No, that won't work. I'll email them! No, they'll definitely kill me for that. Damn it, what am I going to do….._

" **I got it!"** yelled Ash and he shot up from the couch suddenly, while calling out to the group; **"Guys, I got it, listen up!"**

Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo glanced at the teenager from their relaxed positions **.**

" **I know how to let everyone know and what to tell them. But first, we visit my mom back home in Pallet Town to have some breakfast and grab some supplies. After we'll go to Professor Oak's lab to get my pokémon who are there and I'll make a group phone call to my friends. Then we'll go visit the pokémon I left to train or to take care of other business."**

" **Pika pi chu pika pi pi,"** said Pikachu, his eyes shining as drool slipped out from the corner of his mouth. Riolu glanced at Pikachu, a little confused at what the electric mouse just said while Mewtwo had a look of disgust on his face. Ash laughed at what his starter pokémon just said and how he's acting.

" **If you stop drooling and behave yourself, then maybe I will tell mom to give you some ketchup."**

Pikachu snapped out of his dazed look and jumped onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek against Ash's in happiness. Riolu chuckled and Mewtwo's look of disgust faded away and was replaced with one of annoyance.

" **Alright, we have a plan. Let's get going. I don't want to risk staying so long here that it causes Pikachu to start seeing ketchup everywhere,"** teased the legendary pokémon.

" **Pika…"** Pikachu's ears dropped and his normally red cheeks flushed pink a little in embarrassment.

" **Hey, c'mon Mewtwo, be nice,"** said Ash while he chuckled slightly in amusement. **"Okay, let's hit the road. Mewtwo, you know where Pallet Town is right?"** Mewtwo nodded. **"Great. Whenever you're ready buddy."** Soon as he finished talking, the psychic pokémon's eyes glowed blue and they vanished.

They appeared right in front of Pallet Town's entrance from Route 1.

" **Ah, it's great to be home again, right Pikachu?"** Ash asked while spreading out his arms and breathing in the air deeply.

" **Chaaa!"** Pikachu answered happily, mimicking his friend's movements.

Riolu and Mewtwo looked at the town ahead of them. It wasn't a large town, but it was peaceful and very beautiful. They walked down the path in front of them, passing the professor's lab on the right shortly after and soon found themselves in front of Ash's home, with nobody around to see them surprisingly. It was a small and simple house, but Ash loved everything about it. He walked up the couple steps in front of the house and rang the door bell. The door opened almost immediately and Ash was quickly pulled inside and crushed in a hug given by his loving mother, Delia Ketchum.

" **Oh, my baby is back home! Oh, how I missed you Ash!"** said Delia, while smothering her son in her hug, preventing him from breathing properly. Pikachu had dropped down onto the ground before the crushing hug took place and sniggered at his predicament. Riolu and Mewtwo sweat dropped.

" **Mom…can't….breathe….Pikachu...tell…..pokémon….love…..them…"** Ash said with great difficulty in between gasping for air. His mom finally let him go, although reluctantly and the trainer took heaving breaths trying to get air back into his lungs. His mom giggled.

" **Oh stop acting like a drama queen! Oh, and who are your friends?"** inquired Delia as she spotted Riolu and Mewtwo, who had stunned expressions on their faces still over what happened.

" **This is Riolu,"** said Ash after catching his breath again, pointing to the aura pokémon. **"And this is Mewtwo"** he added, moving his hand to point at the legendary. **"They're my new friends. We dropped by to visit before we head on out again."** His stomach made one of his infamous growls which made the group stare at him. Ash sweat dropped.

" **Looks like you're hungry as well,"** said his mom sweetly **. "Come on in, and you two as well. Any friend or pokémon of Ash's is welcome here anytime. Give me a few minutes and Mimey and I will have breakfast ready."** She moved inside and the rest followed, saying hello to the Mr. Mime who lived with Ash's mom, taking care of most of the chores around the house and almost always will prevent others from doing them.

Once breakfast was made, everyone gathered around the dining table and ate the delicious food that Delia cooked, commenting on how great it tasted. She was a little shocked to hear Riolu and Mewtwo speak, even though it was with telepathy, but quickly got over it. She asked what her son has been up to and he responded with quick short answers since he was trying to talk and eat at the same time. After everyone ate heartily (taking second helpings of everything), Ash told his mom that they needed to go to Professor Oak's before heading out again.

" **Oh you're leaving already?"** his mom asked, with noticeable sadness in her voice.

" **Yea, sorry mom, but we can't stay. I found out I need to take care of some stuff. Oh and mom, we need to get some supplies. Do you think you can help us out with that?"**

" **Of course sweetie. Come back from the Professor's and I'll have everything ready for you."**

" **Cool, thanks Mom. C'mon guys, let's go."** The four got up and left the house, their destination, the famous laboratory of Professor Oak.

 _ **A/N - Wish I had a sweet island like that. Work hard for many years, find a rich girl who actually likes my hobbies, or try for the lottery? Decisions, decisions...Anyway, hope you guys liked finding out about their new home.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Call

_**A/N - This was a hard one to get up and I hope I didn't mess it up. (Also, there is an edit at the end of the chapter so as to not ruin the chapter.)**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 7 – THE CALL

Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo headed out towards Professor Oak's laboratory. A quick walk later, they were in front of the lab's door. Ash rang the door bell. A moment later a teenager a few years older than Ash opened the door.

" **Hey Ash, hey Pikachu. Good to see you again!"** said Tracy, not noticing Riolu or Mewtwo.

" **Pi pikachu!"** greeted the yellow mouse while waving his hands.

" **Same to you Tracy. How have you been?"** replied Ash.

" **Good, thanks. What brings you here?"**

" **I'm here to see Professor Oak and to pick up my pokémon."**

" **Okay sure, I'll go get him. Wait for us in his office."**

" **No problem Tracy."**

The group stepped inside and walked down the hall with Ash leading the way. Soon they found themselves inside the Professor's main office. As they waited for Professor Oak and Tracy, they looked around the room and saw that it was pretty organized except for some papers spread out on the desk in front of them.

 _Must have been researching something or analyzing another professor's work_ , thought Ash.

He wasn't surprised since Professor Oak was one of the most respected and famous pokémon researchers in the whole world and as a result, was always busy. They heard the door open behind them and turned to see the professor and Tracy step into the room.

" **Ah, it's good to see you Ash. How have you been my boy?"** asked Professor Oak as he hugged Ash. He treated the boy as his own and cared for him deeply.

" **I've been great professor. I see you're busy as always,"** commented Ash after they released each other, gesturing to the papers on the desk. **"I have a couple friends to introduce to you. This is Riolu and this is Mewtwo,"** Ash said to Oak. Oak nodded at Riolu and when he turned to face Mewtwo, he at first couldn't speak. Tracy then noticed the other two pokémon. For a pokémon watcher and Oak's assistant, he should've noticed them before, but sometimes it seems he was just out of it.

" **Did you say Mewtwo?"** whispered Oak as he stared in wonder at the purple feline.

" **Ah yes, I did. I should've mentioned that Mewtwo is Mew's brother. He is the only one of his kind and also a powerful psychic type legendary pokémon."** Ash didn't mention the cloning part as he felt it wasn't necessary. Mewtwo caught this and nodded in appreciation.

" **How did you capture him?"** asked Tracy, also in awe.

Ash laughed, causing Oak and Tracy to snap their heads to face him. **"I didn't capture him. I don't think anyone can capture him. I met up with Mewtwo a while ago and we decided to travel together for a little while."** As the two glanced at Mewtwo, the feline nodded.

" **Well, I must say, you always seem to run into legendaries and grand adventures. Just please be careful okay?"** sighed Oak at last.

" **Will do professor."**

" **Alright then. So, what brings you back home? I take it you already visited your mother?"**

" **Yes I did. I saw mom already and wanted to see you for a couple things."**

" **I see. Well ask away and let's see what I can do for you."**

" **Thanks. Well, I wanted to pick up my pokémon and to make a group call using your phone since it can do that, if that's okay with you?"**

" **Is that all?"** chuckled Oak. **"Okay, let us take care of the first thing. Which pokémon did you want?"**

" **All of them."**

Oak and Tracy stared for a moment.

" **All of them? You know that you can't use all of them in official battles right?"** asked Tracy

" **Yea, I know. I just want to take them all with me as I'm going to go into some heavy training and I don't want to constantly transfer them out."**

" **I see. Well, this is something we can do. Tracy, would you please go get all of his pokémon into their poke balls and bring them here?"**

" **No problem professor,"** replied Tracy and he left the room.

" **Okay, you'll be able to take them with you, but you won't be able to enter any official battles or tournaments while you carry them all with you."**

Ash nodded. He knew that's how it was going to be. Well, that's how it was going to be if he didn't have his own special island and aura crystal which will allow him to completely bypass those limitations.

" **Good. Now, did you want to make that group call? You can take care of that while Tracy gets your pokémon ready."**

Ash glanced at Riolu and Mewtwo, then faced Oak once more and nodded. Oak set up the phone for a group call for Ash. Ash thanked the professor and asked if he could have some privacy. Getting the hint, Oak nodded and left without a word. Riolu and Mewtwo leaned against the book shelves on opposite sides of the room with their arms crossed. Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder, excitement building in him. He missed their friends and wanted to see them. Ash input several phone numbers into the system and was about to hit the dial button when he hesitated. He didn't want to do this but he had no other choice. He pushed the connect button. The system sent out calls to all the dialed numbers. After a moment, several boxes appeared on the screen, each one showing a different person, yet every single one of them had a look of surprise on their face as soon as they noticed who called them.

" **Ash!"** Several of them called out his name together, causing the raven-haired trainer to blush slightly.

" **Pikachu!"** greeted the electric mouse to the people on the screen, waving frantically and smiling at them. Most of them laughed a little at the pokémon's actions.

" **Hey guys! It's been a long time. How have you all been?"** The people he was talking to were his closest friends and he would do anything for them. Of course he would help others whenever he could or whoever he came across who needed help, but for his close friends, he would gladly go to the ends of the world for any one of them. The group of friends he called were Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Gary, Richie, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena.

" **We've been good. We've kept in touch with each other,"** said Brock.

" **Yea, unlike some trainer who barely visits anymore,"** added Misty with some annoyance in her voice. Ash rolled his eyes at her comment, earning some chuckles.

" **Yea, May and I have been going shopping together. You should come with us!"** said Dawn.

" **You only want me to come with you two so I can hold your bags!"** laughed Ash, seeing through her attempt to be sneaky.

" **Well yea, but we still would love to have you with us again!"** chuckled May, seeing Dawn's plan fail.

" **You should come see my new invention Ash!"** said Clemont excitedly.

" **It's not going to blow up in my face is it?"** asked Ash, making Bonnie and Serena laugh as they shook their heads.

" **Of course not! What kind of inventor do you take me for?"** replied Clemont with an angry look but it was soon wiped from his face when one of his inventions spontaneously exploded behind him.

" **Still haven't learned have you brother?"** asked Bonnie as she giggled and several others laughed.

" **So how did training at Mount Silver go Ashy-boy?"** asked Gary.

Ash was stunned by that. He hadn't told anyone about his training on Mount Silver. Only Professor Oak knew and he made him promise not to tell anyone. Looks like Gary made him break that promise.

" **What?!"** yelped Misty as her eyes grew wide in shock as several things ran through her head. _Ash trained at Mount Silver?_

" **Mount Silver? How can a little kid like you expect to survive training there by yourself?"** asked a bewildered Iris.

" **Now Iris, you know that if the Pokémon League officials didn't believe he could handle it, then they wouldn't allow him,"** answered Cilan.

Brock nodded in agreement as he knew the rules as well. He had a slight suspicion that a certain professor may have vouched for his best friend.

" **Looks like the cat's out of the bag huh Pikachu?"**

" **Pika…"** sighed the yellow mouse.

" **Well, don't keep us in suspense Ash!"** said Richie suddenly.

" **Yea, tell us Ash!"** agreed Max.

" **Tell us before I use one of my brother's inventions on you!"** threatened Bonnie as Clemont face palmed.

" **They're not meant to be used as weapons Bonnie!"** yelled Clemont.

" **Alright, alright, just keep his inventions away from me."**

Ash quickly explained he's been training at Mount Silver, looking for ways to become stronger, while also leaving out certain details. Riolu and Mewtwo would glance towards Ash once in a while, usually because of something the teenager said. They both were relaxing in their positions, as they figured that the talk would probably take some time.

" **So that's what you've been up to Ash. We haven't heard from you for a while. We were beginning to think something happened to you,"** said May. Most of the others nodded in agreement.

" **Yea…I'm really sorry about that guys. So what have you guys been up to? How's your guys' progress?"** asked Ash.

Ash and his friends then discussed what they've been up to; May and Dawn both won contests and were now taking a break, Brock was finishing up some advanced classes to becoming a pokémon doctor, Gary was working on his pokémon researcher's license, Misty was busy upgrading her gym, Max was journeying on his own adventure and had captured the Ralts he had befriended years ago, Iris was training her dragon types back in her village, Cilan was at a connoisseur convention, Richie was busy challenging gyms trying to get badges to enter that year's pokémon league competition, Clemont had reprogrammed his Clembot and now it was a butler for him and his sister Bonnie and Bonnie was getting ready to get her first pokémon and trainer's license since she just turned ten years old a couple weeks ago. After finally catching up with everyone, Ash decided it was time to tell them what he called them for.

" **Guys, I have something else to tell you, something important."**

" **What is it?"** asked Misty, a hint of worry in her voice that nobody caught. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what was coming.

May, Dawn and Serena had concerned expressions appear on their faces, while Iris and most of the guys kept stoic. Brock however, narrowed his already squinty eyes further. He knew Ash was going to say something that he didn't really want to. He knew his best friend well, as they were very close and viewed each other as brothers instead of just friends.

Mewtwo and Riolu glanced at each other. They could sense Ash tensing up and becoming anxious. They nodded over an unspoken agreement; they would help Ash through if he needed it.

Ash took a deep breath; _Well, here goes._

" **I didn't just call to see how all of you are doing, even though I really enjoyed hearing what you guys have been up to. There's something important that you should know. But first, I know I've been gone for a while and haven't kept in touch these past couple months and for that I apologize and for making you guys worry. And it looks like I'm going to owe you guys another apology later on…"**

" **What do you mean by that? What's going on Ash?"** asked Brock suddenly; a little anxious and scared at what he was hearing. The others were waiting to hear what their best friend was trying to say.

Ash didn't want to lie but he knew he couldn't tell them the whole truth. So he had decided it would give them a little bit of it.

" **I'm going away for a while,"** he said bluntly.

" **What?!"** yelped out Misty, May, Dawn and Serena together.

" **You can't leave! I won't let you!"** cried out Bonnie.

" **Why are you leaving? Do you need help?"** asked Brock. The others merely stayed quiet with shocked expressions on their faces.

" **It's not for forever and no I'll be fine. There are some things that I found out about and I need to go figure out some stuff and to take care of some things. I would have asked each of you if you wanted to join but I need to do this on my own and I couldn't ask you guys to leave everything for so long anyways."**

" **What do you mean by 'for so long'?"** questioned Richie, catching what he let slip.

" **How long are you going away for?"** asked Cilan.

Ash sighed. He couldn't answer that. Not without letting some things out that he was supposed to keep secret.

" **Let's just say, I won't be competing in tournaments for a while."**

If his friends were shocked before, it was nothing compared to how surprised they were now. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Their friend really was leaving for a long time.

" **What?! No, you can't leave. At least not alone. I'm coming with you. I'll be there tomorrow morning!"** said Dawn. Misty, Serena, May, Max and Richie voiced their thoughts in coming as well.

" **I'm sorry, but unfortunately, you can't come with me. The place I'm going, it's not for you guys. It's not for any of you."**

Some of his friends scowled at the comment, which told Ash that he wasn't explaining things well and hurried to fix it.

" **I don't mean it that way. It's just something that is about me, and nobody can help me with it. I need to do this on my own."**

Brock and Cilan understood what he was trying to say since they were older the rest, but they still didn't like it. They however still nodded in agreement. The others were still a little annoyed over what was happening and some where muttering under their breath. Ash spoke again and they went silent, listening to him.

 **"Look, I know you guys don't like what I'm saying, but this has to be done, I must do this. I wanted to see and talk to you guys at least once more before heading out. Also, I'm sorry for not keeping in touch as much as I should have been."**

" **Okay, something's up Ashy-boy. You're not like this unless something big is involved. What aren't you telling us? Tell us now!"** demanded Gary, his temper rising.

" **I can't tell you guys. I told you, this is something that needs to be done, something that I must do alone. But there is something I want, no need, for you guys to do for me, which will help me. Can you promise me you can do these two things for me?"**

" **Yes we promise, but only if you tell us what's going on!"** snapped Misty. Ash nodded when he heard Misty say that they promise, but blocked out the rest.

" **Okay, thank you. The first thing I want to ask is for all of you to keep up your training and to take care of each other."**

Ash took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, as his emotions were beginning to overcome him.

" **The second thing I ask is….is…."**

He couldn't finish. He looked down at his feet, tears filling up his eyes. He was always an emotional person and his friends knew. But he had to finish. Pikachu patted his head gently, encouraging him to continue. Riolu and Mewtwo had glanced at Ash, once things were starting to get hectic with his friends, but now were standing in front of Ash, away from the video camera though, to help if needed. The girls began to tear up at the sight of him being so sad. He wiped his eyes dry with his free hand and looked up.

" **The second thing that I ask, is please don't forget me!"** Ash cried out.

All of his friends' jaws dropped over his silly outburst, but quickly recovered themselves.

" **How could we forget you, you big dummy?"** said Misty, barely holding back her tears.

" **That's not even something you should even have to worry about Ash. You're more than just a best friend to me. You're my brother,"** added Brock.

" **How can I forget my biggest rival? I may not be a trainer for much longer, but don't think I'll let you get ahead of me, Ashy-boy!"** quipped Gary.

" **We can never forget you Ash,"** said May sadly and Max nodded. He was crying already, since he was the youngest of the group. He was being very quiet, which wasn't normal for him. Maybe he was growing up or the sudden upsetting news was hitting him harder than the young trainer thought.

" **How can I forget my mentor? How can I forget you helping me become a great coordinator?"** said Dawn with tears flowing down her cheeks.

" **You know we can't forget a good friend Ash,"** said Richie, with Serena, Clemont and Bonnie nodding in agreement. Serena even mentioned how she couldn't forget the one who helped her when they were kids.

" **If it wasn't for you, I would never have learned so much and traveled all over the place. I can never forget that or all you have done for me,"** said Cilan, with Iris also saying the same thing, but in different words.

" **I know guys and thank you. I just have a feeling I'm going to be gone for a long time but I won't forget any of you, and will always remember you guys!"** Ash choked out.

It was much harder to do than he thought and he broke down, crying. He didn't care if Riolu and Mewtwo saw or if they made fun of him, but they didn't. Not even Gary, for he knew when to be serious on rare occasions and this was one of those times. The girls all started to cry as well, seeing Ash so upset and finally understanding that they won't be getting seeing him for a long time. Most of the guys kept stoic faces, except for Brock, who let tears form in his eyes, but they didn't fall, and Max, who was straight up bawling his eyes out.

About a minute passed before Ash put himself back together again, at least until he could say goodbye.

" **I'm sorry for making you guys sad. Take care. I have to go now."**

He was about to break down again. Before he could do anything else the girls spoke.

" **Ash…please…"** piped up Misty first, but couldn't finish. Her voice had such a sad tone that it caused Ash's eyes to fill up with tears again just by hearing it.

" **Be careful!"** cried out Dawn and May together and continued crying.

" **And come back soon!"** finished Serena with her voice cracking, who had put herself back together, though barely, as she was trying to be strong for the others, even though her bottom lip was quivering.

Ash then noticed something from the four girls that he thought he was imagining before and it made his heart break. He couldn't dwell on it though and forced himself to look at the others. The guys each nodded at Ash, who returned a nod of his own to each of them.

" **I'll try….I will miss you all…."** said Ash, his trademark goofy grin appearing on his face as he said those words, causing some of his friends to form slight smiles of their own, even while still crying. His grin shortly faded away before saying his last words to them for a long, long time.

" **Remember me…"** whispered Ash and immediately disconnected his call after.

His image quickly blacked out on his friends screens. Shortly afterward, the group of friends choked out farewells of their own to the blank screen and disconnected from the call. Each and every one of them was saddened over what just happened. Some cried their eyes out, while others simply kept it in until it caused them to have an emotional outbreak later on that day.

Ash cried for a good while after disconnecting. Pikachu was silently crying next to him and patting him softly on his shoulder, while Riolu and Mewtwo stood in their stoic positions, allowing him time to let it all out at once. Finally, after several long minutes, Ash slowly began to stop crying and pulled himself back together. He took many deep breaths and finally stood up, glancing at Riolu and Mewtwo.

" **Okay…sorry about that. Let's go."**

The raven-haired trainer walked out of the office, Pikachu on his shoulder and Riolu and Mewtwo following behind him. They found Professor Oak and Tracy in front of the main door, and Tracy was holding a large bag, which held all of Ash's pokémon. Tracy noticed Ash's eyes were red and puffy and was about to ask what happened when Oak caught his assistant's attention and shook his head slightly.

Tracy handed Ash the bag and Oak told him to be careful and to update him when he could. Ash gave a small smile and nodded. He was about to leave when Oak asked if could see his PokeDex. Ash handed it to him and Oak disappeared into a nearby room. He soon came out with his PokeDex and another item, a Poketch Plus.

" **Here you go Ash. I've updated your PokeDex with more data on all of the known pokémon in the world. Also, I'd like to give you this, it's the newest Poketch Plus, which can help you contact anyone who has your number or you have theirs. It comes equipped with several applications that can help you and it can also be upgraded with many others."**

Ash smiled. **"Thanks Professor and thanks Tracy. Take care guys and we'll see ya."**

" **Good bye and good luck."**

Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo headed back to Ash's house. Oak watched them leave and returned to their studies. Tracy stared after him for a few minutes as they became dots in the distance, thinking about some things before heading back inside the laboratory.

They picked up the readied supplies made by Ash's Mom and said their goodbyes, Ash being a little louder than usual to stop his mom from telling him to change his underwear every day in front of the group. Ash nodded at Mewtwo, who in turn had his eyes glow blue and the four of them vanished, appearing back on New Island. With their supplies in hand and all of Ash's pokémon from the lab with him, he only had to check on the ones he let go around the world to see if they wanted to come back, before going out and finding other strong pokémon.

" **Well guys, it's gonna be a long and hard journey. But I'm sure we'll be able to do what needs to be done. We just have to not give up and take things one day at a time,"** remarked Ash.

" **Pika!"** cheered the yellow mouse, pumping his fist, while Riolu and Mewtwo nodded in agreement.

Ash smiled. He knew they had a lot of work to do but he wasn't going to let that bother him. He glanced up towards the sky in thought.

 _I have time, good friends with me and a good plan. We can do this._

After Ash's tearful farewell, his friends were crestfallen for a long time. Their saddened state left them with no energy to do their day to day tasks for a few days as they realized that their close friend, their best friend, had gone away. They had no idea when he would return and who knew if he would even come back safely or come back at all. This unknown thing caused several of them, especially Misty, May, Dawn and Serena, to stay up late at nights, crying, for the next several weeks.

Each of the four girls tried to find the raven haired trainer in the coming months but none of them had much luck. Somehow, he just vanished and nobody had luck finding any trace of him as nobody heard or seen of him. All of Ash's friends decided to train more than usual in the beginning, attempting to keep their promise but soon lost heart in it. The group of friends contacted each other constantly and their bonds grew and soon they were able to bury their sad feelings and thoughts because of focusing on their duties and spending time with each other. Yet each of them, especially the four girls, secretly prayed for the raven haired trainer to come back safe and sound and to come back soon.

 _ **A/N - What a way to let your friends know you're going to be gone for a long time huh? I tried to convey that they cared about each other greatly and since Ash has always been an emotional one, I thought he's outbreak would make sense and how his friends were upset at him leaving.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**

 ** _EDIT - I have added Bonnie and Clemont to the story since I forgot about them as I haven't seen much of the newer episodes as I have little time because of work. I had planned on bringing them up later in the story once I found out about them but since several people asked about the two, I decided to edit them into the story earlier after researching them a bit online. Since I'm not too familiar with them yet, I hope I was able to portray them correctly._**


	8. Chapter 8 - Three Years Later

_**A/N - Silent here! Thanks for everyone who has been following so far! It makes me happy that people are interested and it keeps me going!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 8 – THREE YEARS LATER

If you were to take a look at the island from high up in the air, from a helicopter or an airplane, you would think it to be just another tropical island paradise, hidden from the world. You would be partly right, for the island is hidden from the world, but it is not just another tropical island, oh no. This particular island, named New Island, had its very own mini mansion as well as its own pokémon battle and training stadium, which has been home to a group of pokémon who have been training non-stop for the past three years. They have been training religiously, with fiery determination in their hearts, day in and day out, stopping only to rest or to eat. Of course they would have fun and relaxation times but that was only once every week, to keep them from getting too tense and to keep their focus on their goal.

As hard as the group of pokémon has been training, so too has their trainer. He's not like most other trainers, merely barking orders on his pokémon to train while just standing there. No sir. For the better part of the past three years, this raven-haired trainer, who is now a little past nineteen years old, has been training himself in mind, body, spirit and since he's become an Aura Guardian only a few years ago, his aura powers as well. Right now, he was in a mental training session at the stadium with Mewtwo, the world's most powerful legendary psychic pokémon.

" **You have improved Ash. I am impressed,"** said Mewtwo, as he had attempted to dive into the young man's mind again but was pushed out by the boy's own mental prowess after only a couple seconds.

" **But you must be ready for anything!"** snapped the feline as he sent a mind blast with his telepathy at him.

Ash quickly formed a mental shield around his mind without using his aura powers and the blast was deflected. After stopping the blast, the almost twenty year old collapsed onto his knees, exhausted, as they were in training since morning. Mewtwo had helped Ash develop a little bit of his mental powers just enough to keep others from messing with his mind against his will or at least when conscious.

This is how it went for Ash since they started training. He had done what Arceus has advised him to do. He had used the first year to catch many other pokémon with great potential in both strength and spirit, while training as well. Then from the beginning of the second year, he had set up training regiments for each individual pokémon with the help of Mewtwo and all the research that they have done. Ash had his large group of pokémon work on their weaknesses, increase their strengths, learn new moves, both offensive and defensive, as well as combine certain moves, fighting multiple opponents at once and much more. Each pokémon also had a specific diet made for them, to help them get their vitamins and minerals they needed to stay strong and to grow more powerful.

It was the same for Ash, as he had his own diet now and his own training regiments as well. One day he would focus on his body, working out and sparring with Lucario. The next day he would focus on his mind, getting lessons from Mewtwo in mental communication and in resisting mental attacks, whether by other aura or psychic users, as well as meditation techniques to focus and clear the mind. The third day he would use to practice using his aura powers and abilities with Lucario. From using aura spheres, shields, forming aura weapons such as a sword or hammer, using his aura senses and understanding what they show him, his healing abilities and more. It continued like that, one day body, one day mind, one day aura, and on and on. That was his training. The days where they weren't training with Ash, Lucario and Mewtwo would train with the other pokémon.

" **Thanks Mewtwo, but did you have to go so hard on me today?"** gasped Ash, as he was still trying to catch his breath.

Mewtwo grinned. **"That was more than usual yes, but still barely about a quarter of my full power, and my powers have been growing since I've been training with you. I've been launching stronger attacks at you each time we train."**

" **That was only a quarter of your power?!"** yelped Ash. **"I feel like I've been hit by a damn semi truck."**

The purple legendary laughed, while Ash got back on his feet slowly, when suddenly his Poketch's alarm went off. He checked it and saw it was one pm. He tapped the screen and dismissed the alarm. He nodded at Mewtwo, who then shot a Shadow Ball up into the air which then exploded into many dark purple sparkles after reaching a good distance. It was the signal for lunch.

They started heading back towards the house, ready to relax for a little while they had their lunch, as it was for one hour. As they reached the kitchen, they passed the other pokémon, some inside the house, some outside, already eating. They had set up a system where each pokémon got their own special food, which involved many attempts to get right that involved a computer, several machines and edible organic matter they got from the many fruit trees and plants on the island, and the vast scores of edible things from the ocean around them.

This system that they built took a long time to perfect, but in the end was worth it because now instead of working hours to prepare food, the system did it for him. All the pokémon had to do was hold up a claw, a paw, hand, wing, beak or other appropriate body part up against the system's scanner, and it would prepare the food for that specific pokémon and send it out from a chute under the scanner. They had built five of these systems so all of the pokémon can get their meals without waiting too long.

Unfortunately, Ash still had to prepare his own food manually, which he didn't mind. It gave him some time to relax and review his training session. As he prepared his lunch, he went over his training session with Mewtwo, while said feline was enjoying its own lunch, joining Lucario, Pikachu and a few other pokémon who were eating at the dinner table. Ash finished reviewing the training session in his mind right at the moment he finished preparing his food and joined his friends at the dinner table, taking a seat next to Pikachu.

As the trainer ate, he listened to his pokémon talk and joke amongst them, a smile forming on his face. Because of the deep bond between him and his pokémon, he could tell what they were trying to say, but with the help of his aura powers, he could tell exactly what was being said between all of his pokémon.

" **Pika pi pika chu pi pika chu?"** questioned the electric mouse to his friend, after glancing at him and seeing him lost in thought. Ash blinked then turned to face Pikachu.

" **Yea, I'm good buddy. I was just thinking about everything that we've done so far…"** answered Ash and he reminded them of all the things they did.

They had built the pokémon food system and gotten rid of the elevator in the mini mansion and made a staircase instead with locked doors for each floor. They upgraded the stadium with weather controlling and field changing applications to help them train against their weaknesses and how to still be able to fight and defend in certain harsh environments. They had made many friends and all of his pokémon, except for Pikachu, were fully evolved, and much more. The pokémon at the dinner table nodded in agreement with smiles on their faces, steadily getting bigger with each passing statement.

" **We've done all this, and we're not even done yet guys. It's been three years since I was told of the vision by Arceus and any day now, the next part of the plan will come into effect."**

No sooner had he finished his statement, a bright blue circle glow appeared next to him, causing everyone in the room to look at it. Soon the glow vanished and instead one of his powerful pokémon, a dual psychic and fairy type, Gardevoir, took its place. She stretched out her hand which held a yellow envelope that had the Pokémon League symbol on it, to the dark haired trainer.

" **Thanks Gardevoir. I had just mentioned this."**

He stood up, took the envelope and hugged the psychic fairy, causing her to blush slightly, as she returned the hug and the other pokémon around them simply smiled. They let each other go and Ash gestured her to sit down while he got her some food himself, since there was a manual override on their system as well. He quickly brought her the food and she ate. He was very caring with her since he had found her abandoned and hurt in the middle of the woods as a Kirlia, scared beyond measure. It had taken a long time for Ash to gain her trust. He smiled, sat back down and fumbled for a second, trying to open the envelope, addressed to his home in Pallet Town.

 _This is why Ash is different,_ thought Mewtwo. _He treats his pokémon as his equals, and cares for them greatly. And that is one of the reasons why I respect him and that I'm happy to be here, to call him my friend and ally._

Ash pulled out the letter out and read it out loud;

Dear Mr. Ash Ketchum,

It is of great pleasure that I am able to invite you to our upcoming pokémon tournament that we hold once every several years, where only the best trainers are invited to, called the Spirit Challenge, to see who has the unbreakable spirit of a future Pokémon Master. The tournament will be held at the Indigo Plateau. We hope to see you at this tournament.

Besides the usual rewards, the winner of this tournament will receive five hundred thousand poke dollars, and be able to challenge the Elite Four of each and every League, and their respective Champions, if they are able to beat the Elite Four first.

We hope to see you at this tournament. Registration starts this weekend, Saturday and ends Sunday.

Pokémon League President

Mr. Charles Goodshow

P.S. It's been a while since we've seen your particular talents at an event. You always seem to liven things up. I hope to see you at this tournament and that this letter finds you since no one has seen or heard from you for quite some time. But I'm not too worried since this Gardevoir showed up right next to me the moment I finished writing this letter and somehow I knew she would deliver it to you.

Mewtwo was notified of the letter by Arceus and Gardevoir volunteered to retrieve it for her trainer, since she wasn't intimidating unlike Mewtwo. After Ash finished reading the letter, he stood up with Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder and Mewtwo followed him as they walked out the kitchen, heading towards the stadium while telling his pokémon to gather there. After they all assembled around one side of the stadium, Ash stood with Pikachu and Mewtwo in front of his pokémon and spoke.

" **This is what we have been waiting for!"**

He spoke loudly and with conviction, as he held up the letter over his head. All of his pokémon's eyes were on it.

" **We've been training for a long time, waiting for this tournament. You all know the mission that Arceus has given us, the plans that we made. This is the next step we have to take. This will help us understand where we stand, whether our efforts have paid off or if we are still not there."**

He took a moment to take a breather and to gather his thoughts. He continued on.

" **Some of you left your families and friends to come here and join me. Some of you at first didn't trust me because of past experiences. Some of you had difficulty in the beginning. Some of you I've known for a long time. But make no mistake; we've all worked hard! We've all grown in many different ways. We have made strong bonds between us, we have become friends and we have become a family!"**

" **Pi pikachu!"**

All the pokémon roared in agreement when Ash said family, for even though they were a large group of very different pokémon, they viewed each other as brothers and sisters, comrades in arms, a family that would protect each other no matter the cost.

" **We will go to this tournament! We will show our strength, our skills and our undying spirit that we will never give up! We will show that we are fighters that can go the distance! We will show those cowards and evil people who are right now probably working to unleash the darkness and evils upon our world, our home, that there are those who will not back down. THAT WE ARE NOT AFRAID AND WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN!"** roared Ash.

Pikachu and his pokémon joined with roars and cries of their own, some even launching attacks in the air to show their commitment. When they finished and calmed down, Ash continued.

" **We will finish the day's training. Then I will prepare for the tournament and leave in the morning. Mewtwo will be left in charge. I want you all to relax and be ready for if and when I need you, so no training, at least for the next couple of weeks. And don't worry; I will try to give as many of you as I can a shot to compete in the tournament. Alright, let's get back to training and finish up today with a bang!"** yelled Ash as he pumped his fist into the air, Pikachu copying his movements.

The pokémon moved back to their training locations, formed groups and continued their work for the day. They all put extra effort and energy because of being motivated and pumped up by Ash's speech, as well as looking forward to taking a little vacation for a couple weeks. Ash went back to his spot to finish up his mental training with Mewtwo. At the day end of the day, everyone went back towards the house and had some dinner. Soon, almost all of the pokémon except for Pikachu, Lucario, Mewtwo and Gardevoir were asleep, some inside the house, others, mostly the larger ones, outside. Ash and the four pokémon went to his room, the master bedroom, so he can prepare and speak with them.

" **Okay guys, so this is what I'm going to do. Since I don't want to reveal who I really am at the tournament for a couple reasons, I'm going to have to come up with an alias and a disguise. I'll think up of a name on the way there tomorrow."** Ash looked at Pikachu. **"You can come with me Pikachu, but you would have to stay hidden almost all the time. Is that okay with you?"**

" **Pi pikachu cha pi chu kachu."**

" **Alright fine, I'll get you some ketchup and let you chill in the hotel room while I'm out battling."**

The other three pokémon sweat dropped after hearing ketchup; they all know how obsessed their little yellow friend is with the stuff.

" **Pika!"** Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek against his, happy with the deal.

Ash laughed.

" **Okay buddy, it's a deal."** He faced the others. **"Mewtwo, I want you to look after things here while I go with Lucario and Gardevoir. I'm still going to train and they will help me with that regard."**

The three nodded in agreement, although Gardevoir looked a little frightened, which Ash noticed.

" **Don't worry Gardevoir; I will not let anything bad happen to you. Plus, I think you'll like it over there. There are a lot of beautiful things to see."**

" **And I will be there as well, and will protect you no matter what. You have nothing to fear, comrade,"** added Lucario, giving a short bow.

The white and green pokémon smiled at their reassurance and nodded, this time with more confidence.

" **Good. Okay, let's see; clothes, invitation, Poke Dex, Poketch and money. Okay, I don't really need my aura crystal necklace anymore…is there anything else I'm missing?"** Ash thought out loud.

" **You have what you need. What about your alias and disguise?"** asked Mewtwo.

" **Name I'll come up with on the way so as for my disguise, I could just use sun glasses, a bandana and hat to cover my face."**

" **Or you could let us help you on the disguise part at least."**

Mewtwo spoke and pointed at Ash with his three digit hand, glowing. Ash felt something happen but didn't know what. The pokémon around him gestured towards the mirror in the master bathroom that was attached to the room. He went inside, turned on the lights and let out a small yelp. Mewtwo had changed his appearance. His hair was no longer black but red, his birthmark "zs" that were on his cheeks were gone, and his eye color was not brown, but blue. Ash went back to the group.

" **Ah, thanks Mewtwo, but that's a little too much for me. Please change it back,"** he pleaded. Mewtwo chuckled as he changed him back to his original appearance. **"Thanks. I think I'll just stick with the sunglasses and hat, along with a trench coat or something. I've changed in appearance anyway over the years."**

" **True, but you still look the same Ash,"** muttered Lucario. **"Maybe we can at least hide your birthmarks and give you facial hair? And black eyes instead of brown."**

" **Hmm, I'm okay with that. Let's try that."**

Ash checked himself out in the mirror again after Mewtwo did his end. Ash came back with a large grin. The beard on his face was neatly trimmed and actually matched him, especially without the birthmarks on his face. His black eyes weren't much too different.

" **I actually like it. It matches right?"** The four pokémon nodded. **"Cool. Gardevoir, can you do take off this disguise and put it back on as well? I don't want to put it on until we get there."**

Gardevoir nodded and her eyes glowed. The disguise vanished. She put it back on perfectly to make sure she can do it and then finally took it off.

" **Alright guys, let's call it. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight guys."**

The pokémon nodded, said their goodnights and went to their beds. Lucario and Mewtwo each had their own room while Pikachu had a small little crib next to Ash's king sized bed while Gardevoir had her hammock that she loved, on the other side of it. She slept in his room because she felt safer with the raven haired trainer, even though she was comfortable with the other pokémon; she still only fully trusted Ash, Mewtwo, Lucario and Pikachu. Ash jumped onto his comfortable mattress and instantly fell asleep, clothes and all. The raven-haired trainer had a dreamless sleep that night and woke up refreshed and began getting ready to head out to the tournament.

Ash took a shower and then got dressed. He put on blue jeans, a black t-shirt, with a blue jacket, black tennis shoes and black fingerless gloves. After getting dressed, he double checked his packed bag. He put his aura crystal necklace on the dresser next to his bed, put on the Poketch on his left hand, put his wallet and Poke Dex in his inside jacket pockets and placed his invitation in his back jeans pocket. He then grabbed his bag as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder while Gardevoir gracefully got out of her hammock and they went downstairs.

Lucario and Mewtwo were already in the kitchen having breakfast and the three joined them. After finishing their meal, they all headed out to the front yard of the house. Ash nodded at Lucario, who sent out an Aura Sphere into the air, which exploded into bright blue sparks, signaling the other pokémon to join their location. After a moment all of Ash's pokémon joined them at their position. Ash looked around at his family.

" **This is it guys. It's time for me to go but before I do I just want to thank you all for your hard work and for coming with me on this. I will not let you down."**

The pokémon gave a round of cheer for their trainer, their friend. Ash smiled at their display.

" **Thanks guys. Remember, relax and be ready for when I call you guys and Mewtwo will watch over everything. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu will be with me most of the time while I'm there. Oh and c'mon Pidgeot. I haven't forgotten that you wanted to fly there."**

The big yet beautiful falcon pokémon glided gently next to him, letting out a chirp of happiness. She had wanted to take a flying trip for a long time. She bent down a bit so Ash could climb up onto her back, the electric mouse losing his footing for a second while he did so and almost fell off. Everyone was amused at the mouse's expense, causing him to blush slightly.

" **Okay, stay safe everyone and enjoy the mini vacation! I will call for you, Lucario and Gardevoir, once I'm there with Aura so be ready. Unless of course you want to travel with me now while in your poke balls."**

Gardevoir's face perked up and nodded at his statement. He smiled and brought out her luxury ball with his aura, and returned her, then clipped her ball on his belt. Lucario however said he will wait on the island until he is called for, as he wanted to do some meditation in peace before being around so many people. Ash agreed, took one last look at everyone and then motioned for Pidgeot to go. As the powerful bird flew higher and higher, Ash called out to them.

" **Bye guys! Have fun, relax and be ready! Next time I come back, it will be with the tournament trophy and we will be victorious!"**

His pokémon roared in agreement as they watched him fly away into the horizon. The young man's face was split with a wide grin, glancing at his starter pokémon, who had a matching grin on his face as well. They couldn't wait to get there.

 _I'm ready and I hope the competition is too. This is going to be great,_ thought Ash as Pidgeot flew across the great distance to the Indigo Plateau.

Unknown to the happy trainer on his way to the tournament, a group of scientists were conducting experiments in an underground laboratory in an unknown location.

" **Is it ready?"** asked a voice that came from a man, hidden in the laboratory's shadows.

" **Almost. We have a few more things to test before having a field test. It will be ready before the tournament ends,"** answered one of the scientists.

" **Good. Keep me posted on progress. And what about the other tests? Any results on those?"**

" **We have made some breakthroughs sir, but not what you are looking for but we are getting closer."**

" **Alright. Have Johnson and Stevens assist you on those. I want results as soon as possible. As for the other one, make sure we can conduct a field test at the tournament itself."**

The scientist sweat dropped. **"You want to test it out at the tournament? What If it doesn't work? What about all those people?"** he blurted out.

" **Sacrifices must be made. And the less trainers against me, the easier everything will be,"** replied the man in the shadows as he left the room. **"Do not fail me."**

" **Y-yes s-sir!"** stuttered the scientist.

 _ **A/N - Things are starting to get more intriguing! Tournament is about to start and we have these group of people working on some strange experiments! Hope you guys enjoyed it!**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	9. Chapter 9 - Registering for Tournament

_**A/N - I hope you guys like this one as I had some fun with this! (Insert smiley face here)**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 9 – REGISTERING FOR THE TOURNAMENT

Ash arrived at the Indigo Plateau within two hours. Even though it was quite a distance from their island to the tournament area, Pidgeot was one of Ash's fastest pokémon, especially in the air, but she still took her time to get there. If she wanted to, they would've been there in half the time buy she was enjoying the trip and Ash didn't mind. They landed in front of the plateau's hotel, which had a sign in front of it saying that the tournament registration was held there. Ash and Pikachu looked around, not seeing anyone. They did get there pretty early and it was a Saturday morning, everyone sleeping in.

Ash slid off Pidgeot, thanking her for the ride and told her to get a good rest as he returned her. Her poke ball then vanished from his hand in a blue glow after minimizing it. He unclipped Gardevoir's luxury ball and brought her out, her ball disappearing and soon brought forth Lucario as well. The four then stepped inside the building and walked up to the pretty girl with pink hair, who was wearing a nurse's uniform and was busy working on her computer while behind the front counter. The ground floor of the hotel doubled as a pokémon center.

" **Good morning Nurse Joy. I'm here to register for the tournament,"** said Ash.

" **That's great. Please provide me with your invitation and Poke Dex,"** replied the nurse without looking up from her computer screen. Ash took them out and placed them on the counter. Nurse Joy took them without even noticing who was in front of her.

" **Okay, so here's the invitation, okay that's in order. Alright, let's slip your Poke Dex into the system's scanner here and let's see….hmm….okay so you're Aaaa….Aaa…."**

Nurse Joy began stuttering as she looked at the picture on her computer screen. She then glanced at the trainer standing in front of her.

" **You…..you're….you…."** she couldn't finish, her mouth kept opening and closing. Ash chuckled while his pokémon around him grinned.

" **Yea, it's me."**

" **Ash Ketchum!"** shrieked Nurse Joy. **"Oh my Arceus! They said you disappeared! Nobody was able to find you! You know how many people went looking for you?"**

Ash tilted his head, his cheeks turning a little red. **"They did? I'm sorry about that. I just went into training."** He said as he scratched the back of his head.

" **Oh, so that's what you were up to? Well, I'm glad that you're okay Mr. Ketchum and participating at this tournament. A lot of people are going to be extremely happy to hear you're back! This may be one of the biggest tournaments ever!"** said the nurse excitedly.

" **Whoa wait up!"** cried out Ash suddenly, waving his hands in front of him. **"I don't want anyone to know I'm here. I'm going to participate under an alias and disguise. I can do that right? I really don't want the attention. Please Nurse Joy!"** pleaded the raven-haired trainer. Nurse Joy was over whelmed by his puppy dog eyes and pout.

" **Oh alright. I can't say no to that face,"** sighed Nurse Joy, her face heating up. **"I won't tell anyone you're here, but in order to compete in the tournament, you must register with your Poke Dex. Good news is only the president, Mr. Charles Goodshow will know and I will send him a message right now telling him that you want to enter under an alias. You may want to get a disguise on right now and think up of a name quick, as I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of people here soon.** "

Ash nodded as he retrieved his invitation and Poke Dex. He then told her that he had a disguise and glanced at Gardevoir, whose eyes glowed blue for a couple seconds then returned to her original color. Ash then faced Nurse Joy who yelped, covering her mouth with her hands as she faced him again after a moment, instantly turning crimson red. She thought the trainer looked cute but now, he looked much older and very handsome.

" **Ash is that you?"** whispered the nurse through her hands, which were still over her mouth. Ash laughed out loud, his pokémon smiling at the nurse's reactions.

" **Yea, it's still me. What do you think? I had my Gardevoir do this for me. Not many people will notice huh with the beard, black eyes and birth marks gone. Oh and I picked a name. Let me type it in please."**

The nurse nodded and handed him the keyboard. He typed in his alias and hit enter. She glanced at the screen and nodded with a smile; the name he picked matched his disguise.

" **Well, I believe you're all set. I will send this message to the president right away. Oh and here's your room key."** She took out a key from a drawer to her right and gave it to him. **"All of the top trainers get complimentary suites at the Indigo Plateau Hotel, courtesy of Mr. Goodshow. I hope you enjoy your stay Mr. Ketchum,"** Nurse Joy finished sweetly.

" **Wow, my own suite. Cool. Looks like we're going to have a good time here guys."** The three nodded at their trainer, grinning. **"Thanks for everything Nurse Joy. You're the best. And call me by my alias."**

Nurse Joy's cheeks turned pink at the praise and nodded. **"Oh, just doing my job, but thanks. You may want to go check out your hotel before everyone else gets here."**

As if on cue, the pokémon center's doors slid open and a group of trainers walked in. Pikachu quickly slid inside his backpack and zipped it shut. Ash heard the group's voices and his eyes widened. He quickly moved towards the far left side of the counter, his pokémon right behind him. Nurse Joy smiled at his actions.

 _He really doesn't want to be seen_ , she thought.

Ash knew who those voices belonged to but he couldn't believe it. Of all the times to come they had to come now. Ash stayed in his spot, hoping they wouldn't notice him since he went in the wrong direction, as the elevator was on the other side of the counter. He acted casually as they approached the counter and their voices became clearer.

" **I'm going to win this tournament! Just watch and see guys!"** said the brown haired male trainer.

" **Yea right, this tournament is for the best. You really think you can win it all?"** said a young boy with glasses. He was quickly hit against the back of his head by an older brunette, who had a red bandanna on her head.

" **Max, don't say that! You know Richie is one of the strongest trainers!"** said his sister.

" **Yea, May's right! Why do you always have to be like that?"** asked a blue haired girl.

" **Whatever Dawn,"** replied Max while rubbing the back of his head. **"Let's just get the registration over with so we can go get a room. I'm tired."**

They agreed and turned to speak with Nurse Joy. Ash was focusing on them talking about registration and getting a room.

 _I wonder who else is in the tournament. It might be fun facing Richie again at least. Well, at least this time I won't lose, that's for su-_

" **OOUF!"**

Ash was suddenly tackled to the floor from behind. His pokémon stepped away a little and stood stunned over what just happened.

" **DAWN!"**

The group of trainers came towards Ash and the blunette and tried to pry her off of Ash.

" **Dawn this isn't funny now let him go!"** yelled out the red head girl.

" **NO! I'm never letting him go again! I'm never letting Ash out of my sight again!"** cried out Dawn, beginning to sob into the back of the man. The group of trainers stopped what they were doing and looked at her, then at the man who was faced down, all thinking the same thing; _could it be?_

Lucario and Gardevoir sweat dropped as their trainer had many thoughts fly through his head.

 _Fuck, she knows. Fuck…already? But how? Wait, there's no way. She only saw the back of my head. Maybe she's just confused. I did leave my hair the same. Damn it, I should've changed my hair color too. Ah, it's too late. Let's get this over with._

Ash slowly twisted himself around, while the sobbing blunette kept him in her bear like hug, now crying into his chest.

" **You know, as much as I would like to have a pretty girl be on top of me, this isn't what I had pictured it to be like,"** joked Ash, having decided he would have some fun with this. Dawn stopped her crying abruptly and slowly looked up at the man's face.

" **Hi there."**

Dawn yelped and jumped off the man with a beard when he spoke. He chuckled and slowly got to his feet and stretched his back.

" **Man, that's some tackle you got there. It's Dawn, right?"**

Dawn looked at him for a second and then slowly nodded, blushing like mad.

" **Well, nice to meet you. Some advice? Next time you want to say hi to someone, don't tackle them from behind okay?"** he said as he chuckled again. Dawn blushed even more and looked down at her feet.

" _Master, what are you doing?"_ asked a concerned Lucario with his mind.

" _Don't worry Lucario. They don't know it's me, otherwise I would've been in a death hug, or crumpled in a corner after they kicked the shit out of me. Do me a favor though, and let Gardevoir know what's going on and help her relax. And stop calling me master!"_

" _Okay Master."_

" **Sorry about that. Our friend…no, all of us, know someone who is very special to us and we haven't seen him for a long time. You just happened to look similar to him from the back I guess,"** said one of the oldest in the group. He was tall, with tanned skin, spiky hair and squinty eyes. He wore brown pants, an orange shirt and a green jacket over it. **"My name is Brock, nice to meet you sir."** Brock raised his hand and Ash shook it.

" **Yea sorry about that. Sometimes our friend gets carried away,"** said the red head girl. She said her name was Misty, and she was wearing blue shorts that reached half way down her thighs, with a yellow blouse. Her red hair was tied in a pony tail that flowed down behind her back.

" **She's not the only who gets carried away, I remember you did something similar too Misty. You guys should all stop being such kids. Anyway, my name's Iris,"** remarked a purple haired girl, shaking hands with Ash as well. She had long purple hair and wore a loose yellow dress that went over white pants.

" **We all have Iris, not just them two,"** cut in the brunette with the bandanna on her head, in order to prevent Misty from exploding. She was wearing a red tank top with a black short skirt. She extended her hand and Ash shook it. **"My name is May and this is my little brother Max. And that's Richie, Cilan, Gary and Serena."**

Ash shook hands with each person that May pointed out. Max was the youngest and shortest of the group. He had on a green shirt and brown shorts with dark hair and wore glasses. Richie had almost the same outfit as Ash, except the colors were reversed, with black pants and jacket and blue shirt. Cilan was as tall as Brock and had green hair and was wearing what looked to be like a tuxedo without the jacket. Gary was wearing a white lab coat with black jeans and a black shirt with brown red hair. Serena was wearing a black tank top with a red skirt that flowed down to her knees and had honey blond hair.

" **It's very nice to meet all of you. You all seem to be a good group of friends,"** said Ash.

" **Thanks, ah…"** started Misty.

" **Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Solid. This is Lucario and Gardevoir. I'm from Kanto and here to compete in the tournament,"** revealed Ash.

" **That's great Solid. We're here to cheer on Richie as he competes as well,"** said Serena brightly.

" **Oh so you're in the tournament Richie?"**

" **Yup. I hope you're ready for a good match. Sorry, but let me finish registering and getting a room for us,"** said Richie as he went back to finish things up with Nurse Joy.

" **Why is Gardevoir hiding behind you?"** asked Serena. Her group glanced at the fairy pokémon, who was hiding behind Solid but had her head sticking out a bit from behind him, who promptly blushed and squeaked while ducking behind him again. Solid gave both a sigh and a slight chuckle.

" **Well it's both funny and sad. The funny thing is that she is very shy and scared of new people or pokémon, unless she's in a battle, then she just focuses on her opponent. The sad part….well…"** Solid started scratching the back of his head. The others waited for him to finish. **"Let's just say she had a bad past with other pokémon trainers before we crossed paths,"** finished Solid with a glum look on his face.

" **What assholes!"** commented Dawn. May smacked the back of her head.

" **Dawn, Max is here!"**

" **May, I've heard worse things okay? I'm not a kid anymore!"**

" **Wow, you're all acting like kids,"** remarked Iris.

" **Takes one to know one,"** jeered Max. Iris scowled.

" **That's so sad. I'm glad that someone nice like you found her,"** Misty said sweetly. She moved closer to Gardevoir, who clutched Solid's back.

" **Oh, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you, ever, I promise. I'm not here to take you away from Solid either, as long as he continues treating you right."**

With that, Misty shot a glare at Solid, as if daring him to challenge her on that remark, but what she found instead surprised her. He simply smiled when she shot him a death stare. It softened her expression and she understood; he would never do something like that, and for some reason, that made her like this new man in front of her. She looked back at Gardevoir.

" **Will you give me a chance? I can be your new friend,"** asked Misty softly as she raised her right hand in front of her, palm up and open.

Gardevoir looked at her for a moment. She then glanced at Solid, who gave her an encouraging smile. She understood that this girl was someone she could trust, at least a little bit until they got a stronger bond. She raised her hand and placed it on Misty's hand, and they shook. Misty smiled as did Gardevoir.

" **What a heart lifting flavor this has been,"** said Cilan with a smile on his face. Iris elbowed the connoisseur lightly in the stomach.

" **We'll become the best of friends, you'll see!"** Misty stated happily. Gardevoir nodded.

" **I'm quite impressed Misty. I've not known any other person to bond with her so easily,"** commented Solid, causing the red head to blush the same color as her hair.

" **Oh, it's not a big deal."** She looked down at the floor and tapped the floor with her shoe as she rubbed her arm with her other hand. Solid smiled, sensing that she was embarrassed. Some of the group looked at each other and grinned.

" **Okay guys, everything's set. And we got a room in the Indigo Plateau Hotel,"** Richie said as he rejoined the group.

" **Finally. Did they say what floor it's on?"** questioned Gary.

" **Ah yea, it's on the twenty first. Why?"**

" **Damn, well that sucks. Floors from the twentieth to thirty are one room with two twin beds."**

" **Well it's a good thing we brought sleeping bags,"** said Brock happily as Gary scoffed.

" **Just like the good old days huh, Brock? Hey where did Solid go?"** asked Dawn, as she looked around.

" **Look who's finally talking again,"** sniggered Gary. **"Don't worry; your boyfriend is at the counter."** May smacked him upside the head, hard, causing the young researcher to yelp in pain.

" **Leave her alone Gary!"** warned May, then she looked at Dawn, her cheeks a little pink.

" **Alright. Hey, Serena, how come you're not talking?"** Serena's eyes widened as she was put on the spot.

" **I….ah…I…"**

" **Well well well. Looks like we're back to three years ago everyone. Four girls all crushing on one guy again. Oh this is going to be interesting,"** laughed out Gary, without thinking of the consequences. The four girls' faces were tomato red and glaring at the young researcher.

Brock, Richie, Max, Cilan and Iris all glanced at each other. They knew Gary was in some deep shit and they were concerned that he was not taking it seriously.

" **Ah, Gary, you may want to stop while you're still breathing, cause…."** Brock started but was interrupted by the researcher continuing on, not knowing when to stop.

" **Let's put a bet on them. Actually, let's do a few bets. Like who makes an idiot out of themselves first, not counting Dawn's since it was before, and let's bet who's going to make out with him first and then…"**

WHAM!

The pokémon researcher was face down on the floor, groaning, while Misty was towering over him, her trademark mallet in her hands, her eyes blazing with anger.

" **Consider that a warning Oak."**

" **Why is Gary on the floor?"** questioned Solid, appearing behind Misty. He knew why, but since he was being "Solid" right now, he had to play dumb on certain things.

" **Gaahhh!"** screamed a frightened Misty and hit Solid in the stomach with her mallet, causing him to fall down on his rear.

" **Ugh!"** grunted Solid as he hit the floor.

" **Oh! I'm so sorry Solid!"** cried Misty as soon as she realized what she did and bent down to help him back up.

" **It's alright, should've known not to stand behind someone."** _Especially if it's you Misty_ , he finished in his head.

" **Ah man, one of us could have won that bet already. Who would've thought Misty would be the one to do something foolish first,"** joked Gary as he slowly stood up. Misty shot him a death glare.

" **Bet? What bet?"** Solid looking around, actually confused.

" **Oh don't worry about it."** May stepped towards him and Misty. **"Gary just likes to say stupid things all the time. Sometimes we have to remind him to stop being such a moron before he gets himself hurt."** May glared at Gary, who simply stuck his tongue out at her.

" **Ah I see."**

" **What were you doing at the counter Solid?"** May asked him, being careful not to stare at him. Gary smirked and was about to say something when he noticed Misty hold up her mallet again. Gary's smirk faded away and gulped.

" **Oh I was checking out which room I have and I found out that it's a pretty big one. I was going to ask you guys if you wanted to switch as I don't need such a big room as it's just me and my pokémon."**

" **That's very kind of you but we can't do that Solid,"** Cilan said.

" **What do you mean Cilan? Don't talk for everyone like a kid!"** shot Iris.

" **No Iris, Cilan's right,"** Brock answered and the rest dropped their heads in defeat. **"We can't accept that Solid, it was meant for you."**

" **Seriously? What do you think I'm going to do all alone in some big room on the thirty fifth floor?"**

Everyone's jaw dropped. Nobody made a sound, besides Nurse Joy who was giggling behind her counter, having been eavesdropping on the conversation from the beginning. Solid sweat dropped.

" **Ah guys, are you okay?"**

" **Did you just say thirty fifth floor?"** asked Richie. Everyone stared at Solid.

" **Ah yea, I did. Why does that matter?"** Solid tilted his head in confusion and scratched the back of his head, causing everyone to remember a certain friend they know and haven't seen for so long.

" **There are only forty floors in the hotel. From the nineteenth floor and down, they are all single rooms with a single bed, bathroom and a TV. From twentieth floor to the thirtieth floor, those are a little better, with a little extra stuff, such as two beds. From the thirty first to the thirty eighth floor, they are usually held for important people, such as company owners, the Elite Four, popular and rising trainers and such others. The thirty ninth floor is for the Champions of the different leagues and the last floor is reserved for the President of the Pokémon League and the current Pokémon Master,"** lectured Gary.

" **Ah, okay, I gotcha. Well anyway, it doesn't matter to me. You guys can have it since I don't care for such things."**

" **ARE YOU CRAZY?!"** screamed Dawn and May together, causing the group to jump. Some of them laughed a little after calming down.

" **No, I'm not crazy. Even though it's supposed to be some great room, I don't care about it. Here, let's switch since it'll be better for you guys since you're a big group."**

" **How about we share the room?"** Serena asked, causing everyone to look at her. **"Well, think about it. If it's supposed to be a big room or suite or whatever, we could share it, so none of us feel guilty about using it."**

" **You know, that's a great idea! Let's go!"** Max said and dashed towards the elevator.

Solid and Brock nodded to each other and they all stepped inside the elevator, with Solid returning Gardevoir and Lucario so they can fit. It was still barely though, as they still had to squeeze in, the four girls sandwiching Solid between them and blushing like mad. Gary noticed and smirked, catching Richie's eye and gestured towards the five with his eyebrows. Richie caught the hint and grinned.

After a moment or two, they reached the thirty fifth floor and stepped out into the hallway. They only saw three doors in the hallway; one right in front of them, labeled "A", one down the hall to the left labeled "B" and another on the opposite end of the hall labeled "C". Solid's key had an "A" on it, so he put the key into the lock, unlocked the door, pushed it open and they walked into the room.

It wasn't a room. It wasn't even a suite. It looked to be more of a pent house than anything. Every single person had a shocked look on their face as they weren't expecting something like this. They were greeted with a huge living room, furnished with several large couches, a large coffee table in the middle of them and with a large flat screen TV hanging on the wall. There was a large kitchen next to the living room, as well as a balcony attached to it with sliding doors. They walked around the area and found there were five bedrooms with four queen sized beds and the fifth, larger room had a king sized bed. There were two bathrooms and one master bathroom in the larger room. The group assembled back together in the living room after checking out the place, each one having an insane grin on their face.

" **And you wanted to give this up!"** laughed Dawn as she pointed at Solid. Everyone laughed.

" **I must confess, it's a very nice place. But I probably wouldn't have cared after a while. Like I said, I'm a simple man with simple needs."**

" **Yea, whatever, keep telling yourself that buddy,"** teased Gary. Solid grinned.

" **So, I take it we're sharing this place and that's good for everyone?"** asked Cilan.

" **Yeah that's good with me. But Solid gets the master bedroom, since this was his at first. And we all need to thank him for letting us be here. That's the only way I'll allow us to stay here,"** finished Brock.

" **Thank you!"** chorused the group together. Solid's cheeks turned red.

" **No need. I'm just glad to help out. Okay, so we're sharing, cool. I'll drop off my stuff in my room and then I'll return your key for you Richie since I forgot to do something downstairs."**

Richie handed Solid his room key and Solid headed downstairs to return the key and to ask Nurse Joy a question.

 _ **A/N - "Are you not entertained?!" I love that line from Gladiator. I hope this chapter made at least some of my readers chuckle! Please let me know if it did because I want to know if the humor is good or not.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	10. Chapter 10 - Exposed Fears

_**A/N - Here's chapter 10! I can't believe I'm at the double digits already.**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 10 – EXPOSED FEARS

Solid reached the ground floor and moved towards the pink haired nurse. As he approached her, the nurse smiled.

" **Things going well Ash?"**

" **Pretty well I must say. Oh and call me Solid from now on."**

" **Okay, no problem. So what can I do for you Solid?"**

" **Not much, just here's Richie's room key. He won't be needing it since we're sharing my room, or pent house I should say. Also, why would President Goodshow give me such a large suite?"**

" **Maybe because he's a fan? I'm not too sure, but you were always a popular trainer at all the tournaments you participated in. Maybe he knew you would come to this one and wanted you to have a good time so you keep coming back. Many it's a publicity and money making thing. Honestly, there could be a million reasons,"** finished Nurse Joy.

" **Hmm….maybe. I wanted to know why but I guess you make sense. Thanks Nurse Joy."**

" **Oh just call me Joy, Solid."** Joy's face flushed pink.

" **Ah, okay, if you want me to. So, ah, Joy, have any other trainers registered yet?"**

" **Oh just a couple. It's still barely 10am right now. I'll probably get a mad rush around lunch time."**

" **Okay. Thanks…"**

Suddenly, two flashes of light brightened the area for a second and Lucario and Gardevoir appeared beside him. Pikachu unzipped himself from Solid's backpack and got back on his shoulder, stretching.

" **Hey Pikachu, sorry buddy, it took so long and I kind of forgot you were in there. You were so quiet."**

Pikachu gave him a little shock and Joy giggled. **"Pi pika chu chu pi kachu pika."**

" **Alright I'm sorry, it won't happen again. But you were napping so what did it matter?"**

" **Chu!"** Pikachu crossed his arms and turned away. Solid chuckled.

" **Alright alright, it does matter. Sorry bud. How about some ketchup for an apology?"** Pikachu quickly nuzzled his cheek against Solid's hair in gratitude and accepted the apology.

" **Joy, can you get me some ketchup please?"**

" **Sure thing Solid. Just give me a moment."** Joy disappeared behind a door to get the ketchup.

" **Master what are you doing?!"** shot Lucario once they were alone.

" **What?"**

" **How do you expect to keep your identity a secret if you're constantly around them? What if they find out who you are? And what about Pikachu? You promised him you'll let him out in the room."**

Gardevoir nodded when Solid glanced at her. He hung his head.

" **I just couldn't stand around and do nothing. It's been so long since I saw them, I just wanted to help out and be around them again. Can you understand that? And I'll let Pikachu out in my room only when I leave and I'll always lock the door. Does that sound okay with you bud?"**

" **Pi pikachu!"**

" **Thanks Pikachu, I knew you'd understand. You miss them too huh?"**

" **Pika…"** The yellow mouse's ears drooped and he had a sullen expression appear on his face.

" **Yea I know. But what we're doing is to help and protect them, remember that. We are doing this to save everyone okay?"**

" **Pika!"** Pikachu agreed and pumped his little fist into the air. The four of them smiled.

" **That's the spirit!"** said Solid, mimicking Pikachu's display.

Joy walked back in with a bottle of ketchup and was about to ask what happened when Pikachu jumped off from Solid's shoulder and launched itself at the bottle.

" **EEEKK!"** squeaked Joy.

She wasn't afraid of pokémon, even the most powerful ones. But what the yellow mouse just did she wasn't expecting. Solid, Lucario and Gardevoir started laughing as Pikachu grabbed the bottle and started fumbling around with it, trying to get it open. Finally Pikachu got the bottle open by smacking it against the counter top, breaking it and causing some ketchup to explode onto Joy. Solid and the other two fell to the floor holding their guts, laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. Joy was in shock then glared at Solid as she peered over the counter to look at him on the floor.

" **So you think that's funny huh Solid?"** said Joy dangerously. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and her uniform covered in ketchup. **"Well, I think it'll be hilarious if I tell a certain group of people that a certain trainer is here and watch what happens next. What do you think?"**

That shut up Solid quickly. He looked at her with fear in his widening eyes.

" **You wouldn't…"**

Joy continued to glare at him for a moment, but suddenly a smile formed on her face.

" **No, of course I won't. But that look of fear on your face was priceless!"**

Joy then doubled up in laughter. Lucario, Gardevoir and even Pikachu joined in with Joy, laughing at Solid. Solid helped himself up back onto his feet, an evil smile on his face appeared that nobody but Pikachu noticed.

" **That was a good one. I'm impressed Joy. Sorry about laughing at you. How about I take you out for dinner as an apology?"** Solid asked with such charm and sincerity in his words that it caused Joy to instantly stop laughing and her face immediately flushed red.

" **I..ah…ah…I…ah….."** muttered Joy at first, then just opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish.

There was a flash of light. Solid had taken a photo of Joy's stunned reaction with his Poketch. He looked at the picture.

" **Now that's a priceless face!"** smirked Solid.

Gardevoir smacked Solid upside the back of his head while Lucario and Pikachu laughed out loud. Joy snapped out of her daze from his comment and figured out he was only playing with her.

" **Ooooo! That's it! You don't mess with a girl like that Solid!"**

She climbed over the counter with surprising speed and ability and tried to punch Solid but he caught her hand in mid strike. He smiled at her stunned expression.

" **Joy, I'm surprised at you. You're supposed to be the caring and calm type. I wasn't kidding about taking you out for dinner you know."** He let the words wash over her and again the nurse's face turned red. He let go of her hand. **"You know, with a girl that has her face turn red as often as you, I'm surprised it hasn't caused skin damage yet."**

" **Shut up you dork."** Joy punched him in the shoulder playfully, smiling. Solid chuckled.

" **Sorry about the mess. We'll clean it up."** He nodded at Gardevoir whose eyes glowed blue and the mess was instantly cleaned up and Joy's uniform was spot free.

" **Wow, thanks Solid."**

" **No problem. It was Pikachu's mess."**

" **Pika!"** Pikachu sent a small jolt of electricity at Solid, causing him to yelp a little from the sudden shock.

Joy giggled.

" **By the way, thanks for the laughs. And no, you're not going to take me out for dinner, even as just friends."**

" **Why not?"**

" **Do you really think I want to risk my life with those four who are already falling head over heels for you?"**

" **Oh right. Heh. It would've been fun, you know. Dodging around them and playing games with their heads. But in the end, I still like each of them a lot and when they found out, they would've murdered us both."** Solid and Joy laughed. After they finished laughing, Joy spoke.

" **Why do you always play like you're dense around them Solid? I've heard from my sisters about how there was a boy that didn't get that he was traveling around with a girl who liked him a lot and**

 **from all over. Their description of that boy was the same each time but the girls' description changed from time to time. That was you wasn't it? Why act dense when you clearly know what's going on?"**

" **Well, sometimes I actually didn't notice and they just thought that's how I am, so I just played along. It kind of helps as well since it lets me see how they act around me without them noticing that I like them. It did help in getting away with some sneak peeks and some other stuff too."** Solid grinned.

Joy elbowed him in the stomach. **"Pervert."**

Solid grunted. **"Should've seen that coming."**

" **But that doesn't answer my question as to why you haven't told any of them that you like them. How come you haven't said anything yet?"**

Solid looked at her for a long time, trying to decide whether he can tell her or not. Lucario, Pikachu and Gardevoir were silent, waiting for Solid to answer. They were surprised that he might tell another of his problem with the girls. Finally, he sighed and answered her.

" **Because I'm too afraid Joy."**

" **What?"** Joy gasped. " **You're afraid? Why?"**

" **It's a long story but I'll try to make it short. At first it was just Misty, we were always fighting and insulting each other. But then things just happened out of nowhere like us arguing but mostly in a teasing way and we always joked around each other. And we were always there for each other. I started liking her more but then she left to do her own thing and I was too scared to mention anything. Then I met May and we had a lot in common, like I haven't met anyone who has an appetite like me but she can give me a run for my money. Then she left too before I could say anything. Then I met Dawn, who is the most cheerful and happiest person I've ever met, who could always pick me up from a bad mood. I liked her too and then she left before I could say anything. Iris, well, nothing ever clicked between us and I know she doesn't like me in that way at all so I'm not even worried about her. I think her and Cilan have a thing for each other anyway. Finally, there's Serena, who I knew as I kid a long time ago. I helped her out and gave her a gift to help her stay strong. I didn't think of her that way at first, but soon she grew on me too. She was the first girl I went out on an actual date with. But again, before I could muster up the courage to do anything, we went our separate ways. It's always been that way. I used to believe that there was something wrong with me since I never could find out why I never took a chance…."** Solid stopped talking as he looked at the floor. The pokémon looked sullen and Joy frowned at the sad story.

" **But you found out why didn't you?"** persisted Joy. Solid looked up.

" **Yes I did. I thought long and hard about it. I finally realized why I've been so afraid to take a shot…Wait, why am I telling you all this?"** said Solid, panicking suddenly.

" **Sometimes it's easier to tell a person you just met your secrets than a close friend since they don't know you that well. But I promise not to tell anyone,"** said Joy. Solid nodded in understanding.

" **I see. Ok, thanks. Anyways, here's what I figured out. I believe ever since my father left me, I've been too afraid to have someone that close to me in my life again because I have this huge fear that if I ever love someone, then they'll just leave me like he did. I guess I just figured it would be easier letting a friend go then trying to put the pieces of my heart back together again,"** finished Solid. Tears were rapidly forming in Joy's face and she hugged Solid.

" **I'm so sorry that's how you feel. I thought it was some stupid made up reason. But now I see, you're haunted from your past. You want to move on but you're having a hard time in doing so. I've never known anyone to be going through such a thing."** Joy started crying into his chest. Solid frowned. He didn't like it when girls cried because it always made him sad.

" **It's okay Joy. It's not like it's your fault,"** joked Solid as he patted her on her back with one hand while the other returned her hug. **"But I have to say, thank you."** Joy looked up at him with a confused expression on her face. **"I've kept that in for so long. Getting it off my chest feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Thanks for that, Joy. Oh and please keep that between us."** Joy nodded, promising to keep the secret and pulled herself together, letting go of Solid and finally smiling.

" **Okay Solid. And I'm gonna help you with these four. I promise I will do anything and everything I can to help these girls know how much you care about them."**

" **Whoa, what do you mean by them? Do you really want them to kill each other? To kill me? I don't even know who I like more anyways! Plus, I think they forgot about 'Ash' already. Do you see how smitten they are with 'Solid'?"** grumbled Solid.

" **Hey relax, three of my sisters are with the same guy and they know and they're fine with it."**

Solid's jaw dropped. **"What?!"**

" **Yea, three of them are dating the same guy. He's an Elite Four member, always working out and he's pretty buff."**

" **Bruno?!"**

" **Yea, that's him."**

" **No way…damn, lucky son of a bitch."**

" **Yea he is I guess. But so are you Solid."**

" **Huh, what? I'm not like him."**

" **No, you're not. But you do have several girls pining after you and you seem to care about each of them the same since each one connects to you in a different way. Also, they are only smitten with 'Solid' because that mask you created for yourself is too similar to 'Ash', that's why they're smitten with him. You may have changed your face, but you're still the same person. That's why you and they just can't help being drawn together. I bet my career that if you were to have 'Solid' leave right now and have 'Ash' come back, they wouldn't bat an eye and would be much happier. It may be a little difficult at first, but once everyone is on the same page, it'll be smooth sailing after."**

" **You know you're talking about an impossible miracle right? There is no way this will ever happen. I'm not that lucky. I don't deserve any of them, let alone all four and I'm missed my chance already."**

Joy punched him hard in the chest suddenly and Solid grunted.

" **What was that for?!"**

" **Because you're acting like an idiot. Stop putting yourself down and keep your chin up. I said I'll help and that's final. I only ask for one thing in return."**

" **What, a date?"** joked Solid. Joy scoffed.

" **No, smartass. That you treat the four girls right and love them all equally. It's not against the law to have multiple spouses but very few do it since it causes headaches in most cases. But for you and those four girls, I don't think you'll have any trouble regarding that."**

" **Thanks Joy. You're a very good friend. It's a little early to talk about marriage though don't you think?"** Solid smiled then hugged her.

" **No problem Solid. Yea, I guess so. I'll help them see how much they miss and love 'Ash' and you just keep being yourself. It'll help them realize what's in their hearts. From what I've heard from my sisters, and how they acted here in front of me, I'm positive that they're always thinking of you."**

" **Yea, Dawn gave a good tackle. My back still hurts a bit. Never thought a small girl could be that strong."** Joy punched him again for the comment. **"Hey, you know what I mean!"**

" **I know,"** giggled Joy. Solid rolled his eyes. **"You should probably head back up before they come down looking for you."**

" **Yea you're right. C'mon guys. Pikachu, close that bottle up. We're leaving."** Pikachu pouted. **"Don't give me that look. You can take it with you and finish it up back in the room but right now close it somehow and get back into my backpack, alright buddy?"** Pikachu nodded, perked up that he can keep the ketchup and jumped into the open backpack and zipped it up again.

" **You're Pikachu is one of a kind Solid."**

" **Yup, all of my pokémon are,"** grinned Solid. Gardevoir blushed slightly at the compliment while Lucario didn't react. The three moved again towards the elevator but once they reached it, Solid turned back to look at Joy.

" **Joy, would you like to go out though?"**

" **I told you, I'm not gonna go out with you!"** snapped Joy, mad.

" **I know, not with me. I mean I could set you up with one of my friends if you'd like."**

" **Oh."** She blushed. **"Um, I don't know."**

" **I'll take that as a yes. I'll let you know who I have in mind later on once I figure out whose good enough for you."** That comment made Joy flush red in embarrassment.

" **You don't have to. And I'm not that special,"** Joy said quietly, though Solid heard it clearly. He called back to her.

" **Hey, yes you are. You and your sisters may look alike, but you're very different from them. I'd say you're one of a kind. And my friends deserve the best."** Solid stepped inside the open elevator and hit the button for his floor. **"I'll let you know who once I figure it out and I'll show him to you."**

Solid smiled and winked at her right before the elevator doors closed, leaving a very embarrassed Nurse Joy standing behind her counter, her cheeks still beet red. She shook herself out of her dazed position and went back to work, waiting for other trainers to come and register for the tournament, thoughts swimming through her head.

 _Damn you Ash. I had an idea as to why those girls are in love with you, but now I know why. They're lucky girls to have you and you're one lucky trainer to have them. You better not mess this up otherwise I'll kick your ass and that's a promise._

As the elevator went up, Solid was deep in thought over what he said to Joy.

 _Who can I set her up with?_

" **You've got to be careful Master,"** spoke Lucario suddenly.

" **Huh, what do you mean?"**

" **You already have four girls crazy for you. You don't want another one,"** warned Lucario.

" **What, you mean Joy? We were just having some fun."**

" **That may be, but still be careful. I'm pretty sure males and females have different definitions of fun, right Gardevoir?"** Solid glanced at Gardevoir, and she nodded.

" **Alright I get it. But no worries. I see her only as a friend. Plus I'm going to set her up with one of my friends so we should be good."**

" **Better sooner than later,"** Lucario said as he crossed his arms.

" **Please be sure not to hurt her or Misty,"** pleaded Gardevoir, using telepathy. The other two gaped at her. Pikachu even popped his head out of the backpack to stare at her. They rarely ever heard her speak. Her voice was very soft and angelic like. After a couple seconds, Solid shook his head and smiled at her.

" **I wouldn't even dream of it Gardevoir,"** replied Solid as he hugged her with one arm. **"And I have an idea of who to set her up with."**

" **Don't tell me it's Brock,"** said Lucario.

" **Hey, what's wrong with Brock? Anyway, no, not him. I think he likes someone anyway, I noticed his aura was a little different. I was thinking perhaps Richie."**

" **Hmm…that may work. What do you think?"** Lucario asked his psychic friend.

" **He seems like a good choice. He's kind of like you Ash, but still different and in the right ways. I think he'll be perfect for Joy."**

" **Great, that's what I was hoping for. Alright, so we need to figure out how to convince him to go out with her….Oh man…."**

" **What?"** Lucario and Gardevoir both said at the same time.

" **I never thought I would play matchmaker."**

Lucario and Gardevoir fell over, anime style and Pikachu face palmed.

Back at the pent house, right after Solid left, the others were busy picking out their rooms and who would sleep where. Already decided that Solid would get the master bedroom for himself, they had now four rooms and queen sized beds. They decided Iris and Cilan would get a room to themselves since they are in a relationship now, Misty and May would share one, Dawn and Serena would share one, while Max and Richie shared the last one. Brock and Gary volunteered to sleep on the pull out bed that was hidden underneath the largest couch.

Everyone went to their respective rooms and organized their belongings into the empty dressers and closets since they would be there for at least a couple weeks, as Brock and Gary merely tossed their belongings into an empty closet. Misty and May were busy putting away their stuff when Dawn and Serena joined them before closing the door.

" **You two are done already?"** inquired Misty in disbelief. She knows Dawn takes forever to get ready, let alone put away her stuff.

" **I am. Dawn hasn't even started yet,"** answered Serena for them both as she sat down on the bed. Misty raised her eyebrows at Dawn then went back to placing her clothes in the dresser.

" **So what's up? Why are you two here?"** May asked without looking up as she finished putting away the last of her clothes.

" **You know why."** Dawn was getting bubbly.

" **Ah, don't start Dawn. Please, at least not yet. Every time we run into another cute guy you start, wanting to gossip. We're barely putting away our clothes,"** sighed Misty.

" **You should've seen her snapping at me to come with her to your room. I kept telling her only once I finish putting my stuff away,"** laughed Serena.

" **I believe that,"** giggled May.

" **Hey!"** Dawn pouted with her puppy dog eyes, but quickly smiled when she saw the other girls merely laughed. **"I keep forgetting it doesn't work on you guys. So what do we think of Solid? He seems like a good person. For some reason, he reminds me a lot about Ash. Oops!"**

Dawn covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide in shock. The other three girls stopped what they were doing, each having a pained expression on their face. It was a while since they had said his name out loud to one another.

" **I'm really sorry guys! Really I am!"** Dawn was fearful they would get angry but Misty broke the silence softly.

" **It's alright Dawn. It happens."**

" **Yea, no need to worry, right Dawn?"** said May as Serena nodded.

" **Thanks guys. I really am sorry. It's just, it's been so long since we last saw him and I thought that Solid was him when I tackled him…"** Dawn trailed off, looking at her feet, while the other three glanced at each other and smiled weakly.

" **You know Dawn, if you hadn't tackled Solid, I probably would have,"** admitted Misty. Dawn looked up, astonished at what she just heard. **"You beat us to the punch. I think all of us were thinking it might be him and since you're the most impulsive one out of us, you reacted first."**

" **Yea she's right Dawn. No need to feel embarrassed. We all miss him greatly,"** sighed Serena, pulling on her honey blond hair.

" **You know, at first I thought Solid was Ash. I remember Ash saying that he would be gone for a long time but I thought maybe he didn't know how to show himself you know, afraid we might be angry or something,"** added May.

" **Of course we're angry at him!"** shouted Misty suddenly, her fiery side getting the better of her. **"But not because he shows up, but for leaving us! I don't care how important it was, he shouldn't have done that! Do you know how many times I've had sleepless nights crying over him?"** sobbed Misty as she sat on the bed. Dawn quickly hugged her, tears escaping from her eyes now.

" **I know how you feel Misty! But….please don't cry….You know….as well as I do, as we do…that nothing would keep Ash from his friends, from us, unless it was something extremely important, like life or death important."**

" **Dawn's right Misty."** May now came over and joined in on the hug. **"You've been with him for a long time. Even if he is a bit dense in some regards…"** The four girls chuckled a bit from that comment. " **You know he is the most caring person in the world and wouldn't let anything stand in his way once he sets his mind on something. You know he wouldn't just leave us without a good reason."**

" **I know. I just miss that stupid dense head of his."** They laughed a little again in between sobs.

" **He may be dense, but I know he'll come back Misty."** This time it was Serena who talked and she joined in on the group hug, the other three welcoming her. The four had the top of their heads touching each other in a circle. **"I first met Ash when we were young kids and even then he was a caring and selfless kid. I may not have traveled around as much as you have, or May or Dawn has, but I can tell he's a very special person and that he will never forget us and will come back one day."**

 **"I hope so you guys. It's just been hard. I've thought about him many times and rejected so many potential dates and boyfriends, hanging on to him. Sometimes I feel like an idiot for doing that and you know why?"** whispered Misty.

" **Because you feel like you're pathetic for that, giving up a sure thing for something you don't know if it will happen or not. Believe me; I've gone through the same thing. I'm sure all of us have. I can't tell you the many times I've rejected suitors, even good looking ones. I've had to even run from some of them, like Kenny. Man I hope he never finds me again,"** shuddered Dawn as the others chuckled.

" **I've had the same problem with Drew. He's a good rival and an okay friend but I just don't see him like that and his constant flower gifts are starting to get annoying,"** revealed May.

" **At least you guys don't have to deal with two relentless morons. I have to constantly evade or give some bullshit excuse to dodge Tracy and Rudy,"** admitted Misty. The other three stared at her.

" **Damn, really? Two guys? And one of them is Tracy?"** asked Dawn. Misty nodded and spoke.

" **Unfortunately, yes. Ever since Ash vanished and they found out, they've been hounding after me. I don't like them at all. The way they stare at me is like I'm not even a person, just a thing for them to have. Even other guys who've asked me out, I just lie and say I have a boyfriend so they'll leave me alone."** The girls nodded in understanding, admitting they've done the same thing.

" **I haven't had trouble like you three but I've had a few ask me out, even Calem but I've rejected them all. I think Ash messed me up as I can't see myself with anyone else, at least not until he comes back and I tell him how I feel,"** said Serena after being quiet for so long, the girls agreeing with her. Ash had truly set the bar high and none have come close.

" **Well, for some reason Solid seems to have an effect on us, especially you Misty,"** Dawn said suddenly, a wicked grin on her face.

" **That may be, but I'm not the one who tackled him Dawn!"** shot Misty, making Dawn pout as May and Serena laughed.

" **I think he had an effect on all of us. Well, we can only do one of two things. We can hold on still and wait for Ash to come back, or move on and one of us can try to get with Solid,"** Serena finished, the other three girls gasped when she finished, as if she had said something extremely terrible.

" **ARE YOU CRAZY?!"** the three shouted together.

" **I could never forget him, let alone move on. No one else will get close to what he is. He may act rashly but it's because he lets his heart do the thinking and he never gives up!"** snapped Misty.

" **No one will ever be like Ash. They weren't there for me in the beginning, helping me, teaching me, doing things he didn't like to do for me, helping me realize how much I love pokémon and contests and that will always mean a hell of a lot more to me than some stupid compliments or roses."** May finished with a furious look on her face.

" **If it wasn't for Ash, I would never have even got to where I am now. I never would have come up with such amazing contest moves and I never would have gained such confidence in myself. He's helped me in more ways than I can count. And that's just one of many reasons why I'll never let him go!"** said Dawn and when she finished she glared at Serena.

Serena was quiet for a moment, then burst out laughing. The three girls were confused beyond measure.

" **I was testing you guys!"** cried out Serena in between her laughing. **"I thought that if I said something like that, then you guys would spill your hearts and show just how much you love him! Just so you know, I could never forget him either. He was there for me when we were kids and has been there for me throughout our adventures over Kalos. If he wasn't for him, I wouldn't have so many good, close friends now either. I'm going to wait for him, just like you three."**

The other girls smiled after realizing what their friend had done.

" **Well done Serena. I'm impressed,"** complimented Misty.

" **Way to make us spill everything, damn it,"** laughed May.

Dawn was quiet though. After a moment she asked them a question she was thinking about.

" **Ah I don't mean to rain on our parade here, but I'm still worried about some things."**

Misty, May and Serena glanced at Dawn. Misty asked what the other two were thinking;

" **About what?"**

" **Well, we pretty much agreed that Ash is going to come back someday right?"**

They nodded.

" **And that we each love Ash right?"**

They nodded again.

" **So what happens when he comes back? I mean, who does he get with? Will he even get with one of us? What if he already has a girlfriend? If he does choose one of us, then what happens to the other three? Do we swallow our love and let the other live happily with him? What if he can't choose? Then what? Do we fight over him? Do we leave him for being so selfish? Do we share?"**

The girls' eyes widened at the last one. Dawn stopped for a moment as if scared from asking her last question but pushed on.

" **What if he died or is lost? What if he's not coming back?"**

Dawn's questions hit them all hard. They were still in their group hug. They each went through several emotions as they thought about the questions; anger, sadness, happiness, confusion, and many others. They stood there, in their circular hug, pondering over Dawn's questions. Finally Misty broke the silence.

" **I think we're better off not worrying about that until the time comes. And I know for certain that Ash will return, he always does. That's one thing we won't have to worry about."**

" **You're right. We won't know until he comes back and no point in worrying until then. Right now, I'm okay with all this."**

The girls all agreed to help each other cope with missing Ash and they won't do anything to jeopardize each other's chances to be with him when the day comes that he eventually returns to them.

Richie, Brock and Gary were chilling in the living room, watching some TV. They had heard screaming and crying coming out from the girls in one of the rooms but didn't bother them when Brock mentioned that it didn't sound like something for them to get involved with.

" **How can you be sure Brock?"** asked Richie.

" **I have many sisters Richie,"** replied Brock. **"These girl talks can be very emotional sometimes as girls tell each other almost everything. Also, it's not wise to barge in when they are in this talkative state. Trust me; I learned that the hard way."** Brock chuckled. **"Never underestimate a girl's rage."**

" **Yea, remember that Richie. Yeesh,"** added Gary, shivering slightly.

" **What happened to you?"** asked Richie. Brock glanced at Oak.

" **Bad break up with Sabrina,"** answered Gary automatically.

" **You dated Sabrina?! The gym leader?"** Brock was dumbfounded.

" **Yea we dated for a little bit. It was fun for a while but then it got boring for me. Then I made a mistake by telling her that I didn't see our relationship going anywhere, that I just saw her as a friend. We were moving too slowly for my taste at the time as I wanted more action, more physical stuff. She didn't say anything, get mad or fight. She said she understood and we parted ways. I thought everything ended well. I thought I was off the hook but from that night on, for about a month straight, I kept seeing horrible nightmares. Just thinking about them gives me the shivers."** Gary shook himself slightly. **"Yea, so never piss off a girl."**

" **Thanks for the advice,"** gulped Richie.

" **No problem Richie Rich,"** quipped the young professor.

" **So Richie, want to go see what the girls are up to?"** smirked Brock.

" **I don't want to die just yet!"** snapped Richie.

Brock and Gary burst out laughing at their friend.

" **I'm glad you caught on!"**

" **Yea, I thought for sure you still would've gone to check on them!"**

" **Very funny jerks,"** replied Richie, crossing his arms and scowling at them.

 _ **A/N - So we found out a big personal thing about Ash and a little bit of what the girls went through since he left. Will things get even messier between the five or will things fall into place for some or all of them? Stay tuned to find out!**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	11. Chapter 11 - Friendly Interactions

_**A/N - Silent here with another chapter for you!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 11 – FRIENDLY INTERACTIONS

Solid and his pokémon returned to his suite, Pikachu hiding in his backpack while Lucario and Gardevoir moved by his side. Brock, Gary and Richie glanced at the door when it opened and greeted Solid as he came back in, which he returned with his own greeting. Solid went to his room, dropped off his backpack gently, as to not hurt Pikachu inside it, and told Lucario and Gardevoir that they could relax and do as they pleased without bothering the rest. The two decided to just stay in the master bedroom for the time being. Solid left the room and closed the door, signaling Pikachu that it was okay to get out of the backpack, which he used to quickly jump out with his bottle of ketchup.

Solid joined the three sitting on the couches and decided to watch the movie with them. It was an action movie, about a pokémon trainer who was trying to rescue the love of his life from an evil sorcerer and his bewitched pokémon. As they watched the movie, the others joined them in watching it, while also making some small talk here and there. Cilan and Iris didn't show up for quite a while, which Gary noticed. He turned to the group at large.

" **Who wants to make a bet as to what they're doing in there?"**

" **Shut up Gary!"** yelled the girls together. The guys all laughed.

" **Okay, jeez, learn to have some fun why don't you."**

Before anything else happened, Brock got up from his seat, saying he's going to make some lunch since it was past noon already. The rest continued watching the movie and ten minutes later, the movie ended and Brock called out to them.

" **Food's ready!"**

The door to Cilan's and Iris's room opened at Brock's yell and everyone turned to look at them. The couple blushed madly at the attention and they just realized that they've been away from the group for a while.

" **So, did ya kids have fun?"** smirked Gary. Serena and May both elbowed him in the stomach. Gary grunted in pain at the double whammy and curled up into a fetal position on the couch.

" **We did Oak, compared to what you're going through right now you little kid!"** replied Iris, her face getting redder by the second. Cilan's face flushed crimson and then ushered her towards the dinner table. The group followed the couple, leaving Gary to lick his wounds.

" **Wow, Brock this looks delicious!"** complimented Solid as he looked at the prepared food. There was a big bowl of soup, a large plate of chicken wings, some salad and bread.

" **Thanks. It's nothing special though."** Brock said modestly.

" **Trust me, I haven't had a good meal in a long time and I can tell this is going to be amazing."**

" **What do you mean that you haven't had a good meal for a long time Solid?"** Solid glanced at the brunette with the bandanna. Her cheeks turned pink as he caught her eye and he smiled a bit.

" **Well, it's because I've been away from home for a long time. I've been busy taking care of some things and been traveling for a few years now. I learned how to cook for myself a little but nothing grand. Just simple things you know? So this to me is like a feast."**

" **Well, you're going to enjoy Brock's cooking. He's the best!"** praised Dawn.

" **You mean ONE of the best! Cilan's very good too!"** said Iris. Cilan blushed at her compliment.

" **Yes I meant him too. Sorry,"** muttered Dawn.

" **Well let's dig in everyone!"** encouraged the green haired connoisseur.

They all sat down around the table to eat. Solid took some food for his pokémon to share and re-joined the group at the table shortly after. They left the head of the table for him, but he tried to have Brock sit there since he did the cooking but the spiky haired man wouldn't listen. They all ate silently, the food being too good to even warrant any other noises besides metal utensils hitting their plates or the sound of chewing. Once everyone had second helpings, they were soon full and just relaxed sitting. After a moment of silence, Max asked Solid a question.

" **Hey Solid, you said you were traveling around for a while right?"**

" **Yea I did. What's up Max?"**

" **Did you meet a lot of people or were you mostly away from others?"**

" **MAX! That's none of your business!"** yelled May.

" **It's okay May. A little of both. Why do you ask?"**

" **Well…since you said you were traveling for a while, I wanted to know if you met someone. A friend of ours that we haven't seen for a while now…"**

Solid frowned. He knew where this was going. It tore at him but knew now was not the right time.

" **What was his name?"  
**

" **Ash…"** Four girls answered him besides Max who were all staring at their empty plates.

" **Ash? As in Ash Ketchum?"** He hated playing this game. He wanted to tell them so bad.

" **Yea, that's him!"** screamed Serena in joy.

" **Have you met him?"** asked Misty. Her eyes were filled with hope as she stared at him, which he noticed. It pained him that he had to continue this charade. He decided he'll give them a little bit of information.

" **Yes I have."**

" **Really?! When?"**

" **Was he okay?"**

" **Did he talk about us?"**

" **What was he doing?"**

The four girls started asking questions nonstop.

" **Alright girls, relax!"** shouted Brock. They stopped talking, both mad at Brock for quieting them and embarrassed as they just went off like that. Solid chuckled before Gary cut him off.

" **Hold on there a second Solid. None of us have been able to find our friend Ash. Nobody has heard or seen from him in ages. We've tried everything and spoken with everyone. Yet you're saying that you have. How? When? And why you?"**

Gary suddenly grew suspicious of Solid and he wanted to know why of all people, this random person they just met today had met their friend who had been gone for three years. Everyone looked at Gary for a second before facing Solid, with questioning looks on the faces. Ash sweat dropped but he decided to tell them just a little bit of the truth and his adventures.

" **I'll tell you. It was a coincidence that I ran into him though. I met him a while ago when I was making my way through Meteor Falls in Hoenn traveling around the area for some pokémon. I reached his camp ground and he was busy training so he didn't notice me at first but once I got closer and he saw I wasn't a threat, we introduced our selves and saw we were both heading the same way and decided to team up for a bit. We talked a bit about what we were doing and why. I found out that we were both training to become stronger. I had promised my family that I would return a champion and he had similar goals as well but was also preparing for something."**

" **He was in Hoenn? And he didn't visit?"** asked May, an obvious hurt look on her face. Solid felt so bad.

 _Idiot! Why the hell did you say a specific location?_

" **Well May, let me tell you something. We talked a bit and found out some stuff about each other. I asked him if he was on his own and he said he was but he also told me that he missed his friends dearly. He said he had a group picture of his friends that he looked at every night before he slept. I asked him why he didn't go back and visited his friends. He said he wanted to, very much, that he thought about them and missed them every day. But he said he was on a mission, that he couldn't leave it now, because if he did, then everything he did would be for nothing. I don't know what he meant by that. He did say that one day soon he will see them again once he's ready and completely reaches his goal. After a couple days of traveling together, we went our separate ways. This was about five months ago and that was the last I've heard or seen of him."**

Solid looked at the group in front of him, but noticed that everyone was sad, and that the girls, even iris, had tears in their eyes.

" **He said all that?"** whispered Dawn.

" **He misses us? And thinks about us every day?"** Misty started crying.

" **I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything,"** began Solid but was interrupted by Serena.

" **No, you did the right thing Solid. We needed to know. Thank you."** Solid looked around at the group and they nodded.

" **But what did he mean that he was on a mission?"** asked Max.

" **I can't tell you because I don't know,"** sighed Solid. He felt like an asshole for lying to them.

" **I guess we'll find out some day. Alright guys, why don't you go relax, get some fresh air at the balcony or go on a walk or something. Cilan, can you help with the dishes please?"**

" **Of course! Not a problem."** Cilan rose with Brock as they set to work cleaning up the table and dishes.

The girls went to the balcony and pondered about what they heard in silence. Solid said he's going to go train a bit with Lucario and Gardevoir. Richie said he was going to go train as well and headed out a little while after Solid. Gary and Max went back to the living room and watched TV for the remainder of the day. Richie came back after a few hours to find Brock, Cilan, Max and Gary playing a board game they found in one of the closets. The girls soon went to their room, no doubt to talk in a more private area.

" **Hey, Monopoly! I want to play."**

" **No can do Richie Rich. I'm almost done draining these three's bank accounts,"** laughed Gary.

" **You have no idea Richie. You don't know how lucky this guy is!"** cried Max.

Richie looked closer at the game and saw several hotels all over the board spaces.

" **Are those all yours Gary?"**

" **Yup!"**

" **Yea, I'll pass."**

" **It's a very depressing flavor. He's always getting perfect dice roles,"** whined Cilan.

" **Yea, it's a mystery. So how was training Richie?"** asked Brock.

" **Not bad. Everyone's improved greatly. I think we're ready for the tournament."** Richie's face beamed with confidence. The guys nodded in agreement. **"Has Solid come back yet?"**

" **No he hasn't,"** answered Gary without looking up. **"He's probably still training."**

" **Damn, still? Well that's good. I don't want easy opponents,"** commented Richie as he went to wash up and change his clothes.

It took about another hour for Gary to win the board game, causing Max to yell that he cheated at the end. Brock attempted to calm down the young kid while Gary laughed, not helping the situation at all. Richie and Cilan merely shook their heads at the pair's antics.

When the girls entered the room, they started talking more openly about what Solid had told them over breakfast.

" **Do you really think Solid met Ash?"** asked Serena, hope filling her.

" **I don't think he would lie about something like that,"** replied Dawn.

" **But how can you be so sure Dawn? Like Gary said, you four have done everything humanely possible to try and find him and you came up with nothing. What makes Solid so special that he just ran into him?"** Iris's comments made them think for a couple moments.

" **Well, it might've been just coincidence. We'll never know. I can tell that Solid was hiding some things, but not bad. Maybe he made a promise to not say more and I wouldn't be surprised."** Misty's opinion made sense and the girls nodded.

" **Maybe. But if he's hiding something from us about Ash and we find out about it, he'll be in a world of pain before you can 'Pokémon Master'."** May punched her fist into her other hand. They giggled for a moment before Dawn's question made them go silent again.

" **Do you guys really believe that Ash thinks about us and misses us every day?"**

" **I'm sure he is Dawn. If anybody is like that, it would be him,"** said Serena softly.

The girls sighed and murmured that they agreed when they heard some shouts suddenly. The girls came out of the room and demanded to know why there was yelling and soon smacked each of the guys upside the head for causing a commotion. Cilan, Brock and Richie complained as to why they got hit when they did nothing. The girls answered that from now on if one guy messed up, then they all would get hit since they were tired of their shenanigans.

" **I'd love to see you five try to hit Solid. Four of you would just faint getting close to him!"** cackled Gary.

Brock, Max, Cilan and Richie face palmed as they all thought the same thing; Gary was a dead man, and so were they because of his disregard for his friends. The four girls had red circles on their faces while Iris merely had an angry expression on her face.

" **You're dead Oak!"** said the five together, as Misty raised her mallet.

" **Why's Oak dead?"** asked Solid.

Nobody had noticed he had walked in but everyone turned towards him. He was holding his sweaty black shirt in his hand with a towel around his neck. Lucario and Gardevoir were behind him. All of the girls' eyes widened and they blushed madly at the sight of Solid, half naked and sweaty, his toned muscles showing off. Without warning, four of the girls fainted right there, with only Iris still standing, yet she was in shock still. Cilan hurriedly got up and blocked iris's view. He shot Solid an annoyed look.

" **Do you mind?"**

" **Oh, sorry, I'll go put on something."**

Solid went to his room to take a quick shower and change, his pokémon following him with grins plastered on their faces.

" **Wow, Gary you're the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever met,"** Richie said quietly.

" **What do you mean?"**

" **These girls were about to kill you, then us,"** answered Brock, as he looked over the girls, making sure none of them hit their head and that none of them were bleeding from anywhere.

" **Yea, but then Solid came in and that caused them to faint. Thank Arceus I'm still alive!"** shouted Max, while looking up, his hands reaching for the ceiling.

" **Yes, you're quite lucky Gary. That was quite an entertaining flavor, even though it left a bitter taste in my mouth at the end,"** finished Cilan.

" **Ah, you're just upset that Iris froze like a statue after seeing his muscles!"** laughed Gary.

Cilan shot him a very angry look, one that he rarely gave and it made Gary shut up immediately.

" **She was merely giving admiration for someone who seems to take care of himself. Nothing wrong with that!"** spat Cilan. He then turned to Iris and waved his hand in front of her dazed face. She snapped out of her trance and looked up into Cilan's face with a guilty expression on hers.

" **Sorry Cilan, I just wasn't expecting something like that. You know I love only you. I was merely blindsided, that's all. You understand right?"** pleaded Iris as she hugged him, still looking into his eyes.

" **Of course my little monkey. I can never stay mad at you!"**

" **Ah, he has a pet name for her!"** amused Gary, starting to laugh while getting angry looks from the couple.

Suddenly a mallet came up from behind the couch Gary was sitting on and then crashed down onto Gary's head, sending the researcher flying towards the ground. Misty got up, her mallet in her hand. Soon, the other girls got up; all of their faces still a little red.

" **Don't think you're out of the woods yet Oak,"** breathed Misty heavily.

" **I take that back. You're not the luckiest guy in the world. More like the saddest,"** corrected Richie. They all laughed over Gary's expense, as he slowly got back onto the couch, shaking his head.

" **Well I was right wasn't I?"**

The four girls gasped as they realized he was right. They glanced at each other and then just laughed.

" **Wow, Misty didn't mallet you Gary,"** awed Max.

The rest of them joined in laughing. Solid stepped back into the living room, a little while later, fully dressed now with sweats and another black shirt.

" **Sorry about that guys. I'll try to remember to not do that again."**

" **Don't worry about it,"** answered Dawn, her face going red again.

" **So what took you so long?"** asked Richie.

" **I was perfecting some moves with my pokémon."**

" **Oh cool. What kinds of moves? And what pokémon?"** Max was practically jumping up and down in anticipation. He loved talking about anything pokémon related.

" **Sorry buddy, but you'll have to wait and see,"** smiled Solid as Max quieted down, a little sad from not being told. **"Alright guys, I'm going to go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."**

Solid bade them a good night and went to his room. Little by little, the rest of them went to their rooms as well, as Brock and Gary opened their couch bed up. Even though it wasn't too late, everyone had gone to sleep by about 10pm. Every single person in that suite had thoughts swim around in their head before slowly drifting off to sleep.

 _ **A/N - Sorry for the short filler chapter but I needed it to establish some sort of relationship between Ash's alter ego 'Solid' and the others.**_ ** _Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, anything. And if you like it, please favorite and follow. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	12. Chapter 12 - Unexpected

_**A/N - Silent here and I would like to say that I am pretty proud of this chapter.**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 12 – UNEXPECTED

Solid was the first to wake up early in the morning, as he usually did now. He dismissed his alarm then he changed into his training clothes and woke up Lucario and Gardevoir. Pikachu was still snoozing on the bed. Solid and the two left the room, which he locked right after and made a small breakfast meal for the three before they headed down stairs for some training. They said good morning to Joy as they passed her, which she replied back with one of her own. They went a good distance into the forest to have less of a chance to get caught by others as they trained.

An hour later, Brock woke up, took a shower, got dressed and decided to get breakfast made. The smell of the food caused the others to get up one by one. That's how Brock got them to get up; not with yelling, or splashing water on their faces, but by making the irresistible smell of delicious food. They all washed up, got changed and gathered at the dining table. Serena headed towards Solid's room to tell him to get up but Brock called out after her.

" **He's not there Serena. I saw him get up early and he made a small breakfast for himself before going downstairs."**

" **Oh alright. I just thought he wasn't up yet and that he could have some breakfast,"** replied the honey haired girl as she took her seat.

Gary was about to say something but Misty caught his attention, by twirling her mallet in her hand. He gulped and stayed quiet for the moment. After breakfast they all decided to relax for a while and then go out and explore for a little bit. Misty decided to go call her sisters and see how the gym was holding up and Gary said he'll join since he wanted to call his Gramps for something. The rest decided they'll meet up with the two downstairs soon. Misty and Gary made their way to the ground floor and asked Nurse Joy if they could use the video phone, which she happily let them use.

Misty went first and called her sisters. Her oldest sister Daisy picked up, as usual but was soon quickly joined by Lily and Violet. They told her that everything was fine, that they only had one challenger in the past week who had lost his gym battle. They agreed that it was probably because of the Spirit Tournament, that everyone was on their way to come there. After talking a bit more they said good bye and Misty disconnected the call and hung up the phone. She walked back to where Gary was sitting and told him he could go. She then went towards Nurse Joy to ask her something, when someone tapped her on the shoulder when she drew near the counter. She turned around as she spoke.

" **Yea….oh!"** She was surprised as to who was in front of her. It was a young man, with black hair and a red bandanna around his head, a green shirt and red shorts.

" **Hey Misty,"** said the man as he hugged her. Misty didn't return the hug. She really didn't want to interact with him at all. Joy was eyeing the man from the corner of eye carefully.

" **What are you doing here Tracey?"** she asked as she pulled away from him.

" **I came to be with you babe,"** he answered as he reached out to touch her cheek but she smacked his hand away. **"Oh, you know I like that fiery side of you."** He chuckled.

" **Stop it. You know I don't see you that way. And how did you know I was here?"**

" **Who are you trying to kid?"** joked Tracey as he grabbed both of her shoulders. **"All those times I had visited you and I helped you out while that idiot was away, I've seen the way you've looked at me. Just admit it. And I heard from your sisters that you left with your friends to go somewhere. Where else would you go besides the Spirit Tournament?"**

" **Please let me go! Whatever you think you saw, you're only imagining it! I don't like you that way. I've told you many times. And what about Daisy?!"** cried out Misty, getting a little scared but also angry as she struggled against his grip on her.

" **Daisy? Forget about her. She was nothing. You know that I'm a pokémon watcher and there are other things I watch besides pokémon,"** finished Tracey, as he looked her up and down, stopping for a few seconds at her chest and rear.

Misty felt disgusted but also angry. She whipped out her mallet out of nowhere and was about to hit Tracey but he caught it. He shook his finger at her with his free hand mockingly. Misty shivered a little in fear since he caught her strike. Joy decided to intervene.

" **Hello sir. Anything I can help you with?"**

" **No, no. I'm good Nurse Joy. I found what I need,"** said Tracey as he leaned in to kiss Misty. The red head brought up her hands to his face and pushed him back.

" **NO! STOP! Leave me alone! Why are you acting this way?!"** yelled Misty but her words fell on deaf ears.

" **I like it when you play hard to get and it's time for you to forget that loser who left such a beautiful girl and be with me,"** growled Tracey.

Misty froze, lost as to what to do. She was never afraid to fight back but for some reason she was filling up with fear as he never acted this badly before. She knew he had a crush on her but when he confessed to her, she told him it wasn't mutual and that she liked Ash. She thought he got over it when he started dating Gary's sister Daisy when she told him that she never saw him that way and never will.

" **You are causing my guest to be uncomfortable. You should stop right now and leave!"** yelled Joy suddenly as soon as she realized that Misty was scared and that they weren't playing a game.

" **But I'm a guest too. So I guess we're at a stalemate aren't we?"** replied Tracey with a sneer.

" **You should listen to Nurse Joy and leave now."**

Gary suddenly appeared behind the man and Misty. He didn't know who the man was, not seeing his face yet but had an angry look on his own. Nobody messed with his friends. Only he was allowed to do that. Tracey slowly turned around and glared at Gary.

" **Tracey? What are you doing here? And what are you doing?"** asked Gary, dumbfounded.

" **I'm here to get my trophy,"** answered Tracey, pointing at Misty behind him with his thumb.

" **What?! You're dating my sister you douche bag!"**

" **Was. I decided she wasn't worth it and came to get what really belongs to me. I guess I should tell her that I'm done with her, shouldn't I?"** Tracey said without any tone of remorse.

" **You're going to pay for that you piece of shit!"** roared Gary as he launched himself at Tracey.

A bright light suddenly erupted from a poke ball and a huge green praying mantis like pokémon, with sharp scythes for arms appeared and pushed Gary back towards the wall. Scyther then pinned him to the wall with the dull side of his scythe, preventing him from moving. Misty shivered even more. She hated bug pokémon as they scared her beyond all else except for one other thing.

" **Thank you Gary for letting us be. My love and I have more important things to do,"** laughed Tracy as he turned to look at the red head again and moved closer to her. **"Time for us to go now."**

The elevator doors dinged and opened, letting out the group of friends who walked forward a bit as Misty backed up into reception desk's counter and leaned against it for some support. The group stopped suddenly in their tracks at the sight of Misty cowering against the counter, Nurse Joy looking furious and with Gary pinned against the wall by a Scyther.

" **What's going on here?"** questioned Brock while stepping forward, getting angry.

" **Tracey's gone mad Brock,"** whimpered Misty. **"He won't leave me alone and he attacked Gary with his Scyther!"** The group's eyes widened as they heard the explanation.

" **Tracey, stop this at once and release Gary!"** ordered Brock, moving closer.

" **Shut up Brock. I don't take orders from you,"** Tracey replied coolly as he turned to Misty raising his hand to grab her again. **"Now come with me before someone else gets hurt."**

Brock attempted to stop Tracey but he barely took a step when Scyther shot towards him and tackled him, pushing him down. Scyther moved towards the others, scaring them with his scythes and making them back away. The group of friends glared at Tracey and Scyther but they didn't say anything. Max and Richie moved their hands to their belts.

" **I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want Oak's blood on your hands,"** threatened Tracey as Scyther moved and pinned Gary against the wall again, one of his scythes up against his throat.

" **What's happened to you? Why are you so evil?"** questioned Misty as she dropped to her knees, unable to keep herself up anymore because fear had spread throughout her body, weakening her. Tracey turned back around towards her when she spoke but didn't hear her words. A nasty smile spread on his face.

" **Hmm, I like it when a girl goes on her knees,"** cackled Tracey. His statement made many in the group growl but no one dared to move for fear of Gary getting hurt. Tracey raised his hand and extended it to the red head.

Suddenly, a blue glow materialized in the room and the next second, Gardevoir appeared with an angry look on her face with her eyes glowing blue. She stood in front of Misty, blocking Tracey from reaching her and then everyone heard someone speak with a powerful voice.

" **Don't you** _ **dare**_ **touch her!"**

" **NOW WHAT?!"** screamed Tracey as he spun around.

He saw a young man with a beard standing in front of the door way, a Lucario standing beside him. The bearded man's face was twisted in anger, cold fury in his eyes. When they locked eyes, the bearded man did not change his expression as a couple thoughts went through his head as they stood in silence for a moment, sizing up one another.

 _Tracey? Damn, you've gone off the deep end. I've always had a feeling something was off about you but not this, definitely not this. But it doesn't matter. You hurt Misty. You're not my friend anymore._

" **Who the hell do you think you are? This is none of your business!"** spat Tracey finally, raging that he was prevented again from fulfilling his desire of lust.

" **Doesn't matter who I am and it is my business when I see rotten people try to take advantage of others. You're unwelcome here. Leave before you anger me further."**

The words carried such contempt that May, Dawn and Serena gasped while the others stared at Solid. Misty looked up when she heard Solid's voice, feeling the power of the words. Solid glanced at her for a split second, seeing the fear in her eyes before locking his gaze on Tracey again, the cause of her fear and sorrow.

 _I'm here Misty. I won't let anything happen to you._

Tracey grit his teeth, boiling up inside before he shouted out; **"The only person who's leaving now is you! Scyther, Slash attack!"**

" **NOOOO!"** pleaded the girls but it was ignored.

With blinding speed, Scyther shot at Solid, his scythes raised and then slashed at him when he was within range. But instead of cutting the man, his attack bounced off of a pale blue shield. Lucario had put up an Aura Shield at the last second. Scyther stepped back, trying to understand what just occurred. Nobody was able to stop his Slash before. Solid walked forward towards Tracey and Scyther, his Lucario moving beside him, his red eyes narrowed in anger. He was waiting for the word.

" **So, this is the kind of man you are. Unable to deal with not getting what you want, so you throw a tantrum and attack others, not caring what happens to them. People like you make me sick."** Solid spoke with such venom in his words that Tracey took a couple of steps back subconsciously. Solid's group was in awe at the power radiating off of him. **"You have one chance to leave with your dignity. Apologize and leave now and never bother us again. Or you will face the consequences,"** finished Solid as he stopped about ten feet away from the crazed man. Tracey froze for a second before bursting with laugher.

" **You think I'm scared of you? Ha ha ha ha ha! You must be one dense idiot. Scyther cut him down a size!"**

Scyther again launched himself at Solid but before anyone could do anything, Solid spoke a single word that they all heard.

" **Counter."**

Lucario vanished from his spot one second and the next; he towered over the unconscious form of the large bug pokémon on the floor. He had used Extreme Speed and Close Combat to knock out Scyther in less than a second.

" **Holy shit!"** exclaimed Gary, his eyes wide at what he just witnessed. The others stayed silent, unable to speak at what just happened.

" **DAMN YOU!"** shouted Tracey as he charged at Solid.

Solid swiftly evaded the strikes with ease that was thrown at him. After dodging the attacks for a few seconds, he saw an opening and quickly delivered a full powered punch to his stomach. Tracey clutched his stomach, taking a step back. Solid grabbed his neck with one hand and lifted him up off his feet, holding him in the air. Everyone besides his pokémon was in awe at his show of strength. Solid began speaking, his anger coating each word.

" **If you ever bother my friends again, if you even come near them, or do anything to harm them or mess up their lives, directly or indirectly, I will find you no matter where you run to. Understood?"** after a moment of struggling against Solid, Tracey went limp and nodded.

" **And consider yourself fired from the lab and dumped by Daisy!"** roared a furious Gary.

Solid faced Gary, who nodded, signaling he was done with Tracey. Solid turned with Tracey still held up in his hand and then threw him towards the building door, yelling at him to get out. Tracey returned his Scyther as he fled. Solid looked at Lucario with a nod who understood his master; the pokémon went outside to make sure he left. Gary tapped his Poketch to send a voice message to his Gramps and Daisy, saying that Tracey was done, and for his grandpa to put Blastoise on guard duty while sending Umbreon to help cheer up his sister. Solid turned around and moved towards the red head as the others just stared at him in awe over what they just witnessed him do. She was staring straight ahead of her, not actually seeing anything, still in shock. Gardevoir stepped to the side as Solid drew near and gently picked up Misty off the floor and had her stand on her feet.

" **Good job Gardevoir,"** praised Solid to his fairy pokémon, who smiled, before he faced the red head.

" **Hey. You okay Misty? It's alright, it's over. You don't need to worry about him anymore."**

So soft and soothing were his words that Misty raised her head to look at him, fear still in her eyes. Her eyes filled up with tears and started to cry and she hid her face into his chest, bawling loudly. Solid wrapped his arms around her back, giving her a hug, hoping it would comfort her. The others moved towards the two when she started pounding on his chest with her hands in fists, crying louder and louder until they heard her speak between her sobs.

" **I don't know how much longer I can take this! How many assholes do I have to deal with before things get better?"** She took a couple stuttering breathes in between her sobs.

"…" Solid stayed quiet, not knowing what to say as he frowned.

" **Where the fuck is Ash?!"** Misty screamed suddenly.

The group formed sad expressions on their faces. Joy and Gardevoir glanced at Solid, thinking how he would take this. Lucario came back in and went to stand by his fairy comrade. He had felt emotions run high from outside and wanted to see why.

" **Where is he when we need him?!"** cried out Misty shrilly. **"When I need him?"** she finished quietly.

" **I can't really say but I know he wants to be with you all. I know for a fact that he wants to be here."**

 _Oh Mew, I don't know if I can take this. I want to tell you so badly Mist that its me!_

" **Really? Yea right! And how would you know? Maybe he's not here because he just doesn't give a damn!"** snapped Misty, as she pushed away from Solid, glaring at him through her crying.

Solid was stunned for a second before he turned away and walked towards the wall and leaned against it, raising his hands above his head. Everyone stared at him, silent, though Misty was breathing heavily with silent tears running down her cheeks. Gardevoir and Lucario glanced at each other, then at Joy. All three of them had worried looks on their faces. Solid hung his head as he banged his right fist against the wall, startling everyone.

" **I can't do this. I can't."** Solid choked out.

Lucario made to move towards Solid but Gardevoir held him back, shaking her head when he turned his head at her. Joy clasped her hands together, holding them to her chest, hope in her eyes.

 _Is he going to do it? Will he come clean?_

" **Huh? Why would you say that? Tell me!"** demanded Misty.

May, Dawn and Serena moved forward a bit, stopping behind Misty, a sign of support for her. The others kept silent in their spots. They wanted to hear what Solid had to say as well.

" **I said I can't do this. And Ash does give a damn."**

Solid turned around as he spoke the words. He looked at Serena, then Dawn, then May, making eye contact with each one for a few seconds, before finally looking at Misty, fixing his eyes with hers.

" **Every night, before he went to sleep, he would pull out the group picture he has of his friends and stare at it for a long time, thinking about everyone. He suffered every day, battling his emotions, trying to stay strong as he missed you all so much as he trained. There were a couple times he wanted to just drop everything and run back to you as fast as he could but he knew he couldn't. He cares for you more than you can ever imagine!"**

" **How do you know?"** whispered Misty after a moment.

A little hope fired up in her, her heart beating madly but she fought to control it. She didn't want to get swept up in something only to get hurt again and disappointed. Dawn, May and Serena also felt a little hope spark inside of them but they didn't let it overwhelm them, having dealt with past experiences. Solid looked down at his feet and took in a deep breath. After a few seconds, Misty closed the distance between her and Solid, grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

" **I said how do you know?!"** yelled Misty.

Solid looked up at her again.

" **Because he's here."**

Everyone besides Joy and the pokémon were startled at the news. Misty and the three girls gasped, putting their hands against their mouths.

" **Where?"** whispered Misty after she lowered her hands.

Solid looked into her eyes as he answered her.

" **Right in front of you."**

As Solid said that, his face began to change while Misty still kept eye contact. Gardevoir's eyes had glowed blue, which only Joy and Lucario noticed. Misty watched as Solid's black eyes turned brown, "z" birthmarks appeared on his cheeks, and the beard faded away. Everyone took in sharp breathes except for the two pokémon and Joy. Misty's eyes widened in shock at what she just witnessed. Solid's face was gone and now she was staring into Ash's. His chocolate brown eyes feasted on her cerulean blue ones.

" **Ash?"** whispered Misty.

Ash gave a small smile and nodded. Misty was frozen in shock. Many different emotions spiraled inside her, from rage to bliss, preventing her from reacting to what she just noticed. Silence followed for a moment as everyone tired to process what just happened.

 _It can't be him. Someone must be playing a trick on me…but wait…his eyes….it's burning with passion…just like…..Ash…..it is him!_

All of sudden, Misty lunged at Ash as she flung her arms around him and gave him a tight hug which he returned. Shortly after, three blurs flew at the hugging couple, attempting to hug Ash as well, but instead caused him to fall down on the floor backwards as the four girls toppled after him. The four girls were on top of Ash; Dawn to the left, Serena and Misty in the middle, and May to the right. They started crying and stayed in that position for a few minutes, Ash trying to hug the four at once and tears falling down his face as well as he apologized over and over.

The group around the five finally started showing signs of life after seeing the emotional moment. Cilan and Iris glanced at each other and hugged, turning back to the beautiful sight before them. Brock, Joy, Gardevoir and Lucario had smiles form on their faces while Gary, Richie and Max grinned.

Soon, the crying died down and the four girls stared at Ash as he alternated looking at each girl's face. About a minute later, the girls got off of him, stood up and then helped him stand back up as well. What followed quickly after were four of the fastest slaps the group had ever seen, delivered by the girls, one from each, to Ash's right cheek, causing him to turn his head hard and move his body to the side a bit. When he straightened up again, they delivered four more speedy slaps to the same cheek again. His cheek hurt so badly as it was slapped eight times in a row quite rapidly, causing a red hand print to show on his face. The rest of the group winced at the sight.

" **Should've seen that coming,"** muttered Gary, causing the ones near him to roll their eyes.

" **Mew that stings!"** yelped Ash, massaging his cheek as he straightened back up after the last slap. **"I guess I deserved that huh?"** The four girls stood in front of him, glaring at him, with their hands on their hips.

" **You think?!"** shouted the four together.

" **Wow, what a bunch of kids,"** commented Iris, shrugging.

The others laughed and the five remembered they had an audience and went red. The rest of the group gathered around Ash, hugging him or shaking his hand, while stating how glad they were that he was back. He did get punched in his stomach and chest a couple times in addition, which he felt he did deserve somewhat. After that, Ash looked at everybody.

" **I'm sorry guys for lying to you and for being gone for so long."** Ash hung his head, looking at the floor. **"Will you forgive me or are you too angry at me?"**

" **Of course we're angry!"** shot Misty. **"But we're also happy to have you here with us again,"** finished the red head softly.

" **Is that true guys?"** asked Ash as he looked up. As he looked at each person in the group, they nodded. Ash's eyes began to water. **"I'm so sorry for everything."**

" **Hey, it's fine, it's in the past. No need to worry,"** replied Dawn softly as she hugged him again.

" **Just make sure you never do something like that to us again."** added May as she hugged him too.

" **Otherwise you'll get more than just slaps to the face,"** threatened Serena as she joined them as well.

Everybody except Joy and the two pokémon joined in on the hug, with Ash in the middle apologizing and having a few tears run down his cheeks, trying to pull himself back together. It took a moment but Ash stopped and the group broke apart from the hug.

" **Thanks guys."** Ash wiped his eyes with his hands. **"I'll find some way to make it up to all of you, I promise."**

" **And we'll hold you to that promise, Ashy-boy,"** smirked Gary.

Ash smiled and nodded.

" **Hey, I know!"** Ash beamed at everyone.

" **And he's back!"** cheered Max, causing the group to chuckle.

Nobody had noticed new trainers come inside and walked forward a bit just then.

" **Ah, can we sign up for the tournament?"** One of the new trainers spoke up.

" **Oh over here! Sorry about that. Welcome to the Indigo Plateau Hotel. You can register for the Spirit Tournament here,"** responded Joy. The new trainers walked up to Joy and registered for the tournament and got their room keys. It was about 11am in the morning.

" **I got an idea that will help us leave this stuff behind. How about we go to the nearby arcade and have some fun and then have some lunch? My treat."** The group agreed and Ash smiled. **"Let me just go take a quick shower and get dressed. Give me about thirty minutes. Hey Joy, would you like to come with us too?"** asked Ash suddenly.

Everyone snapped their head at Joy, who just finished up registering the last trainer. She looked up stunned, but then brought a finger up to her lips thinking.

" **Well, I do get off in an hour and my next shift isn't until tomorrow. If you guys can wait that long, I'll be happy to join as I don't get to do much around here,"** she finished quietly, her cheeks flashing pink.

" **No worries Nurse Joy. We can wait for you. We're waiting for Ashy-boy anyways,"** said Gary.

" **Okay thanks. And please, just call me Joy,"** replied Joy.

Ash dashed upstairs to get ready, Lucario and Gardevoir staying behind with the group of friends, relaxing and communicating mentally.

" **Brock, I'm surprised at you,"** said Dawn suddenly.

" **Huh? Why?"**

" **You haven't flirted with Joy or any other cute girl for that matter in a long time. Do you have a girlfriend?"**

" **That's none of your business!"** Brock's face turned red.

" **Yup, he has a girlfriend. We're going to find out who one way or another Brocko!"** smirked Gary.

Brock face palmed and the others laughed, including Joy, who had heard stories from her sisters about a very flirtatious guy with narrow eyes.

 _It has to be him_ , thought Joy, smiling to herself.

They waited for both Ash to come back down and Joy to get off her shift. Ash came back with Pikachu on his shoulder and his favorite original hat on his head. Pikachu immediately jumped into Misty's arms and cooed as she scratched him behind his ear. Joy came in her nurse uniform since she didn't want to make them wait any longer and she was fine with how she looked. Lucario and Gardevoir followed behind the group, still communicating mentally. Ash talked with them all, able to relax a bit and enjoy speaking without too much worry since he had revealed himself.

" **Hey have you guys kept in touch with Clemont and Bonnie? What are they up to and how come they're not here?"** Ash asked his group of friends.

" **They're doing pretty good. They wanted to come but their parents had to go on a business trip for a couple weeks so they couldn't leave the gym without anyone to watch over it,"** answered Serena.

Ash nodded his head and sighed as he missed them both. They continued talking with one another and Ash tried to position Richie near Joy so they would have to talk at some point. It worked a little, but they didn't talk much. Ash knew some games and food would change that. They reached the arcade, which was simply named "Indigo Plateau Arcade". They went inside and Ash paid for everyone's ticket and a handful of coins to play the games, true to his word. Gardevoir and Lucario sat at a huge booth, reserving it for them and relaxing, since they didn't' want to play any of the games, while Pikachu stayed with Misty, standing on her shoulder, happy to be back in the group again as he had missed the red head.

The group decided to first play some games together that a big group can do. They decided on shooting some basketballs to see who could score the most in thirty seconds. Ash was about to win when his closest competitor, Misty, soon caught up and beat him. She laughed at him and he pouted, making her giggle and slap his arm playfully. They then played darts and pool together, taking up several dart boards and pool tables at once as they played. Ash lost against Gary in pool but won against Dawn in darts didn't take it too well. She huffed at him and pretended to throw a dart at Ash who dropped to the floor instantly to dodge the dart, but when he saw she was only faking he shook his head as everyone else laughed. Joy, slowly but surely, integrated into the group, talking, laughing and joking around with the rest of them and Ash noticed that Richie was starting to talk to her more and more. He smiled, sensing that their auras were beginning to respond to each other. After a while they split off into smaller groups. Cilan, Iris, Richie and Joy went off together, Brock went off with Max, Gary split off alone and the four girls went together after Ash told them he was going to go check on his pokémon.

" **So how are you guys doing?"** asked Ash as he reached Lucario and Gardevoir.

" **We're fine Master, but must we stay here?"**

" **I told you to stop calling me Master for three years. Also, why not? Why don't you have some fun?"**

" **You know why. I can't stand places like this. I'd rather be training right now. And I won't stop saying Master so you should stop telling me to stop,"** complained Lucario and crossed his arms.

" **Oh, why is that Lucario? You don't want to have some fun? Not even with me?"** asked Gardevoir in a mock hurt voice, moving her body a little closer to him. Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise.

" **I…ah…merely…I"**

For the first time ever, Ash witnessed Lucario being speechless.

" **Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh my Arceus! ha ha ha ha ha! Whoa! Lucario, speechless? Damn, Gardevoir, I didn't know you had moves like that! You're one impressive little pokémon aren't you?"** teased Ash. " **Where'd you learn how to do something like that?"**

Gardevoir blushed but then laughed and shook her head, not letting out her secrets. Lucario scowled at the two and turned his face away from them, his nose in the air.

" **Ah don't be such a baby Lucario. Alright fine, stay here and sulk while I go get us some food."** Ash left the two, still chuckling over what he saw.

 _I've got to know where she picked that up from. Probably from one of the girls. But how and when?_

Gardevoir gently put a hand on Lucario's arm and he turned to face her.

" **Are you mad?"**

Lucario sighed. **"No. I just didn't want to give him the satisfaction. That was pretty good though. You really had me fooled. I guess being around those girls a little bit gave you some confidence huh?"**

" **Yes, they did. They may be fragile in some areas, especially when it comes to Ash, but they are stronger than they realize. I've learned a lot from them by reading some of their thoughts."**

" **Ah, you little sneak!"** Gardevoir blushed. **"Just promise me you won't do that to me again okay?"** asked Lucario. Gardevoir smiled a little too sweetly after a couple seconds.

" **But it's so much fun!"** She laughed and Lucario frowned before her contagious laugh affected him, making him laugh as well.

Ash went to the host and asked for two large pepperoni pizzas, two large combo pizzas, a large basket of chicken wings and a large bowl of salad, along with four, two litters of soda. He paid for the food and told them to set up the food when ready at the table where his Gardevoir and Lucario were at. The host nodded in agreement and he went back into the arcade to play some games himself while looking for the others. After about half an hour or so, the group slowly formed again as they came back together at the large booth held for them. Lucario and Gardevoir got up so the rest could slide down to the end of the booth and then sat down at the edges. Pikachu jumped down from Misty's shoulder after Ash decided to give him a bowl of ketchup since they were all having fun. The food swiftly came as soon as they all sat down.

" **Dig in everyone!"** called out Ash.

They went quiet and all they heard were the sounds of hungry people devouring their meal. May challenged Ash to see who could eat the most chicken wings in one minute and he accepted. Serena kept count for May while Max kept count for Ash. After the minute was up, Ash's count was nine, while May's was eight.

" **Ha ha! Looks like I win again May. So what's my prize?"** Ash smirked at May as her face heated up because she lost.

" **How about I don't punch you?"** Ash gulped and then agreed. The group laughed.

After demolishing the food in front of them, with hardly any leftovers, the group relaxed, talking and joking with each other, letting the food settle in their stomachs. Ash noticed that Richie and Joy were sitting next to each other and couldn't stop talking and joking around. He smiled, thinking he had made good choices in picking Richie and inviting Joy to join them.

" **Hey Ash."**

" **Yea Serena?"**

" **What were you doing these past three years?"**

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Ash. He took a moment to think before answering him.

" **I did a lot Serena. But to give you a gist of it, I traveled around the six regions again while disguised, revisited the Kingdom of Rota to get some Aura training related information, caught a bunch of new pokémon, and then spent the rest of the time with nonstop training."**

" **Aura training?"** asked Joy, confused.

" **Oh right, you don't know. I'm an Aura Guardian,"** explained Ash. Joy gasped as Ash chuckled. **"Just keep it between us please. I'm not ready for the whole world to know yet."** Joy nodded with a smile.

" **Wow Ash, you sure were busy. And in a disguise huh? That's why there was no word about you. And aura training? Is that how you were able to take care of Tracey so easily?"** May was impressed that Ash was able to stay hidden for so long and had grown to be quite the fighter. Ash nodded at her question, pink in the face.

" **Why'd you go alone though?"** This time it was Dawn who asked. Ash looked at her before answering.

" **I didn't want to. Really. But I had no other choice. I was on a mission. Truthfully, I still am. I will tell you all the reason why in the future when the time is right."**

" **Right and this tournament is part of your mission."** Misty rolled her eyes as she looked away, a little hurt thinking that he was trying to lie.

" **Actually, it is Mist."** Misty snapped her gaze back onto Ash's, her face a little red from him using his nickname for her.

" **Hold up Ash. Are you telling me that you knew that this tournament was going to happen, way before everyone else?"** Gary's eyes were narrowed. Everyone was silent, waiting for Ash to answer.

" **Yes, I did."** The group gasped and started asking more questions that were related about the mission, but then Lucario intervened.

" **Master! You cannot tell them anymore!"** He then glanced around the group as he continued speaking through Aura. They were stunned into silence at his outburst. **"I'm sorry, but he has sworn to secrecy and he cannot break his word. There will come a time where we will be able to tell you everything, but not yet. What we can tell you is that it is extremely important and we have been training hard for it. This tournament is to see whether we are ready or not for what's next in our mission. We would greatly appreciate your respect and understanding."** Lucario gave a short bow as he finished.

The group stared at Ash and Lucario for a moment. Then Misty broke the silence.

" **If it's something that important to make you leave without contacting us for so long after your call and to make Lucario act like that, then I understand. I'll wait to hear what this mission is all about when its time. I'm here for you and always will be. And…I'm sorry Ash for doubting you."**

Misty hung her head. Ash looked at her for a second before raising his hand and since she was sitting next to him, placed it under her chin to lift her head to face him. He then used his other hand to take off his favorite hat and placed it on her head, a sign that everything is good between them.

" **You don't need to apologize to me Mist. I'm just glad that you understand and standing by my side once again."**

Misty smiled as she reddened slightly though her blue eyes sparkled. She reached up and grabbed the hat he placed gently on her head. She made it hug her head tighter as she pushed it down.

" **Mine now Ash,"** teased Misty, making their friends laugh.

Ash chuckled as he slightly shook his head before calling out to the guys.

" **Alright fellas, we have something to do. Ladies, if you would be kind enough to wait here please,"** said Ash as he got up, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder. He motioned for the guys to follow. The six girls grinned as they glanced at each other, each thinking the same thing: _what do they have planned?_

" **Ash, what's up?"** asked Richie as they got into a huddle away from the girls.

" **Alright, how many tickets did you guys win?"**

They each pulled out their won tickets and pulled it together. They had a total of about one thousand tickets.

" **Okay, I think that would do. Before I make my suggestion, do any of you have something you want to get for yourselves?"**

The guys glanced at each other and they all answered the same thing; **"Not really"**.

" **Are you sure? Because I don't want to feel like an ass once I make my suggestion."**

" **Yea we're sure, so spill it,"** hissed Gary.

" **Alright then. You guys see those colored flower hair clip things on the prize wall? I was thinking we can get one for each of the girls as a gift. What do you think?"**

" **I like it. I'm in,"** agreed Richie without hesitation.

" **As am I. This will bring out a wonderful flavor,"** added Cilan. The others nodded, even Max.

" **Alright cool. Let's do this. We're short about two hundred. Let's get those too and get those prizes."**

Back at the table, the girls were talking excitedly and being inpatient. Lucario got up and spoke with Gardevoir mentally that he was going to go look for the guys and Gardevoir nodded.

" **So, Joy, looks like you were having fun with Richie."** Joy's cheeks turned the same color as her hair.

She quickly looked at the blunette who made the statement.

" **I did yes."** She decided better to be forward than try to play games.

" **So, what do you think?"** asked Serena. Joy glanced at the blonde, her pink cheeks getting darker.

" **Ooh, she likes him!"** squealed May as she clasped her hands together.

" **May, Dawn, Serena, leave her alone!"** warned Misty.

" **What, they're just talking Misty."** Iris shrugged. **"But if you want the spotlight off of her, alright then let's change who the attention is on. What are you four going to do?"**

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena gave looks of confusion at the question. Iris sighed.

" **About Ash. He's back. And the four of you love him. Anyway, what are you going to do?"** Iris's question made the four glance at each other and Joy to raise her eyebrows.

Before they could say anything else, a very unwelcomed guest arrived at their table and joining him were several others that none of the girls were pleased to see at all. It was Tracey, and the others who joined him were Drew, Kenny, Rudy and Paul.

" **Well hello there again, beautiful,"** said Tracey.

" **Ugh, please leave me alone! Didn't Ash kick your ass already?!"** cried out an annoyed Misty.

" **Ash?! That wasn't Ash!"** screamed Tracey, trying to save face in front of the others.

" **Wow Tracey, you really are a wimp. You're not worthy of this fiery red head if that scrawny kid kicked your ass,"** spoke Rudy, remembering how Ash looked like way back when.

" **That was Ash. He was only in disguise!"** said Serena. Tracey scowled.

 _That man was Ash? No way!_

" **And he's not scrawny anymore…"** said Dawn and May together in a sing song voice as they imagined Ash without his shirt in their mind. Each of the girls blushed. The unwelcomed group grumbled at her words before Tracey spoke again.

" **It doesn't matter if that was Ash or not! You three belong with us!"** said Tracey. Misty nearly gagged at the horrible thought.

" **Dee-Dee. We grew up together since we were kids. I know you better than that idiot. Why don't you come with me instead of wasting time with him and these losers?"** questioned Kenny. Dawn glared at him and crossed her arms, an obvious showing of "no" but it wasn't noticed.

" **Drew what are you doing with these idiots? You're better than that!"** criticized May. She didn't have any feelings for him but he was one of her rivals and they did travel together a bit.

" **I only came with them so I can find you. I want you to be with me,"** he said as he pulled out a rose from nowhere and held it out for May. **"You should be with me. He is unworthy of you and your beauty. Let's leave together."**

" **I've told you a dozen times already. The answer is no! Now please all of you leave,"** pleaded May.

Joy stood up a bit and spoke. **"As the Head Nurse of the Indigo Plateau Hotel, I must ask that you leave now and not to bother us again."**

" **Aw look, they have some security with them. Well, so do we,"** said Tracey as he pointed at Paul.

" **What are you doing here Paul?"** asked Dawn. She knew Paul was an ass but what business did he have with them?

" **None of your business idiot girl. This dumbass here said if I come with them I could battle a powerful trainer before the tournament."** Joy laughed, causing everyone to look at her. **"What's so funny bitch?"**

The girls growled at Paul but Joy didn't care as she laughed. Finally she stopped and looked at him.

" **If you signed up for the tournament, then you can't battle with any other contenders until you're matched up together and only at the stadium at your designated time. Anything else and its instant disqualification. And I am one of the representatives who have the power to disqualify violators. So, do you really want to battle that strong trainer right now who is also registered in the tournament who by the way is Ash?"**

Paul narrowed his eyes before leaving quickly. Tracey's shouts and pleas fell on deaf ears.

" **Well that takes care of one of them,"** sighed Joy. The girls smiled a little. Misty then turned to face the still standing group of boys. She sighed.

" **Aren't you leaving?"**

" **Not without you three coming with us,"** repeated Tracey, his voice laced with lust. Gardevoir stood up and floated towards the relentless group, her eyes glowing blue. She had had enough. She was trying to scare them away.

" **Oh, we've got a fighter guys. Okay, how about this, a pokémon battle. If we win, you come with us. If you win, we'll leave you alone for good."**

The annoying group moved outside not waiting for an answer. They stood in front of the arcade, waiting for Gardevoir and the girls. Gardevoir made to follow them but Misty grabbed her arm.

" **No, don't go Gardevoir. I know for a fact that they won't fight fair and we don't have any pokémon with us. This isn't your fight!"**

" **It's alright Misty."**

Gardevoir's soft and angelic voice shocked them at first but they quickly snapped out of it, hearing Lucario and other pokémon talk before, with telepathy or aura.

" **Nobody bothers my friends. And don't worry, I can handle them."**

Gardevoir slipped her arm out from Misty's grip and went outside to face them sending a mental message to Ash and Lucario as she did so. Misty glanced at the others before they all hurried after her, hoping the guys will come back soon.

 _ **A/N - Cliffhanger! Sorry, but I had too. As always, please leave a review for anything you want to say or ask and please follow/favorite if you enjoy the story as it will help me stay motivated to continue the story. Thanks for reading and take care! :)**_

 _ **EDIT - Added a small conversation about Clemont and Bonnie's whereabouts. They will be in the story but later. I don't want to juggle to many characters at once as I want to give them proper justice. :)**_


	13. Chapter 13 - Confrontations

_**A/N - Silent here. Are you ready to find out what's going to happen between Ash, his friends and the vile group? I thought so. Read on!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 13 - CONFRONTATIONS

Lucario found Ash with the other guys at the same time they both got the mental message from Gardevoir; _Tracey's back and he has friends._

" **We have to move, now!"** Ash roared and dashed towards their table, Pikachu hanging on, the other guys following after him, a little behind.

They had gone all the way to the back of the arcade to reach the prize area after winning the required ticket amount when Ash got the message. Ash ran like there was no tomorrow, nearly tripping over all the fallen food and toys on the ground and bumping into many people but he didn't care. He crashed against their booth and looked inside, noticing that they're not there. The other guys soon caught up with him a couple seconds later, Lucario at his side. They heard a loud explosion suddenly from outside.

" **No…please no…"** pleaded Ash as he hurried outside, dreading what he may see with Lucario and the guys at his heel. They stepped out to a cloud of smoke that Lucario pushed away with his Psychic attack. What they saw made Ash's heart leap to his throat.

To the left of them stood Tracey, Kenny, Rudy and Drew and they had several pokémon out in front of them. All of them had evil, happy expressions on their faces. To the right of them were the six girls, all covering their mouths with their hands, eyes filled with tears. In the middle, between the two groups, was a petite white and green body on the ground.

Ash moved towards it, wobbling a bit as he walked in a dazed fashion. Pikachu jumped down and faced the hated group, growling and sparks flying from his cheeks, ready to defend if they sent any cheap attack. The guys moved to where the girls were, prepared to defend them if needed. After what seemed like ages, Ash finally reached the form on the ground and fell to his knees, unable to believe what he was seeing. Several other random people crowded around them unnoticed by the two groups as they too heard the explosion. Lucario was at first glaring at the aggressors before moving to where Ash was but froze when he heard his master's pleas.

" **No…Gardevoir…no…. please…wake up…please…"**

Hearing Ash's whimpers made some of the guys' growl in anger and the others kept their face stoic, while the girls let out silent tears. Lucario hurried forward and knelt beside Ash and Gardevoir. She was battered and beaten. Black and blue bruises were everywhere and there were some nasty cuts on her that were bleeding. He placed his paw gently on her.

" **She is still alive Master. She is very hurt but her aura is still with us but barely. She needs medical attention now."**

Lucario focused to channel some healing aura into her. A blue energy wave pulsed into Gardevoir and she began whizzing loudly.

A stream of yellow energy sped towards Ash, Lucario and Gardevoir. Before anyone could say anything, Pikachu jumped up and absorbed the electrical attack before landing back onto his feet, growling loudly and his fur stood on end. Ash and Lucario didn't even react to the attack, knowing that Pikachu would intercept it but Ash's group called out against the cheap attack together.

" **Hey, stop you assholes!"**

" **They're not in a battle anymore!"**

" **What the fuck is wrong with you dipshits?!"**

Many more were shouted at them, even from the unknown bystanders but the vile, cold hearted group didn't care at all.

" **What? They're in the middle of the battlefield and he used a recovery move. Looks like the battle is still on to us,"** smirked Tracey. The others laughed and nodded in agreement.

" **Such disrespect and contempt. You and your group are an awful flavor,"** spat Cilan.

" **If it's a battle you want, then it's a battle that you'll get!"** yelled Brock as he, Richie, Max, Cilan and Gary each took out a poke ball but before they could send them out, Ash spoke;

" **No. There won't be a battle."**

His friends froze, surprised at what he was saying.

" **Ah I don't think so. It was agreed that there would be one battle between us and you and if we won, the girls would come with us, and if you won, then we'd leave you alone. So, either continue right now or forfeit. So hurry up and send out your worthless pokémon but the result will be the same,"** laughed Tracey maniacally.

" **Nobody agreed with you cowards!"** yelled Serena.

" **Well then why did your pokémon come out and fight us then?"** jeered Rudy.

" **Because you wouldn't leave us alone and you cheated!"** shouted Misty.

" **Doesn't matter. Either send out another pokémon or come with us now,"** laughed Kenny.

The girls and guys glanced at each other, confused, not knowing what to do when Ash stood up, facing his friends, Gardevoir in his arms. He turned his head sideways a bit to glance at the horrible people behind him. Everyone's attention was on him now as a gust of wind blew past them, making Ash's hair move some. The sight of him in that position made many of the girls from his group and the unknown strangers picture him as a hero, a knight in shining armor rescuing a damsel in distress. As he spoke, everyone listened closely.

" **There won't be a battle because there's no chance in hell you will win. How dare you. Ganging up on an innocent pokémon like a bunch of blood thirsty animals, fighting unfairly. I gave you a chance Tracey. But now you and your group will answer for your actions!"** spat Ash with such venom that his friends were surprised.

Tracey got a good look at Ash's face as he turned his head sideways as a thought ran through his head, making a chill run down his spine.

 _Fuck, it is him!_

" **Ash, allow us to help you,"** requested Richie but Ash shook his head.

" **Lucario, take Gardevoir to the pokémon center. Pikachu go with them to support and protect."**

 **"Pikapi!"**

" **Master, I cannot leave you here. I want to fight to avenge her! And we cannot forfeit!"**

" **I don't plan on it and I don't honor bets that involve gambling lives. It will be better that at least you two are by her side when she wakes up. Joy, somebody should be at the pokémon center right?"**

" **Y-yes!"** she stammered out.

They were beginning to worry. Ash wanted to take on all of them by himself and was speaking with such a commanding tone that it unnerved them. The raven haired trainer gently lowered Gardevoir into Lucario's outstretched arms.

" **Who are you planning on using Master?"**

" **You know exactly who,"** said Ash, each word coated with rage, causing his friends to glance at each other as Ash pulled out a poke ball from beneath his jacket. Lucario sensed who was in there.

" **Are you sure Master? Does this really require him? They are scum no doubt but you know how powerful he has become. Isn't this too much?"**

Lucario wanted revenge on what they did to Gardevoir but he didn't want to take it too far. Their friends glanced at each other. What pokémon was Ash going to use that was stronger than all the ones in front of them combined?

" **Yes I'm sure and no, it's not too much. I'm done playing games,"** replied Ash. **"This isn't about revenge Lucario. It's about justice. They will answer for their crimes. They will not get what they want and will learn that they cannot just do as they please."**

" **Alright Master. But please, control yourself. You know Gardevoir will not be happy if you let loose."**

Ash didn't respond as Lucario bowed his head. Before he left, he faced the vile group and growled at them loudly. He then left, moving quickly, carrying Gardevoir to the pokémon center, telling her she'll be fine soon. Pikachu was moving beside them with his guard still up. Misty and May called out to Ash as they drew closer to him.

" **Ash stop!"**

" **You don't need to do this!"**

But Ash shook his head as he held up a hand to them so they stop.

" **While we're young! No matter what pokémon you bring out, you won't win against us!"** jeered Tracey. The others with him sniggered and laughed stupidly.

" **I've tried to be civil…"** Ash began, right hand gripping the poke ball and shaking slightly from the fury engulfing him. The poke ball began shaking as well. The pokémon inside had felt the anger of his trainer.

" **I gave you a chance…."** He turned around and glared at them with narrowed eyes burning with rage. His friends caught a glimpse of it in his eyes as he turned, making them flinch.

" **But you just had to spit in my face. You just had to bother the girls again. And you ganged up on my Gardevoir! No, you will not win, you will not have what you desire with such evil intentions and YOU. WILL. FACE. JUSTICE!"** roared Ash as he tossed his poke ball in the air.

A flash of bright white light and then an ear splitting roar escaped from the ball, causing everyone besides Ash to close their ears. The ground shook a little and everyone saw a huge orange red dragon with two horns on its head, large powerful wings, long sturdy tail with a large flame at the tip and two arms with razor sharp claws on them. Charizard spread opened its wings and roared again, flames shooting out of its mouth into the air.

" **What a magnificent Charizard!"** whispered Cilan as Iris gasped at the sight of the dragon.

" **Brock, is that the same Charizard?"** asked Misty in wonder.

" **Yea, but it's so much bigger now,"** answered Brock.

" **It's not just bigger. It's stronger too. You can tell by the size of his tail's flame. It's much larger than other Charizard,"** added Gary in awe.

" **Charizard!"** called out Ash, making Charizard turn his head towards him. **"It's time to teach these punks a lesson."**

Charizard glanced at the group of pokémon in front of them and scoffed, spitting out a small flame in front of him, utterly disregarding them as a threat. He wanted a real fight and had felt Ash's rage and thought he was going to battle a tough foe.

" **Don't underestimate them….They ganged up on Gardevoir and hurt her badly."**

Charizard snapped his head back at Ash making eye contact with his trainer, as if peering into his soul and soon growled loudly. Now the dragon knew why Ash was angered. Slowly, Charizard turned to face his opponents. No not opponents. In Charizard's eyes, they were now his sworn enemies for hurting Gardevoir. He and many others of their comrades viewed her as a little sister, since they found her scared, alone and beaten to within an inch of her life. They had all promised to take care of her no matter what. He roared at the soon to be roasted enemies.

" **Charizard's pissed!"**

" **You think Max?!"** his sister May replied.

" **Charizard are highly prideful pokémon. They don't fight with pokémon that are weaker than themselves, only fighting equal or stronger opponents. And they are fair fighters. However, they are also very protective of their friends and family. Since Gardevoir's one of Charizard's friends, and the fact that they ganged up on her has pressed many buttons at once; not fighting fairly, hurting his friend, attempting to hurt Ash, bothering us, taking unfair advantage…. Basically, Charizard is furious now and only getting angrier,"** lectured Gary.

" **Like I said, it doesn't matter who you choose. Marill, Hydro Pump!"** boasted Tracey, commanding his pokémon to attack.

The small round blue pokémon fired a huge torrent of water right at Charizard. It hit square against his chest.

" **Yes! Direct hit! Wait…WHAT?!"**

Tracey was in shock. Charizard was still standing after a direct hit. The only things that changed were his growling got louder and his tail's flame became even bigger. Even Ash's group was stunned that Charizard gave no reaction at all to the super effective attack.

" **Electabuzz, Thunder!"** yelled Rudy.

A huge pillar of yellow electric energy dropped down from above, slamming into Charizard. Even though the giant dragon like pokémon was covered in water and amplified the power of the electric attack, Charizard still kept standing. He even took a couple steps forward, his growling turning into a loud snarl and his tail's flame grew larger yet again.

" **No way in hell! Not after a Hydro Pump! He should've been cooked alive!"** cried out Rudy.

" **How did that not do any damage?"** asked Joy, awestruck.

" **Probably from sheer willpower and incredible strength. That Charizard is no ordinary Charizard,"** answered Richie.

Ash crossed his arms as Charizard took another step forward.

" **Charizard is one of my most powerful pokémon. He has trained to shrug off those types of attacks, especially from low level pokémon. It'll take more than that to stop him. Surrender now!"**

" **No matter how strong he is, he can't withstand us all! Everyone, fire at once now!"** yelled Tracey. The hated group shouted commands to their pokémon at the same time.

" **Marill, Hydro Pump!"**

" **Electabuzz, Thunder!"**

" **Empoleon, Ice Beam!"**

" **Exeggutor, Solar Beam!"**

" **Roserade, Leaf Storm!"**

" **Flygon, Dragon Pulse!"**

" **NOOOOOOO!"** yelled out Ash's friends. A massive explosion occurred as the powerful attacks hit their mark at the same time, sending up a thick smokescreen.

" **Ha ha ha! So much for your speech Ash and your so called powerful Charizard!"** sneered Tracey while laughing and his posse joined in.

Ash's friends were anxious and inpatient as they waited for the smoke to clear. Even the unknown bystanders had fearful and concerned looks on their faces. Slowly, the smoke faded away and they began seeing a faint red sphere in the middle of it. As the smoke cleared, the red sphere grew brighter.

" **What the fuck is that?"** asked Drew, his smile disappearing.

The smoke finally cleared and they saw what the red sphere was. Charizard had wrapped itself in a circle of heat and had brought his wrings in front of him, which were coated in a metallic shine. The sphere went away and Charizard once again spread out its wings, returning to their normal color and give an even louder roar than before. His eyes narrowed in fury and the flame on its tail was almost as large as the pokémon itself now.

" **Impossible! All the attacks made contact! How the hell is he still standing?!"** screamed Kenny.

" **Ah, I see what he did. Very smart and I'm impressed he was able to pull off such a difficult combo maneuver."** Remarked Gary as Brock and Cilan nodded in understanding.

" **What? What did he do Gary?"** asked Iris immediately, everyone listening to find out as they kept their eyes glued on the dragon.

" **Charizard used Heat Wave to cover himself in a flame cocoon, while using Steel Wing to put up an extra layer of defense. Using the heat from the sphere of flames, the extra layer of density from Steel Wing, add that to Charizard's already resilient body and you've got an almost impenetrable defense, which all but the most powerful attacks from the most powerful pokémon can punch through. And look at his tail. The size of Charizard's flame on his tail shows how angry he is right? Right now he's at his peak rage. You feel the extreme heat coming off of him? You should because I'm sweating like crazy right now. Anyway, that rage and heat also helped him shrug off those attacks. Ash used Charizard's rage to boost not only his attack, but his defense too,"** lectured Gary.

" **I didn't know Charizard can do that,"** whispered Serena. They all stared in awe at the dragon. Ash spoke to Tracey and the others.

" **As much as I don't want to, as much as I hate you right now, I will still give you one last chance to apologize and leave with your integrity intact."**

" **What?"** Tracey was outraged and seemed to have lost his mind at that moment. **"Fuck you! Fuck all of you! Misty, go screw yourself with your pokémon! By the way Gary, you're sister was a horrible lay!"**

" **Why you piece of shit, I'm gonna…"** Gary threw out every cuss word and insult he knew at Tracey as Brock, Richie and Cilan had grabbed a hold of the now furious researcher, to hold him back.

" **Better them than you!"** yelled out Misty in anger.

" **Dee-Dee if you don't come with me now than we are done!"** yelled Kenny. Dawn merely held up her middle finger at him as she gave him a death look. **"Fine, screw you, you whore!"**

" **May, come with me and let's leave all this behind,"** pleaded Drew. May gave him a look of disgust and crossed her arms. **"So be it! I will find a better woman that isn't a slut!"**

" **THAT'S IT! CHARIZARD FINISH THIS!"** shouted Ash in rage.

Charizard roared again and a red outline glowed around his body as he focused his power to the attack. A sphere of fiery energy appeared in front of the dragon's mouth and grew larger and larger. Ash's friends and the bystanders were amazed at the dragon's power, unlike Tracey and his group, who sweat dropped and grew scared at the horrifying sight.

" **Quick! Attack! Fight! Do something!"** screamed Tracey, Kenny, Rudy and Drew at their pokémon, but their pokémon didn't move; the sight of Charizard still standing after their combined assault had shaken them to their core, frozen from fear that this monster of a pokémon didn't have the slightest scratch on him after their combined attack.

" **BLAST BURN!"** roared Ash.

Charizard fired the most powerful fire type attack. A large ball of fire was shot at his enemies, a stream of bright yellow, orange and red flames trailing behind it as it flew towards their target. The ball of flames hit the victims and expanded. It engulfed them in a great vortex of fire before finally letting off a huge explosion that sent its targets blasting far away from where they were as smoke filled the area. After the smoke cleared, Charizard roared in victory, letting out another stream of fire into the air from its mouth.

" **Great job Charizard. I doubt they'll bother us again."** Ash rubbed Charizard's back in appreciation and Charizard nodded before giving him a grin. Ash returned him and glanced at the others.

" **I'm going to go check on Gardevoir."** He sprinted past them back to the pokémon center. The others looked at him for a moment and then followed him. They silently agreed to give him some space for a little bit.

They arrived at the pokémon center about ten minutes after Ash did. Joy led them to the emergency medical wards and they saw through the room window that Ash and Lucario were sitting beside Gardevoir as she lay on the bed, sleeping. Pikachu was curled up on the bed, next to Gardevoir. Silent tears were flowing down Ash's cheeks. Lucario sensed that some of the girls wanted to come in so he stepped out of the room, allowing them to enter. The girls huddled around Gardevoir's bed; tears flowing down their cheeks as well at the sight of the battered and bruised fairy pokémon on the bed before them. Misty hugged Ash, his hat still on her head and sobbed loudly into his shoulder. Ash made no reaction whatsoever, still staring at Gardevoir.

" **I-I'm so s-sorry Ash! It was m-my fault! I tried to keep her from battling t-them but she wouldn't listen! I should ha-have kept my p-pokémon with me! I would've been able to keep them from cheating and attacking her when she was distracted!"**

Misty continued crying without saying another word. The three other girls didn't add anything else and just stood beside the bed while they cried quietly. Ash was silent for a long time. He then spoke but with no emotion and continued staring at Gardevoir.

" **It's not your fault Misty. The only one who should be blamed, whose fault it is, is mine and mine alone. I brought her here. I left her alone. I convinced her to come as I promised to always protect her and to never let anything happen to her. I had found her when she was still a Kirlia, alone, beaten almost to death, hungry and scared. I made a vow to her that I would never let any of that happened to her again. I have failed in that promise. I have not kept my word. I am not worthy of her trust, her friendship…I am not worthy of being a trainer."**

Ash hung his head, tears escaping from him as they fell to the ground. Misty sobbed even harder as May, Dawn and Serena sat down on the empty chairs in the room, sad and teary eyed after hearing Ash's confession.

" **You're wrong Ash."**

Ash looked up at Gardevoir as Misty glanced at the hurt pokémon as she separated from Ash. She had opened her eyes slightly and was speaking with telepathy. Her soft and angelic voice was still there but it was weak. Pikachu patted her hand, earning himself a smile from her. Lucario appeared out of nowhere and knelt by her other side, holding her other hand gently.

" **Comrade, it is great to hear your voice again,"** Lucario said happily. Gardevoir made a small smile as she glanced at Lucario. She then turned back to face Ash.

" **How can you say that? I promised to keep you safe no matter what. Especially after all the horrible things you've already gone through,"** said Ash sadly.

" **You are not responsible for those past crimes nor are you responsible for the acts of evil people and their pokémon today. It is not your fault that I got hurt. They fought unfairly and took advantage when I was distracted, which I should have foreseen. I wished to protect my friends Ash, the best I could, as you have done so many times and I would do it again in a heartbeat."**

" **But that's my job! I don't care about me getting hurt! That's fine in my book! But I can't stand it if anyone else does! And I had promised!"** choked out Ash. He was beginning to lose himself.

" **And the fact that you feel remorse for what others have done, when it's especially not your fault, shows that you care beyond measure. I'm glad that a trainer such as you found me and took me in. I am proud to be your pokémon, your friend. I am also proud that you ended the confrontation, not with vengeance in your heart but with justice, to teach them a lesson. I know that you gave them multiple chances to apologize for their crimes and change their ways, and that is a good thing."**

Gardevoir took a moment to catch her breath before continuing on.

" **You saw that there was no good in their hearts, that they would not stop even when facing defeat and that they would continue their ways if given the chance. That is when you unleashed your fury upon them. You fought to protect out of love, like you always have. That is only one of the many qualities that you possess that make you a great person, a great leader for others. This experience will no doubt help you in the future. I can only ask that you stay yourself and not change."** Gardevoir finished as her voice weakened and lost consciousness.

" **Gardevoir? Gardevoir!"**

" **It's okay Ash, she's only sleeping as the sleep medicine probably kicked in,"** said Joy after she checked her vitals.

" **Thank Arceus."** Ash hung his head.

" **Master, I know you are feeling terrible but you should rest for the tournament tomorrow. I shall stay by her side."**

" **No, I'm okay Lucario. I'm not worried about the tournament."**

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena gathered around Ash and collectively picked him up and forced him outside Gardevoir's room. Pikachu followed them, intrigued as to what the girls were doing.

" **Stop! What are you doing?"** shouted Ash, trying to wiggle out of their grasp.

" **You heard Lucario! You need to rest and be ready for tomorrow!"** Misty yelled.

Ash struggled harder and Serena motioned the guys to come help. Before they could get involved however, Ash stopped moving. A blue outline appeared around him and kept him from moving. Lucario stepped into the hall, his eyes were glowing blue; he was using Psychic. The girls let him go and stepped aside, alarmed at what Lucario was doing.

" **Stop Lucario!"** Ash glanced at Pikachu but before Pikachu could do anything, Lucario spoke.

" **No Master! I have sworn to help you, to be by your side no matter what and to keep you from making mistakes. You are about to make a mistake! Do not sabotage your tournament, your goals and your plans, because of one tragic event! Yes it is horrible what happened to Gardevoir, but do not think it is only you who suffers! She knew the possible consequences and she will feel even worse if you lose your concentration. I fear this is but a taste of what we may face! We must focus on the bigger picture! Use this to become stronger! Remember what is at stake Master! Honor her by doing what we are meant to do! So stop this self pity right now, clear your head and put your heart back together and do not stain Gardevoir's noble actions with your emotional tantrum!"** criticized Lucario as he made Ash slam against the wall with his psychic powers and let him slide down, causing many to scream in shock at what the aura pokémon just did.

Lucario stepped back into the room to be by Gardevoir's side and shut the door. Pikachu was stunned over what just happened and dropped his ears. Ash quickly got back up fuming but didn't move for a moment. He then looked at everyone and then hung his head, his anger quickly disappearing. He stuffed his hands into his jeans' pockets and walked towards the exit, Pikachu following behind him. The girls made to follow him as well but Gary stopped them, telling them he needs to be alone right now.

" **I hope he feels better soon. Lucario didn't need to be such a jerk!"** whimpered Dawn, as she dropped onto the metal bench in the hallway.

" **I wonder what caused Lucario to get so angry,"** pondered Serena as she sat down next to Dawn.

" **Must be something that they haven't told us yet,"** interjected May as she paced up and down.

" **It has to be. But Ash has always felt bad whenever he can't protect or help anyone, and if someone gets even a little hurt on his watch, he feels as if he failed the whole world. Lucario on the other hand sees this as a lesson compared to something else. What did he mean by saying they knew about the possible consequences?"** Misty asked as she leaned against the wall, a frown on her face. She pulled off Ash's hat that was still on her and while looking at it, thought of Ash and what the heated confrontation could be about.

" **We won't know the full story until Ash and Lucario tell us everything. Until then, we must stay strong, keep our minds open and help out as much as we can,"** advised Brock.

" **Brock's right. We will help out Ashy-boy because you know he'll be lost without us,"** quipped Gary, earning some chuckles from the group.

" **You're such a kid."** Iris shook her head. **"But you're right, we will help Ash as much as we can and hopefully he will tell us soon about why this mission is so important."** Cilan, Richie and Max nodded in agreement.

" **So, anybody want to take a bet as to how long it'll take Ash to come back?"**

Everyone glared at the young professor.

" **Just trying to ease the tension,"** said Gary while shrugging.

" **Ah, excuse me, girls?"** The girls looked at Joy. **"Can I talk to you alone?"** They nodded and followed Joy into an empty room with a circular table and six chairs. Joy closed the door behind them and they all sat around the table.

" **What did you need to talk to us about Joy?"** Dawn asked as she drew her chair closer to the table.

" **It's about Ash…"**

 _ **A/N - What did you guys think of the battle scene and the explanations for how Charizard was able to do what he did?**_ ** _As always, please leave a review for anything you want to say or ask and please follow/favorite if you like enjoyed it as it will help me stay motivated to continue the story. Thanks for reading and take care! :)_**


	14. Chapter 14 - Bonds

_**A/N - Silent here. Thanks for being patient everyone. Here is the next part!**_

 **-I DO NOT OWN POKEMON-**

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 14 – BONDS

Ash left the building; his faithful companion Pikachu following behind him. He walked without any particular destination in mind, his hands still in his jeans pockets, looking at the ground as he walked. He couldn't get the picture of Gardevoir just lying there on the cold, hard ground, completely beaten to within an inch of her life. That image would be added to the already long list of things that would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he knew that this particular memory, along with a few others, will eat away at his soul if he let it.

" **Pikapi?"**

Ash stopped walking and glanced at the yellow mouse.

" **Yes Pikachu?"**

" **Pikapi, chu pika pi pi pika chu chu pikachu pi pi pika kachu."**

" **Thanks buddy. I know it's not my fault. I just can't help feel terrible though. I mean, I did promise her that I would keep her safe, since the first day we meet."** Ash looked up at the now dark sky, seeing a few stars as he thought about the day they found her in the middle of the forest, abandoned.

" **Pi pi pi chu kachu pika pik kachu pik pikachu!"**

" **You're right; I can't control what happens all the time. I can only do my best in whatever situation I'm in and hope it's good enough."**

" **Pika pi pi pika pik kachu pikachu pika pi."**

" **Nobody's perfect and that's the only thing anyone can ask of someone you say? Hmmm….Pikachu you're becoming wiser than your years. Have you been hanging out with Mewtwo and Alakazam again?"**

Ash yelped a little as a small shock was sent at him.

" **Okay, okay, that was all you,"** chuckled Ash. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek.

" **Thanks bud for always standing by my side. Except for when you stand by Misty's side, you little traitor,"** joked Ash. Pikachu frowned at the insult and shocked Ash again. They both ended up laughing.

" **Pikapi, pi pi pika kachu pika pi pi pikachupi pi pika pi."**

" **That's right I forgot! We'll go get the girls their hair clips. And we'll get one more for Gardevoir as well. What do you think buddy?"**

" **Pika!"** Pikachu cheered while nodding his head.

" **Alright then let's go get those gifts. Hopefully the arcade is still open."** Ash sprinted towards the arcade, Pikachu holding onto him so he won't fly off.

Back at the pokémon center, in an empty room, six girls stepped inside it and sat around the circle table. The pink haired nurse spoke up once everyone sat down.

" **Thanks for agreeing to come here with me girls. I wanted to talk to you about Ash, about what Iris talked about back at the arcade before things went out of control. If you allow me too, I want to help you and give you advice."**

" **That's very kind of you Joy, thank you,"** smiled May.

" **Yes, your help would be appreciated,"** added Serena.

" **Thanks Joy. But I have to ask, how do you plan to help us?"** asked Misty and Dawn tilted her head.

" **Well, I'll tell you a secret, but first can I ask you some questions? If you let me, no matter what I ask, you must answer truthfully. I believe having this talk with all of you here will keep everyone from lying or leaving things out."**

" **And I can tell if you try to lie, so didn't even attempt it!"** warned Iris.

" **How so Iris?"** asked Joy, intrigued.

" **I was taught how to tell when someone is lying back in my village as the elders thought it would come in handy when traveling the world,"** explained Iris.

" **Impressive,"** complimented Joy. **"So stick to the truth alright girls?"**

The girls nodded.

" **Okay. My first question is this; do you love Ash?"**

The four girls practically yelled as they answered "Yes" at the same time, with slightly annoyed looks on their faces, which Joy picked up on. Iris giggled at their outbursts.

" **I knew your answer would be that already but had to be asked. Okay, don't answer unless I point at you."** She pointed at Misty. **"Why do you love Ash?"**

Misty blinked. **"Why? No words can fully explain why. But if you need to hear something, fine. It's because he's the first person who actually liked me for me. He didn't care that I was some tomboyish girl who was scared of bugs and when he met my sisters, he didn't push me aside to go for them as others have done, and he opened my eyes to viewing the world his way, with wonder and enthusiasm. He has risked his life so many times for me, helped me reach for my own dreams and goals as well, and he can hold his own in an argument with me. There's much more but that's enough out of me for now."**

Joy nodded as she accepted her answer. She then pointed at May.

" **Is there anyone in the world you would replace Ash with if given the chance? I mean anyone."**

May's soft expression turned hard. **"No."** Joy cocked her eyebrow. **"No, I will not! I have travelled around the world and met many wonderful people but I will not trade Ash for anyone. Even for multiple people. Even if they were rich, powerful and famous! Nobody will ever match his enormous caring attitude, his unwavering loyalty to his friends and family, or his other great qualities. He is perfect in my eyes and always will be."**

Satisfied with her answer, she pointed at Dawn now.

" **While Ash was away, did you find comfort in another's arms and would you wait for him again?"**

Dawn glared at Joy. **"No."** Joy narrowed her eyes. **"I did not, not even for a second! I didn't even think of such a thing! I may have gossiped about other cute guys but that's it! If it's one thing I know about Ash is that he always comes back, no matter what! I would not have, and will never betray him like that. I haven't and won't do anything to make me feel good that would cause him any kind of pain. I would never do such a thing, or even think about it. And I will wait for him again and again, no matter how many times it takes for us to be together or until he picks someone."**

Pleased with what she heard, Joy now pointed at Serena.

" **Is there anything about Ash that you would change? Anything at all?"**

Serena smiled. **"No. I wouldn't change anything about him. From his birthmarks, to his aura, to his insatiable hunger for pokémon, adventures and food. Everything about him makes him who he is and I won't ever try to turn him into something he isn't for my tastes. I hope he doesn't change himself for anyone else either because what he has, what he is and does for others, is unique. I haven't seen that in anyone else and even if I do see something similar, even if it's the same, somehow it won't be."**

Joy smiled at her answer.

" **Okay. I could tell that each of your answers came from the heart and that you weren't lying. What about you Iris? Did you pick up on something I missed?"**

" **No, I could tell that they were all telling the truth as I didn't see any signs of them of lying,"** replied Iris, giving the four a smile.

" **Thank you for being honest with me. I hope you continue doing so as it will get harder. Now, what would you do if and when Ash picked one of you or some other girl? Will you allow him and his choice to live happily ever after or would you try to sabotage it for your own benefit?"**

" **As much as I would miss him and would hate that I'm not with him, I will not do anything to jeopardize his happiness,"** Misty said without hesitation.

" **I would never forgive myself if I even thought about doing such a thing. I would respect his decision,"** answered May with pride.

" **I will be there to help him out anyway I could if he needed it as a friend. It would be hard but I'd rather have him in my life than without,"** revealed Dawn, not embarrassed at all.

" **Ash would never do such a thing; trade in somebody else's happiness for his own. How could I love him and do just that? No, I wouldn't even dream of it. I will leave him to be happy,"** replied Serena.

Joy smiled at their answers. She knew that they were in love with him, but didn't think they would be so mature about it at such young ages. They were barely young adults yet wiser beyond their years. Perhaps it was their time of traveling together and experiencing many things that forged such incredible connections between them. Maybe they do have the necessary bonds and strength to do what very few are capable of?

" **I must say, I am impressed with your answers. And so far I haven't felt even the slightest feeling of deceit from you. Iris, you feel the same way still, correct?"**

Iris nodded, with a slight blush for being put on the spot suddenly. The girls smiled at each other, knowing very well that they all meant what they said.

" **Good. Now this is one of the most important questions. What if he loves each of you the same amount but can't choose but doesn't want to leave you, what would you do then?"**

Joy alternated looking at their faces, Iris doing the same. The girls glanced at each other. After a moment, the four girls shook their heads.

" **You don't know what to do if it comes to that?"** asked Joy. They shook their heads.

" **Would you battle it out in a pokémon battle? In a contest? Draw straws? Leave Ash?"**

Again the girls shook their heads "no" for each question, even yelled "no" when asked about leaving Ash. Joy was quite pleased with herself at this point. She was leading them to where they wanted to be, but were afraid to admit it. Just a little bit more.

" **Okay….Would you share Ash if he was open and comfortable to it?"**

The four girls snapped their eyes onto Joy, each with an unreadable expression on their face, making Joy feel a bit weird but she held her gaze at them. Iris's eyes widened at the question and the reactions of the girls. Slowly the four girls turned to look at each other then blushed.

" **Wait…did you talk about this before?"** asked Joy, understanding dawning on her. Iris's jaw dropped.

" **Well, not exactly,"** answered Serena finally after a few moments of silence.

" **You see, before Ash revealed himself, when he was disguised as Solid, the first day, we were in one of the rooms and Dawn started asking us questions about what we would do if and when he came back,"** explained Misty.

" **Since he disappeared, we four started spending more time together as we went looking for Ash but couldn't find him. Later on, we were helping each other cope without him as we lived out our lives. As a result, we became very close and noticed that even though we had different goals in life, we still shared many similarities, an obvious one being in love with Ash,"** explained Serena.

" **Since we each loved him and couldn't forget about him, I wanted to know what we would do once he came back. I asked some similar questions to yours and one of the last ones I asked was what if he couldn't pick, would we leave him, just stay friends or share him?"** added Dawn.

" **All the questions Dawn asked made us think about it some but we decided to hold off until the day came that he's back. We did however agree a long time ago that when he did come back, that we would find a time to tell him how we feel and to see if he felt the same with each of us or not, who he would pick or what would happened after,"** finished May.

" **I see. Well, again I am impressed. Well, would any of you feel bad if you were in a five way relationship with Ash?"**

The girls were shocked at the blunt question, but soon recovered themselves. The glanced at each other, then each stared in a different point on the room. After several long minutes, one by one they looked at Joy again.

" **Well?"** Joy looked at them. Nobody talked. She then pointed a finger at Misty. **"Spill it."**

Misty blushed furiously. **"Honestly, at first I thought it would be crazy to even think about something like that, believing in the happily ever after couple thing. Especially since I had to share everything with my sisters, getting hand me downs. I thought that I would one day find my own true love and it would be just mine alone. But with Ash, nothing is simple, and these three are my best friends and are more like my sisters. Ash befriended them, saw something good in them, and since I know how much they love Ash and care for him, the same as me, I wouldn't give it a second thought while being in a relationship with Ash, with them sharing him as well."**

Misty finished with an even redder face than when she started. She moved her head, staring at the wall, not looking at anyone after she finished speaking. The other girls started at Misty for a moment before Dawn piped in.

" **You know, I was thinking along the same thing as you Misty."** Misty looked at her. **"If…If Ash loves each of us but can't choose, and we each love him then isn't that enough? Why must some of us lose in order for another to be happy? We can all win in the game of love!"** Dawn beamed at everyone when she finished giving her point.

" **You two took the words right out of my mouth,"** giggled May. **"Though I must say, if it were between me and some other girls, especially ones I didn't know, I wouldn't back down and wouldn't let them just take Ash. I would do almost anything to win him over."**

" **I'm not as experienced about what goes on in the world as some of you, since I started traveling around at a much later age than you three,"** started off Serena. They looked at her, causing her cheeks to go pink. **"But I used to think things were a certain way, and that was it. But this here, it doesn't feel bad or wrong even though it's completely different than what I used to believe and think. In fact, it feels right and it feels like this was the answer all along, doesn't it?"** The three girls smiled at her and nodded.

" **Well, that's if Ash doesn't like one of you more than the other or doesn't have another girl in mind,"** clarified Iris. The girls all sighed. Iris had a point.

" **Well, the good news is that you all know what you will do with whatever scenario plays out. You are prepared to deal with them and honestly, I hope the best case scenario plays out for you five, just like it did for my sisters."** Joy clasped her hands together and stared at the wall dreamily.

" **Ah Joy, are you okay? And what did you mean about your sisters?"** asked Serena. Joy shook out of her daze when May tapped her shoulder.

" **Sorry. Oh right. Here's the secret I was going to tell you girls."**

Joy motioned for the girls to get closer, which they complied, leaning in closer.

" **You all know who Bruno is right?"**

They nodded.

" **And you know my sisters right?"**

They nodded again.

" **Well, three of my sisters are in a relationship with Bruno, they know about it, and they are pretty happy with what they got going on."**

The five girls all gasped and clapped their hands to their mouths.

" **No way! Really Joy?"** Iris couldn't believe it.

" **Yup. Funny thing is they started kind of like you four and Ash. Bruno spent some time with each of them as he traveled the world and fell in love with all three of them but didn't know how to tell them and couldn't pick. My sisters also fell in love with him and couldn't give him up. Strangely enough, the four of them bumped into each other one day and soon they talked about how they felt. They decided to give it a shot and now they've been together for several years and planning a marriage ceremony of some kind that deals with this kind of thing. Funny how things work out in the end huh?"** Joy finished her story with her eyes sparkling, losing herself for a moment before regaining her senses.

" **Wow. It actually worked out? They never fought or thought that Bruno spent more time or gave more attention to one over the other?"** asked May.

" **Nope. Well at first it wasn't too bad since all four of them had to go back to their respective jobs in different places so whenever Bruno traveled around, he made sure to visit each one of my sisters and spent the same amount of time with each of time as well as treating each of them the same."**

" **That's good. But what did you mean at first?"** asked Dawn.

" **Well after the four of them decided to live together and see how it would go, things got a little bumpy."** Joy's cheeks turned pink.

" **Bumpy how?"** asked Misty but Joy didn't say anything.

" **Oh c'mon Joy, please tell us?"** pleaded Serena. Joy took a breath and answered.

" **Well, it got bumpy at first because they weren't used to seeing each other being with Bruno. Of course they knew what was going on, but seeing it was different. It caused them to be jealous a bit and started some fights here and there when each of my sisters was trying to be intimate with him."** All the girls blushed madly when she talked about them being intimate. **"After the first couple weeks of trying to one up each other, they decided to come up with some rules that they agreed on. Once they did, they told Bruno about it and the four decided that they would follow the rules so nobody felt betrayed or left out."**

" **What sorts of rules?"** asked Serena. The five girls' eyes were wide with curiosity.

" **I'm not too sure of all the details. Mind you, it's been a while since they got together. Almost five years now so I only remember a couple of their rules they agreed on. One was if any of my sisters and he started flirting, teasing, playing or becoming intimate with each other, no matter who started it, or where it was in the house, the rest would not get jealous or try to stop it. The other one I know of is if one of them did get intimate with him, then she would have to wait for her turn again after the others got a turn. Those are the two I remember, since they were the most important. Oh, wait I just remembered another one. The last rule I remember is that they agreed that what they did together was their own business and told no one of how they lived and why. People saw them together but they never explained their reasons as to why with more than that they love each other and are happy."**

" **Those are some pretty good rules to help them keep the peace and happiness up. But even without the last one, it really isn't other people's business who is with who and how many they are with if everyone involved knows what's going on and are happy with it,"** said Iris, crossing her arms.

The four girls smiled at Iris after hearing what she said and then glanced at each other and nodded. They would do the same if that's what lay in store for them for they trusted each other and knew how much each of them loved the raven haired trainer. Joy looked positively thrilled that the girls were all on the same page.

 _Now, I just need to speak with Ash_ , thought Joy.

" **Okay girls. Thank you for allowing me to discuss this with you. I hope my advice and my sisters' example helps you in your love lives. I believe no matter what happens, you all will be fine as you have strong bonds and are good at heart. Now, let's go back to the others before they think we left them."**

The girls giggled and got up, pushing their chairs back under the circular table, got out of the room and went back to rejoin the others.

" **What took you so long?"** asked Max as he saw his sister and the rest of the girls coming back.

" **Don't worry about it Max. Don't you know girls like to gossip for hours?"** chuckled Gary. Brock, Richie and Cilan sweat dropped.

" **What did you say, Oak?"** May asked as she punched one hand into the other.

" **Ah nothing, nothing! Just saying glad you all are okay!"** replied Gary, waving his hands in front of him.

" **Good. Glad you're starting to show some concern for your friends,"** said Iris.

" **Yea whatever."** Gary rolled his eyes. The other guys sighed in relief.

" **You were gone for a while though. Everything okay?"** asked Richie, looking at Joy a little longer than he did at the other girls. Joy's cheeks turned pink for a split second, which no one caught.

" **Yea, we're fine. Just had to talk about some things,"** said Serena, saving Joy from talking as she waved her hand in the air.

" **Ah ha! So you were gossiping!"** Gary pointed his finger at the girls. The guys face palmed and the girls fell over anime style. Misty got up holding her mallet first, with May standing up next, bumping her fists together. The rest of the girls got up, angry faces looking at the researcher. Gary sweat dropped.

" **Gary, when will you learn to shut your mouth?"** Richie shook his head.

" **Hey guys. I see Gary said something stupid again."**

Everyone turned around to Ash standing at the end of the hallway, Pikachu on his shoulder. They both looked to be much happier than before. He moved closer to them and when he reached them, Misty spoke.

" **I wouldn't talk Ash,"** joked Misty. **"You say stupid things all the time."**

" **Do not!"**

" **Do too!"**

" **Do not!"**

" **Do too!"**

" **Should we stop this?"** asked Joy, a little concerned.

" **Nah, it's how they are. They'll stop soon enough. If you get involved then they'll gang up on you. It's kind of their thing,"** finished Brock. Everyone chuckled in agreement. Joy nodded and relaxed.

" **Do not!"**

" **Do too!"**

" **Alright, you win."**

" **Do too! Wait, what?"** Misty couldn't believe what she just heard.

" **Like I said, you win. Just wanted to get you going for a bit. I miss these play fights with you."**

Ash smiled as Misty's mouth remained open, her cheeks turning red as Ash took his hat back from her and placed it on his head. The group glanced at each other in surprise. They weren't expecting that. Ash waved his hands in front of Misty's face, but got no response. He turned to look at Serena.

" **Serena, can you watch over her for a second? I have to talk with the guys for a moment."**

Serena agreed and while she attempted to get Misty out of her trance, Ash motioned for the guys to follow them.

" **What's up Ash?"** asked Cilan.

" **This is what's up."** Ash took out a wrapped up item he had hidden under his shirt. The guys' eyes widened. Ash opened it and took out the different colored flower hair clips. He gave a pink one to Richie, purple one to Cilan and before he could even touch the other ones, Brock spoke.

" **Don't even think about it Ash."**

" **What do you mean?"**

" **The purple one you gave to Cilan for Iris, and we saw how Richie and Joy got along and understand the pink one you gave him. The others, red, brown, blue and yellow are for the other four girls right? Well, you should be the one who gives it to them, as they missed you a lot."** Ash blushed before he glanced at the others and they all nodded.

" **Okay, thanks guys. Let's go."**

The group of guys went back to the girls. Brock, Gary and Max were walking in front of Ash, Cilan and Richie. The girls glanced up at them and tilted their heads in confusion as they saw them all grinning.

" **What's so funny?"** asked May. They didn't say anything.

" **Why are you all acting like a bunch of kids?"** questioned Iris.

" **This is why, my little monkey."** Cilan stepped forward, his hands behind his back. When he reached her, he brought his hands forward, holding the beautiful purple flower hair clip. Iris gasped as she took it and squeaked in delight as she kissed Cilan before hugging him.

" **Oh thank you Cilan! I love it!"** The girls smiled at the cute couple.

" **Ah, excuse me, Joy?"** said Richie, a little nervous.

" **Yes Richie?"**

" **This is for you as well."** Richie pulled out the pink flower hair clip from the inside of his jacket and held it out for Joy.

" **Oh my. Why thank you Richie!"** exclaimed Joy and hugged Richie, causing him to blush.

" **Aww!"** cooed the four remaining girls.

Ash cleared his throat as he stepped in front of the four girls. Everyone turned to him and he turned red.

" **I have something for you four as well."**

Ash's eyes glowed with a slight blue. Up close, seeing his eye color change, made the girls take in sharp breathes. They knew that he is an Aura Guardian, but still weren't used to it. Four aura covered blue spheres came up from behind him and each one went towards one of the girls, floating gently down into their open outstretched hands. The blue spheres faded away at the same time revealing his gift to each of them; red flower hair clip for Misty, a brown one for May, a blue one for Dawn and a yellow one for Serena. The four girls stared at the gifts.

" **Show off,"** muttered Gary while Ash ignored him. The others chuckled.

" **I hope you like them."** He scratched the back of his head as he continued talking, a little anxious since they didn't react at all. **"It's not much but I hope you-oouf!"** Ash was knocked down to the floor as four girls tackled him at the same time. Pikachu jumped away just in time to avoid the tackles.

" **We love it! Thank you Ash!"**

" **Can't….breathe…"** gasped Ash from underneath the four girls.

" **Hey girls, c'mon let him breathe."** Brock said as he pulled Misty off of Ash. Gary, Richie and Cilan pulled the other three off. Ash sat up on the floor, breathing heavily.

" **Thanks guys. Shit!"** suddenly Ash started checking his pockets for something. **"Don't tell me it…."** he pulled out a small green box and opened it. Inside was a green flower hair pin. It was in perfect condition. **"Oh thank Arceus…"** The four girls then helped him back up. **"Thanks."**

" **Let me guess, for Gardevoir?"** Ash looked at Iris and nodded. **"How sweet."**

" **Aww!"** cooed the rest of the girls again.

" **I think she's awake now Ash. You should go in,"** said Joy.

Ash nodded and went inside the room, Pikachu on his shoulder again, green box in hand. The group watched from the room window. They saw Ash and Lucario look at each other for barely a second before they nodded and shook hands as they heard a muffled "Thank You" come out of Ash. The raven haired trainer then moved towards Gardevoir and sat down on a chair next to her bed. Gardevoir opened her eyes slowly. The group pressed their ears against the glass to hear them better.

" **Hey Gardevoir. Are you feeling better?"** Gardevoir smiled.

" **Yes, a little better. I hope you are as well?"**

Ash nodded. **"Yes. I've got my head and heart back in order, thanks to Lucario and our amazing friends outside the room who are eavesdropping on us."**

The three of them laughed in the room and the group hurriedly stopped pressing against the glass. A second later the door opened. Lucario grinned and then beckoned them inside.

" **Nice try guys,"** smirked Ash.

" **Sorry."** The group answered together. The three chuckled. Ash turned to Gardevoir.

" **Gardevoir, I wanted to thank you for giving it your all, for protecting the girls. But I'm sorry for not being there for you. I guess I cannot promise to always protect you from everything, but I can promise to do my best. I hope that is good enough for you."**

" **That's all I ever wanted Ash. Thank you for being proud of me and for accepting me in your family. I will always stand by your side, no matter what."**

" **Thank you Gardevoir. I have a gift for you. I hope you like it."**

Ash handed her the small green box. Gardevoir took the gift with weak hands and slowly opened it. She stared at the gift and then pulled it out.

" **It's beautiful! Thank you! I love it! Would you mind putting it on my hair for me?"**

" **I would love to but I would probably hurt you,"** laughed Ash. **"I'm not good with such things."** Ash turned to the girls. **"Would one of…."**

Before he finished, Misty stepped forward and asked Gardevoir if she would allow her to do the honors. Gardevoir smiled and nodded. Misty took the green flower hair pin and gently placed it in her hair and clipped it. She then picked up a nearby mirror from the counter and showed Gardevoir her reflection. Gardevoir's smile grew very wide.

" **It's perfect! I love it so much! Thank you Misty! Thank you Ash!"** Gardevoir gestured for them both to come near and the three of them hugged. Gardevoir had tears in her eyes. Pikachu started cheering for them. The group couldn't help but have happy expressions on their faces over what they were seeing.

" **Anything for you Gardevoir. You're part of the family and I'll do anything for my family," s** aid Ash as he and Misty released her.

" **There is something I want you to do for me,"** said Gardevoir slowly.

" **Anything. Just tell me."** Ash responded without hesitation. Gardevoir looked into his eyes.

" **Win this tournament. Show the world how strong you have become."**

Ash looked at her for a second, and then smiled.

" **I promise."**

Gary leaned over to Richie so he can whisper to him.

" **You're completely fucked now. You know that right?"** Only Joy and Brock heard Gary's whisper and both waited to hear Richie's response.

Richie just smiled. **"I don't mind losing to strong trainers, especially if they are my friends. But I'm not planning on losing and it won't be an easy win for him either."**

Joy looked at him with wonder, respect and admiration as her feelings for the man increased. Lucario and Ash talked for a bit, Lucario repeating that he will stay by Gardevoir's side and Ash agreeing to leave to go rest for the tournament. Ash told Gardevoir that he would visit her in the morning before going to the opening of the tournament and she agreed. The raven-haired trainer nodded at the group and left with Pikachu on his shoulder, heading back up to his suite. The rest followed him, leaving behind Gardevoir, Lucario and Joy, who decided to go home as well and told them all goodnight.

They group got into their room and Ash bade them goodnight before heading into his room. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, landed on the ground and followed Misty and May to their room as he approached his room door.

" **Traitor."**

Ash shook his head slightly while chuckling. He heard the two girls playing with Pikachu before stepping into his room and closed the door. Ash got into bed after changing into his pajamas and instantly fell asleep.

 _ **A/N - Just wanted to let everyone know that the next chapter will have the tournament start so if you've been waiting patiently for another Pokemon battle, thank you and if not, sorry but oh well; I want to write a good story and take my time, not just blast through. Thanks for the support everyone and I appreciate the views, reviews, favorites, follows, etc. Please do so if you haven't already as I want to know if you enjoy reading my story and even if not, I wouldn't mind hearing your view or opinion, as long as its not just flaming. Thanks and take care! :)**_

 _ **SIDE NOTE - If you have been reading my story so far from the beginning and are just continuing with this new chapter I posted up today, I have edited all the previous chapters up until now. It's mostly grammar and spelling mistakes and a couple extra sentences here and there but the biggest change was made in Chapter 7 - The Call and a small conversation added in Chapter 12 - Unexpected. When you read it, you'll see why. :)**_


	15. Chapter 15 - The Tournament Begins

**_A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with another chapter ready for you just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend! I hope everyone has a great time and if you don't celebrate it, then I still wish you a good weekend!_**

\- I DO NOT OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 15 – THE TOURNAMENT BEGINS

The next morning the group of friends woke up at the sound of a very loud alarm clock, which was set up by Gary so no one would sleep in and cause them to be late for the tournament's opening ceremony. Each person grumpily woke up and the quicker ones were able to get to the bathroom first, causing some of them to hold it in for a while and becoming distressed before finally able to get their turn. Ash however, since he had his own master bathroom attached to his room, did not go through this problem. When he joked about the others' situation though, a few of them chased him around their suite, yelling promises of severe beat downs once they caught him.

" **Ha ha ha ha! You will never catch me, slowpokes!"** laughed Ash as he was using his aura to help him speed away from May, Max, Iris and Serena, who were the ones who had to hold it in the longest.

" **You're dead Ash Ketchum!"** screamed May and Serena, leading the other two.

" **Shouldn't we stop this? I fear it may turn to a sour flavor soon."** A look of concern was on Cilan's face.

" **No way! This is great! I want to see Ashy-boy's face once they catch him! Oh man, I wish I could've recorded this!"** laughed Gary.

Brock, Misty, Dawn and Richie sighed as they watched the five run around the large suite. They were impressed a few times at some of the moves that Ash pulled off in order to squeeze past his chasers. The four were beginning to get tired when Pikachu got an idea. He smiled evilly and when he saw the group get close to Ash, he tripped up his trainer at the last second, causing him to stumble a bit, but it was enough for May to close the distance and tackle him since she was closest to him.

" **Gotcha!"**

" **Aaah! Oouf!"** Ash slammed into the ground with May on top of him. He attempted to wiggle out of her grip, twisting this way and that but May held on tight. He ended up facing her, his back against the floor, May sitting on top of his stomach, holding his arms down with her hands.

" **Nowhere to run now Aura Guardian!"** sneered May. Ash gulped and laughed weakly. Before anything else happened, Serena tripped over Pikachu's trap that he didn't move out of the way yet, falling on top of May, who gave a shout as she was pushed on top of Ash. What occurred next caused everyone to stare open mouthed.

Serena was on top of May and May had been pushed down completely on top of Ash, her head above his, her eyes closed, with her chest pressing against his face. Serena hurriedly got up off of May, apologizing as to what she caused to happen.

" **I'm so sorry May!"** cried Serena, in shock over what she caused to happen. May opened her eyes and noticed her embarrassing position as she looked down. She saw that most of Ash's face was covered but saw his brown eyes were wide with surprise and his forehead was blood red.

" **EEEK!"** May yelped loudly and quickly got off of Ash. He stayed on the floor, still as a statue, his eyes wide and his face red. Slowly, he moved into a sitting position staring straight ahead of him. Nobody made a sound for a few seconds until…

" **HA HA HA HA! OH MY ARCEUS! HA HA HA HA! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE! OH ASHY-BOY! HA HA HA HA! THAT WAS YOUR FIRST MOTOR BOAT WASN'T IT?! HA HA HA HA!"** Gary burst out laughing, falling onto the ground while holding his stomach, tears falling from his eyes. Ash shot his childhood rival an angry look but slowly turned his head to face May. Her face was red too, her arms crossed over her chest. Everyone else was frozen in shock.

" **Sorry May,"** muttered Ash. The raven-haired trainer hung his head and kept it that way as he got back on his feet, put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the door, using his aura to guide him without bumping into someone or something.

" **I'm gonna go visit Gardevoir. I'll see you guys later."** Pikachu followed him with his ears dropped and his cheeks were dark red, no doubt embarrassed over what he caused to happen.

" **Oh my…I wish I took a picture of his face…I hope I never forget that…"** said Gary as he stood up, wiping a tear from his eye.

WHAM!

The sound of a sickening blow shot through the room as Misty walloped Gary hard on the head with her mallet, sending him crashing to the floor.

" **Ugh…"**

" **Nice hit Misty."**

" **Thanks Dawn."**

" **C'mon, let's have a quick breakfast and we'll go join Ash downstairs. We'll take some for him too."** Brock said as he and Cilan went into the kitchen to prepare the food.

The rest gathered around seating on the dining table, leaving Gary on the floor while Serena escorted a still shocked May to her seat. They ate breakfast and commented on what happened, laughing at how it was hilarious and after finally calming down, even May started eating and joining in on the talk. Gary joined soon after, complimenting Misty on the fierce hit. They finished quickly and started cleaning up the table and dishes when Dawn spoke.

" **When does the tournament opening ceremony start?"**

" **Starts at 9am, so we have one hour to get there,"** answered Richie.

" **We should head down right now. That way we can join Ash and visit Gardevoir before leaving for the stadium."**

Everyone agreed to Max's suggestion. They finished cleaning up quickly, grabbed some food for Ash, Richie retrieved his pokémon, clipping their poke balls onto his belt and they took the elevator to the ground floor. They greeted Joy at the counter, who informed them that Gardevoir had been taken to a less intensive care room nearby since she was recovering without problems. They headed towards her room, Richie staying behind, saying he'll catch up. Brock and Gary both gave Richie a knowing look before they left.

" **How are you doing Joy?"**

" **I'm doing well, thank you Richie. Looks like you start today. I hope you do well."**

Richie's cheeks turned pink at what she said. **"Thanks Joy."** He noticed the pink flower hair pin on the right side of her head. **"I see you're using the hair pin."**

Now it was Joy's turn as her cheeks too turned pink. **"Yes, it's very nice and I couldn't just keep it without using it you know."**

" **Agreed. No need for something if you don't use it right?"**

" **Too true."**

They went quiet for a couple seconds, as neither could come up with something to talk about. Before it could get awkward, Richie said that he'll see her later, since he wanted to visit Gardevoir as well before heading out for the match. They said bye to each other and Richie went to join his friends. Both he and Joy were lost in thought thinking about each other. Richie came out of his trance when he heard his friends talking when he got closer.

" **I can't believe he ate the food we brought him in less than a few minutes,"** remarked Iris.

" **That's Ash for you. He thinks with his stomach,"** joked Serena. Everyone laughed as they noticed Richie came in.

" **So what did you and Joy talk about?"** inquired Dawn, raising her eyebrows. All eyes turned to Richie, who immediately felt embarrassed.

" **Nothing special. Just wanted to see how she was doing."** Richie shrugged.

" **Is that so? Right, we getcha."** Gary winked at Richie, who face palmed, earning some chuckles from the group.

" **Man Gary, I swear you're so annoying…Anyway, how are you doing Gardevoir?"** Richie asked.

" **I'm doing well thank you. Joy checked in on me and said I'm recovering very quickly and should be okay to leave by tomorrow morning."**

" **That's great news! "** exclaimed Richie.

" **Hey guys, we have to get going or we'll miss the opening ceremony and won't find good seats,"** interrupted Max.

" **Oh you're right. Gardevoir, I'll come back and to visit okay soon as I'm done. Lucario watch over her okay?"** Lucario took up his usual position of being by Gardevoir's side.

Ash got up, putting his hat on top of his messy black hair and stepped out of the room, Pikachu on his shoulder, with the group after everyone said their byes. They made their byes to Joy, who informed Ash that she has let President Goodshow know that he isn't using his alias anymore and Ash thanked her for updating the president. The stadium was a five minute walk away from the hotel but they wanted to get there a little early to find good seats and also because Ash and Richie had to go to the trainers' area. They soon reached the stadium and the group split up with Ash and Richie heading towards the trainers entrance and the rest heading through the public entrance.

" **Hold up Ash!"**

Ash turned around to see May coming towards him. He gestured to Richie that he'll catch up.

" **What's up May?"** asked Ash, a little nervous since they hadn't spoken since the morning incident.

" **Ash, I just wanted to say it's not your fault and its okay. I don't want you distracted in case you have to battle soon."**

" **Oh. Thanks May."** May hugged him and he returned the hug, Ash's head on top of her shoulder. He whispered into her ear after a few seconds.

" **They felt nice."**

He quickly let go, gave her a slight grin, and bolted down the trainer's entrance. May's face flushed as her eyes widened over what he said and she was too stunned to move or do anything after he said it and ran. After a moment, she regained her senses and smiled sheepishly, crossing her arms over her chest as she headed back to the public entrance to find where her friends decided to sit.

 _Did he really just say that? I never would've thought he'd say something like that. Does this mean he likes me? Was he flirting with me?_ May shook her head. _Calm down damn it. He was probably only teasing. Anyway, you better think so Ketchum or next time my fist will hit your face,_ thought May.

She soon found her friends and joined them in their seating area. They found one of the best spots, which were on the side of the field, sitting in the front rows. They were far enough to see the whole field and close enough to the action. The stadium soon filled up to the maximum as more and more spectators arrived. At 9am sharp, the sound of trumpets was heard over the crowd, causing silence to welcome everyone after a minute. Right after that, they heard a loud voice.

" **WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMAN TO THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!"**

The crowd roared in delight and clapped their hands hearing the announcer. The group of friends clapped and cheered as they looked at one another, big smiles on their faces.

" **WITH GREAT PLEASURE, I NOW ANNOUNCE TO YOU THE GREAT AND HUMBLE PRESIDENT OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE, MR. CHARLES GOODSHOW!"**

As the crowd clapped, they saw Goodshow's face on the huge screens that were all around the stadium. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie. He had a fairly large group of people standing behind him, but they're faces weren't visible as they stood in the shadowy part of the room. Goodshow began speaking, his voice heard over the many speakers that were placed around the stadium.

" **Thank you everyone for attending the Spirit Challenge also called the Spirit Tournament, trainers and spectators alike. I must say something before we start the tournament. It was hard getting this event together as I wanted to find the best of the best in the world, to find the next Pokémon Master in the making. With a lot of work from all the leagues, we have pulled together our sources and brought to you the best trainers in the world. Whoever wins this tournament, will have proven to the world that they have the spirit and will to become a great Pokémon Master one day. All of the trainers who will be competing are the strongest we have ever seen and can only be here if they have competed in multiple tournaments and have placed highly in them or have beaten at least one of the Elite Four of any region. The winner of this tournament will have the right to challenge the Elite Four and Champion of every league in the world. The first five rounds will be three versus three, rounds six and seven will be double battles with four pokémon on each side, the eight round will be a triple battle with again only four pokémon and the last two rounds nine and ten will be with full six versus six, one on one battles. Now without further ado, let's get this show on the road! Welcome everyone to the SPIRIT CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT!"** Goodshow shouted out the last few words with great pride.

The crowd roared in agreement and right after, many trainers took to the field. Ash and Richie's group were looking for their friends.

" **Where are they?"** asked Misty as she scanned the mass of trainers on the field.

" **I don't know. There's so many of them."** Serena was leaning against the guard rail, same as Dawn, as they tried to find them.

" **There they are! Look, third row from the bottom, fifth from the right. You can see Pikachu and Sparky on their shoulders!"** exclaimed May.

The others soon found the two thanks to May's details. Ash and Richie were waving to the people in the stands, both Pikachus waving as well from their shoulders.

" **They look ready to go!"** yelped Dawn, jumping up and down, causing the people in the stands near them to eye her with a little concern, fearing she might be going crazy.

" **EVERYONE PLEASE TURN TOWARDS THE SCREENS IN THE TOURNAMENT TO FIND OUT THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE TOURNAMENT!"**

The announcer's sudden loud voice caused most everyone to jump. Annoyed, the group turned their heads to the closest large screen to them. It showed a long list of competing trainers split up into four columns. On the bottom of the screen, it said;

TOTAL NUMBER OF TRAINERS – 160

" **So 160 of the world's best are competing here. This should be awesome!"** shot Max as he pumped his fist into the year.

" **This should be quite an interesting tournament,"** remarked Cilan.

" **Ash better have some cool pokémon and strategies to show off,"** said Iris.

" **Yea. I hope Ashy-boy has some tricks up his sleeve besides an overpowered Charizard,"** chuckled Gary.

" **I'm sure Ash is ready. We'll soon see what he's been up to for the past few years,"** commented Brock.

" **AND NOW THE COMPUTER WILL PICK THE FIRST MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT!"**

The announcer's sudden words caused everyone to look at the screen, spectators and trainers alike. Two outlined, colored boxes began flowing through the list of names, one red and one green. They rapidly went through the list before slowly coming to a stop. The two names it stopped on were Ash Ketchum with the green box and Sarah Wiseman with the red box.

" **AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE COMPUTER HAS SELECTED WHO WILL START THE TOURNAMENT OFF. TRAINERS, PLEASE LEAVE THE FIELD SO THE OFFICALS CAN GET IT READY!"  
**

The trainers all left the field so the stadium officials can get it ready for the opening match as well as letting the two trainers get ready. Their battle would begin in ten minutes.

" **Wow, talk about starting things off with a bang! I hope we see some new pokémon that Ash has caught!"**

" **We probably will Iris. And I bet it will be a great match. Ash never disappoints when it comes to battling,"** smiled Misty, confident that Ash would get to the higher positions at least.

" **Hope it's a more entertaining battle than what we saw with Charizard."**

" **That wasn't really a battle Max. Even though it was an awesome display of Charizard's new strength, it was more like someone taking out the trash!"** May laughed and a few others joined her.

" **I have to remember to ask him how he came up with that defensive strategy of his though. That was genius, using offensive moves to boost your defenses,"** thought Gary out loud.

" **I must say that was quite an impressive demonstration. It made all those other pokémon's strongest attacks look like child's play,"** commented Cilan.

" **Well you have to remember that Charizard is one of Ash's strongest pokémon and they've been together for a long time, practically from the beginning. He even held his own against several different legendary pokémon, such as Entei and Articuno,"** explained Misty.

" **True. But then again those other pokémon that those bastards used could've been low leveled compared to Charizard or just not as healthy and fit, making those strong attacks not as powerful as they could've been,"** added Gary.

" **Well, we don't really know the full extent of what new levels or accomplishments he and his pokémon have reached until we see them battling,"** shot Dawn quickly, earning surprised looks from everyone. **"What? I'm not just a beautiful, enthusiastic girl you know. I do read and I know more than you think I know**."

The others stared at her for a few seconds before they all burst out laughing. Dawn went pink as she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

" **LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE FIELD IS READY AND LET US BEGIN THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!"**

The crowd roared again and clapped.

" **Looks like we're about to find out!"** said Serena.

" **IN THE RED BOX, FROM CHERRYGROVE CITY OF JOHTO, WHO HAS COMPETED IN THE JOHTO LEAGUE AND CAME OUT AS THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDER TO FACE THE LEAGUE CHAMPION AFTER BEATING THE ELITE FOUR OF THAT REGION, PLEASE WELCOME THE BEAUTIFUL YET TOUGH SARAH WISEMAN!"**

The crowd shouted and screamed for Sarah Wiseman as she took to the field, walking towards the referee standing in the middle of the field. She had blond hair, a blue button down short sleeve blouse, with a red skirt that reached almost to her knees, with an athletic yet curvy build on her. She was a very attractive trainer, causing many in the stands, such as Gary and Brock, to stare at her while others cat called and wolf whistled at her, though she didn't pay any attention to it.

" **AND IN THE GREEN BOX, YOU ALL KNOW WHO HE IS. HE HAD DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE FROM THE BATTLE CIRCUIT FOR A FEW YEARS, AND NOBODY HAS SEEN HIM IN A LONG TIME. BUT NOW HE'S DECIDED TO COME BACK! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR ONE OF KANTO'S FAVORED SONS, FROM PALLET TOWN, ASH KETCHUM!"**

The stadium erupted with the amount of cheers the crowd gave for Ash as he took to the field, his Pikachu on his shoulder, waving frantically at everyone with a huge smile on. The duo walked over to where Sarah and the referee were standing. The referee gave Ash his microphone to put on his collar. Sarah already had hers. They shook hands as Sarah smiled at Ash, causing him to blush slightly as he noticed that she was very pretty and gave a smile in return.

" **Let's have a memorable match Ash."**

" **Wouldn't have it any other way Sarah."**

Their words were heard by everyone because of the microphones. People cheered as they saw the two trainers sizing each other up with respect. They let go of each other's hands and went to their respective trainers' boxes on opposite ends of the field.

 _This should be a good match. I've heard stories about this guy. He should be a challenge. He's not bad looking either,_ thought Sarah as she smiled to herself.

They reached their boxes and faced each other.

" **This will be a three versus three battle. One on one, no Mega evolutions allowed, no time limit, substitutions allowed. Are you ready?"** Sarah and Ash nodded. **"Let the match begin!"** yelled the referee as he raised his hand.

Sarah and Ash both tossed out a poke ball at the same time and two flashes of light later, two battle ready pokémon appeared on the field.

" **AND THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT HAS BEGUN! SARAH HAS CHOSEN STEELIX WHILE ASH HAS CHOSEN PIDGEOT! BAD BREAK FOR ASH AS HIS PIDGEOT WILL HAVE A TOUGH TIME BREAKING STEELIX'S INCREDIBLE DEFENSES! WILL HE SWITCH OUT OR TRY HIS LUCK?"**

Sarah's pokémon, Steelix, a large steal coated snake-like pokémon towered over Pidgeot, laughing at his small opponent. Pidgeot however, looked to be unfazed, staring directly at Steelix without any expression shown.

" **Ah, what bad luck! Ash is facing off against the number one contender against the Johto League Champion and has a type disadvantage! This is bad!"** whined Dawn.

" **What an unfortunate turn of events,"** sighed Cilan.

" **I'll let you switch out your Pidgeot Ash! I don't like winning easily or unfairly!"** Sarah yelled out confidently. Ash merely smiled, and crossed his arms.

" **Thanks, but don't worry about it. Make your move."**

" **WHAT?!"** yelled out his friends together.

" **WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS? SARAH WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO LET ASH SWITCH OUT BUT HE DIDN'T! DOES HE HAVE SOME TRICKS UP HIS SLEEVE OR HAS HE LOST HIS MIND?"**

Sarah scowled a little. _So you're that cocky huh? Okay, time to teach you some manners in humility._

" **Have it your way then! Steelix, Dragonbreath!"**

Steelix let out a stream of green blue flames of draconian energy at Pidgeot. Ash didn't react to the attack and Pidgeot didn't move, waiting patiently for her trainer's command.

" **What is he doing?!"** yelped Misty, the others too busy gazing at the battle to comment.

When the flames were about twenty feet from Pidgeot, Ash gave out his command with a single word.

" **Counter."**

Pidgeot, still standing on the ground, flapped her mighty wings once, causing a shockwave of powerful air currents to flow in front of her, meeting the flames head on and canceling them out as if the flames were a small candle light. Everyone was stunned over how easily Pidgeot dispelled the powerful attack.

" **No way! Steelix, Rock Slide!"** commanded Sarah hurriedly. Steelix dug his tail into the ground and shot it up, causing many small boulders to go flying towards Pidgeot.

" **Fly."** Pidgeot shot straight up into the sky with such speed that she was a blur to everyone, avoiding the attack.

" **LOOKS LIKE ASH HASN'T LOST HIS MIND FOLKS! HIS PIDGEOT IS OUTMANEUVERING SARAH'S STEELIX! IS HE TRYING TO WEAR HIM OUT?"**

 _You would love to know. But I guess we should move this along and stop playing games,_ thought Ash.

Pidgeot seemed to notice his thoughts and glanced at him.

" **Alright, let's finish this Pidgeot."**

Sarah sweat dropped. _Finish this?_

" **Heat Wave!"** Pidgeot glowed orange, then bright red as she collected energy and then started flapping her wings rapidly causing waves of scorching hot energy to shoot through the air towards Steelix.

" **No! Steelix, use Dig!"** shouted Sarah but it was too late. The attack was faster than she anticipated and struck her pokémon. Steelix roared in pain as the super effective attack connected. Steelix had high physical defenses but his defense against special attacks was average at best and this attack was too powerful. Steelix grunted as it fell to the ground, swirls in its eyes.

" **No! Steelix!"**

" **Steelix is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins!"** said the referee as he raised a green flag.

" **UNBELIEVEABLE! ASH'S PIDGEOT TOOK DOWN SARAH'S STEELIX WITH ONE ATTACK! I'VE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"**

The crowd was silent over what they just witnessed for a moment before they erupted in surprise. Ash's friends' jaws were dropped, unable to neither speak nor make a sound. Sarah returned Steelix, thanking him for his work. She started at Ash for a second in disbelief before she pulled out another poke ball and tossed it into the air. A roar was heard over the crowd.

" **LOOKS LIKE SARAH HAS CHOSEN TYRANITAR! WILL THIS TYRANT POKEMON AVENGE HIS FALLEN COMRADE?"**

" **Good job Pidgeot, you did great,"** complimented Ash to his pokémon as he was about to return her, but Pidgeot chirped in defiance.

" **You want to stay and battle him too?"** Pidgeot nodded but then chirped again. **"So you want to battle until we win the match? That's really selfish Pidgeot."** Pidgeot stuck her beak in the air. Ash chuckled. **"Alright you can stay. But you're going to have to explain to the other two I had in mind of competing why I didn't have them battle. Got it?"** Pidgeot sweat dropped, but nodded.

" **THAT'S ONE STUBBORN POKEMON FOLKS! LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS DECIDED TO KEEP USING PIDGEOT, EVEN AGAINST TYRANITAR! WILL THIS BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR ASH? WILL THIS DECISION COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM?"**

" **Let's see what you have planned Ash! I must say I'm impressed with what you did against my Steelix! But let's see you try to beat my Tyranitar!"** yelled Sarah. Ash didn't react, still in his same position, arms crossed and smiling.

 _Ooooo! He's starting to annoy me!_

" **Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!"** Tyranitar shot a purple and black beam of energy at Pidgeot.

" **Double Team."** Pidgeot split into multiple copies surrounding the large green mountain pokémon. The attack shot through a copy. Tyranitar looked around him, confused.

" **Relax Tyranitar! Use Flamethrower as you spin around!"** Tyranitar spewed out a stream of flames from his mouth as he spun around in his spot, causing the flames to rush towards all the copies surrounding him.

" **Dodge then Air Slash."** The real Pidgeot flew up over the flames and shot a blade of condensed air at her target. The attack hit Tyranitar, but it didn't do much damage, thought it did cause him to flinch.

" **Tyranitar, pull yourself together! Use Hyper Beam!"** Tyranitar took a couple seconds to compose himself before readying to fire the powerful attack. Ash took this opportunity to set up his next move.

" **Twister!"** Sarah's eyes widened as Pidgeot rapidly flapped her wings, causing strong winds to pick up and circle around her pokémon with powerful air currents. The mountain pokémon shot a beam of white energy from inside the twister but missed his mark as the harsh winds obscured his vision, the beam hitting the stadium wall instead. Pidgeot continued her relentless whirlwind as her opponent recharged, the sharp winds cutting into Tyranitar's thick skin, causing him some pain.

" **Use Dig!"** Tyranitar dug into the ground to escape the ruthless winds. Pidgeot stopped her attack but stayed up in the air to have some distance between the two.

" **Stone Edge!"** Tyranitar shot up from underneath the ground and sent up dozens of small sharp rocks at Pidgeot.

" **Defend."** Pidgeot brought her wings in front of her, covering her body and head as they turned a metallic sheen.

" **Hey, that's the same thing Charizard did!"** exclaimed May.

" **Yeah. Looks like Ash taught his pokémon how to defend themselves from certain attacks,"** Iris said.

The sharp stones hit Pidgeot, but her Steel Wing attack used for defense lessened the damaged considerably. After the attack, Pidgeot's wings returned to normal and then the falcon pokémon glowed white for a second and then faded away. Steel Wing had increased her defenses. Sarah grimaced. No matter what she did, she couldn't bring the bird down. She was starting to get angry and panicky.

 _He's really good but I can't lose! I beat the Elite Four for Arceus' sake! I must win!_

" **Good job Pidgeot!"** called out Ash as Pidgeot endured the attack and screeched loudly, the power up giving her a boost. **"Now let's use that for offense! Quick Attack and Steel Wing combo!"** Pidgeot's wings again turned a metallic sheen as she shot down towards Tyranitar, a white stream of energy trailing behind her.

" **Wait for your chance and when it gets close use ThunderPunch!"** shouted Sarah in fury. Tyranitar waited for Pidgeot to get close as he readied his attack.

Pidgeot slammed into Tyranitar with her hardened wings at maximum speed. The impact caused dust to explode around them, covering the two pokémon. Ash's eyes glowed blue for a split second as he used his aura to check on the pokémon then went back to his brown color after he saw what everybody else would soon see. The dust faded away and everyone saw Tyranitar on the ground, swirls in his eyes with Pidgeot standing next to him, panting heavily. Tyranitar had landed the blow and done significant damage to her before fainting.

" **Tyranitar is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins**!" The referee raised the green flag again.

" **INCREDIBLE! PIDGEOT WINS AGAINST TYRANITAR AS WELL EVEN AFTER A THUNDERPUNCH TO THE SKULL! IS THERE ANYTHING THIS POKEMON CAN'T DO?"**

The crowd shouted and screamed in surprise over the outcome of the battle.

" **I can't believe Pidgeot pulled it off,"** whispered Serena.

" **Ash trained her well. She's one of his first pokémon and Pidgeot are extremely fast. Imagine getting hit by even a pebble going that fast,"** said Misty with glee.

" **Yea, but look she's tired out,"** pointed out Dawn. Everyone then noticed Pidgeot was panting heavily. **"I hope Ash doesn't keep using her. She needs to rest."**

" **Ash isn't like that. He won't let any of his pokémon continue in that state when he notices it,"** frowned May.

" **Kind of hard not to notice how tired Pidgeot is. If Ash makes her continue to battle than he's an idiot and you know it,"** shot Gary. The girls glared at him.

" **Don't worry guys,"** interrupted Brock. **"Ash will do the right thing."**

" **Yea guys, this is Ash we're talking about. He always puts others first!"** chimed in Max, pumping his fist into the air.

" **Yea, Ash may act like a kid most of the times, but he knows better, right Cilan?"** asked Iris.

" **Yes, I agree. He knows when to stop."**

" **AND THAT'S TWO OF SARAH'S POKEMON THAT ASH HAS BROUGHT DOWN TO THEIR KNEES WITH JUST PIDGEOT. WHAT POKEMON WILL SARAH USE AS HER LAST HOPE?"**

Sarah returned and thanked Tyranitar. She put away his poke ball and looked at Ash and Pidgeot. Pidgeot was tired out, but Ash was still calm and focused, arms still crossed over his chest, with a smile on his face. It infuriated her that he was able to beat two of her pokémon with ease.

 _What's your secret? How are you so freaking strong? I only have one pokémon left and he still has two fresh ones that I don't even know which pokémon they are._

" **You're not bad Ash but this is far from over! I will beat you and that's a promise!"** shouted Sarah as she tossed her final poke ball into the air, releasing her last pokémon onto the field with another flash of bright light.

" **SARAH HAS RELEASED HER FINAL POKEMON ONTO THE FIELD AND IT'S A TOUGH LOOKING JOLTEON! WILL THIS POKEMON BRING HER BACK FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT?"**

" **Of all the pokémon to send out!"** worried Misty.

" **Ash definitely has to switch out now."**

" **You're right Gary and don't worry he will,"** replied Brock.

" **You're bird is toast Ash! I hope you like extra crispy wings for lunch!"** taunted Sarah.

Jolteon grinned as his fur stood on end, sparks shooting around him. Pidgeot had flied back towards her trainer, standing a little ahead of him. She turned her head back at Ash. They locked eyes for a couple seconds, as if communicating. Pidgeot faced the yellow electric dog and chirped loudly, taunting Jolteon.

" **ASH IS STICKING WITH PIDGEOT! HAS HE GONE MAD? HOW MUCH MORE CAN HIS POKEMON TAKE? WHAT KIND OF MAD PLAN DOES HE HAVE IN STORE?"**

" **WHAT?!"** Ash's friends yelled out together. Misty leaned over the guard rail and shouted at Ash.

" **Ash! Don't be an idiot! Switch her out! She's too tired!"** Ash looked up towards Misty when he heard her yelling over the murmuring of the crowd. He merely smiled at her and shook his head. Misty was in shock and so were the others.

 _Ash never used to gamble with his pokémon like this. He knows the consequences. What in the world is clouding his judgment?_ Thought Misty.

" **Jolteon, let's turn Pidgeot into fried chicken! Thunderbolt!"** Jolteon barked and let off a powerful bolt of electricity at the falcon pokémon.

" **Double Team,"** responded Ash calmly.

Pidgeot once again made copies of her and surrounded Jolteon. The Thunderbolt attack hit one of the copies and it disappeared.

" **Roost."** All the copies of the falcon pokémon began glowing white.

" **No! Jolteon don't let it! Use Discharge!"** Jolteon let off powerful electric bolts all around him, striking each of the copies. After the attack ended, they saw that the field was empty.

" **Where did Pidgeot go?"** wondered Sarah out loud while her Jolteon looked around the field.

A loud screech answered her question from high up in the sky. Everyone looked up to see Pidgeot hovering in the middle of the air with ease, no longer looking tired. Truth be told, she looked even better than before.

" **WHAT A PLAN! ASH AND PIDGEOT KEPT SARAH AND HER JOLTEON BUSY WITH HER COPIES AS SHE RESTED HIGH UP IN THE AIR! THAT IS ONE TALENTED PAIR!"**

Ash's friends were stunned. They couldn't believe it and they all felt a little ashamed, especially Misty. She had insulted Ash in front of everyone and he merely smiled back at her.

" **I guess we should've never doubted Ash. He really knows what he's doing,"** May said quietly. The others agreed quietly, still ashamed slightly that they thought he didn't know better.

" **No way! No freaking way! Impossible!"**

Sarah lost her cool as she yelled in frustration, and then fell to her knees, staring at the ground. Jolteon glanced at his trainer, worried about her. Pidgeot gently landed back on the field, in front of Ash. After a moment of silence, the stadium heard her as she whispered something, the microphone attached to her blouse catching it.

" **I forfeit."**

For one second it was total silence in the stadium. The next, it erupted so loudly that it caused the glass in the VIP room to vibrate slightly. President Goodshow and his guests inside it were astonished to the outcome of the match. They expected that it would be a close one to call, considering the match up, but not a total blow out.

" **Didn't I tell you that he was something special?"** asked Goodshow happily as he turned to the others in the VIP room.

" **Yes, you did and it looks like you're right,"** answered one of his guests, as they watched the two trainers return their pokémon and shake hands in the middle of the field. **"We will have to keep an eye on Ash from now on."** The other guests agreed with the man who spoke.

 _He may be who we have been waiting for who can finally give us a challenge_ , thought the man.

 _ **A/N - So what did you guys think? I hope the battle was entertaining and good. Please leave a a comment, message and/or review as I enjoy hearing your guys' thoughts and opinions. Thank you for everyone following so far and to the new readers as well for giving my story a shot. If you like it, please favorite and/or follow so I know what I'm doing is liked by others. Thanks!**_


	16. Chapter 16 - Taking a Chance

_**A/N - What's up everyone? Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Also, shout out to thor94 for leaving reviews. I really appreciate it as I love feedback! Now on to the story!**_

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 16 – TAKING A CHANCE

The Spirit Tournament had begun and the opening match was between Ash Ketchum of Kanto versus Sarah Wiseman from Johto. Ash had beaten two of her pokémon with just his Pidgeot and when Sarah saw that she couldn't take out Pidgeot even with her Jolteon, she forfeit, knowing she couldn't win and that she didn't want to injure her last pokémon. Sarah and Ash shook hands after the match and gave the referee their microphones before doing so.

" **Good match Sarah. I hope to face you again one day,"** said Ash as he shook her hand.

" **Thanks Ash, but I doubt it will be much different. I trained for a long time yet my pokémon were no match for yours. I'm nowhere near your level,"** sighed Sarah as they let go of their hands.

" **Hey, don't be like that. I learned a lot from my mistakes and losses and that helped me as a trainer and helped out my pokémon too. I'm sure that you'll become stronger and I would love for a rematch."** Sarah stared at him.

 _Wow, he's so humble and modest._

" **You know, your something different Ash. Thank you for your kind words. I will train harder and when I'm ready, let's have a rematch. Let's register each other's numbers."**

Ash added her number to his Poketch and she did the same with his on her own.

" **Take care Ash and good luck. I will watch the rest of the tournament before going into training. You better not lose or I will kick your ass!"** she said playfully, slapping his arm.

" **You're not the first one to say something like that to me."**

" **Oh, you mean your girlfriend, the red head?"** asked Sarah.

" **Well she's not my girlfriend yet,"** murmured Ash, chuckling.

Sarah tilted her head in confusion and Ash noticed.

" **Too long and complicated to explain. Don't worry about it."** He waved his hand as he finished. Sarah giggled and nodded.

" **Okay Ash. I'll see ya around."**

" **See ya Sarah. I'll be looking forward to our rematch."** Sarah went pink before she smiled and nodded before they both left the field. His friends were waiting for him at the end of tunnel's exit.

" **Great match Ash!"** shouted Max. His friends all nodded and Ash thanked them for their compliments.

" **Yes, that was a very entertaining flavor the way your Pidgeot won with such grace."**

" **Yea, you should've seen Cilan's jaw drop when you knocked out Tyranitar,"** said Iris, teasing her boyfriend.

" **Hey Ash, what were you talking to Sarah about?"** asked Serena, curious.

" **Not much, we exchanged numbers because she said she'll call me for a rematch after she trains some,"** answered Ash with a shrug.

 _That better be the only reason why_ , thought May and Dawn.

" **Ash…"**

" **Yea Misty?"**

" **I'm sorry for shouting at you and insulting you in front of everyone. I should've known better, that you had a plan. You're not the same clueless trainer you were years ago,"** apologized Misty as she looked at her feet, rubbing her arm with her free hand. Ash started at her for a second, thinking. He got close to her and grasped her chin with his index finger and thumb before gently raising her head to look him in the eyes.

" **Mist…don't worry about it. I know it looked bad, that I wasn't thinking about Pidgeot, but you should know, you all should know, that I wouldn't risk my pokémon or friends for anything. I should've told you guys about some of my tricks and plans, but then there would be no more surprises and where's the fun in that right?"** Ash finished, giving a wink. Misty smiled back and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ash blushed as the others raised their eyebrows.

" **What was that for?"**

" **For being you and for forgiving me so easily,"** said Misty, a little pink in the face. Ash smiled but a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

" **Hey Richie, when's your match?"** asked Ash when he noticed it was his almost twin emerging from a room in the hall.

" **Later on today in the afternoon. We have some time to relax."**

" **Sounds good. How about we go visit Gardevoir and then go eat?"** The group rolled their eyes as he mentioned eating. The group headed back to the hotel and saw Joy who was busy with some papers. They said hello and went to Gardevoir's room. Her, Lucario and Pikachu looked up and congratulated Ash on his win once he told them. The group talked for a bit and then Joy came in.

" **Hey guys. Ash, can I talk to you for a moment please? It's about your registration."** Ash shrugged and went with her, telling his friends he'll be back soon. Joy led him to a room and they both entered it before she closed the door. Ash got the feeling that Joy was just giving a cover and he soon would find out for what.

" **So what's wrong with my registration? Or is there something else you need to tell me?"** Ash crossed his arms and made eye contact with Joy.

" **That obvious huh?"**

" **Well I am an Aura Guardian. I've learned to tell when most people are lying since they're auras go all haywire because they're anxious and nervous. Anyway, what's up?"**

" **Aura Guardian? Oh that's right you said so before. Well, remember when I told you I'd help you out with the girls? Well I found out some stuff but first I want to ask you a few things if that's okay?"** Ash nodded and sat down on one of the empty chairs, Joy doing the same. **"Okay Ash, do you love them?"**

Ash widened his eyes at the blunt question and his face flushed crimson red.

" **Yes, I do."**

" **Equally? You don't like one more than the other?"**

" **Of course equally! Well, at least I think I do…"** Ash said as he hung his head. **"I can't seem to be able to pick one over the other."** He looked up at her. **"Is that bad? Am I a bad person because of that?"**

Joy smiled at his innocence and insecurities. Ash scratched the back of his head, confused at her reaction.

" **No Ash, that doesn't make you a bad person at all. You're not even in a real relationship and you care this much. I wonder how much you'd care when you are in one or maybe even several,"** finished Joy with a wink.

" **What do you mean?"**

" **Well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I talked with the girls and found out that they each love you very much."**

Ash's jaw dropped as his eyes widened hearing this new bit of information.

" **I knew that they had crushes on me and liked me a lot, but they actually love me? How did you find out?"**

" **Well it took some skill and shred maneuvering but I got what I wanted in the end."**

" **Remind me never to get on your bad side Joy."**

They both laughed.

" **Well the four love you and want to be together with you. But they are prepared for what happens, whether it works out for you all or just one of you or even if it doesn't work out for any of you."**

" **Well what do I do? Do I just go tell them that I like them and care about them and say let's try it?"**

" **Ash, you really are dense when it comes to girls. You don't just say that nor do you do something like that. Okay, this is what you're going to do. You're going to talk to the four at once and tell them right off the bat that you like them all."**

" **I can't do that! They'll kill me for being selfish, for being like Brock, going after several girls!"**

" **Ash, you're not like Brock. And remember what we talked about? My sisters and Bruno? The other stuff?"**

Ash thought for a moment.

" **Oh right, heh, I forgot. Sorry. I was picturing Misty's mallet in my mind and got scared."**

They both laughed again.

" **Yea, you should be scared of her and her mallet. Anyway, you will tell them that, but privately. Then just be honest with them. Tell them how you feel, that you like them all and couldn't say anything before and now you know better, but you don't want to string along any of them. Tell them about what your father leaving did to you, like when you told me. Then at the end, tell them that you want to know for sure if you like them each equally or one more than the other. Just be honest with them the way you were with me."**

" **And how would I figure out if I do like one more than the other or if it's still equally? Spend more time with them?"**

" **Pretty much. Take each of them out on a date separately. Then go out on a group date."**

" **ARE YOU CRAZY?!"** shouted Ash. **"Do you know what they'll do to me if I mentioned anything like that? A group date?"**

" **Don't call the group date a group date. Of course call the individual ones dates, but think up of some group activity for just the five of you and go do it. See how they interact with each other around you, how you feel around all of them at once away from others. Different scenarios bring out different things in people. You must see them in different ways and they must see you in different ways. Who knows, maybe they see something that they don't like about you that they didn't know about, or vice versa, you may see something that you don't like about one of them, or all of them. Get it?"**

Ash began understanding what Joy was saying. She was right. He needed to spend more time with each of them alone and as a group. He would have to take the shot.

" **You're right Joy. I will take the chance. I will talk with them privately and let them know what I'm feeling and what I want to do. I will keep my eyes and heart open to see if they are what I truly want, and if I'm what they truly want. Hopefully I will find out by the time this tournament is over what I'm looking for and perhaps they do as well."**

" **That's the spirit Ash. I'm glad that you are stepping up to the challenge."**

" **Thanks Joy. By the way, I have a question for you."**

" **Hmm?"**

" **What do you think of Richie?"** Joy flushed with color.

" **I think he's a good guy,"** answered Joy quietly.

" **Good, because that's the guy I was thinking about setting you up on a date with. Are you okay with that?"**

" **I am, but I want him to come ask me himself, without anyone telling him to."**

" **Okay I understand. I won't tell him to ask you out, but I will ask him if the feeling is mutual and encourage him since he is kind of like me."**

" **I noticed that too. But he's different enough,"** joked Joy.

" **Ha ha, very funny."** Ash rolled his eyes as Joy giggled.

" **C'mon let's go back."**

They got up and left the private room, returning to Gardevoir's room and joining the others. They talked amongst the group and told some jokes, Joy hanging out with them for a bit before going back to work. They all became hungry and decided to go have some food when Joy brought Gardevoir her lunch. They went back up to the thirty fifth floor and Brock and Cilan went to work preparing their meal.

Ash sat down in the middle of the largest couch facing the TV, put his feet on the coffee table, crossed his arms, closed his eyes and relaxed. Pikachu curled up next to him on the couch. The four girls saw this and wanted to take a photo, so Misty took a picture with her Poketch and sent it to the others. Gary however, was thinking about a different approach. Gary took one of the pies Cilan and Brock made and slowly tiptoed behind the couch of where Ash was resting. Everyone noticed and even though the girls were annoyed at what he was trying to do, they kept quiet, wanting to see the outcome. Gary reached Ash and right before he was about to swing his hand with the pie, Ash spoke.

" **I wouldn't do that if I were you Gary."** Gary froze in his tracks.

" **How'd you know?"**

" **Aura Guardian remember? Even though my eyes are closed, if I'm not sleeping, I can still sense what all of you are doing."**

Iris and Cilan glanced at each other, a little fear in their eyes but nobody noticed.

" **Wait, does that mean you can sense what we do at all times? Even when we're in the bathroom or in our rooms?"** asked Iris.

The other girls widened their eyes a bit in realization and glared at Ash. He instantly shot up, taking his legs off the table to plant them on the floor before standing up to face them all, insulted.

" **I would never do such a thing! What kind of person do you take me for?!"** yelled Ash. **"I only allow myself to check my immediate surroundings. I don't let my senses travel farther than the room I'm currently in."**

Ash glared daggers at them all before sitting back down on the couch and taking up his previous position, fuming.

 _How could they believe I would do such a thing?_

" **I'm sorry Ash. I should've known better that you wouldn't do such a thing."**

Ash glanced at Iris when she apologized. He let out a sigh, calming down before shaking his head.

" **It's alright Iris. I should've explained some things about my aura powers but you should all know right here and now that I would never take advantage of my powers like that."**

Before anyone could say anything else, Gary decided to conclude his prank.

" **Is that so? Well if that's all you got, then it's pie in the face time!"** sneered Gary.

" **You do that, and I'll have Gardevoir make you tell your most embarrassing stories to us."**

Gary sweat dropped and his face paled. The others glanced at each other, evil smirks on their faces. They hoped that Gary would do it and Ash wasn't bluffing.

" **You wouldn't Ashy-boy…"**

" **Want to find out?** " Ash turned around to glance at his childhood rival.

" **Fine. You win this round. Way to go on ending all fun,"** sighed Gary.

" **Hey, you know I'm all up for pranks and jokes, just not right now. I have a lot on my mind."**

" **Alright. I'll leave ya alone this time. Starting tomorrow though, no mercy. And no cheap shots like what you just said got it?"**

" **Sure thing."** Ash closed his eyes again and relaxed. **"Be prepared Gary."**

Gary snorted as he put the pie back down on the table and went to relax on the other couch until food was ready. The group sighed, a little put down that they didn't see Ash get pied in the face and Gary not spilling his secrets but also happy that Ash wasn't mad at them for thinking he'd take advantage of his aura powers. After fifteen minutes though, when Brock and Cilan announced lunch was ready, and they all gathered around, they forgot about it as they dug into their food. After lunch, they decided to clean up and watch TV for a bit before heading back to the stadium to cheer on Richie for his match.

When they reached the stadium, Richie and the group split up to go through their respective entrances. However, when Ash tried to go through the public entrance, the security guard didn't let him through.

" **Sorry kid, but trainers who are still in the tournament can't watch other trainers compete. It will be unfair should they ever be matched up."**

" **How would you know which trainers are still in this thing?"** asked Max.

" **That's classified information. Sorry, but can't tell you and you can't go in."**

Ash sighed and told the rest to go on without him and that he'll just go training for a while. Pikachu dropped his ears, sad he couldn't watch the battle.

" **It's okay buddy. Let's go train a bit and then I'll get you some ketchup."**

Pikachu perked up instantly and they headed out to the forest to train. They didn't see Richie's match but knew he would win at least a few, hopefully getting into the higher rounds at least. Ash wanted a rematch with his friend and rival. Lost in thought and busy training with some pokémon, Ash didn't notice that a few hours passed. When he decided to finally take a break, he looked at his Poketch and saw that it was around 5pm. Surprised that time flew so fast and he didn't notice, he congratulated his pokémon on their hard work and told them to take a nice rest and returned them. He was glad that he didn't have to carry all of his pokémon with him, yet he was able to call them out anytime he wanted. He made a mental note to thank Mew next time he saw her.

Ash returned to the hotel and visited Gardevoir. He saw that she was almost as good as new but still had to wait till morning. She was anxious to leave and to start training again. Ash promised her that they would train again after she got her strength back. She agreed and mentioned that the group came to visit her and went upstairs. Pikachu wanted to stay by her side for the night and Ash let him. He talked to Lucario for a bit, wanting to get an update on things. He promised Lucario that they would train tomorrow after Gardevoir was released. Ash bade his three pokémon goodnight and went upstairs after asking Joy to give Pikachu some ketchup in a small bowl. Joy laughed at that and reminded Ash of what they talked about, which he responded to with a smile and a nod.

When he opened the door to the penthouse suite, he saw that Max, Iris, Cilan, Brock, Serena, May and Richie were watching TV. Misty and Dawn were relaxing in the balcony, with the door opened halfway, looking at the view. Richie told him that he won his match and Ash congratulated him, saying he was sorry he couldn't cheer him on and the reason why, to which Richie said that he knew, since that's what the officials said to all the other trainers who had to wait for their scheduled matches in the locker rooms while he and Sarah were busy getting ready. Ash nodded and commented that he was going to take a shower since he had trained hard and all sweaty now. The girls faces flashed pink for a second, hoping nobody noticed but someone did. After Ash went to his room that person spoke out.

" **Good think Ashy-boy didn't come back up half naked like last time. Otherwise we would've gone through the same thing yesterday. Isn't that right girls?"** smirked Gary, raising his eyebrows a couple times.

The girls blushed madly and May and Serena smacked Gary upside the head, causing him to yelp in pain as he held his head.

" **Gary, sometimes I wonder how in the hell you had a group of cheerleaders following you?"** wondered Misty from the balcony as she shook her head in disbelief.

Everyone laughed while Gary grimaced. Sometime later, Ash re-joined the group after showering and they decided to have dinner. Brock and Cilan once again made a delicious meal and everyone ate while joking around. After they finished eating and cleaned up, they decided to play some Texas Holdem poker while they relaxed after eating. They decided the winner would get twenty poke dollars from each person and that there would be no buy back in, which would make the game a little serious and keep them from messing around. After about two hours, the winner was surprisingly Dawn.

" **How in the hell did you win Dawn?"** asked an astonished Brock.

" **Never judge a book by their cover,"** responded Dawn with an evil smile.

The rest laughed at her expression and decided that they would be extra careful around Dawn now. Ash stood up, stretching. When he finished, he decided it was the right time to do what he needed to do.

" **Misty, May, Dawn, Serena; could you come with me please?"** The girls nodded and followed him into his room. Gary raised his eyebrows and turned to look at the rest of the group.

" **Okay, so any one want to make some bets?"**

" **Like?"** asked Cilan. Iris elbowed him in the stomach. " **Oh c'mon Iris, it's just a little fun. You can get in on it too. All of you can."** Cilan gestured to others. Each person slowly had grins form on their faces.

" **Okay, so what's the first bet?"** asked Gary and they started discussing in hushed voices what bets they were willing to make on the five.

Meanwhile, Ash led the four girls into his master bedroom and closed the door. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena sat on the edge of the king sized bed. All four of them lifted their right leg and crossed it over their left, and crossed their arms at Ash. Their actions stunned him for a second, as he saw the four taking up the same positions.

 _Damn, they look so beautiful and intimidating at the same time. Shit, can I do this?_

He could feel himself heating up and starting to sweat as the four girls eyed him, no expression or emotion visible on their faces.

 _You are so dead man. Just run! No! I can do this. Just have to do it fast, like ripping off a band aid._

He took a breath to calm himself before speaking.

" **Okay, so you're probably wondering why I asked you four here. Well here's the reason why. I know how each of you feel about me."**

The girls fidgeted a bit. They weren't expecting him to be so blunt about it.

" **I know the real feelings you four feel for me. And I have to admit something myself. I have feelings for each of you as well."** The four girls blushed at his revelation.

" **I really like each of you. A lot. And I wanted to apologize for taking so long to tell you and for not responding to your hints, acting dense sometimes…"**

" **Wait, what do you mean** _ **acting**_ **dense sometimes?"** interrupted Misty, her eyes narrowed. The other girls glared at him, Ash scratched the back of his head nervously. He knew they would get angry at that.

" **When we traveled around the world together, I didn't always miss what you four were trying to tell me. When I didn't notice it for real sometimes, you thought that I was dense and wouldn't ever understand. Well you're partly right because I didn't notice sometimes but other times I did and just acted dense because I thought it would let you be relaxed and be yourself around me. Plus it helped me out so I wouldn't have to deal with that at the time…"**

Ash took a breather. For some reason, telling the truth to them was taking a lot more energy than he thought.

" **But why would you do that?"** asked May.

" **Honestly? Because I was afraid."**

" **Afraid?"** repeated Serena, tilting her head.

" **Of what? And why?"** asked Dawn.

" **I was afraid of many things. I was afraid of rejection. I was afraid of messing up our friendship. I was afraid that I wasn't good enough for any of you. I was afraid that maybe I had imagined your hints or actions…"** Ash hung his head, unable to continue.

" **Ash…"**

Ash looked up at Misty. She no longer had her arms and legs crossed, but she was still sitting, her legs closed and her hands resting on her lap, clasped together.

" **Why would you feel so afraid to take a chance?"**

" **Because…"**

Ash started to choke. He took two long breathes to calm himself and continued.

" **Because ever since my father left me when I was kid, that hit me hard; it made me feel worthless."**

The girls gasped at what he mentioned. He never talked about his father before. They stayed silent, waiting to hear more from the raven haired trainer.

" **I loved my father so much. He's what I wanted to be when I grew up; a pokémon master, a great trainer, friend to pokémon, a good husband and father. But one day he just left without a word. I woke up one morning to find my mom crying in the kitchen and my father gone. My mom never told me why he left. She just would tear up every time he was mentioned so I stopped talking about him."**

The girls started to tear up. They knew that it was just him and his mom but they never knew about his father until now.

" **Ash…I'm so sorry about that,"** cried Dawn, she got up to hug him but he held a hand up.

" **Please Dawn, let me finish. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to."**

Dawn nodded and sat back down, tears flowing down her cheeks. Ash's eyes were watering as well but fought them. He couldn't break down. Not yet.

" **Anyway, because he left, I blamed myself, as any kid would. My mom told me it wasn't my fault and slowly I started realizing that she was right. But him leaving me affected me more than I knew at the time. Later on as I got older and met each of you, after each of our journeys, when we were about to go our different ways, I wanted to say not to go, that I liked you, but something always kept me from saying so."**

The girls glanced at each other when Ash took another breather. They had always felt that Ash wanted to say something but couldn't.

" **Misty, you were the first to go. Then it was May. Then you Dawn. Finally it was you Serena."** Dawn opened her mouth to say something but Ash interrupted her. **"No Dawn, I never felt anything for Iris and I felt the spark between her and Cilan so I did everything I could to help them notice it, such as being extremely annoying to Iris and teasing Cilan about him and her."** The girls laughed weakly. **"Back to the story; I wanted to tell each of you, but every time I felt this huge fear engulf me. I was too afraid. I didn't think I was good enough and I guess if you were to call me a coward at those moments you would be right. I would throw myself in front of legendaries and evil organizations without a second's thought, but I was too afraid to say 'I like you'…"**

Ash gave a pause, thinking they might want to ask a question but they stayed silent. He continued on.

" **I finally figured out why I was so afraid."** The girls listened intently, not daring to make a sound. **"I was afraid that the same thing would happen to me and each of you as what happened between me and my father. I loved my father very much and he just left me. I was afraid that if I told you how I felt about you, let you get that close to me, that you would disappear one day on me too, just like him. I figured out that, at those times, I subconsciously believed that it would be better to let a friend go than to put the pieces of my heart back together again."**

Ash finished with what he remembered telling Joy and decided that was the best way to let them know what he was feeling. The girls started sobbing, but silently. Heavy and fast tears were pouring down their faces, landing on their clothes and bed covers.

" **I want to apologize for that. Before I went away for three years, when I made that group phone call with you and the others, the way you reacted to me saying good bye was when it hit me. I knew then that I had made big mistakes and I believed it was too late. I had to go away and by the time I could come back and make an appearance it wouldn't matter anymore for I feared you all would have moved on. My heart broke when I thought of that, believing that's what would come to be. That's why I disguised myself at first, for I feared running into you and having those feelings I felt for you come back if any of you four were with someone else and if you weren't, I feared that you would kill me."** Ash laughed weakly at the dark joke, the girls chuckling slightly too.

" **But now I have another chance, now knowing full well that I was an idiot, that what I feel for each of you and what you each feel for me is true and pure. You have touched my life and I believe I have touched each of yours as well. I care so much for each of you that I would go insane if anything happened to any of you. But I don't want to be an asshole. I know it would be a selfish and evil thing to string along even one beautiful and great girl, but to do that to four beautiful and great girls, who are also my close friends, would definitely earn me a place in hell, Aura Guardian or not. So I must confess and come clean. At this moment, I cannot pick over any of you. I cannot choose. I care for each of you deeply and in the same amount. It's not fair I know. Perhaps if I had the balls to say something before, then maybe we wouldn't be in this position right now or maybe we still would have, or in a different way. Honestly, I don't even know and who would?"**

Ash looked at the girls with such passion in his eyes that each of the girls melted.

" **Let me put out something right now that I have to bring up and maybe say another idea depending on your response and then I will let you four decide what we will do."**

The girls glanced at each other, with teary red eyes, even though they stopped crying for the moment. They nodded at each other and then nodded at Ash.

" **Okay. One of the things we could do to fix this between the five of so none of us gets possibly hurt further is to just bury everything right here and now and move on with our lives. Is that something you would like to do?"** The girls immediately cried out against it. Ash was stunned; he didn't think they would respond with that much emotion against it.

" **Okay, I'm sorry but I had to say it. Since that's the case, the other idea I had was for each of us to spend some more time together alone, get to know each other better, a little more personally. Like go on a real date with each of you. I would be honored if each of you gave me that chance. We may find out some things about each other that may make or break us, either making it easier to be together or to just be friends. Other than that, I have nothing else to offer, since I cannot choose between any of you right now. I only ask for a chance to see how each of us would function together, relationship wise. If you feel that is not fair, I will understand completely and not even hold it against you."**

The girls looked at each other for a moment then asked Ash to give them a minute. He agreed and went into the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to Ash, they called him back inside. The four girls were standing with their hands on their hips. Ash consciously massaged his right cheek. The girls picked up on this and giggled.

" **Don't worry, we're not going to slap you again,"** smiled Dawn.

" **Yea, not this time,"** said Serena cheekily. Ash gave a small smile.

" **Okay. This is what we decided we're going to do Ketchum,"** started May.

" **We want you to take each of us out on a date, a real date, on different days. And on those different days, whoever's turn it is that day, you will treat her as your girlfriend and we will treat you as our boyfriend, as if we've been together for a while, from when we wake up to when we go to sleep,"** said Misty.

" **We will be ourselves, no gimmicks, no plays or tricks. Do what you feel right doing and natural to you and we will do the same. We also came up with a couple rules to keep things fair,"** continued Serena. Ash nodded to let them know that he was on the same page so far.

" **Rule number one would be that on the days where one of us is your 'girlfriend', the other three girls are not allowed to jeopardize, insult, bother, get angry or jealous for any reason, if there is flirting, kissing, teasing or anything else that happens between us,"** said Dawn, as she surprisingly held a serious expression on her face while she said it.

" **Rule number two is that the only people who can find out about this agreement for the time being is our friends so it doesn't weird them out and so they won't get involved and mess things up, thinking that something is wrong,"** finished May.

Ash nodded. He fully understood what the girls wanted and he intended to make it happen so with every fiber of his being.

" **Ash,"** Misty said. Ash looked at her. **"Also, the date and girlfriend days would be every other day, so one day you would be with one of us, the next day rest and relax so we can become neutral, then the day after resting would continue the process and on and on. And one more thing; after the fourth date, we will give you one more day to think of whom you want to choose and the day after, we expect an answer by the end of the day."**

" **Okay. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena…thank you for understanding and for giving me a chance. I will not let you down. I promise to be the best boyfriend I can be on those days and to give you the best dates possible. Hopefully each of us will find an answer that allows us all to be happy and find what we're looking for."**

Ash finished by smiling his trademark goofy grin, causing the four girls' hearts to melt since they haven't seen it for so long. Before Ash knew what was going on, they four girls tackled him, the five of them landing on the king sized bed. Two of the girls were on top of him while the other two were on his sides; Serena was on his left, Misty and May in the middle, with Dawn on his right.

" **We'll let the guys know what we're doing tomorrow. Tonight let's just not think about it anymore and just enjoy this moment for a bit,"** said Serena quietly as she snuggled into Ash's left side, Dawn copying her on the right. Misty and May repositioning themselves into comfier positions on his chest.

Ash couldn't speak and he didn't know what to do. Finally, he decided to just leave them be, figuring they would get up on their own soon enough. He relaxed and noticed that his head was on the pillow.

Their group tackle had launched them to the top of the bed, enabling them to lie down perfectly and comfortably. Ash shook his head slightly in disbelief, being careful not to bother the girls. He raised his arms and hugged the four girls as best he could. They hummed lightly for a second and Ash gave a content hum in response. The five of them realized at that moment that they were going to spend the night sleeping like that; fully dressed still and lying together on one king sized bed and they weren't just fine with it; they were happy about it and it felt right.

" **Goodnight girls."**

" **Goodnight Ash."**

After about fifteen minutes, Brock opened the door slightly to check on them.

" **Guys?"** whispered Brock. After not hearing a response, Brock opened the door a little more and what he saw stunned him for a couple seconds. Finally he came to his senses, shaking his head and smiling at the same time.

" **I knew it."**

There was a flash of light. He took a picture of them sleeping like that. He sent a copy to Ash's Poketch. It beeped immediately after and Brock jumped, not expecting it. He didn't move and stared at them, making sure they didn't get up. After a few minutes of nothing happening, he sighed a breath of relief. He walked into the room quietly, grabbed a blanket and covered the five with it. As he left the room and closed the door he bade them goodnight and went back to join the others with a big smile on his face.

" **Cough up losers. I win."**

Brock's smug and happy face, along with the photo evidence, answered the groups' question of what happened to the five. Gary, Iris, Cilan, Richie and Max took out twenty poke dollars each and handed it to Brock. Iris and Cilan went to their room, Cilan a little annoyed that he actually lost a bet, but Iris mentioned making him feel better soon, which Gary caught her say before they closed their door.

Gary raised his eyebrows a few times and pointed at their room whispering **"You think they're going to play hide the zucchini?"**

Max tilted his head in confusion, not catching the reference but Richie face palmed but then laughed, while Brock went red in the face. They soon called it a night and went to bed, Gary smirking as he did so.

 _I have a lot of material to use,_ he thought as he fell asleep, thinking of ways to joke and prank on Ash, the four girls and Iris and Cilan. He fell asleep with a big smirk on his face.

 _ **A/N - I hope my writing is getting better. Anyway, you know the drill; review, fav and follow! I want to hear your thoughts! Also, I want to know who do you want to appear in the story? I have an outline made and have many people join in later on and who gets with who but I want to know who you want involved or mentioned. Thanks!**_


	17. Chapter 17 - Shock and Awe

_**A/N - Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks for reading!**_

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 17 – SHOCK AND AWE

Ash woke up in the morning and was about to shout in surprise, but stopped himself in time. His eyes had opened to a most peculiar scene; Dawn, Misty, May and Serena were fast asleep, in the bed with him. Two of the girls were on top of him, the other two cuddled against him, one on each side. At first he was confused, and then quickly remembered the previous night's events. He closed his eyes and couldn't believe the situation he was in currently, nor the agreement the five of them made together before falling asleep. He opened his eyes and glanced down at each girl and the corners of his lips curled up into a smile.

 _They're each so beautiful both inside and out. How did I become so lucky all of a sudden?_

The raven haired guardian continued gazing at them and noticed something amusing. Each of them had their hair messed up, most likely because of moving around while sleeping and each of them had their face buried into his upper body. He then noticed that they were quite still and he felt fear engulf him for a quick second, thinking they weren't breathing. Luckily before he started to freak out, he then noticed their bodies slightly moving up and down as they breathed in and out quietly. Ash took a deep breath to calm himself and sighed quietly.

 _Relax man, geez. You're going to kill yourself by stressing out._

After taking a moment to calm down and relax, Ash looked at the girls again, alternating his view from each one every few seconds. He then looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, a large smile on his face.

 _I am one lucky ass guy. I can't believe I have another chance and there is no way in hell I'm going to mess this up too. Thank you Arceus._

He considered going back to sleep for a little while longer when he felt one of the girls move. He opened his eyes and looked down. The blunette stirred slowly and raised her head, her sleepy blue eyes connecting with Ash's own wide awake brown ones.

" **Hey Dawn. Sleep well?"**

Dawn's eyes widened in realization, as the previous night's memories came rushing back and she was about to let out a squeak when Ash covered her mouth hurriedly out of instinct.

" **Ssshhh! They're still asleep."** Ash whispered and lowered his hand. Dawn moved her eyes over the still sleeping girls. A smirk grew slowly on her face as she raised her eyes back up to meet with Ash's.

" **They're not asleep. They're only pretending."**

" **How do you know?"**

" **Call it woman's intuition."**

" **Really?"** Ash cocked one eyebrow.

" **Oh alright, fine. They're playing with your belt buckle."**

" **WHAT?!"** yelled Ash as he pulled the blanket off and looked down. He saw nothing amiss but his yell had woken up and startled the girls.

" **Ash, why'd you scream in our ears?"** asked Serena sleepily, rubbing her eyes, Misty and May doing the same as they sat up in bed.

" **Dawn scared the crap out of me saying that you three were playing with my belt buckle!"**

" **HEY!"** shouted the three girls together as they rounded on Dawn instantly.

Dawn jumped off the bed, frightened and moved away as the three girls followed her but then the blunette got an idea to quickly turn the tables.

" **Wait a second. Why would you be scared of them playing with your belt buckle? I thought you said that you like us?"**

The girls stopped moving forward, having heard Dawn's words and now it was Ash's turn to be afraid as his eyes widened in fear when he witnessed the girls turning slowly to face the raven haired trainer, their eyes narrowed.

" **What's so scary about us doing that Ash?"** questioned May in a low and dangerous voice as they moved closer to him.

" **I…ah…well…."** muttered Ash, unable to speak, his face paling quickly. Misty, May and Serena were getting closer and Dawn joined them, sporting an amused look on her; she was obviously very pleased with herself on setting him up. He began backing up on the bed and soon found himself pressed against the head board with no more room to move back and the girls were too close for him to try to move in a different direction. He was trapped and he knew he didn't have many options.

" **I've never done anything like that before and I panicked!"** confessed Ash finally, holding up his hands in front of him, turning his face to the side as he closed his eyes. **"Plus I didn't want anyone walking in on us like that, especially Gary! I'd never hear the end of it!"**

The girls stopped advancing and their angry looks were soon replaced with amused yet understanding ones. The four glanced at each other for a quick moment and then each of them climbed onto the bed, gathering around the young man. Misty grasped Ash's hands and gently lowered them. Ash cracked his eyes open a little, expecting a punch or a slap, but instead he saw the four of them smiling, sitting around him on the bed. He faced them fully and tilted his head, confused.

" **Ah, why are you smiling at me like that? Did I do something funny?"**

" **No dummy. What you said was cute and adorable,"** said Misty.

" **Yea, we haven't done anything either, so we're just messing with you,"** added Serena.

" **What...oh I see. Heh. Well I guess that's a good thing then? The five of us can experience new things together huh?"** The girls blushed madly after he said that. **"Ah, are you guys okay? What did I say?"**

" **Ash, sometimes you really are dense,"** laughed Dawn as Ash scratched the back of his head.

" **But its okay, we like it,"** said May.

" **And here is a little something for you to occupy your thoughts for a bit,"** finished Misty as she leaned in closer.

Ash was dumbstruck as the beautiful red head gave him a quick kiss on the lips and pulled away shortly after. Before he could even understand what had happened, Dawn leaned in and gave him a quick kiss as well, his eyes widening. Before he could react to it, the blunette pulled away only for Serena to swoop in and catch him off guard when she laid a kiss on him, when he expected May to be next since she had made slight movements towards him, distracting him. After Serena pulled away, May leaned in with a slight grin on her face, happy with her successful distraction and gave the last kiss from the four girls. When she finished and pulled away, which was all too soon for Ash's like since he had finally begun to enjoy the kissing, the raven haired trainer was still stuck in a daze, not noticing the four girls' large smiles on their faces.

The girls were soon overcome with giggles at the sight of Ash lost in a trance at what just happened to him and they got up off the bed and left his room hurriedly, lost in their laughter. It took a couple minutes for Ash to gather himself before he got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. As he washed his face and brushed his teeth, he couldn't stop thinking about the four girls and it just made him smile as he went through his morning routine. He soon finished up and left his room, running into the others in the living room. He let them know he was going downstairs to get Gardevoir. As he was about to leave the suite, Misty caught up to him, saying she wants to go with him to get her and that the others were still getting ready. Ash was more than happy to go get his pokémon with Misty but he controlled himself. He didn't want to look like an idiot already. The duo took the elevator down to the ground floor, meeting Joy soon after at the counter.

" **Hey, good morning Joy,"** they said together.

" **Good morning. Looks like you're here to take Gardevoir back home."**

" **Yup. So can she go now?"**

" **Yes. I've just finished up some tests and everything looks good to me,"** beamed Joy. **"Honestly, I'm pretty shocked that she was able to heal so quickly. Her wounds were very severe."**

" **Maybe Lucario used Heal Pulse on her? Either way, its good she can finally leave,"** said Ash.

" **Hmm…Maybe you're right. I'm actually surprised I didn't think of that. Well, right this way."** Joy led them to Gardevoir's room and they stepped inside.

" **Pikapi! Pikachupi!"** Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms, giving him a quick nuzzle against his chest and then leapt onto Misty's arms, nuzzling their cheeks together and then remained with her.

" **Traitor,"** muttered Ash as the group laughed, Gardevoir being the last one to stop. **"So we can finally get you out of here. No more nurses waiting on you. How's that feel?"**

" **Great! I can't wait to get out of here. I swear I'd probably die of boredom here if it wasn't for Lucario, Pikachu and Joy,"** revealed the fairy pokémon.

" **Oh really? And what exactly did they do to entertain you so well?"** The raven-haired trainer glanced at the three mentioned, as they avoided eye contact with him. He could tell, even without his aura powers, they must've done some crazy and embarrassing things.

" **Pikapi, pi pi pika chu pikachu kachu pi pika!"**

" **Alright fine. I won't force it out of you three if you keep your mouth shut."**

" **OH!"** Misty instantly knew it was regarding something embarrassing about Ash and she wanted to know and she caught Pikachu's attention. **"You'll tell me later right?"** Pikachu shook his head as he crossed his arms.

" **He knows better Misty. He may hang with you more when you're around, but he won't betray me."**

Misty sighed. He was right. Pikachu may not battle against her, may stick to her side more when she's around, but the yellow mouse would never betray Ash. She felt proud that Ash had such loyal pokémon. They would tease, joke and prank each other, but when it comes down to it, they had each other's backs no matter what and she knew it was because of his unique personality that helped him grow such strong bonds with his pokémon. It was this same thing that made the connections between him and most of his friends that strong as well. Misty knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would never betray him, nor would the other girls and he would never betray them or their other friends either.

" **Master, do you know when your next match is? I'm itching for a battle."**

" **We'll check the board before we head back up. I promise you'll get a turn but I don't want to have you compete until the later rounds."** Lucario dropped his head a bit. **"But we'll go full blast on training together today. How's that buddy?"** Lucario lifted his head with a big smirk on his face.

" **I hope you're ready to get creamed Master!"**

" **We'll see Lucario."**

" **Ash, what do you and Lucario mean by that?"** The way they spoke made Misty worry.

" **Oh, Lucario and I spar together. It's no big deal. We've done it a lot."** Ash waved his hand in the air as if what they did wasn't too weird. Misty and Joy stared at him.

" **Are you crazy?! You can't spar with a pokémon, especially one as powerful as Lucario!"** snapped Misty, absolutely certain that he would get hurt.

" **Hey, it's okay. We've done it a million times before. I promise we won't get hurt. Hey I know, you can watch us spar then you'll see Misty."**

" **If you think I'm going to watch you let yourself get pulverized then you're a bigger dummy than I thought Ketchum!"**

" **Please, Mist. Just trust me."** His pleading eyes pierced into her defiant eyes. Several seconds passed, before Misty felt her resolve wavering. She let out a sigh as she finally agreed.

" **Fine. But if you get hurt, I'm going to mallet you into the ground Ketchum!"**

Ash chuckled, hearing her bizarre threat but knew it was her way of saying how much she cares.

" **It's a deal Mist."**

He smiled at her and without thinking, gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She blushed, not expecting him to do that while the others stared at Ash. Suddenly aware of what he did and in front of whom, Ash hurriedly changed the subject.

" **Let's go check the battle board."**

They all left the room, with Ash a little red and Misty sporting a rather gleeful look on her face. Ash signed Gardevoir out at the main counter while said pokémon stretched out her arms, back and legs before walking gracefully beside her friend Misty and her trainer Ash. She was beaming from ear to ear as she was so relieved to be out of the stuffy room. Lucario seemed to be in a much happier mood as well, seeing his comrade and close friend back on her feet. Pikachu was standing on Misty's shoulder, cooing in delight as she scratched his head. They found the battle board easily enough as there were a few trainers scanning it for their match times. Ash moved in front as one of the trainers left, obviously satisfied with the information.

" **Let's see…"** He quickly scanned the information and found what he was looking for. **"Looks like I'm the last match of the day, 5pm. My opponent's name is Jack Thompson. Richie's is at 4pm today. He's up against a Judy Smith."** He faced his friends. **"Time to go. Joy, we'll see you later and thanks for everything. You're welcome to come spend some time with us in our room anytime you wish."**

" **Thanks Ash. I'll probably drop by. See you later!"** Joy returned back to continue her duties as the group went back up to their room. As they stepped inside, they saw that everyone was awake. Brock and Cilan were busy setting up breakfast.

" **Gardevoir!"**

They jumped at the sudden greeting. May, Serena, Dawn and Iris had shouted together and hopped to the fairy pokémon, taking turns hugging her as they welcomed her back.

" **It's so good to see you out and about again!"**

" **Yea, we're so happy you're feeling better!"**

" **Now we can have more girl time together!"**

" **Wow, let her relax you kids!"**

" **Thank you. I truly appreciate your kind words."** Gardevoir smiled at them.

" **Breakfast is ready!"** said Brock and Cilan together.

" **Great, I'm starving!"** Ash said as he shot to the table and sat down with May right at his heels. They grabbed a little bit of everything, filing up their plates quickly before they stuffed the food into their mouths at top speed. Somehow the two were able to continue chewing their food even thought their mouths were beyond full.

" **I thought I've seen him eat like crazy before but this takes the cake and May is almost as bad. They look like a couple of Swalot at a buffet,"** remarked Gardevoir a little shocked at the lack of etiquette, with the others laughing at her comparison.

" **This is nothing. Remember their little chicken wing contest? They've had bigger ones than that and those were scary. Talk about bottomless pits."** Max crossed his arms and shook his head while the others agreed with some laughs. Lucario looked on in disgust but knew no matter what he said, Ash would just shrug it off but he had to try anyways.

" **Master, you shouldn't eat so much and so fast if we're going to spar."**

" **Don'th worry about ith…oops…shorry Rishie…"** Ash swallowed his food. **"My bad Richie. Oh by the way, you're next match is at 4pm today, against a Judy Smith."**

" **It's alright Ash. Cool, thanks man."**

" **Ash, what did Lucario mean by you two sparring?"** inquired Cilan.

" **Just what it sounds like. He and I are going to spar later on today."** He continued eating as everyone just stared at him as if he was crazy. He raised his head after noticing the silence and saw their confused and concerned faces. **"What?"**

" **You do know how ridicules that sounds right?"** asked Iris.

" **I've done it before."**

" **This ought to be a very entertaining flavor. It will be a grand showing of strength and skill for sure!"** remarked Cilan. His words earned himself an elbow from an annoyed Iris.

" **Okay I have to see this. I'm going to enjoy watching you get your ass handed to you Ashy-boy! Damn, I wish I brought my video camera with me,"** commented Gary, pissed that there was yet another thing to record and keep for later taunts and jokes.

" **If you guys want to come and watch that's alright just don't get in the way."**

His friends agreed to come watch the sparring session. Each of them was very curious as to how their friend would fight against a pokémon as most of them had never heard or seen such a thing. Ash and Lucario shared a mental agreement to start off slow so they wouldn't scare them too much right off the bat. They finished their meal and cleaned up. After waiting around the suite for an agreed amount of time of at least half an hour, so that their food could settle in their stomachs, the sparring partners thought it was a good time to go. Gardevoir decided to stay in the suite and relax a bit since she didn't want to go down again so soon but wanted some company so Pikachu volunteered to stay with her as well who was delighted.

When they went downstairs, they invited Joy to come watch if she could. She was due for a break and decided it was the perfect time to take it as she was deciding on what to do when on it. They left the building and headed into the nearby woods, walking into it for a bit before finding a suitable clearing.

" **Okay, this place looks good,"** commented Ash and Lucario agreed. **"You guys may want to stay near the trees, as we tend to move around a lot when we spar and sometimes it could get a little chaotic. But don't worry; we won't scare you guys too badly."**

Lucario chuckled as Ash got ready for their sparring session while their friends glanced at one another, getting psyched since they wanted to see just how Ash could spar against a powerful pokémon like Lucario. He took off his shoes, socks and shirt before stretching a bit to warm up for their fight. Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, Serena and Joy went crimson seeing his toned but not too muscular body in the sun. The four girls who were in love with Ash were practically drooling over the sight of him so grown up and in shape and it made the others laugh a bit, which shook them out of their trance. They hurriedly composed themselves though they still had many erotic thoughts run across their minds, resulting in sheepish smiles spreading on their faces. Gary, Brock, Richie and Max smirked as they saw them get embarrassed and stare straight ahead. When Cilan noticed Iris's stare though, he covered Iris's eyes at first and would have continued doing so until he was elbowed hard by her.

" **I'm not a kid!"**

Iris's elbow and Cilan's jealousy made the others laugh as they observed the couple's actions. When they heard Ash say he was ready to go, they turned their attention back to the two. Lucario and Ash bowed to each other and took up battle stances.

" **Are you ready Master?"**

" **I should be asking you the same question,"** replied Ash and they both grinned. **"On the count of three then?"** Lucario nodded. **"One…two…three!"**

Man and pokémon dashed forward at once with such speed that it amazed their spectators. They both launched punches at the same time that ended up with both fists colliding into each other, causing a small wave of energy to travel up through their arms between the two. Lucario immediately follow up with a right roundhouse kick to Ash's head but he blocked the attack with his free hand, automatically countering with a front kick to Lucario's chest though the aura pokémon blocked it with his free hand. The aura pokémon was about to deliver another punch to Ash's chest but it was deflected at the last second as Ash threw a punch straight at his head. Lucario ducked, evading the attack and attempted to deliver an uppercut to Ash's chin but the raven haired trainer took a step back, dodging it and aimed his own roundhouse kick to Lucario's side but that was blocked too. Both Lucario and Ash launched punches again that ended up striking each other once more. They both took a few steps back from that last attack, grins on both of their faces.

" **Not bad Master. Let's kick things up a notch shall we?"** asked Lucario.

" **Now that's what I was waiting for buddy,"** replied Ash with a grin.

Before their viewers could ask them what they meant by that, both Ash and Lucario charged towards each other again but they were moving much faster this time. They began fighting again but at a much more frantic pace than before. They increased their speed to the point where everything just looked like a blur. Their friends watching from the sidelines were stunned at the sparring session in front of them, which looked more and more as a full on battle as time progressed.

" **Wow."** It was all that May could say. She knew Ash was tough, but this was something else.

" **I'd never believe Ash would fight a pokémon himself, let alone keep up with it,"** said Brock.

" **We learn something new every day, don't we?"** Richie said as he glanced at Joy. Her jaw was dropped and was not moving. Richie half smiled and tapped her on the shoulder for a moment before finally getting through to her. She turned his way, mouth still open.

" **Hey, so I'm guessing you want a bug to go in your mouth?"** joked Richie. Joy shut her mouth instantly and playfully smacked his shoulder while Richie chuckled. Right after that, Lucario dodged Ash's kick and cart wheeled away a bit. He straightened out and called out to Ash.

" **Warm up's over Master!"**

" **That was only a warm up?!"**

Before anyone could answer Max, Lucario vanished from his spot. Ash settled himself into a defensive position, scanning the area around him, letting his senses detect the pokémon's movements. Ash threw a sudden punch to his right, causing Lucario's image to flicker there for a second and vanished. About five seconds later, Ash whirled around to deliver a side kick at another location. Lucario's image once again flickered before disappearing.

" **Do any of you know what's going on?"** asked a surprised Serena.

" **It looks like Lucario is using Extreme Speed to attempt to land a sneak attack and Ashy-boy is preventing him from doing so,"** shrugged Gary.

Several more attempts were made by the pokémon and each time before he could land a strike from nowhere, Ash would counter each attempt. After the last attempt was stopped, both Lucario and Ash back flipped away from each other. They finished their acrobatic display by landing on their feet, a span of twenty feet in between them.

" **Good Master. You have remembered our training well. Let us practice at our full strength now."**

" **Full strength?"** murmured the friends to each other.

" **You sure we should do that here?"  
**

" **Yes. Nobody else is around and your friends are trust worthy."**

Ash nodded and turned to the others with a grin on his face.

" **You guys are in for a treat."**

" **What do you mean Ash?"** asked Dawn.

" **You'll see soon enough."**

Ash and Lucario gave a slight nod to one another and stood still a couple seconds. The others were confused but soon gasped at what they saw happening in front of them. Lucario and Ash had a blue outline appear around them and their eyes glowed blue as well. Next, both of them had their aura flare out like blue flames around their bodies. They had summoned their aura powers to the fight now.

" **Even though they're just sparring, I can't help but wonder how majestic they look,"** whispered Joy while some of the others nodded in agreement. The four girls each were thinking different things.

 _Wow Ash, you've really developed your Aura powers since Rota_ , thought May.

 _I've crushed on you since the beginning because of your caring ways but damn Ash; you've become so strong and sexy too!_ Dawn was practically drooling over the sight of him.

 _I know you were special but this takes the cake!_ Serena was gazing at him as if he was a wonder.

 _You never cease to surprise me Ash, even after all these years._ Misty smiled as she realized she could never predict what he'll do next.

" **Let's see how much you can take Master,"** stated Lucario.

He immediately fired a large blue sphere of energy, an Aura Sphere, at Ash. Before anyone could even register how quickly the attack was launched, Ash brought up a blue dome around him, an Aura Shield, at the last second, the attack exploding on contact. Lucario fired another Aura Sphere and that too was blocked. The aura pokémon began rapidly launching the attacks at Ash who was blocking each one with his shield as he moved around the field, trying to get closer to Lucario as he did so. Once he drew close enough to Lucario, a small blue sphere was seen materializing in one of Ash's hands.

" **I hope you're hungry Lucario!"** jested Ash as he launched his own Aura Sphere at the pokémon from point blank range.

Lucario's eyes widened in shock at the close range attack that was aimed for his head and it almost struck him but the aura pokémon was able to barely put up a shield of his own, letting the ball of blue aura energy strike his shield, exploding on contact. Lucario vanished from sight as Ash was preparing another attack. Ash stopped and took up his defensive position again. He sensed where Lucario would be with his Aura Senses and readied another Aura Sphere. As soon as Lucario appeared, Ash spun to face him, launching the sphere without hesitation. The sudden attack made Lucario bring out his own Aura Shield again and blocked it. This continued for on for a bit until Ash blocked one final Aura Sphere from Lucario. After that, Lucario vanished from sight again and reappeared instantly about fifty feet away from Ash.

" **Well done Master. You have mastered the basics and kept your skills sharp. Let us finish this sparring session with a bang. Let's try the new technique we've been working on for the past couple months."**

" **Those were only the basics?!"** repeated Gary with absolute surprise.

" **New technique?"** asked Max to no one in particular.

They continued watching as Ash and Lucario got ready for their new technique. They both raised their arms and brought their hands together, palms open and the bottom of their wrists touching. They each put one leg a little back and concentrated, causing a ball of blue energy to appear in front of their palms and grow larger and larger. Once it reached the size of a small ball, they both launched their attacks, streams of energy trailing behind them. The beams of aura energy collided and a power struggle ensued soon after, neither giving up.

" **They're even in power!"** Serena shouted out as they viewed the power struggle for a moment, wondering who would prevail.

" **You can do it Ash!"** encouraged Misty suddenly.

Ash's aura flared out more for a split second, but that's all it took. His aura beam pushed Lucario's back a bit before causing an explosion, resulting in a small smoke cloud to hover around the sparring partners for a few seconds before clearing out. Ash and Lucario were taking deep breathes but quickly recovered.

" **Good job Master."**

" **Thanks. Not too bad yourself Lucario. Let's go get cleaned up and relax."**

Ash put his shoes and socks on first and then put on his shirt. He walked over to the rest and asked them what they thought. All he got was silence. He chuckled and then turned to face the red head.

" **Oh, by the way, thanks Mist."**

" **For what?"** asked Misty, tilting her head.

" **Your words encouraged me, gave me a little boost."**

" **Oh, it was nothing."** Pink circles appeared on her cheeks.

" **Not necessarily, Lady Misty. An Aura Guardian can manipulate and use the Aura around him, but can also draw strength from those who believe in them. Your words did more than just encourage, just so you know."**

" **Okay, I understand. Thanks for explaining it to us Lucario."**

" **It is my pleasure. My Master's friends are his trust worthy allies and I know you will guard this information with utmost care."**

They all agreed that they would not tell anyone anything about Ash's powers. The less people that knew about his aura the better.

" **Hey, what was that last attack Ash?"** asked May.

" **That was an Aura Beam. It's one of the advanced techniques and one of the most powerful attacks an Aura Guardian can use. It's hard to use and requires using a lot of aura but the payoff is worth it when you can master it. Lucario and I have been working on it for the past few months now,"** explained Ash. The others understood and were impressed that Ash could use such an awesome move.

" **Hey guys, I have to go back to work. But I'll catch up with you all later when I get off,"** said Joy as she took a few steps away from them.

" **I'll walk you back if you'd like the company,"** offered Richie. Joy accepted, the two walking back to the hotel together.

" **So, another couple in the works, eh?"** Gary pointed at them behind his back with his thumb while grinning and raising his eyebrows a few times.

" **Seriously Gary? You're such a kid."** Iris shook her head and walked towards the hotel, Cilan beside her.

" **Whatever short stuff,"** huffed Gary and he followed them.

Ash, Lucario, May, Misty, Serena, Dawn, Max and Brock followed after the pokémon researcher. Max was asking questions to Ash nonstop about how he became so strong, what else he learned, what pokémon he caught and many more. The guardian grinned and told the young boy that he'd tell him, but not yet, saying that he would let everyone know soon about a few things he's been up to when away.

They went back to their suite after saying bye to Joy and Ash excused himself from the others and hopped in the shower. Lucario and Gardevoir headed to the balcony together and talked. Pikachu jumped onto the couch and curled up, taking a nap. After Ash showered and dressed he left his room and found everyone in the living room, sitting on the couches and talking, while the TV was on. Ash caught the eyes of the four girls and he mouthed the word 'now'.

" **Hey guys, there's something I need to tell you,"** said Ash as he picked up the TV remote and turned off it off.

" **Sure thing big guy. What's on your mind?"** asked Brock, as he gave his pseudo brother his attention.

" **Well, I don't know exactly how to say this since its something that's so new to me…well,"** Ash scratched the back of his head, a clear sign that he was either confused or nervous, and in this case, it was both.

" **Spit it out already.** " Iris smacked Gary for being so rude.

" **Alright, geez. Well, it's something that's really important and doesn't involve only me, so I shouldn't be saying it alone since it regards a few others that you all know. So…"** Ash glanced at the four girls who rose up from their seats and joined the raven haired trainer, facing the others still on the couch who gave them questioning looks.

" **It's about the five of us. Basically, I like each of them and they each like me,"** said Ash bluntly.

The others replied with shocked expressions and the five had pink circles appear on their faces immediately. Ash took advantage of their silence and continued.

" **We figured out about our feelings for each other when we talked last night together in my room. Since this is such an unusual circumstance, we decided the best way to figure out if each of us really wants this is to spend some time together."**

" **Wait a minute,"** said Brock as he was finally regaining his senses. **"Are you saying you five are going to be in a relationship together?"**

" **No, not exactly. What Ash is trying to say is that he and one of us four girls will be in a relationship for a day to see if it's something we want,"** said Misty.

" **Since he can't pick one of us and none of us want to let him go again, we decided he should take each of us out on a date and treat us as his girlfriend the whole day, on our turn,"** added Serena.

" **So basically Ash is going to go on a date with each of you to see if he really does like you?"** asked Iris.

" **It will also to let us find out if we still want to be with him as well. We decided the only way to be fair and to see if what we want is really what we want, we need to try it out for a bit and see if it feels right,"** said May.

" **So that's why we're telling you what we planned. We don't want you guys to get all surprised or confused and think Ash is cheating on one of us with another one of us. That made sense right? Yea it did,"** beamed Dawn.

The rest stared at them for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Suddenly Gary burst out laughing.

" **HA HA HA HA! Ash you're way over your head! The girls are going to eat you alive! HA HA HA – GAH!"** Misty had walloped Gary with her mallet, sending the researcher to the floor face first.

" **You never know when to shut up, Oak,"** teased Iris. Gary groaned as he slowly picked himself up off the floor.

 **"Hey Gary, you were a nice throw rug. You matched with the furniture,"** joked Ash. Everyone laughed at the joke and Gary chuckled.

" **Touché. I'll give you that one."**

" **So when does this dating boyfriend, girlfriend thing start?"** asked Iris.

" **Tomorrow. We wanted to let you know first. The girls will let me know by the end of tonight who's first so we are ready,"** answered Ash.

" **Okay. Well thanks for letting us know what the situation is. Very mature of you five. I feel as if this will bring a very interesting and spicy flavor to the group,"** remarked Cilan. Iris elbowed him.

" **Don't you ever stop that?"** asked an annoyed Iris.

" **I am a connoisseur, am I not?"** responded Cilan, making Iris puff out her cheeks.

After talking amongst each other a little while longer, they soon separated, doing their own things. Ash went to his room to meditate for a bit before his second match with Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu joining him. The five girls headed to one of the rooms to talk and so Iris can find out more details about what really happened between the four girls and Ash from last night. Max and Richie began a game of Battleship, while Brock and Cilan shared some cooking tips. Gary went to the balcony to enjoy the view and view some information about the tournament on his tablet. An article about the tournament caught his eye about the favorites for the tournament. He scanned through the article, certain names popping out at him. He finished reading the article and looked out into the horizon from his seat in the balcony.

 _This is going to be one heck of a tournament_ , thought Gary. _We got Paul, Trip, Tobias, Richie, Ash and a couple that I don't know about but the article said that they would be tough to beat. And we have Ash dating the four girls? Man, at least I know I won't be bored for the next couple of weeks._

 ** _A/N - What did you guys think of his sparring session and how they dealt with their friends about their particular situation? Review please! I want to hear your thoughts and comments! And follow and favorite! Thanks and have a good weekend!_**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Second Battle

_**A/N - Next chapter is up! Hope you like it!**_

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 18 – THE SECOND BATTLE

It was 3pm and they were starting to get restless, inpatient to see Richie's battle against Judy Smith. All of the friends were sitting in the living room attempting to pass the time with small talk and TV but it didn't make the time go any faster. Lucario and Gardevoir were once again talking in the balcony while Pikachu was taking a nap on Misty's lap.

" **Ash, does Pikachu always take naps now? I don't remember him being like this before."**

" **Well not really Misty. I guess since we've been here, he's treating the tournament like a vacation. Back home we're basically training all day, every day but we take breaks and relax too. Just not as much here. I told my pokémon back home to treat these next couple of weeks as a vacation so they're probably doing the same thing."**

" **Ash, what new pokémon do you have?"**

Max wanted to know what new pokémon Ash had captured and trained. He kept asking this question at different times, hoping to catch him off guard and get him to slip something out but he hadn't been successful yet.

" **Nice try Max,"** answered Ash with a smirk.

" **Ah come on; just tell me one or two!"** begged Max, tugging Ash's sleeve.

" **Yea, c'mon tell us! Don't be so secretive!"** added May, slapping Ash's arm. He gave May an amused look, making eye contact with her before he chuckled.

" **Alright, you want to know who I caught? Hmmm…who should I tell you about…wait…even better, let me show you one of my new pokémon."**

Ash held out his hand in front of him and concentrated. Everyone stared at him, confused as to why he would do that. A small blue ball appeared and quickly grew to the size of a regular poke ball, causing some shouts of surprise from his friends. When it stopped growing, the blue glow faded away to reveal a Luxury Ball. He opened the ball and a flash of light later, one of Ash's new pokémon stood on top of the coffee table. A small four legged cat like pokémon appeared, with a jewel in the middle of his forehead, a light purple fur coat and a tail that was split into two halfway down; an Espeon.

" **Espe!"** said the pokémon and jumped onto Ash, snuggling against his chest while purring.

" **Awww! It's so cute!"** cried Dawn, absolutely fawning over the pokémon.

" **I'm glad to see you too Espeon!"** laughed Ash as the purple pokémon licked his cheek. **"Espeon, say hello to your new friends!"**

Espeon turned around to look at everyone else. She quickly became excited, jumping up and down, completely thrilled to have some new friends to play with.

" **Somebody sure is happy,"** said Misty with a smile as she watched the pokémon jump up and down.

" **Yea, she's a very playful pokémon. She's one of my friendlier pokémon and she loves to play all day but she also trains hard too. Isn't that right Espeon?"**

" **Espe esp!"** Espeon licked his cheek again before suddenly jumping onto Dawn, causing her to squeak in surprise since she wasn't expecting that and everyone laughed.

" **Looks like she likes you Dawn. Maybe because you're both so bubbly,"** teased May.

" **Eh, you're just jealous she likes me more. Isn't that right Espeon?"** Dawn picked her up and hugged her, moving her side to side.

" **Espe!"** Espeon purred lightly as she cuddled up in the blunette's arms and viewed everyone else from her comfortable position, eyes glinting with happiness.

" **What an awesome pokémon! What other pokémon do you have?"**

" **Nope. No more for today Max. Have to keep some surprises for the tournament."**

" **Damn it."**

" **Ash, how'd you bring her here? What was that trick you did?"** asked Brock, the others listening as well since they too were curious.

" **Oh that. Since my pokémon and I have strong bonds between us, I can use my aura to materialize their poke ball in my hand and summon them, anytime, anyplace. It was hard at first but after some practice it's easy as pie."** Ash didn't give them the full details. He didn't think it was necessary right now but he didn't lie either.

" **Ah so that's why you don't have any poke balls with you. Very impressive Ashy-boy. But where are your pokémon staying since they're not at Grandpa's ranch anymore?"** asked Gary.

" **Yea it is. Came in handy several times and I had all of my pokémon go with me when I left three years ago so right now they're just relaxing at the place I went to. Can't say where though, sorry,"** replied Ash. Before they could ask him why, Richie spoke up.

" **Guess what guys?"** asked Richie, excited

" **What?"** asked Max for everyone.

" **It's time to go down for my match,"** grinned Richie.

" **Finally! I thought I would die of boredom!"** cried out Max dramatically.

May smacked him upside the head, causing her younger brother to yelp a little in pain. The others laughed at his misery as they got up to head out. Pikachu woke up when Ash gently shook him and jumped onto Ash's shoulder. Lucario and Gardevoir joined the group as well. Espeon stayed in Dawn's arms, not wanting to leave her.

" **Are you sure you want keep Espeon with you Dawn?"**

" **Yea, its fine Ash, I don't mind and I'm sure we'll be alright."**

" **Okay, just let me know if you change your mind."**

They walked out of the building with Richie, who became a little upset since he was not able to see Joy before he went to compete in his match, as she wasn't there when they left. Gary noticed his friend's behavior and elbowed Ash lightly.

" **Gary, what the-"**

" **Richie,"** interrupted Gary. **"He missed Joy and now he's a little sad. Kind of pathetic isn't it?"**

" **Only thing pathetic is you trying to be funny,"** snorted Ash, causing Gary to stumble a bit.

" **Damn it Ash. That's twice you got me today. Oh shit, the world's going to end!"** panicked Gary.

Ash rolled his eyes and the ones near them laughed at their antics. Once they reached the stadium, Richie entered the trainer's entrance while the others entered the public one. Ash told them that he'll meet up with them in front of the stadium after his match, since he couldn't watch Richie's battle. He headed back out towards the woods with Gardevoir, Lucario and Pikachu.

" **I guess we could do some light training. How about some Gardevoir?"** asked Ash.

" **Yes, finally some real fun,"** responded the graceful pokémon.

They headed into the woods and after finding a suitable clearing, Ash put a thirty minute timer on his Poketch.

" **We'll train for a bit here and rest before going back to the stadium for my match."**

They soon began Gardevoir's training. Ash had Gardevoir practice her teleportation technique while Lucario launched Aura Spheres at her, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Even Lucario sending his Aura Spheres at maximum speed, Gardevoir was still dodging them easily and was now giggling at Lucario, taunting him. Lucario growled, but in a playful way as he attempted to hit her with the spheres. Ash shook his head in amusement at the two.

" **So you think it's too easy huh? Okay, Pikachu, add some Thunderbolts into the mix,"** said Ash, making Gardevoir sweat drop but she remained focused and determined to not get struck.

" **Pika!"** shouted Pikachu as he fired the powerful electrical bolt of energy at the psychic, but she teleported out of the way. Pikachu then launched several Thunderbolts at random, while Lucario kept launching his spheres as well. Both were trying to trip her up and land a hit though Gardevoir teleported away from the dual attacks but not as easily as before. A couple times she barely dodged the attacks.

" **Good job Gardevoir. Now let's see how you do against me."** Ash called off Lucario and Pikachu and he gave her a moment to catch her breath. **"I want you to intercept this with Psychic. Don't dodge alright?"**

Gardevoir nodded and Ash charged up an Aura Sphere, making it a good deal larger than a basketball then tossed it at her. After the blue sphere traveled over half the distance to her, Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and she caught the sphere in midair. She struggled to maintain control, as Ash was still pushing it as well with his aura.

" **Concentrate comrade! You can do it,"** encouraged Lucario.

" **Pi pikachu pika pi pi!"** cheered on Pikachu.

Gardevoir tried to push it back but couldn't. After a moment, Ash sensed Gardevoir losing strength rapidly and dissipated the sphere. Gardevoir dropped to her knees, panting heavily. Ash hurried to her and placed an arm around her.

" **Hey, good job Gardevoir. I shouldn't have pushed so hard, especially since you just got out of the hospital. That was my fault. I'm sorry."** Ash helped her back onto her feet and assisted her in moving back to where Lucario and Pikachu were when she shook her head.

" **No, it wasn't too hard and I'm glad that you're not babying me. This shows that I'm not back to full strength yet, even though I thought I was."**

Ash smiled at her honesty and after Lucario used Heal Pulse on Gardevoir to help her recover some strength, Ash's alarm went off suddenly. He dismissed it and motioned for them to head back to the stadium and turned to his pokémon as they traveled through the forest.

" **Don't worry Gardevoir. You still did great. I'm actually impressed that you were able to do so much so fast. Just do your best and if you need a break, just let us know. I'm all up for good training but not to the extent to hurt ourselves. Deal?"**

" **Deal,"** agreed Gardevoir with a smile.

They reached the trainer's entrance and noticed the time; it was 4:50pm. He looked at the battle board and saw that Richie had triumphed and moved on to the next round, having only one of his pokémon faint in the outcome.

" **Not bad Richie. Hey, why don't you three go find the others and watch the match with them? Tell them snacks are on me and you three go get whatever it is you want."**

Ash took out some money and handed it to Lucario. Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and the three teleported to where the others were in the stands after locking on to Misty's position the second she sensed her location. Their sudden appearance caused some surprised shouts from amongst the crowd near their friends but soon they quieted down.

" **Hey guys. Looks like Ash is back huh?"**

" **Yes Lady May."**

" **And he gave us some money to grab snacks. Can we get something please? I'm a little hungry after the training we did,"** stated Gardevoir as she sat down next to Misty.

" **Ash made you train already? I'm going to mallet him!"** growled Misty, appalled that he made her train so soon right after she just got out of the hospital.

" **It's alright Misty. I wanted it and he stopped the training when it became too much for me. No need to worry,"** replied Gardevoir hurriedly to make her new friend calm down and it worked as Misty took a breath and relaxed.

" **Hey! That's my line!"** complained Dawn. Everyone laughed as Brock stood up.

" **I'll go get the snacks."** Lucario handed him the money as Pikachu jumped onto Brock's shoulder. **"So you're coming to huh?"**

" **Pika!"** nodded Pikachu.

" **One guess as to why he's going,"** said Serena.

" **Ketchup,"** replied the group together. After a few minutes, Brock and Pikachu returned, the yellow mouse holding a bottle of ketchup and grinning. The others laughed at his obsession while Brock handed out popcorn, chips, pretzels and drinks to everyone. Gardevoir started munching on the popcorn and pretzels while Lucario didn't take anything. He merely sat up straight in his seat next to Gardevoir and grimaced slightly as he watched her eat the snacks so quickly, thinking that she must be very hungry since he never saw her eat like that before. As soon as Brock took his seat, the announcer spoke over the speaker system.

" **THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT FOLKS! OUR LAST MATCH OF THE DAY WILL BE BETWEEN JACK THOMPSON IN THE RED BOX VERSUS ASH KETCHUM IN THE GREEN BOX!"**

The crowd roared in approval as the two trainers walked onto the field from opposite ends. This was the match everyone was waiting for that day. They all wanted to see the raven haired trainer battle.

" **Wow, is it just me or is the crowd louder?"** asked Serena.

" **They're definitely louder since Richie's match. Looks like Ash's first battle with Pidgeot seemed to spark everyone's interest,"** mused Cilan.

Ash and Jack meet up in the middle of the field where the referee was at, giving them both a microphone, which they attached to their shirts then shook hands. Jack was a well built trainer who wore clothes similar to that of a Pokémon Ranger, wearing green shorts, brown hiking boots, a black shirt and a green short sleeved jacket.

" **I heard about your first match. You're opponent forfeit. That won't happen with me. I will win."**

" **We'll see Jack."**

Ash's calm demeanor and the little words he used as he spoke made many people in the stands gossip excitedly. The trainers went to their respective boxes, ready to start the battle.

" **Okay, you know the rules. This will be a three versus three battle, one on one, no Mega evolutions allowed, no time limit, substitutions allowed. Are you ready?"** Both trainers nodded. **"Let the battle begin!"**

Both trainers tossed out poke balls and two pokémon appeared instantly.

" **AND THE BATTLE BETWEEN ASH AND JACK BEGINS! JACK SENT OUT AN ABOMASNOW WHILE ASH SENT OUT A FLYGON! BAD BREAK AGAIN FOR THE PALLET TOWN TRAINER! HIS POKEMON IS FOUR TIMES AS WEAK TO ICE TYPE ATTACKS!"**

Iris shivered when she saw the part ice type pokémon. Cilan noticed that and threw an arm around her and brought her close to calm her. Iris thanked him quietly and returned to watch the match.

" **No way, Ash has a Flygon?!"** Max had gotten up, leaning over the railing to get a better look. May grabbed her brother from the back of his shirt and pulled him back down to keep him from falling over.

" **That Flygon looks strong indeed. Look at how shiny his wings and eyes are. They show how strong that particular species of pokémon is the shinier it gets. But I don't know if Ash should use him against Abomasnow. That four times weakness could end him with a single powerful shot,"** expressed Brock.

" **Don't worry Brock. Ash must have a plan. I won't doubt him again after last time,"** replied Misty confidently. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu nodded in agreement over her words.

Back on the field, Jack looked at his opponent and he laughed a bit as he thought something; _too easy._

" **I'm not going to make a mistake like that girl in the first match did Ash from what I've heard! I won't go easy on you and give up an easy win! And I don't underestimate my opponents!"** said Jack but Ash merely crossed his arms and smiled.

" **HEY!"**

Ash's friends heard a female's voice shout out against the remark and looked around. They found the voice belonging to Sarah Wiseman, sitting a few rows behind them watching the fight. Gary looked at her intently for a couple seconds, her attractive face and figure had captured his attention before he was able to face the field again with a thought going through his mind; _damn, she's hot!_

" **Cocky are we? Alright then take this! Abomasnow, Blizzard!"** ordered Jack. The grass and ice type brought forth a furious cold wind with ice and snow around him, heading towards Flygon.

" **Dig."** Flygon dug underground with such speed, he evaded the attack with no problem.

" **I figured as much. Earthquake!"** The white and green pokémon jumped up and slammed against the ground, causing the ground to tremble violently. They heard no sound after the attack stopped.

" **Earth Power."** The ground underneath Abomasnow started shaking and a powerful blast of rocks and dirt shot up from below, hitting its opponent, causing the pokémon to fall backwards while Flygon shot out of the whole.

" **Quick, Ice Punch!"**

" **Counter with Fire Punch."**

Abomasnow got up and both pokémon had their hands glow, one white and the other red. They attacked, hitting each other's fists, struggling to overtake the other.

" **Flamethrower."**

" **Ice Beam!"** screamed Jack.

Both pokémon fired their elemental attacks at point blank range and an explosion occurred when the attacks collided against each other, smoke covering the field. A moment later the dust cleared and there stood Abomasnow and Flygon, both still standing in front of their trainers, ready to go another round.

" **Wow, that Abomasnow is tough,"** said Dawn.

" **Looks like it won't be so easy for Ash-boy,"** joked Gary.

" **Shut up Oak!"** yelled May as she glared at him.

" **Please, all of you calm down and relax,"** said Lucario. **"Master is testing his opponent's strength."**

" **Testing? Are you serious?"**

" **Yes Lady Serena. Watch and see."** The friends turned their attentions back onto the field with inpatient eyes. Unknown to them, Sarah had overheard their conversation.

 _Is he really that strong? How could anyone be that powerful? And who are these people? Wait, I remember the red head. Was she his girlfriend or something? They must be his friends though that's for sure. I must know more about them and him,_ thought Sarah before turning her attention back to the match when she heard Ash's voice.

" **You alright Flygon?"** Flygon let out a loud roar in response. **"I know buddy, just checking,"** chuckled Ash.

 _How could he be so calm? He's up against my pokémon that his is extremely weak to,_ thought Jack.

" **If you're not going to attack then I will. Solar Beam!"** shouted Jack and his Abomasnow gathered energy, charging up his attack.

" **Dragon Rush,"** ordered Ash. Flygon glowed blue as draconian energy surrounded him. Once he gathered the energy needed, Flygon charged at Abomasnow at the same time the ice and grass pokémon fired the powerful green beam. The beam and cackling blue sphere that was Flygon struck head on, each attempting to push against the other. The crowd was going crazy over the power struggle.

" **Good job Flygon! Now, finish this! Full power!"**

" **What?!"** cried out Jack in horror as he watched Flygon push the beam rapidly back towards his opponent. **"Dodge it!"**

It was no use, as Flygon was too fast and Abomasnow was too slow. The dragon pokémon overpowered the green beam and slammed into Abomasnow, causing him to fly into the wall behind Jack and then slide down to the ground with his eyes in swirls.

" **Abomasnow is unable to battle. Flygon wins!"**

The stadium erupted in cheers as Flygon returned to his trainer's side as Jack returned his pokémon.

" **Not bad Ash. But don't underestimate this pokémon!"** Jack sent out his second pokémon, which was a Magnezone.

" **Magne!"** yelled out the large magnet pokémon, shooting a few sparks out form its attached magnets.

" **That Magnezone looks powerful!"**

Pikachu growled and sparks shot out from his cheeks at Iris's comment, making Serena laugh a bit.

" **Don't worry Pikachu, we know you're stronger."**

" **Pika!"** Pikachu crossed his arms and nodded, causing the others to laugh as well.

" **Good job Flygon! Return!"** Ash called back his dragon pokémon.

" **WHAT'S THIS? ASH HAS CALLED HIS FLYGON BACK! HE HAD THE TYPE ADVANTAGE BUT PERHARPS HIS POKEMON WAS TOO TIRED? WHAT IS HE PLANNING?"**

Ash tossed out a poke ball and a large dinosaur pokémon with big jaws, short arms and a long powerful tail appeared, roaring as it emerged.

" **ASH HAS SENT OUT TYRANTRUM, A RARE AND POWERFUL FOSSIL POKEMON!"**

" **What the hell? When did he get a Tyrantrum?"** Gary got up to get a better look at the rare pokémon.

" **How did he get one Lucario?"**

Lucario shook his head at Brock's question. **"You'll have to ask him that."**

" **Amazing,"** whispered Sarah. She couldn't believe what she saw. Tyrantrum are supposed to be almost impossible to get, only if one is lucky enough to find a fossil but even then, the chances of reviving it are slim and costly. _How did he get one?_

Tyrantrum roared and stomped his feet, making small tremors in the ground that shook the stadium a bit, itching to get started.

" **WE'VE GOT ONE INPATIENT DINOSUAR FOLKS! I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE FACING HIM RIGHT NOW! BUT MAGNEZONE HAS THE ADVANTAGE, BEING PART STEEL TYPE. WILL THE ANCIENT POKEMON BE STRONG ENOUGH WITH HIS WEAKNESS AS A ROCK TYPE?"**

" **Magnezone! Don't underestimate him! Flash Cannon!"** Magnezone shot a beam of white energy at the large jaw pokémon.

" **Do a barrel roll."** Tyrantrum rolled to the side, dodging the attack and landing on his feet.

" **Thunderbolt!"** Ordered Jack immediately after, taking advantage of the slow movement of his opponent. Magnezone fired a powerful bolt of electricity at the dinosaur. It was way too fast to dodge.

" **Take the hit then close the distance."**

" **WHAT!"** His friends shouted but Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu smirked.

The T-Rex like pokémon took the electric attack and let it run through his body without resistance. The electrical current flowed quickly through and ended up doing very slight damage as the fossil pokémon was resistant to it naturally and had grounded his tail against the ground. Once finished, Tyrantrum shook himself, shaking off the electric feeling. He roared even louder and charged towards the electric pokémon. Jack was in shock. The attack did nothing except piss him off.

" **Magnezone! Rapid fire Mirror Shots! Stop him in his tracks!"** Magnezone quickly shot blast after blast of white energy balls at the dinosaur pokémon. Some of the attacks made contact, but Tyrantrum kept charging forward.

" **TYRANTRUM ISN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT! EVEN AFTER TAKING A DIRECT THUNDERBOLT TO THE FACE AND SEVERAL STRONG MIRROR SHOTS, HE'S STILL RUNNING AT FULL SPEED! THIS IS ONE STUBBORN POKEMON!"**

" **I get it now. Damn, why didn't I think of it before?"** said Gary. Brock and Cilan murmured their agreement as they understood.

" **What do you mean?"** asked Dawn.

" **Tyrantrum is part Rock type and Dragon type so the Thunderbolt, even though powerful, hardly affected him and especially since he grounded himself with his tail. Looks like all it did was just piss him off. Because of his anger, the normally super effective Mirror Shots are just being ignored, even though they are damaging him,"** explained Gary.

" **It's genius really, using type advantage in that case and using his pokémon's own nature to increase his chances of winning. Looks like Ash has really grown these past three years,"** added Brock and Misty agreed with Brock's words as they turned their attention back to the match.

" **Good job buddy! Fire Fang!"** shouted Ash. Tyrantrum was too close to Magnezone for Jack's comfort and Ash's command completely caught him off guard.

" **Magnezone! Flash Cannon up close!"** Magnezone fired his attack directly into Tyrantrum's face as the dinosaur clamped his now enflamed teeth on the magnet pokémon. Both cried out in agony but Tyrantrum held on and bit down harder on the steel and electric pokémon.

 _Impressive. Magnezone should've gone down with that one attack because of Tyrantrum's Strong Jaw ability. It must have the Sturdy ability. Well, time to finish this,_ thought Ash.

" **Magnezone, finish with Thunder!"**

" **Tyrantrum, Crunch!"**

Magnezone summoned a large and powerful lightning bolt to slam down onto the dinosaur pokémon before it could begin its attack. Even though it was resistant against electrical attacks, the energy of the move was so great it caused him to cry out in pain, letting go of his opponent and pushing him back. Magnezone looked drained after finishing his attack and slowly floated down to the ground, exhausted but still conscious. Tyrantrum advanced to deliver his finishing blow.

" **Tyrantrum! Stop!"** The dinosaur stopped his attack in time and turned his head to look at the raven haired trainer. Ash made a signal at the dinosaur who understood what he meant and slowly backed away from Magnezone.

" **Why didn't he finish the attack?"** asked Max.

" **Because Magnezone is exhausted and can't defend himself anymore. It used up all its energy on the last attack and can't go on. Ash is a fair battler and wouldn't finish off a match like that if he didn't have to,"** answered Brock.

Sarah's eyes widened at what she saw and heard from the spiky haired man. She had moved closer to them but not too much. She's never seen anyone with such sportsmanship. Everyone she's faced before were always arrogant or smug about their victories and never showed any mercy to their opponents. She was very impressed by his actions.

" **NOW THAT'S SPORTSMANSHIP! ASH CALLED BACK HIS POKEMON BEFORE HE COULD SERIOUSLY INJURE MAGNEZONE! THIS TRAINER HAS HEART AND IS FAIR!"**

The four girls smiled at the announcer's kind words, knowing that it's true while the crowd screamed its approval. Some called him the Ash the Merciful while girls screamed out that they love Ash, causing the four girls to get jealous looks on their faces, making the others glance at each other, thinking of the worst. Yet, when they noticed that Ash was paying attention to his opponent only, they all relaxed.

Jack returned his Magnezone, thanking him for doing his best. He looked at Ash and Tyrantrum. The dinosaur looked a little tired, but not what he was hoping for. He smiled a bit before he pulled out his last pokémon's poke ball.

" **You've done well Ash. Not many have been able to put up a decent fight against me but you're different. My last pokémon is no push over! I didn't think I would need him to beat you! Go! Dragonite!"** shouted Jack, tossing the poke ball into the air. A tall and bulky pokémon appeared, with small wings, two antennas on its head, large claws and with a long strong tail, roaring as it appeared.

" **This is going to be tough. Dragonite are by nature extremely strong. I'm surprised he even has one,"** said Iris, as she shot praise over the dragon pokémon. She loved them more than any other type.

" **Well, Ash does have two dragon pokémon with him,"** countered Serena.

" **That's true Serena, but they're both tired. Then again, maybe they still have the energy,"** replied Iris.

" **Good choice Jack!"** Ash praised his opponent out as he returned Tyrantrum, thanking him for the battle. Everyone awaited his next pokemon. **"This should be interesting,"** muttered Ash as took out a poke ball from underneath his jacket.

" **Who do you think he's going to use?"** asked Max.

" **Charizard maybe? I don't know who else could compete with Dragonite,"** worried Misty. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu sniggered. **"What's so funny?"**

" **You'll see Lady Misty,"** answered Lucario as he pointed at the field.

Ash tossed out his poke ball. Everyone in the stadium held their breath, waiting to see who his third pokémon will be. A tall two legged pokémon appeared, covered with red and yellow feathers, thick strong legs and long toned arms with flames around his wrists along with large split feathers coming down from the back of its head.

" **Blaze!"** roared the pokémon as it took up a fighting stance.

" **ASH HAS CHOSEN BLAZIKEN! WILL THIS FIRE AND FIGHTING POKEMON BE STRONG ENOUGH TO COMPETE WITH THE MYTHICAL DRAGONITE?"**

" **I can't believe he has a Blaziken just like me!"** May was ecstatic. " **Show them how strong Blaziken are Ash!"** she yelled out to her love, who heard her. He turned to face her and the others before smiling back and gave her a nod.

" **I wonder just how many new pokémon has Ash caught and trained,"** thought Max out loud and they just shrugged in response while Pikachu sniggered.

In the VIP room, Goodshow and his guests were there, watching the matches. So far they were mildly attentive with the previous battles that day since they didn't show much to be interested in besides the usual expected performances but were completely impressed with Ash, awed by his strength and battle style. Yet his choice of using Blaziken against Dragonite baffled them, completely confused by Ash's choice. It made them very curious.

" **Jack's Dragonite is going to pose a problem for him,"** commented one of the guests, a woman who was wearing a white coat.

" **Perhaps. But that boy's Dragonite is nowhere near as strong as mine,"** said the spiky dark haired man.

" **Of course not my fellow Champion, but it's still a Dragonite,"** the woman shot back.

" **Have you even looked at the Blaziken? You can feel the confidence and strength it has. This will be no easy match for sure,"** shared a tall muscular man. He was wearing a karate uniform.

" **Let's see what happens,"** interrupted a silver haired man in a suit, before they continued and caused the other guests to get involved.

" **I agree. Let us watch and see what he plans to do,"** replied a blond woman. She wanted to see just how much stronger the raven haired trainer had become since the last time they had seen each other, which now that she thought about it, wasn't really at a good time. She cleared her head after thinking some thoughts and focused on the match once more.

" **Blaziken? Really? After two dragon pokémon, you use him? I'm kind of let down. They're strong sure, but against my Dragonite?"** Jack shook his head and shrugged. Ash continued smiling.

" **Oh don't you worry. We've got a surprise for you."** Blaziken took up a fighting stance and glared at Dragonite, who scoffed.

" **If that's the case, we'll start off strong at once! Dragonite! Dragon Claw!"**

" **Fire Punch!"**

Both Dragonite and Blaziken shot forward with amazing speed and attacked, each of them landing their hits and taking a step back from the impact.

" **Blaze Kick!"**

" **Wing Attack!"**

The fire pokémon engulfed his leg with fire and smashed it against the dragon's side, causing it to grunt in pain. The dragon quickly recovered and struck back with its wings, making the fire type step back.

" **Flamethrower!"**

" **Dragon Breath!"**

Both let out a torrent of flames, one red and yellow, the other purple, in close proximity of each other. People in the stands thought there would be a power struggle but the colliding flames soon exploded, covering the field with smoke. Dragonite flew up into the air, hovering a good distance away, leaving his opponent in the smoke.

" **Good work Dragonite! Get a Dragon Pulse ready and when you get a shot take it!"** Dragonite powered up the attack, waiting for his chance.

" **Sky Uppercut!"**

Blaziken used its incredibly strong leg muscles to jump out of the smoke, high into the air, its fist glowing white. It landed a devastating punch into Dragonite's stomach who was shocked still at being followed into the air and didn't react. The attack caused the mythical pokémon to fire the beam of draconian energy prematurely and off aim, barely grazing against Blaziken's shoulder. The two dropped back down onto the ground. The falcon pokémon landed on its strong legs and rolled to offset the pressure of the land and the dragon pokémon slowed itself down at the last second before crashing into the ground. Both of them got up immediately after, ready for their next bout.

" **INCREDIBLE! BOTH POKEMON ARE STILL STANDING! WHAT AN AMAZING BATTLE! THIS IS ANYONE'S MATCH AT THIS POINT!"**

The crowd gossiped and shouted their cheers while many were too awestruck to even make a sound. Sarah was so absorbed into the battle, that she didn't realize she had gotten up from her seat and was at the guard rail, leaning over it to look at the battle. Gary saw her, taking in her beauty, dressed in a white skirt that reached halfway down her slender thighs and a tight blue shirt that showed off her bust before nudging Brock, who glanced at him.

" **Looks like we have a fan,"** whispered Gary.

" **Oh man, I hope the girls don't notice,"** whispered Brock. **"Wait, isn't that Sarah from the first match?"**

" **I think it is. Reminds me of the old days when I used to travel with fangirls. Looks like Ash has his first hot groupie,"** smirked Gary, speaking a little too loudly.

" **Ash has what Gary?"** asked Misty, not looking away from the battle.

" **Ah, I said Ash has a good chance to win if he doesn't blow it,"** lied Gary quickly, sweating.

" **Oh okay."**

Gary and Brock both sighed in relief. They didn't want to get mixed up in a catfight right now even though they both would've enjoyed seeing it. They returned their attention to the battle that was still continuing on after the dragon and falcon traded quick strikes against the other.

" **Blaziken, you good?"** Blaziken let out a battle cry.

" **Dragonite, you ready for more?"** Dragonite roared in response.

" **Alright. Thunder Punch!"**

" **Dragon Breath!"**

Dragonite let out a torrent of purple draconian flames at Blaziken, who quickly used some impressive acrobatics to dodge them while getting closer and landed an electrified punch against its target's face, stopping the flames instantly.

" **Dragon Claw!"** Dragonite countered with his powered up claw, grazing against the falcon pokémon's chest, making him take a couple steps back.

" **Overheat!"**

" **Flamethrower!"**

Both pokémon released powerful flames at each other, meeting in the middle, each attempting to overtake the other. Blaziken's Overheat soon overpowered Dragonite's Flamethrower and plowed through, dispelling the dragon's flames, hitting its mark. Dragonite cried out in pain as the flames burned him.

" **Dragonite, use Twister! Push the flames away!"**

Dragonite flapped his small but powerful wings and pushed the flames back away from him. Blaziken stopped his attack and back flipped towards Ash. As he landed onto his feet, his arm twitched a bit, the one on the same side where Dragon Pulse grazed the shoulder.

" **You alright buddy?"**

Ash had noticed the twitch. His bonds with his pokémon had grown stronger over the past few years, and were practically unbreakable, even with his newer pokémon like Blaziken. He could understand what they were thinking and feeling at any time.

" **Blaze!"** Blaziken nodded and took up a battle stance again. Dragonite stood tall still and glared at them.

It looked like it had plenty of fight left.

" **It'll take more than that to finish us!"** said Jack. Dragonite roared and flapped its wings. It grimaced for a split second as it raised its claws above him to show off its prowess and determination to keep battling. Ash noticed the injury and so did Blaziken.

" **True, but it looks like I'm nearing that amount,"** said Ash.

" **What? You're bluffing. My Dragonite is far too strong!"**

Ash and Blaziken smirked.

" **He is strong. But not strong enough."**

" **We'll show you! Dragonite! Dragon Rush!"** Dragonite covered itself in blue draconian energy and shot forward quickly.

" **Flare Blitz!"** Blaziken covered himself with swirling red flames and charged at the rushing dragon. The red sphere and blue sphere collided, causing a shockwave to occur from their energies as they slammed into each other, making some people in the stands that were standing to lose their balance and stumble around. They were both trying to overcome the other.

" **You can do it Dragonite! Show them whose boss!"** Dragonite growled and pushed Blaziken back a bit.

" **Spin and grab him!"** shouted Ash. Blaziken spun to the side quickly, causing Dragonite to lurch forward and the falcon pokémon grabbed its tail when it moved past him.

" **Superpower!"** Blaziken had a red outline glow around him before lifting the great dragon and slamming him against the ground. He picked him up again and back down with even greater force.

" **No! Dragonite, get up! Counter with Dragon Claw!"** Dragonite got up and landed a last ditch Dragon Claw on Blaziken's side but struggled to remain on his feet as Blaziken took a step back, hurt but ready for more.

" **Time's up Jack. Dual Chop followed by Blaze Kick!"** said Ash with a grin. Blaziken delivered two powerful strikes against Dragonite's head and finished up with an enflamed kick to the dragon's side, sending him flying back towards Jack, crashing into the ground and sliding several feet until he stopped.

" **Dragonite! Please get up!"** pleaded Jack. Dragonite tried to pick himself up but its arms trembled violently and gave way. Dragonite slumped back onto the ground.

" **Dragonite is unable to battle! Jack has no more pokémon to use! The winner is Ash Ketchum!"** yelled the referee.

" **WHAT A BATTLE! ASH HAS WON HIS SECOND MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT WITHOUT LOSING A SINGLE POKEMON! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF SKILL AND STRENGTH!"**

The crowd cheered for Ash as he returned Blaziken, after he thanked him for a great battle. Jack returned his Dragonite as well and both trainers met up in the middle of the field.

" **That was a great battle Ash. Good luck in your future battles at the tournament."**

" **Thanks Jack. You were pretty good. I had to think outside the box. Oh and you should have the Pokémon Center take a look at your Dragonite. I think it might have sustained a serious injury on its side."** Jack was taken aback at his thoughtfulness.

" **I'll do just that right now. Thanks Ash. Take care."**

" **See ya."**

Jack left via the trainer's exit. The people started to exit the stadium and Ash looked for his friends and he quickly found them. He pointed at the exit, conveying that he would meet them at the end, which they agreed.

" **What did I tell you?"** said the man in the karate uniform to the woman in the white coat. She didn't respond but merely frowned. The blond woman had a smile form on her face.

" **I think his Blaziken could take on your Dragonite as well,"** said the blond woman to the spiky haired man with the red and black cape.

He scoffed at that statement and left the room. The blond woman turned her attention back to the field in time to see the raven haired trainer leave it, entering the exit tunnel. She smiled as a thought ran across her head; _it's been way too long but he's finally back._

Ash, his pokémon and his friends headed out and met up at the exit. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, a happy expression on his face for winning the match. Ash returned Espeon, who had surprisingly fallen asleep in Dawn's arms even with all the loud noises going on at the stadium.

" **That was amazing Ash!"** complimented Misty as she hugged him and he returned the hug with a smile.

" **Thanks Misty. Dragonite was a little tough, but everything worked out."**

" **A little tough? You man handled it like it was just an overgrown serpent with wings!"** yelled Max causing Iris to scowl; she didn't like that a strong dragon pokémon lost to a pokémon that it had an advantage over it but she was still happy that Ash won.

" **Nah, I got lucky that Blaziken's attacks hurt his side and caused him too much pain. I would've still won, but it might have taken longer. Granted, Blaziken has been practicing against Flygon so I guess it would've been the same outcome sooner or later."**

" **Blaziken and Flygon fight each other huh? Is that how Blaziken was quick to overcome Dragonite's moves?"** asked Gary, his researcher side taking over him.

" **Yeah, they help each other out, learning how to deal with their shortcomings and turn them into strengths,"** said Ash as he shrugged. **"Let's go back to the room and eat. I'm starving."**

They walked towards the hotel, talking about the Ash's match and his pokémon. Unknown to everyone but Ash and Lucario, who sensed a presence near them with their aura, someone was following them. They didn't pay much attention to it though since the aura around the follower wasn't filled with ill intent. Sarah had decided to follow them from afar to talk to him about something.

 _He's so incredible. And his friends seem to respect him greatly. I hope I can convince him to help me in my training, even if he only tells me a little bit,_ thought Sarah as she followed them patiently.

They entered the building and spoke with Joy. Before they could go upstairs, they heard angry shouts as a girl and boy came in after Sarah, who had quickly maneuvered herself to the far side of the area. The group stayed facing Joy, not wanting to be noticed that they were listening in.

" **No! A hundred times no! I told you already I'm not going out with you!"** shouted the girl.

" **You know you want to. And we agreed if you had won your last match, then you'd go out with me,"** said the boy.

" **No, I never agreed to such a thing! Stop making things up and….and…my boyfriend won't like you talking to me like that!"** she added hastily.

" **Boyfriend? Yea, right. Look one dinner is all I ask."**

" **You think I'm lying? That's my boyfriend right there!"**

" **Why me?"** muttered Ash quietly, so only his friends heard him, as his arm was grabbed before being forced to turn around and made to face the girl and boy.

* * *

 _ **A/N - So who do you think the girl is? I want to know your guesses. Please REVIEW! Better late than never!**_


	19. Chapter 19 - An Old Friend

_**A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with another chapter for you! I had a lot of fun writing this one and I hope you guys enjoy it too! But I would also like to say a couple things too;**_

 _ **1) Please review! I used to not understand why writers would practically beg for reviews on the other stories I've been reading before but now I understand. I really do appreciate everyone who reads my story and thank you for spending time reading it since time is so precious. I just want to hear your thoughts on it as it would help me stay motivated and I love receiving constructive criticism, hearing what you liked or didn't like and tell me why! I want to become a better writer and I really enjoy reading your comments and thoughts. Just no flames please! And I try to check at least once a day before going to sleep so I will see it and respond back to you soon.**_

 _ **2) For anyone who has Pokemon XY and/or ORAS, if you check out my profile page, I have put in link of an Excel document that I have made that has a bunch of information for the games that I think could be beneficial to you. I made it while at work and it really helped my nephew and me out. It's a free download from DropBox and a small file so check it out if you have the games and if you liked it or it helped you, let me know! :)**_

 _ **Okay, that's enough out of me. Now, enjoy the next chapter of THE BLUE SPIRIT!**_

\- I DO NOT OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 19 – AN OLD FRIEND

Ash had won his second match of the tournament without losing any pokémon and had gone back to his suite's building with his friends. Sarah, the first trainer he had beaten in the tournament, followed them, hoping to convince him to help her train or give her some pointers. Before heading back upstairs after talking with Joy for a bit, they heard a commotion between a boy and girl as they entered the building.

" **I told you I don't want to go out with you!"** shouted the very attractive girl. She was wearing a blue skirt, showing of her slender legs, a tight black tank top with a blue poke ball symbol that had a low v-cut showing off her noticeable bust's cleavage, on her head was a blue and white Pokémon League cap, and her long brunette hair went past her shoulders.

" **Quit lying to yourself, you know you want to. And we agreed you would if you win your last match, which you did,"** said the boy. He was taller than her by about a head, wearing red pants, a white shirt and a red, short sleeved jacket. He looked like your average ace trainer.

" **No, I never agreed to such a thing! Stop making things up and….and…my boyfriend won't like you talking to me like that!"** she added hastily when the idea came into her head.

" **Boyfriend? Yea right, stop lying. Look one dinner is all I ask."**

" **You think I'm lying?"** The girl looked behind her and saw Ash and his group of trainers, who had their backs turned to them. **"That's my boyfriend right there!"** She pointed at Ash as she walked up to him and grabbed his arm. Pikachu jumped onto the counter, sniggering at his friend's predicament.

" **Why me?"** muttered Ash quietly, so only his friends heard him as the girl made him turn around. His friends quietly chuckled as they turned around as well to see what would happen next. Gary was smirking at first but then his jaw dropped after noticing how beautiful the girl was. The four girls were red in the face though they didn't react, which was surprising. The new girl was a bit stunned seeing how handsome her pick was but immediately overcame the initial shock as she continued her plan and got really close to Ash, then got on her tiptoes to reach his face, her mouth near his cheek.

" **Please help me,"** she whispered very quietly, barely moving her lips and gave him a quick peck on his cheek, before facing the ace trainer and glaring at him. She wrapped her left arm around his waist and placed her right arm on his chest. She blushed slightly as she felt a jolt go through her body when she felt his firm and hard body. _Oh Mew, he's fit!_

" **You're her boyfriend?"** asked the ace trainer. Ash glanced at the girl, her eyes giving him a pleading look when she raised her head to gaze at him that only he caught. Both Ash and the girl had thoughts race past their minds in that moment.

 _Damn, he's handsome. He looks familiar too. Wait…Those eyes…They're very familiar. I can see a fire burning in them. Who is he? Have I met him from before? Maybe after this fiasco I can thank him and get to know him better if he turns out to be a good guy._

 _WHY? Why is it always me? (Internal Sigh) Well can't help it now, she's using puppy dog eyes. I guess I'll help her out…Wait, those eyes…They're very familiar but I just can't place from where. She's very pretty too…and….ah shit, she's wearing some revealing clothing. Fuck! The girls are going to kill me for this!_

" **Yes I am,"** answered Ash confidently, having made up his mind to help her out. He smiled at the new girl as he wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and brought her closer to him, before raising his gaze and glared at the ace trainer. The girl blushed slightly at the stranger's actions but kept up the act as she too glared at the annoying guy.

 _Tell the girls that I'm just helping her out to get away from this guy please before they kill me._

Ash sent that mental message to Gardevoir and Lucario so they could update the group before the four girls killed him. The two smirked and quickly, but quietly, told the fuming girls and the others why Ash was going along with it. Everyone understood and the girls calmed down a bit; now knowing what was going on but kept their eyes narrowed.

" **Really? And who are you?"** asked the ace trainer with a frown.

" **What does it matter who I am? But if you must put a name to my face, it's Ash Ketchum."**

The girl's eyes widened as she looked up at him again. _Ash? Could it really be you?_

" **Ash Ketchum? Oh wait; you're the trainer who won his last two matches easily from what I've heard from everyone here. You're good, I admit but why are you lying for a random girl you don't even know? Anyway, it's not like she can do better than me, she's not that pretty. I was doing her a favor trying to take her out,"** said the ace trainer without care trying to save face since he had made a fool of himself because of the girl.

Everyone grew angry at his statements while the brunette had tears fill her eyes. Ash let go of the girl before swiftly moving in front of the ace trainer and stared him down, being a little taller than the rude ace trainer.

" **Apologize,"** snarled Ash.

The fury in his voice was unmistakable. Even Sarah could feel the power radiating off of him. She was appalled at what the boy said but was amazed as to how quickly Ash was willingly helping out a random stranger. The girls no longer were suspicious of the brunette and were instead getting furious at the guy themselves. The new girl stared at the back of Ash's head, amazed at what he just did.

" **Who the hell do you think you are? You think you're some big shot who can boss people around? Screw you and get out of my face!"**

He threw a punch at Ash who dodged it effortlessly, surprising the attacker. He threw another punch and he dodged that as well. He aimed a kick at him but Ash blocked that and when he went for another punch, the raven-haired trainer deflected the attack and grabbed his arm. Ash quickly twisted it around his attacker's back and kicked out one of his legs, dropping the ace trainer to one knee.

" **Apologize!"** repeated Ash.

" **Fuck you!"** insulted the ace trainer, making Ash put more pressure on the arm. **"AAAAAGGGHHHH! Get off of me you jackass!"**

" **Apologize first!"**

" **AAAGGHH! S-s-sorry!"** cried the trainer and Ash eased up on the pressure but held the lock.

" **If you ever bother her again, you'll be much sorrier. Are we clear?"**

" **Yes! Just let me go you asshole!"**

" **Good."** Ash let him go. He walked towards the brunette as the ace trainer massaged his arm.

" **You okay?"** he asked her.

" **Yes, thank you."** She half smiled, her wet eyes shining under the light. Her smile faded away before suddenly shouting; **"Look out!"**

Ash spun around and caught the flying fist in the palm of his hand where his head would've been. The brunette gasped loudly and even Sarah's jaw dropped. His friends however, weren't that surprised. They'd seen Ash train with Lucario and this was nothing, though they did get angry that he attempted to land a cheap attack like that. Ash didn't need the warning from the brunette, as he had sensed it with his aura, but it was better that less people knew. The ace trainer himself looked quite shocked and was quickly getting scared.

" **Why do people like you always have to make things hard? Why can't you ever admit defeat and learn from your mistakes?"** growled Ash.

He bent the caught fist backwards, causing pain to shoot up the ace trainer's arm. The trainer let out a cry in pain before he threw a panicked punch with his free hand and it connected against Ash's chest, freeing him and making Ash take a step back. He swung again, this time at Ash's head but the raven haired trainer dodged and quickly delivered a punch to his stomach. The boy doubled over and Ash grabbed his throat, picking him up with one hand, raising him off the floor, as he had done to another jerk in the past. Sarah and the new girl took in a sharp breath at his display of strength.

" **I love this part,"** said Dawn gleefully. The others glanced at her. **"Hey, don't give me that. I know you guys like it too! Plus, it's cool,"** she finished with a devious smile.

" **I gave you a chance and you spat in my face. Why does scum like you even exist?"** growled Ash. **"Don't ever come back here. And don't ever bother her again or I will find you. Now, GET OUT!"** roared Ash as he hurled the ace trainer towards the building door.

The ace trainer landed hard against the floor but quickly got up and ran out, scared out of his mind. Ash turned around and faced everyone before letting out a deep sigh.

" **Why is it always me who has to deal with stuff like this?"** whined Ash.

" **Because you're the one who constantly has to save everyone Ashy-boy,"** teased Gary.

 _Ash? Ashy-boy? It really is him and that other guy has to be him too,_ thought the brunette. She stopped her thinking when she saw Ash moved towards her.

" **Hey, you're safe now. You okay?"** he asked her with caring eyes.

The brunette looked at him for a second, noticing the concern in his eyes before nodding with a smile. She then gave him a tight hug and a quick peck on the cheek before she withdrew from him. Ash rubbed the back of his head in response, a little blush on his face and the others sniggered, but the four girls' eyes narrowed.

" **Not necessary but thanks. By the way, what's your name?"**

" **I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet Ash. Then again, you've always been a bit slow."** The brunette giggled at Ash's confused face before finishing. **"It's me, Leaf Green."**

Gary's eyes widened after hearing her name. _No way_ , he thought. _This gorgeous girl is Leaf?_

" **Leaf?"** Ash blinked stupidly. **"Leaf!"** he cried out suddenly and hugged the girl tightly, lifting her into the air who laughed out loud instantly. Everyone looked confused except for Gary. **"Gary it's Leaf!"**

" **Yea I figured when she said her name,"** said Gary dryly.

" **Wow, how have you been Leaf?"** asked Ash after her put her back down, both of them smiling a bit.

" **Ah-hem,"** coughed Serena making Ash look at his friends.

" **Oh sorry guys. Guys, this is Leaf Green. She's a childhood friend of mine and Gary's. We haven't seen each other since we started our pokémon journeys. Leaf, this is everybody; Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Joy, Richie and of course you know Gary."** Ash pointed out each person, finishing up with Gary who grinned.

" **Hi everyone. And yes, of course I remember Gare-Bear,"** teased Leaf and Gary face palmed.

" **Gare-Bear! I forgot about that!"** Ash laughed. The others laughed and right after started teasing Gary about it.

" **Alright, very funny. Yea yea, you're hilarious. C'mon stop. Seriously enough. SHUT UP!"** yelled Gary, fuming, red in the face as a vein throbbed on his neck.

" **Still the same I see,"** giggled Leaf, as the others calmed down after laughing so hard with Ash wiping a tear from his eye because of laughing so much. **"And you haven't changed either Ashy, always having to be the hero."**

" **Hey, you're the one who dragged me into it,"** defended Ash.

" **True, but if I hadn't, you probably would have stepped in anyways."**

" **No I wouldn't!"** lied Ash, obvious to everyone.

" **Don't lie Ash. It doesn't match you. Plus we know your personality. Though we did get a little annoyed with your little stunt there, pulling her close to you,"** remarked Dawn, a little peeved.

" **Sorry, I was just trying to make it look good,"** admitted Ash as he rubbed the back of his head.

" **Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to piss of his girlfriend. I just needed to get that guy out of my life,"** replied Leaf quickly after to help defuse the situation.

" **Oh he's not my boyfriend. Not yet anyway,"** corrected Dawn with a wink at Ash who blushed.

" **Oh really? So you're still available huh?"** Leaf eyed Ash interestingly, who sweat dropped and the girls glared at Leaf.

" **Well, it's complicated,"** said Ash hurriedly. The girls smiled at Ash for coming up with an excuse.

" **Yea, Leaf, you don't want to get involved with what he's gotten himself into,"** joked Gary.

" **Is that so Gary? Hmm…I'm intrigued. Might be fun to get in on the action. What's going on Ashy? Lost a bet? Made a promise? Maybe I should get involved if it's so interesting."**

" **NOOOO!"** shouted Ash suddenly, fearing the girls' wrath, especially Misty's.

" **Keep your pants on, Ash, I was only joking,"** teased Leaf. **"Wow, you're still so easy to mess with, even after all this time."**

" **Leave me alone,"** pouted Ash, his shoulders sagging. Most laughed while the four girls merely giggled, not wanting to give him too much of a hard time.

" **Fine I'll drop it for now. So you're in the tournament huh? I assume so are you Gary?"** asked Leaf turning to face her other childhood friend.

" **Nope, not this time. It wouldn't be fair to the other trainers here if I joined in,"** boasted Gary. **"Plus I'm a Pokémon Researcher now like Gramps. Richie and Ashy-boy are in the tournament. By the way, why are you here?"**

" **Pokémon Researcher huh? Cool, it suits you. I guess not all of us have the patience to become the next Pokémon Master, eh Ashy?"** She elbowed Ash lightly in his side who grunted, making her chuckle. **"Anyway, I'm here competing in the tournament as well. I just won my second match as well and that guy kind of latched onto me after the battle. Thanks again for that Ash."**

" **No problem Leaf. Just be careful from now on alright? I can't keep pretending to be your boyfriend."**

" **And what's wrong with that? Oh I know why. You can't handle such a beautiful girl, that's why,"** teased Leaf as she made a seductive pose at Ash.

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena were about to interrupt their conversation, getting a little annoyed at Leaf's words and actions when Ash said something that surprised them.

" **You're right, I can't. Maybe you should have Gary be your boyfriend,"** suggested Ash.

Gary and Leaf both looked at each other for a moment before they each burst out laughing, which made everyone raise their eyebrows in surprise.

" **Me, with Gary? Yea right. He's too full of himself,"** remarked Leaf.

" **Good one Ashy-boy. You know she's too psycho for me,"** said Gary, circling his finger around his ear, signifying that Leaf was crazy.

Both Leaf and Gary soon got into a heated argument, calling each other names and insults, making everyone shift around uncomfortably. Ash remembered the old days when they would do this every now and then. It was funny back then but now it was just annoying.

" **Alright you two, that's enough!"** shouted Ash.

Both Leaf and Gary glared at him and were about to combine forces against him while Ash merely smiled, sending out a mental command. Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and picked up both of them into the air with her psychic powers.

" **Put me down right now Ash or you'll regret it!"** said Leaf.

" **That goes double from me!"** agreed Gary.

" **Ah look, they're finally agreeing with one another,"** sniggered May. Gary and Leaf glared at her so fiercely she gulped.

" **I'll put you down if you promise to relax and stop,"** said Ash.

" **I promise if you don't put us down, I'm going to beat you into a pulp!"** vowed Leaf.

" **Hard to believe coming from someone who asked someone else to fight her battle for her,"** teased Ash.

" **HEY! That's different!"**

" **I doubt that,"** laughed Ash. The others couldn't believe how much fun Ash was having. He noticed the expressions on their faces and grinned. **"Don't worry guys; I'm not going to do anything stupid. I just haven't been able to get back at these two for a long time and it's just perfect right now."**

The others nodded with smiles on their faces, understanding, since they've seen his long rivalry with Gary and his relationship with Leaf must've been similar.

" **Alright we give!"** pleaded Gary.

" **Speak for yourself Gare-Bear!"** shouted Leaf.

" **I'm not putting either of you down, until you both agree!"**

" **Damn it Leaf, just admit it!"**

" **No I won't! Gardevoir is getting tired. She'll stop soon."**

" **Gardevoir, are you tired? Do you need to stop?"** Gardevoir smiled, her eyes still blue as she spoke with her telepathy.

" **No, I'm good Ash. I can keep this up for a long time."** Her talking stunned Leaf and Sarah for a moment, since they haven't heard her speak yet. Ash raised his head back at Leaf and Gary, crossed his arms and smirked at them.

" **Looks like we'll be here for a long time. I hope you both have some good stories to tell everyone."**

Gary glared at Ash then at Leaf. Leaf slowly turned her face towards Gary.

" **Will you just admit defeat?"** growled Gary.

" **Alright. I give,"** sighed Leaf.

Ash nodded at Gardevoir who let them back down. They both landed on their feet, their heads hung down, staring at the floor.

" **Are you guys good?"** asked Ash.

Leaf and Gary glanced at each other and gave a slight nod. They both leaped at Ash, trying to tackle him but he dodged them, rolling out of the way and the two crashed against the floor, grunting.

" **Really guys? After what you've seen me do just now? And you Gary; are you kidding me?"** asked a bewildered Ash while the others chuckled.

" **I forgot alright? Leaf being here made me remember the old days when we would constantly get you, but looks like no more."**

" **What do you mean Gary?"** asked Leaf, messaging her side as she got back up.

" **Let's just say Ash is not slow anymore. He's still dense in some regards, but our old tricks won't be good enough anymore,"** revealed Gary.

" **Really? Well Ash, I must say I'm impressed,"** looking at Ash as if seeing him in a new light.

" **Yea yea, don't listen to Gary too much Leaf. Anyway, we're about to head up to our room. Where are you staying at?"** asked Ash.

" **I'm camped out near the edge of the woods,"** answered Leaf. They stared at her. **"What? It's not that bad. It's nice at night; I get to see the stars."** They weren't buying it. **"Oh alright, I arrived late and all the rooms were taken, so I'm roughing it okay? There I said it."**

" **Well not anymore. You can join us in our room,"** offered Ash, the others agreeing, though the four girls were a bit hesitant but didn't show it.

" **That's okay. I don't really want to sleep with ten others on the floor, cramped together."**

" **It's much roomier than you think Leaf,"** said Gary. **"Why don't you come see then make up your mind?"**

" **Alright, I'll come check it out, just so you don't cry Gare-Bear and so I can catch up with Mr. Pokémon Master here,"** said Leaf, sticking her tongue out at Gary while pointing at Ash. Misty went red since Leaf used the phrase she would usually say for Ash.

" **Cool. But before we go…"** Ash turned to Sarah who was still standing near the corner of the room. **"Hey Sarah, what's up? You wanted to talk to me?"**

" **How did you know?"** asked Sarah, startled at first but she slowly moved closer to the group.

" **Not many would have stayed there throughout this whole time, staying quiet without wanting something. I have the feeling you wanted to talk to me,"** explained Ash.

Sarah said something quietly, her cheeks turning pink.

" **I'm sorry, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."**

" **I wanted to know if you could help me train or give me some advice,"** repeated Sarah.

Ash scratched the back of his head as Gary's jaw dropped, not believing what he just heard. _What the heck is going on? How is Ash getting all of these beautiful girls to just come to him? Are we in some parallel universe or something? And why am I not getting any action? Have I really lost my touch?_ Gary's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ash speak again.

" **Really? You do?"** asked Ash as she looked at him, astounded.

" **Of course I do! You completely creamed me with just Pidgeot. I've never lost like that before and I just beat the Johto Elite Four. I wanted to know if you could give me some training techniques or give me some advice,"** answered Sarah.

" **You really did cause her to forfeit then Ash? I didn't believe it when I heard the rumors but hearing it from her…damn…when did you become so strong?"** asked Leaf, clearly impressed.

Ash ignored her but the four girls put their hands on their hips, glaring at Leaf, who either didn't notice or didn't care as she continued eyeing Ash as if studying him, getting slightly red in the face as she noticed how fit he was and how much he had grown..

" **Ah I see. Well, I can't tell you my secrets."** Sarah hung her head. **"But I can give you some pointers if you'd like. I'll watch over one or two of your regular training sessions and give you some advice on what you could add or focus on."** Sarah lifted up her head, beaming with a radiant smile.

" **I'd love that! Thank you Ash!"** she gave Ash a quick hug and released him.

" **No problem."** His stomach then made one of its infamous loud mating calls.

" **Looks like Ash hasn't completely changed,"** giggled Leaf.

" **That's one thing that will never change,"** said Gary. Everyone laughed while Sarah smiled a little as she thought something; _they seem to know each other quite well and seem like a good group of people._

" **C'mon lets go eat. Sarah, you're welcome to join us if you'd like. Joy, you're coming aren't you?"**

Sarah agreed and Joy said she's finishing her shift in ten minutes. She would've finished earlier but ended up covering for someone else, explaining why she was not able to join them before. They squeezed into the elevator, Ash returning Lucario and Gardevoir, who also told Ash to let them stay at home for a bit while Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder.

When they got to their room, and entered, Leaf's and Sarah's jaws dropped as they took in the sight that befell them. They couldn't believe how big and luxurious looking the place looked. After a quick tour by Ash, they rejoined the others in the living room, with Cilan and Brock working on dinner.

" **How could you guys afford this place? Even split among all of you, it must've cost a fortune!"** gasped Leaf, while Sarah nodded.

" **We couldn't and didn't. Ash was given the place as a token from President Goodshow himself,"** said Iris. Leaf's eyes grew wide as she turned to look at Ash.

" **Well, look at you. Friends in high places, grew into a handsome gentleman and a powerful trainer. What other secrets are you hiding Ashy?"** she asked, batting her eyes and moving towards him seductively, slowly swaying her hips. Ash started sweating, as he backed away from her.

" **Nothing I swear!"** He replied back quickly. A little too quickly and Leaf picked up on it. She was very keen on details.

" **Now, what did we say about you lying Ashy?"** Ash ended up against the wall as Leaf continued her advance and Pikachu jumped off his shoulder.

" **Traitor!"**

" **Pika pi pika pi kachu pikachu ka pi."**

" **What do you mean I'm on my own with this and you're not getting involved when it comes to dealing with girls?!"**

Pikachu merely shrugged and shook his head. He faced forward and saw Leaf getting dangerously close while the others merely looked on motionless in shock.

" **Ah…I…Leaf…please…"** stuttered Ash. Before anyone could do anything, Leaf spoke.

" **You know, I have to admit that I kind of liked it when you pulled me closer to you downstairs. It made me get close to your body…oh Mew it's so firm and muscular…ooh…I like it. I want you Ashy,"** said Leaf softly, sending shivers down Ash's spine. She placed her hand on his chest as she started leaning in towards his face.

That was the last straw. Four girls shot forward and placed themselves in between Ash and Leaf, after pushing Leaf back with furious expressions on their faces.

" **Don't you dare try that again!"** fumed Misty.

" **Ash is off limits!"** yelled May.

" **Ash is with us!"** screamed Dawn.

" **If you can't behave, you can't stay here!"** finished Serena.

Everyone was stunned at their reactions. Brock and Cilan were frozen in place as they held plates over the table. Gary, Richie and Max had their jaws drop and Iris had a proud smile on her face. Sarah was just completely lost at what was happening in front of her. After a moment of awkward silence, Leaf burst out laughing. She fell to the floor, laughing so hard that she had tears run down her face.

" **HA HA HA HA! Oh my, you really fell for it….HA HA HA HA! Oh, I can't breathe! HA HA HA HA! I knew something was up, but now this just confirms it! HA HA HA HA HA!"** Leaf continued laughing for a while, the four girls still angry, though not as badly as before since now they were also confused at Leaf, along with everyone else.

" **What do you mean Leaf?"** asked Ash annoyed and confused. Leaf pulled herself together after laughing so much and took deep breaths before she stood back up.

" **Well, ever since you said it was complicated and Dawn said that she's not your girlfriend, I wanted to know what you guys meant. I waited for the perfect opportunity to push some buttons and there it was. Sorry Misty, May, Dawn, Serena…but I just had to know. And doing that to Ash…it was just payback for downstairs. Now I know why it's complicated. I'm impressed Ashy. I thought you would be last to find love, so focused on becoming a Pokémon Master. Looks like not only was I wrong, but you have four incredible girls after you. Good luck choosing,"** finished Leaf with a wink.

The four girls stood silent, awestruck as to what Leaf would do to get what she wants. Could they be like that? They glanced at each other, and when they realized they couldn't, they shook their heads.

 _He has four girls in love with him? And he likes them back? That sucks. Looks like that idea went out the window,_ thought Sarah with a slight frown.

" **Damn it Leaf! I should've known!"** Ash said suddenly. **"Always pulling off moves like that with everyone, trying to get what you want or to wiggle out of something you didn't want to do. Too bad it didn't work on the guy downstairs."** Leaf turned away, not facing him. **"Wait a second…"** Ash quickly understood. **"You did! You did and it backfired on you didn't it!"**

Everyone stared at Leaf, who quickly became red in the face.

" **Yea well, it worked on you didn't it?"** shot Leaf back.

" **Not something to be too proud of Leaf,"** joked Gary.

" **HEY!"** whined Ash. Everyone laughed. Ash shook his head and shrugged. **"Whatever. So Leaf, you staying here or what?"**

" **If you don't mind and if I haven't pissed off your girlfriends to the point of killing me, I would like that,"** answered Leaf, waiting for the girls to answer her. The girls looked at each other for a second before they faced her and Misty stepped forward.

" **It's fine; you can stay with us. But try something like that again with Ash, even as a joke and I will mallet you into the ground. Got it?"**

" **No problem, it's a deal,"** said Leaf as she shook Misty's hand.

" **Make sure you keep that deal Leaf,"** said Gary. Leaf turned to look at him, as he rubbed the back of his head, messaging ghost pain from his beat downs. **"Misty packs a punch with her mallet."** Leaf turned back to face Misty who was sporting a grin on her face. Leaf shivered a bit, a little scared now. If Gary worried about it, she knew to stay clear.

" **You know all too well yet you still mess up, Gare-Bear,"** teased Misty.

" **Ah man! Why'd you have to say that Leaf? Now I'll never hear the end of it!"** whined Gary as everyone laughed.

" **Dinner should be ready in about half an hour guys!"** called out Brock.

" **Cool. Need help packing up your stuff Leaf?"** asked Ash. Leaf looked at him for a second then nodded, thanking him for the offer. When the two left, Sarah took a seat on the couch.

" **Is it always like this with you guys?"** asked Sarah.

" **Pretty much but you get used to it after a while,"** answered Richie, as he sat down on the large couch and turned on the TV. Pikachu jumped onto the couch and curled up to take a nap again. The others joined him as they sat down to watch TV, waiting for dinner.

Ash and Leaf soon reached her campground that surprisingly wasn't too far away. Leaf packed her personal items while Ash took her tent down and broke down the fire pit she had made. They finished up pretty quickly, considering the fact that Leaf didn't have too much stuff with her. This was one of the things different about her; she didn't like to carry unnecessary things, especially when traveling. The raven haired trainer noticed that and couldn't help but be impressed that she was mostly concerned with essentials.

As they entered the building, Ash asked Joy if she was off work yet, which she confirmed she was, so they invited her to dinner. She happily joined the two and the three went back to the suite. They entered right at the moment that Cilan called that dinner was ready. Richie hurriedly got up and welcomed Joy, who instantly turned the same color as her hair. Everyone gathered around the dinner table, one person short. Pikachu was enjoying some actual food for a change instead of ketchup, enjoying his dinner on the couch.

" **Where's Ash?"** asked Sarah, who got a smirk from Gary as a response and right as he opened his mouth to comment, someone cut him off.

" **Right here,"** said Ash. They looked around to face him as he walked forward, in the process of putting on a new clean shirt. His other one got dirty while helping Leaf pack up her tent. The girls all went slightly pink as Ash sat down and grabbed some food.

" **I swear, if you let him, Ash would come and eat naked,"** joked Leaf.

Everyone but Ash laughed whose face turned red. A couple people choked on their food, requiring Brock and Cilan to perform the Heimlich maneuvers on Iris and Gary. The two coughed up the piece of food that was stuck in their throats. After the near death experience, Gary and Iris gulped down some water.

" **Leaf, for the love of Mew, don't ever talk when we eat,"** gasped Gary after drinking his cup of water.

" **Sorry Gary, I didn't mean to cause you and Iris to choke on your food,"** replied Leaf, embarrassed.

" **Yea I know. Just be careful what you say and when you say it alright? We already have one dense person here,"** said Gary, pointing at Ash. **"We don't need two."**

WHAM! Gary was lying down on the floor, groaning as Misty put her mallet away.

" **That's twice in less than two minutes you almost died Gary. Maybe you should watch what you say as well,"** sneered Misty. Ash smiled and winked at her, causing Misty to smile and blush slightly.

" **Misty, remind me to never get on your bad side,"** remarked Sarah with Leaf agreeing with her.

" **You have nothing to fear from me. Just don't act like Gare-Bear down there and you'll be fine."**

They continued their dinner, talking and joking. Gary rejoined after a couple minutes, messaging his head. After dinner, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Iris, Joy, Sarah and Leaf went into one of the rooms. Brock and Cilan cleaned up the table and washed the dishes as Gary, Richie, Max and Ash plopped onto the couches and watched some TV. Ash rubbed his starter's back, the yellow mouse cooing in delight, who had joined them on the couch.

The girls soon came back out and asked them if they wanted to do something. They thought about poker but quickly shot that idea down, noticing Dawn's evil smile. Richie mentioned Pictionary and they agreed. They split up into two groups; Iris, Cilan, Richie, Joy, Brock, Gary and Max on one team, Ash, Leaf, Sarah, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena on another team. They played for a few hours, shouts, yells and arguments filling the air as they played. The last round caused an uproar over the fact that Cilan couldn't draw a Lapras, costing them the game. Ash's team cheered in victory over the other group.

They glanced at the clock and saw that it was extremely late, almost midnight. They offered Joy and Sarah to spend the night with them and they agreed, thanking them. Everyone said goodnight and Sarah, Joy and Leaf joined the girls in their two rooms.

Ash went into his room and changed for bed, wearing only pajama pants. Pikachu curled up in his makeshift bed on the side of Ash's bed and fell into a deep sleep instantly. Before he was able to lie down to sleep, there was a knock on his door. When Ash opened it, he saw Misty who was dressed in her yellow semi-transparent nightgown. They both blushed slightly, noticing each other in their slightly revealing clothing.

" **Hey Mist. What's up?"** he asked as he moved aside to let her in and closed the door.

" **Well I'm here to let you know that the girls and I have decided the order and I will be up first, then May, Dawn and finally Serena. We're basically going with the order you traveled with us in."**

" **Sounds like a plan! I promise to give it my all and give each of you the best date I can."**

" **I wouldn't have it any other way,"** smiled Misty. **"Also, there's one other thing. We decided that to further along the whole boyfriend, girlfriend thing and see how comfortable we are with it, we thought it might be a good idea to sleep next to each other."** Misty blushed a furious red and so did Ash, as he scratched the back of his head.

" **Ah, okay, I guess that makes sense."**

" **Good. But you better not try anything Ketchum!"** warned Misty suddenly, poking her index finger at his chest hard.

" **Okay, okay, no need to worry."** Ash said smiling.

Misty smiled and moved towards the bed. Ash glanced at her walking towards the bed. He could faintly see the outline of her undergarments and her curvy yet athletically toned body, the result of all her swimming. The red head had grown to be a very beautiful young woman, with the right amount of curves to accentuate her already perfect body and Ash had a hard time not looking at her. Misty knew that Ash was checking her out and she smiled to herself as she continued towards the bed, climbing onto it with each move made slowly to tease him. Ash went red and felt himself heat up. He quickly turned away and he went into the bathroom to wash his face, in an attempt to cool down. After a couple minutes he got out of the bathroom and lied down on the bed next to Misty, on top of the covers while the red head was underneath them.

" **What are you doing dummy?"** asked Misty with a smirk as she plopped herself up on one elbow.

" **Ah, lying down to go to sleep?"** answered Ash innocently, raising his head.

" **Ash, we're supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend, not just friends. Plus I trust you, you dense head."** They both chuckled a bit.

" **Okay, if you really want me to,"** teased Ash as he got underneath the covers, joining her.

Misty playfully smacked him against his arm, making Ash pout in return, which caused Misty to giggle. The raven haired trainer smiled shortly after. They were lying down on their sides, facing each other. Ash slowly reached over and grasped her hand and Misty blushed a little at his action.

" **Misty, I just want to say that I'm glad that we're trying this out, being together and the dates and everything. And I'm sorry for taking so long to gather the courage to tell you how I feel. Thank you for giving me this chance. I know I'm an idiot sometimes and can act rashly, but I truly do appreciate everything you've done for me, like at the dinner table earlier and I care for you greatly."**

Misty drew in a sharp breath before responding with barely a whisper. **"You do?"**

" **Yes, of course I do Mist. I care about you a lot. You are my Mystic Mermaid Misty and nothing will ever change that."** Ash said that in a low voice as he gazed into her eyes.

" **Ash…That was the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."** Misty's heart melted and her entire body filled with such a feeling that she never felt before that she didn't think she could bear it.

Chocolate brown eyes and cerulean blue eyes were locked onto each other as they slowly leaned in together. Their eyes closed as their lips met with a simple yet passionate kiss, but it ignited them, sending electricity through each of them. They separated and opened their eyes to look at one another.

" **My first real kiss. I'm sorry if it wasn't magical for you Mist,"** confessed Ash, frightened that he couldn't live up to her expectations, especially after so long but Misty smiled at him.

" **It was my first as well and it was every bit as special as I thought it would be,"** replied Misty.

" **Really? That was your first kiss ever?"** asked Ash, surprised. Misty's face went crimson red again.

" **Yes. I rejected many guys who asked me out because…well because I was waiting for you,"** admitted Misty, her face turning even redder somehow.

Ash had the biggest smile ever appear on his face after hearing that. They gazed into each other's eyes once more, letting that do their talking for them. Before they knew it, they were kissing again, locked in a passionate and heated embrace. They were learning from each other as they tasted each other's lips, enflaming them. Misty soon ended up on top of Ash, one hand going through his black hair, the other hand placed on top of his bare and firm chest. Ash had one of his hands in her red hair as well, while the other was going up and down her back, feeling her toned body through her thin nightgown. Even though it was their first make out session ever and didn't really know what they were doing, they still enjoyed every second of it and learned from it. They stopped after a couple minutes to catch their breath, eyes still closed while their foreheads touched.

" **That was…pretty intense,"** whispered Ash as Misty giggled a bit.

" **After so long, I'm not surprised."**

They kissed again, their passion soon erupting out as they were releasing years of locked up feelings for each other. They stopped shortly after though, careful not to let it go too far since it was their first time together. When they stopped, they opened their eyes, brown and blue eyes reflected off of each other, both filled with love for the other, burning with fiery passion yet they knew not to continue. They didn't want to rush in too quickly and mess things up. Misty got off of Ash but laid down next to him on the bed with her head on his chest and wrapping an arm over his stomach. Ash wrapped his arm around her after bringing up the blanket over them again since it slipped down during their intimate moments.

" **An interesting day awaits us Mist."**

Misty looked up at him, smiling.

" **I bet it will be Ketchum."**

She kissed him again, not out of passion or heat, but of pure loving emotion, which Ash felt fully as another spark rushed through them both. They stopped and Misty placed her head back onto his chest.

" **Goodnight my Pokémon Master."**

" **Goodnight my Mystic Mermaid."**

Ash and Misty soon fell asleep together, both comfortable and happy that they were finally able to be with one another.

 _ **A/N - As always, favorite, follow and review! Until next time, take care and Silent is out!**_


	20. Chapter 20 - The Mermaid and Her Master

_**A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with the next chapter for The Blue Spirit! It took me a long time to get this done right in my eyes and I hope you enjoy it. Also, shout out to all those who reviewed, as they keep me motivated and going. Please keep it up! I still appreciate everyone who reads and follows though so please do so! Also, this chapter will mark the start of going deeper into the relationships between Ash and the girls so be prepared.**_

 **WARNING! - There will be a LEMON near the end of this chapter. I won't say it again in the story as I feel it will take you out of the flow but there will be a build up to it and you'll notice it. This is my first attempt at writing such a scene so please bear with me! Thanks and enjoy!**

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 20 – THE MERMAID AND HER MASTER

Ash and Misty had slept in the same bed together, after some passionate kissing; releasing emotions they have had for each other for a long time. But that's all they did, nothing more than kisses passed between them since they didn't want to rush anything. They had cuddled together before falling asleep, the raven haired trainer putting an arm around her, as the red haired gym leader placed her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his firm stomach. The whole night they slept in that position, not once moving from their original position. They were still asleep when the others woke up. When Brock and Cilan started making breakfast, Leaf opened the door and poked her head in. She saw Ash and Misty snuggled together and went red in the face as she felt something stir inside her but she quickly ignored it. She closed the door and knocked on it loudly.

" **Brock and Cilan are making breakfast! Get up!"**

Ash and Misty snapped open their eyes suddenly. They remembered everything from last night instantly and yet didn't get embarrassed or move away from each other. They stayed like that for a minute, awake yet enjoying being together.

" **Good morning Mist."**

Misty glanced up at him and smiled. She kissed him softly.

" **Good morning Ash. Did you sleep well?"**

" **Better than I ever have. You?"**

" **The same."**

They smiled at each other and hugged each other tighter for a moment. Misty then got up, pushing lightly against his stomach to rise and stretched, raising her arms into the air as she arched her back. Ash went red as he could see through her yellow nightgown because it was semi-transparent and of the sun's rays through the window. He formed a devious grin on his face as he got an idea. He gently poked her on her side, knowing her ticklish spot that he found out years ago. She instantly yelped out loud and before he knew what happened, she had moved on top of him, holding his hands above his head.

" **Hey,"** she said softly. **"I'm ticklish there."**

" **I know."** He grinned. **"Call it pay back for all those times you tickled me."**

" **Is that so? Should I return the favor?"** she moved her free hand to his bare chest, caressing it. He shivered at her light touch. **"Somebody likes it,"** she teased. Ash smiled.

" **I know someone who likes it too."** Misty tilted her head in confusion and before she could do anything else, he flipped their positions, him holding her hands up and on top of her now. She gasped as she realized what happened but grinned immediately after.

" **Nice move there. So what you going to do now Mr. Pokémon Master?"** she teased with a sultry voice but also wondering what he wanted to do, making her go crazy inside.

" **Mist, you should know better. You know I don't like to spoil my surprises,"** responded Ash back as he gently used two fingers to go up her side, as if walking. Now it was Misty's turn that shivered.

" **Somebody likes it,"** repeated Ash, teasing her. Misty gave a fake pout and puppy dog eyes. Ash kissed her immediately; unable to control himself after seeing her pleading look and Misty kissed him back. He released her hands and they both moved them up and down on each other as they continued.

" **Food's ready!"** called out Leaf again as she knocked on the door again, though a little harder this time.

Ash and Misty finished their display of passion with a soft, lingering kiss before they got up and went to the bathroom. Luckily for them, the master bathroom had two sinks, so they both washed up and brushed their teeth. Ash started changing his clothes after walking back into his room. Misty asked if she could borrow some clothes, since she didn't want to leave the room with just her nightgown with everyone awake and outside of their rooms. Ash handed her a pair of sweat pants and matching sweater. They were big on her, but she didn't mind. She tied the sweat pants and the sweater covered her up, which was what she needed.

When fully dressed, they moved towards the door, smiling at each other before holding hands and walking out to join the others on the dinner table. At the sight of the couple, the table cheered and wolf whistled at them. Ash and Misty both blushed before sitting on two empty chairs, which were conveniently next to each other for the new couple. They let go of hands and started grabbing food, offering each other their share before passing it around. They kept this up until they noticed everyone just looking at them.

" **Ah, are you guys okay?"** asked Ash, scratching the back of his head.

" **We're just peachy,"** answered Leaf, grinning like a mad person as she rested her head on her palm that was held up with her elbow on the table.

" **Are you sure?"** asked Misty, feeling weird at all the attention.

" **Yea, we're just happy for you two,"** said Gary. **"So, did you two do anything naughty last night?"**

smirked Gary, raising his eyebrows a few times.

Joy and Sarah coughed, a little embarrassed over the causal talk of something so intimate and the blonde girl becoming a little jealous as well though she hid it. Leaf stared wide eyed at Ash. Dawn, Serena and May glanced at Ash and Misty to check their response, wanting to know if they had become intimate so soon. Surprisingly, Ash and Misty stayed cool and calm.

" **Nope, we just went to sleep after we talked for a bit and gave each other a kiss goodnight."** Ash answered without any hint of embarrassment whatsoever as he grabbed the salt shaker. He poured some onto his food before placing it in front of Misty for her to use who thanked him.

" **I don't buy it. You two did something else I'm sure of it. You're way too calm. Wait, did you use protection?"** asked Gary.

Everyone gasped at Gary's lack of etiquette with Iris even smacking him upside the head causing him to yelp in pain. Everyone who knew the two feared the worst, waiting for Ash and Misty to explode. But what followed scared them even more.

" **Gary, you know it's rude to talk about stuff like that between other people. But just so you know, we didn't do anything besides what Ash said."** Misty explained while continuing what she was doing, without either her or Ash getting embarrassed, angry or their face getting red.

" **Okay, now you two are really scaring us,"** said Brock. **"Something's off. You should've been yelling at Gary and you should've mallet him into the ground by now. What really happened?"**

Ash got fed up. He placed his knife and fork down and looked at his pseudo brother in the eye.

" **Brock, I'm only going to say this one more time. We talked, kissed each other good night and slept. Nothing more. And honestly, even if we did do something more, it's really no one's business but ours. But I will repeat; we did nothing more. So please enough about that and let's move on."**

Ash picked up his utensils and went back to eating his food. All the girls, including the hard to impress Leaf and Iris, were awed with his mature response. Brock stared at Ash. He was completely surprised by his adult attitude. He sighed and shook his head. _He really has matured_ , thought Brock.

" **Okay, I believe you two. Sorry we got so into it. It's just you two you know?"** finished Brock.

" **No problem Brocko,"** replied Ash as he reached for more food.

" **No worries,"** said Misty with a smile.

As the group had their morning meal, they talked and joked with each other. After relaxing for a bit after they ate their food, Leaf spoke up.

" **Hey Ash, do you think we could get some extra beds up here?"**

" **I don't know. You would have to ask Joy. Could we do that Joy?"**

" **I don't see why not. It may cost a little since it's not part of the usual room though,"** warned Joy.

" **It's alright, I got it covered,"** reassured Ash. **"How many more beds do we need?"** he asked the group.

" **Well,"** started Brock. " **If Leaf and Sarah stay here, that's one more queen sized bed. If Joy stays with us as well, we would need another. If we could get a third one for Gary and me that would be great. I'm getting kind of tired of the sofa bed."**

" **You can do bunk beds as well and don't worry about me, I live nearby. Last night was just too late to leave,"** chimed in Joy.

" **Is that so? Even better. I don't like to share my bed,"** said Max.

" **Okay, so who wants their own bed?"** asked Ash.

Richie, Max, Brock and Gary raised their hands.

" **How about any of you girls? No harm in saying what you want to be more comfortable,"** asked Ash and Leaf and Sarah raised their hands because even though they felt comfortable around them, they weren't too close with them yet.

" **Okay, so three bunk beds it is then. Joy, who do I need to call to have them bring those up?"**

" **Oh don't worry about it Ash. I'll take care of it for you when I go downstairs for my shift,"** said Joy, glancing at her watch. **"Speaking of which, I should get going. Thanks for letting me spend the night here with you guys and thanks for breakfast. I'll see you guys soon."**

Joy got up to leave, saying bye to everyone. Richie got up as well to walk her to the elevator. They hugged and Richie came back in. Misty leaned against Ash, resting her head against his shoulder. Ash glanced at her before smiling and leaning his head on top of hers. Neither of the two was embarrassed over their actions, even though everyone was looking at them with grins on their faces. Sarah thought that now would be a good time to ask.

" **Hey Ash?"**

" **Hmm? Yea Sarah?"**

" **When do you think we can go over some training stuff? Not that I want to hurry you or anything, but just to get an idea?"** Sarah became a little embarrassed asking him but she wanted to know.

" **Well, I understand that you're looking forward to it, but not today, most likely tomorrow. I have to take care of some things before my big date with Misty."**

Misty turned her head up as she glanced at him, her face filled with curiosity. Ash raised his head as he felt her move and caught her eye.

" **Sorry Mist, but I want it to be a surprise."**

Misty smiled and kissed him on the cheek before returning to her previous position. Ash placed an arm around her and brought her closer to him. Iris, Sarah and Leaf awed over the duo, with the blonde thinking that Misty was lucky and Leaf was thinking when did Ash become so comfortable around girls. May, Dawn and Serena cooed over their actions. They couldn't wait for their turns, seeing how affectionate Ash was being.

" **You're more than welcome to stay around here, since we're getting a bed for you anyway. Where are you staying at by the way?"** asked Ash.

" **Thank you. Well, I was staying at the lower floors and it was alright, but I don't like to be alone for long periods of time, even though I usually do travel alone. I know you said I could stay, but can it be for a more permanent basis? Until we go our separate ways after the tournament ends of course."**

Ash smiled before answering her making Sarah blush.

" **Sarah, we have no problem with you staying here. You can join us after the tournament, or go back home. Either way is fine with us. But you should know, once you become a friend in our circle, in this particular group, we're friends for life, so you can always count on having a family here with us."**

Sarah came close to tears escaping from her eyes. Nobody had been so nice and welcoming to her before. She hurriedly dried her eyes with her hands.

" **Thanks Ash. You and your friends are very good people."**

" **You're welcome. And as a bubbly person I know always says, 'No need to worry'. Right Dawn?"** teased Ash. Dawn stuck her tongue out him playfully and they laughed a bit at that.

" **You know Sarah, if it wasn't for Ash, none of us would be friends. This group wouldn't have existed at all,"** revealed Misty and Ash scratched the back of his head embarrassed.

" **What do you mean?"** asked Sarah, curious and even Leaf paid attention, wanting to know as well.

" **Ash traveled all over the world and made friends with everyone here and some others who don't really leave their homes much anymore and others who couldn't make it here, like our two friends Clemont and Bonnie. He's the one who introduced us to each other and would constantly keep in touch with everyone until he had to go away on a trip for a few years recently. So in short, because of Ash being Ash, he kept us all together. He's kind of like the glue that keeps us stuck with one another, through better or worse,"** finished Misty, lightly chuckling.

Sarah and Leaf were both surprised finding out that Ash was responsible for bringing such well people together. Ash poked her ticklish spot on her side, causing her to yelp. Everyone laughed, while Misty flicked his nose, making Ash cover the hit area with his hand, a mock hurt expression on his face.

" **Nice try Ketchum."**

Misty saw through his ploy and laughed, while Ash puffed out his cheeks. The group then got up, each one doing their own thing. Ash mentioned he wanted to check when his next match was and wanted to go downstairs but Richie told him he needed to check too and that he'd go for both of them. Ash understood his hidden intent so he agreed to let him go alone instead. Ash went to his room, to give Pikachu some breakfast, but saw he was still sound asleep. He chuckled, leaving the food next to him and returned to the living room. As he looked around he noticed Misty was in the balcony alone, leaning against the railing. He went to join her.

" **Hey Mist."**

Misty turned her head a little and waved her hand slightly to acknowledge him and turned back to facing the beautiful morning view in front of them. Ash slipped his hands around her waist and hugged her close to him, causing Misty to give a slight yelp since she wasn't expecting it but quickly relaxed. Ash rested his head on her left shoulder and Misty let out a content hum as the two shared a short kiss before she faced the horizon again. She placed her hands over his hands that were around her waist and leaned back against his strong and lean body, gaining warmth and comfort from it.

" **Is everything alright Misty?"** he asked softly. Misty turned her head to look him in the eye. She smiled.

" **Yes. Everything is great. I just feel so happy I can't explain it. I just feel that what's going on right now is so right, you know?"** said Misty and Ash smiled

" **Me too Mist. Me too."**

He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He stopped shortly after and made to pull away so it wouldn't be too much, but Misty lunged her face forward, wanting more. Their kiss soon engulfed them again, with Misty turning her body to face Ash while his hands went around her back and Misty's went around his neck. They pushed up against each other's bodies as their kiss took them to another world, not realizing they had spectators until they stopped to get some air with their foreheads touching when they opened their eyes.

They noticed the figures from the corner of their eyes and glanced towards them. Everyone, including Richie who had somehow came back already, was staring at them. The guys had wide grins on their faces, while the girls had their hands clasped together and looking as if they saw the most romantic thing in the world. Misty and Ash blushed slightly but didn't let their audience faze them.

" **You guys have something to say?"** asked Ash.

" **Well, I do have something to tell you Ash,"** replied Richie.

" **Okay. Anyone else? No? Then scatter before I call Charizard on you."** They left quickly indeed, not wanting to see if Ash was bluffing, not when it came to Charizard.

" **That was mean Ash,"** said Misty, with a slight frown, trying to hold her giggles.

" **Riiight…I know you're holding in your laughter."** He poked her in her ticklish spot again and she burst out laughing.

" **No fair!"** pouted Misty. Ash merely grinned as she playfully hit him in the chest.

" **What's up Richie?"** asked Ash, turning his head to look at his friend.

" **Well you're match is tomorrow, 2pm, against Russell Diamond."**

" **Cool thanks buddy. Anything else?"**

" **Nope that's it. Enjoy your time together you two."** Richie turned to leave when Ash asked him a question.

" **Do you like Joy?"** Richie stumbled at the blunt question and looked at him for a moment.

" **Yea I do,"** replied Richie, blushing and Ash smiled.

" **Then don't do what I did, waiting, being scared, not acting on it. Ask her out. Ask her out tonight even. Don't make mistakes like I did. You may never get a second chance,"** advised Ash.

" **You did,"** shot Richie and Ash looked at Misty, losing himself in her cerulean blue eyes for a moment.

" **Yes I did,"** answered Ash softly. **"But I got lucky. Don't take that chance."** He looked at Richie. **"You may never get it. I don't know how I did, but I know I'm going to be thankful for it for the rest of my life. Trust me Richie. Don't pass it up. You might be afraid but take the chance."** He grasped Misty's hands and held them up, looking into her eyes. **"Because nothing else comes close."**

Misty was overcome by his words, her eyes shining at him. She quickly hugged him, holding him close to her, as if he would vanish if let go. She sobbed quietly, shaking slightly in the raven haired trainer's arms.

 _I love you Ash. Please don't ever disappear on me again._ Those two thoughts floated around her mind over and over as she hugged the love of her life tighter.

Richie was stunned at his words. Everyone thought he was a dense kid when it came to love and girls yet here he was, giving advice as if he had knowledge that nobody else had. He saw the way Misty looked into his eyes when he said those words and her eyes was filled with such emotion that he couldn't believe it.

Richie right then and there knew that Misty and Ash loved each other and cared for each other for a long time and he also realized that nothing could ever separate them. He wanted that as well, he wanted that with Joy and he knew now that it was worth it, the risk of putting himself out there.

" **Thanks Ash. You're right."** Richie left and headed downstairs, fully intending to carry out his thought of asking Joy out on a date.

" **You think they'll get together?"** asked Misty after calming down.

" **I know they will. They like each other and they bonded well already in a short amount of time. It's only a matter of time."**

" **Did you really mean those words?"** asked Misty unexpectedly, making Ash stare at her, awestruck.

" **Of course Mist. I wouldn't lie about something like that."**

Misty hugged him again and Ash hugged her, resting his cheek against the top of her head. They stayed like that for a few moments until Ash dropped his arms and took a step back. He used his hand to gently raise Misty's face to look at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she wasn't crying.

" **Hey, I'm going to have to go take care of some stuff okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."**

" **Okay. Just be safe alright? And…please don't disappear again."**

Ash promised he wouldn't do such a thing again as he hugged her tightly. He then kissed her gently on her lips before he placed his hat on her head again and she smiled at his action. He told her to let Pikachu know what's going on when he wakes up and that he would protect her while he was gone. Ash then tossed out a poke ball into the air.

" **PIDJOT!"** The large falcon pokémon cried out. Ash climbed onto her back as she hovered next to him.

" **I'll be back soon as I can Mist. Let's go Pidgeot!"**

" **PID!"** Pidgeot flapped her mighty wings and they speed away. Misty watched them leave until they became a speck in the distance, which didn't take too long since Pidgeot was extremely fast.

 _Be careful Ash and Arceus watch over him._

She headed back inside after thinking that prayer, seeing everyone in the living room, who asked her where's Ash when they noticed he wasn't around. She told them that he flew off on Pidgeot to take care of his errands and went to her room to change into her own clothes. After she changed, she started folding Ash's clothes that she borrowed from him when the door opened and six girls stepped inside.

" **So, how did it really go?"** asked Dawn with hardly contained enthusiasm.

" **Well we didn't do anything 'R' rated if that's what you really want to know,"** answered Misty.

" **Oh come on, there's more to it than that!"** cried out May as she snatched the hat off her head and put it on her own head with a smirk. Misty tried to grab it back but May tossed it to Dawn, who tossed it to Serena, who tossed it back to May hurriedly but Misty was able to snatch it out of the air. She placed it on her own head again and pulled out her mallet, warning them all what would come to them if they tried to get the hat again.

" **Don't be such a kid and tell us what happened between you two last night!"** demanded Iris.

" **Look who's acting like a kid, trying to find out about another's intimate experience,"** shot Misty.

" **Ah ha! So you did do something!"** yelled Iris, catching her slip but Misty tried to deny it.

" **Wait didn't you say nothing serious happened? So why would you say intimate?"** asked Leaf, making Misty blush furiously.

She was extremely curious in what Ash and these four girls were doing. She wanted to see what made Ash so special and why these four were so in love with him. She was impressed by how much Ash had matured and grown but still couldn't figure out why these four girls loved him so much. Sarah wanted to know as well because since the first minute she met Ash, she felt something inside that she never felt before but she didn't feel that she belonged in the group. She was about to leave the room when Leaf grabbed her and brought her back in.

" **You're part of the group now as am I so no point delaying the inevitable group therapy Q and A experiences."** The girls laughed at Leaf's description of their talk. **"So, explain Misty."**

Misty looked at them and saw they were adamant about it and sighed heavily.

" **Alright, I'll tell you what happened. But this stays here! Or I will mallet you into the ground and then feed you to my Gyarados. Understood?"**

The girls nodded and Misty explained everything that happened between her and Ash last night and in the morning. The girls stayed remarkably quiet during the entire time Misty talked. When she finished explaining what happened the girls were quiet for a moment.

" **He called you his Mystic Mermaid?"** asked May. Misty blushed as she nodded.

" **Wow,"** whispered Dawn. **"And when you were talking about you two making out like that, it made my heart race! How come you two didn't go all the way?"**

" **Dawn!"** Misty was shocked but quickly calmed down. The other girls were giving her their utmost attention, wanting to know why. **"I don't know about that right now. Would it be alright to go all the way so fast? I know I love him more than anything but I don't want things to go too fast you know? And what about you guys? Would you get upset?"** asked Misty, looking at May, Dawn and Serena.

" **Hey, you have to remember what we decided, remember the rules. We won't get angry or jealous. If you feel its right and want to go for it and so does he, then you should experience your full love for each other. That's the only way you'll know for sure if this is what you want,"** answered May.

" **Makes sense. Alright, thanks May."** Misty smiled at her. May, Dawn and Serena smiled back at her, while Sarah and Leaf were beyond confused but before either of them could ask a question, Serena spoke.

" **I knew Ash was kind and caring, but to use words with such emotion tied to them, I think I would've fainted if I heard him say that,"** remarked Serena with a dreamy look on her face.

" **I almost did,"** admitted Misty. **"I practically melted into his arms when he spoke like that to me."**

" **Not such a scrawny, clueless boy anymore is he Misty?"** joked Leaf. They giggled except for Sarah, who had a look of confusion on her.

" **Ash was scrawny and clueless? No way!"**

" **Yes way Sarah,"** said Iris. **"He used to be such a kid. Still is actually in some regards."** Misty smacked her upside the head. **"Ow!"**

" **The Ash you know now is pretty much the same as Ash was years ago, except now he's more mature, has gained muscles, but not too much which is good and is practically a battling genius. If there's one thing that hasn't changed, it's his protective and caring nature and his insatiable hunger for pokémon battles…and food though May is a close second on that regard,"** explained Misty before they laughed about the food comment and May went red.

" **Sounds like the perfect guy. Where did he go now?"** asked Sarah as she finished laughing, thinking about how incredible Ash is.

" **He is perfect, even with flaws. He went to take care of some things while flying on his Pidgeot. He said he'll be back soon as he can."** Misty explained as she sat down on her bed and started to think about what kind of date Ash was trying to set up for them.

" **Misty?"**

" **Yea Leaf?"**

" **What's really going on between you, Serena, Dawn, May and Ash?"**

The four girls glanced at each other while Iris grinned. Misty sighed and looked at Sarah and Leaf.

" **Alright, we'll tell you two everything but this stays with us, alright?"**

The four girls began explaining everything to Leaf and Sarah from the very beginning. The two girls were silent as they listened to the red head and once they were up to speed they understood. As they continued to talk about that and other topics, Leaf and Sarah both ended up thinking about what they just learned about Ash. While the girls conversed in the room, the guys, except for Richie and Ash, were in the living room watching a comedy series about four friends pulling pranks on one another.

" **Does anyone know where Richie went?"** asked Max after realizing that another one from their group was missing.

" **Probably downstairs trying to hook up with Joy,"** said Gary. **"Speaking of hooking up, I'm surprised Brock that you haven't made a single flirting act with any of the new girls in our group. We're going to keep bringing this up until you fess up or…wait…do you have a girlfriend?"**

Max and Cilan glanced at Brock as he slowly turned red. He then sighed and answered Gary.

" **No point in hiding it I guess. I won't say much yet, since it's still so new for us both, but I've met an incredible girl. I'll just leave it at that. She said she might come visit while we're here and if she does, then I'll let you guys know okay?"**

The guys agreed to keep quiet for the time being. Richie entered the suite at that moment with a dazed expression and sat down on the couch next to Brock.

" **What's up Richie?"** asked Gary.

" **I just asked out Joy and she agreed. We're going out tonight."**

Before anyone could say anything, the girls came back into the living room and what they saw in front of them made them stop in their tracks with stunned looks on their faces. Richie had a dazed expression on his face, Gary had his eyes widened, Max and Brock had their jaws dropped and Cilan was sitting with his leg crossed over his other leg with his hands on his knee, his eyebrows raised. They were all looking at Richie. It was a very peculiar sight for the girls.

" **Ah, what's going on here? Why are all of you staring at Richie?"** asked Iris.

" **Because he just told us that he asked out Joy and now he can't believe what he did!"** shouted Max, pointing at the quickly reddening Richie. May strode over and smacked her brother against his head, causing him to yelp at the hit.

" **Max! Grow up!"**

" **Is that true Richie?"** asked Misty. Richie confirmed it quietly and got up to go to the balcony to be alone for a bit. Misty smiled as she thought that Ash was right in that the two would get together.

" **So that's another couple in the works. I wonder when my turn will be?"** said Gary out loud. The others looked at him with amused looks on their faces. **"Shit, did I say that out loud?"**

" **Yes, you did Gary,"** laughed Cilan and the rest joined in. **"But you know, it is a bit surprising that some from our group are finding love here at this tournament. It is a very warming flavor indeed."**

" **You know, I have to agree with you on that one Cilan,"** said Iris. Cilan looked at his girlfriend in surprise but quickly hugged her after they shared a short kiss.

A loud beep went through the room suddenly. Misty had received a message from Ash on her Poketch. They had programmed each other's numbers onto their Poketch a while ago and so had everybody else. She read it out loud to everyone.

" **Will take longer than I thought. Be ready at 6pm. See you then."** She finished reading. She quickly became excited and anxious. She looked at the time and found it was only 11am. **"Damn, I have to wait seven hours?!"** Misty whined as her shoulders sagged.

" **Well you know what that means don't ya Misty?"** asked Dawn, her face positively beaming. Misty tilted her head at her. Dawn and May exchanged happy looks before they turned back to their friend.

" **Shopping time!"** shouted the two. That perked up Misty greatly. All the girls decided to go shopping together and help her pick out a dress. Pikachu walked into the living room at that moment, having had woken up a short while ago, ate his breakfast and wanted to know what the others were up to.

" **Pikapi?"** He was looking for Ash but instead saw Misty and moved towards her. **"Pikachupi!"** Misty picked up the yellow mouse and Pikachu nuzzled against her cheek.

" **Hey Pikachu. Ash went away to take care of some stuff. Want to come with me to help me pick out a dress for my date with him tonight?"** asked Misty.

" **Pika!"** agreed the mouse, climbing onto her shoulder and pumping a fist out. Everyone laughed at his antics. The girls soon got ready and left, leaving the guys alone in the room. The guys spent their time playing games, watching TV and pulling pranks on each other while they stayed in the hotel room.

The hotel workers came in around 1pm and brought up the bunk beds they had wanted. They removed the queen sized bed Richie and Max were sharing and set up two bunk beds in that room instead. They set up the third bunk bed in Dawn and Serena's room next to the queen bed. After they were done, they had held up a bill showing the cost of the labor and beds. Brock scanned it and looked worried. It was pretty expensive. Unable to do anything else, he signed it and they left.

It was around 4pm when the girls came back, each one holding several bags, looking a little tired but pleased. Pikachu dropped down from Misty's shoulder to the nearest couch, exhausted, acting out dramatically as if he had just survived a terrible battle.

" **You are so much like Ash,"** teased May. Laughter burst out from the shoppers as they disappeared into Misty's room to help her get prepared for the night. Pikachu curled up on the couch and fell asleep instantly. It was 5:50pm when May and Sarah came out of the room looking tired but pleased.

" **Where's Ash? He's not back yet?"** asked Sarah. The guys shook their head in response.

" **If he doesn't show, I'm going to beat him into a pulp for getting Misty all excited for nothing!"** threatened May, pounding her fist into her open hand, making Sarah look at her surprised.

The guys sweat dropped. They didn't want to see May get angry, as it took a lot for her to lose her cool these days but when that happened, she was like a volcano, almost impossible to stop once she gets angered. A blue sphere suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the living room, making them yelp and jump. Half a second later, Ash appeared as the blue sphere faded away. He shook himself slightly after appearing.

" **I'll never get used to teleporting. Always an interesting experience. Oh, hey guys."** The group was just staring at him and he scratched the back of his head. **"Is everything alright?"**

" **Ash, you look handsome!"** complimented May, making Ash blush. He was wearing a black tuxedo jacket, a yellow button down shirt with a black tie, black dress pants and black dress shoes.

" **Thanks May. The only thing I couldn't fix is my hair. It's more stubborn than my Tauros,"** joked Ash, earning laughs from them.

Sarah couldn't take her eyes off of him. She had let out a gasp when he appeared and was now stunned at how great he looked. May noticed and waved her hand in front of her face, getting Sarah to regain her senses and blushed, quickly looking down at her feet, not wanting to make her angry. May nudged her lightly and smiled when Sarah glanced at her, telling her it was okay and that she understood. Sarah sighed before smiling back, happy that she wasn't angered. Dawn, Serena and Leaf joined them and were about to say something together when they stopped, noticing Ash there all dressed up. Leaf was absolutely stunned for a moment.

" **Wow. Somebody cleans up pretty well."** Leaf said after recovering, adding a wolf whistle at Ash after speaking, causing the raven haired trainer to blush and rub the back of his head.

" **Leave him alone Leaf. But you do look handsome Ash,"** said Serena sweetly. Dawn wiped her mouth and cleared her throat after drooling at the sight of Ash for a few seconds.

" **Ah hem. Introducing the red headed mermaid…"**

" **The powerful water pokémon trainer from Cerulean Gym…"** continued Serena.

" **The most beautiful Sensational Sister of them all…"** added May.

" **The one of a kind, Misty Waterflower!"** finished the three together.

Misty stepped out of her room and walked gracefully forward, eyes staring straight ahead of her. She was wearing a sparkling yellow dress that hugged her athletic body tightly, showing off her toned yet curvy figure, held up by two yellow straps that went over her shoulders, showing just enough cleavage to tease and the dress went down to a few inches above her knees, with slight cuts on both sides of the dress, to enable her to walk more comfortably. She also had on a thin transparent long sleeved yellow jacket along with the red butterfly hair pin in her hair. She and Ash reddened at the sight of each other, both thinking the same thing; _Damn, he/she looks amazing!_ They hugged each other and then Misty asked Ash a question.

" **So where are we going?"**

" **You'll see soon enough Mist. Don't wait up for us guys,"** he told the others.

" **Remember to use protection!"** quipped Gary, instantly earning himself a double smack upside his head from Leaf and May, and he yelped in pain as a result.

" **Quiet Gare-bear!"** said the two brunettes at once. They all laughed at Gary as Ash held out his arm and Misty slipped her arm around his.

" **See you guys later! Misty, we're going to teleport okay?"** Misty tilted her head. **"I promise I'll explain it later."** Misty nodded and the two disappeared in a flash of blue.

" **Damn, who would've thought Ashy-boy would be so smooth with the ladies,"** said Gary.

" **You're telling me. I remember when we were kids he was too shy to even talk to girls. Though when there was trouble, you could always count on Ash,"** reminisced Leaf.

" **I find that hard to believe Ash was too shy but the helping out I do believe,"** remarked Sarah. She couldn't believe that the handsome, suave and caring Ash was ever shy.

" **You'd be surprised Sarah. I got some stories for you,"** replied Leaf. She motioned the girls to go with her to their room so they could talk and the guys decided to just watch some TV.

Far away from the Indigo Plateau Hotel, a blue sphere glowed on top of a cliff. Ash and Misty appeared out of thin air a second later, standing near the edge of the cliff, with a large lighthouse behind them. There was a candlelit table for two set up in front of them. The food was covered and drinks were in an ice chest on the ground next to the table. Misty looked around, her eyes widening as she took in where they teleported to.

" **Realize where this place is Mist?"** asked Ash softly with a smile.

" **Yes, I do."** Misty looked into his eyes. **"It's Cerulean Cape."**

" **Yup. I thought long and hard to think of the best place for our first official date. I remembered you saying that it was your dream to come here for your first date right?"**

" **Ash, I can't believe you remembered that. You're so sweet."**

Ash smiled and gestured towards the dinner table. He pulled out her chair for her and then sat in front of her. He opened a bottle of wine and poured some into Misty's cup and then his. He also poured out some soda into another cup for both of them. He picked up his wine glass, holding it up slightly, Misty copying him.

" **To the start of something wonderful,"** toasted Ash.

" **And let it stay wonderful,"** finished Misty.

He and Misty touched glasses and drank a little and put their glasses down. Ash opened the covered food. It was all of Misty's favorite dishes. They ate a little more than talking to each other at first, since they were both so hungry. However, they soon were having very deep conversations about their goals and dreams, want they wanted to do in the future and much more as they cleared the table of food, the only thing remaining at the end was a loaf of bread. The relaxed for a bit while talking softly, letting the food settle in their stomachs. The sun was now beginning to set on them, since during this time of year, the days were longer. Ash got up and held his hand out to Misty.

" **Would you please come with me Mist?"**

Misty smiled and grasped his hand while standing up.

" **Of course I will."**

Ash led her towards the edge of the cliff and tossed out a poke ball. Charizard appeared and Ash called him down and he helped Misty got on Charizard's back before climbing up himself behind her.

" **Charizard, you know what to do."**

Charizard flew up for a bit and then slowly glided down away from the cliff, towards the beach, allowing them time to view the ocean spreading out towards the horizon. The sun's rays were reflecting off the surface of the blue water, causing it to sparkle. Misty commented on how it looked so beautiful from the air with Ash agreeing and glad that she enjoyed the view.

Charizard landed at a secluded area, slightly above where the water and sand met, where there was single bench at the edge of the raised area. Ash thanked Charizard and returned him before he led Misty to the bench for them to sit on. The bench was covered with a thick, yet soft blanket, letting them sit comfortably. They watched the sun set behind the vast ocean in the distance.

As they watched the sunset, Misty leaned against Ash's shoulder and snuggled up against him, wrapping her arm around his front. Ash placed an arm around her as he drew her in closer. They sat like that for a few minutes in silence, enjoying the beautiful view.

" **A beautiful view for a beautiful girl. I hope you like it so far Mist."**

" **It's perfect Ash. Thank you."** She glanced up at him, their eyes gazing into each other. They leaned in and kissed as the sun completely went down.

" **But what did you mean so far?"** asked Misty when they broke apart.

" **I have another surprise for you Mist. Looks like now would be the perfect time since the sun's gone down. You ready for a little walk?"** Misty smiled as she said yes.

The couple got up and walked away from the bench, Ash leading the way while holding hands. They ended up walking on the beach. After Misty struggled a bit because of the sand and her high heels, she took them off, deciding to walk barefoot in the sand. Ash copied her, taking of his shoes and socks. They walked barefoot in the sand, feeling the warmth still there in the ground. After a few minutes of walking down the beach, hands held and just enjoying the walk together, they reached the edge of the beach.

Ash pointed out that they needed to go to the other side and picked her up bridal style so she wouldn't step on any sharp rocks. He carefully walked around the narrow edge, stepping over the sharp rocks amongst the sand. His aura senses were really helpful. As they rounded the corner and Ash finally put Misty down gently, the red head gasped.

Ash had led her to very private place on the beach. It was a cozy area, with the cliff hugging three sides around the shore. There was a fire going in a fire pit dug into the ground and a huge log was behind it several feet away, with a large blanket in the middle of the fire and log, perfect to sit on or lean against.

" **Did you do all this? Is that why you took so long getting back?"** asked Misty softly as she looked at him.

" **Looks like the jig is up,"** chuckled Ash. Misty smiled and hugged him. They walked to the fire pit and sat down next to each other on the blanket, leaning against the log. As they enjoyed the private area, Misty became lost in thought.

 _I can't believe how romantic he's being. Not even in my dreams did he act this adoringly._

" **Mist?"** asked Ash, getting her out of her thoughts.

" **Yes?"**

" **The stars."**

Misty raised her head to gaze up into space, noticing the many bright white lights dotted around the night sky. The flames had weakened slightly in the fire pit.

" **So beautiful. I don't see things like this anymore. Oh look! Shooting star!"** pointed out Misty excitedly. They both saw it fly across the night sky. **"We should make a wish!"**

" **Let's Mist."**

They both closed their eyes and made their wishes in their heads, both finishing at the same time, opening their eyes. The sat there quietly for a few minutes again. They were glad that they were the kinds of people who didn't have to talk constantly or do something all the time. They could just enjoy each other's company in silence. The fire died down even more and Misty shivered a bit. Ash took off his jacket and placed it on top of her shoulders as well as pulling out his socks from before and placed them on her bare feet. When he finished he sat back down next to her and drew her closer to him, placing both his arms around her, warming her.

" **You're so thoughtful and caring Ash. That's one of the many reasons why I love you."**

Ash was stunned and Misty was shocked at herself for saying that out loud. It was the first time she said that she loves Ash to him. Ash looked at her but she continued staring straight ahead into the distance, hoping that she didn't freak him out.

" **I love you too Mist."**

Misty snapped her face towards his, not believing what he just said.

" **What did you say Ash?"** whispered Misty, her heart beating like mad inside her. Ash looked directly into her eyes.

" **I said I love you too Mist."** Misty's heart felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. Her eyes sparkled as her emotions over took her.

They leaned in and kissed with pure love, a spark that ignited them. Their emotions soon took control and they were locked in a heated embrace, not wanting to let the other go, their hands going through their hair then rubbing against their bodies. Misty moaned a bit whenever Ash ran his hand through her red hair, while Ash let out one of his own whenever she would rub his chest over his shirt with her free hand. Both of them were in heaven and didn't want that feeling to ever stop. Their feelings for each other were too great and were lost in a whirlwind of intense desire.

Ash groaned as Misty pushed him onto the ground, moving on top of him while still locking lips. Soon their tongues found each other's and began exploring their love's mouths and lips, taking turns as they learned from this new experience. Whenever one of them would have their tongue pushed back they would let out a soft groan but were quickly silenced as the other's tongue entered their mouth. After several passionate minutes, the couple stopped, breathing hard, their hot breaths hitting their faces as their foreheads were touching, their eyes still closed. After a moment of cooling down, Ash and Misty opened their eyes, staying in their position, with the red head on top of the raven haired trainer.

" **I love you Ash,"** spoke Misty finally. **"I love you. I always have and always will. I've wanted to tell you that for so long. You are the only one for me, now and forever. I don't care if you pick me or not, or if I share you with the other girls, but I will never love anyone else. I can't imagine my life without you or with anyone else and I will never even try."**

Thick fat tears began pouring down from her wet eyes as she revealed her love and fear. Ash was startled by her sudden speech and honesty. He knew before that he couldn't live without her but he still couldn't choose her only over the other girls. At least not yet, without giving the other girls a shot to see if what they had was special as well. He felt like a total asshole, selfish, greedy and stupid. He reached up with his hand and gently wiped away her tears before he replied.

" **Mist…my Mystic Mermaid. I love you more than I can even describe. I can't imagine my life without you either. You helped me become the man I am today. I appreciate you telling me this and I hope that I am every bit the man that you deserve, now and in the future."**

Misty formed a smile at him through her tears as she listened to his words.

" **But I cannot lie to you and I never will. I cannot deny that I also have feelings for the other three. I'm terribly sorry for putting you through such an ordeal. I feel like the biggest jerk in the whole world and I probably deserve to feel that way for what I put you and them through. I didn't think it would be so hard to do this but now I know better. I'm sorry for everything Mist, absolutely everything. But I do love you, with all my heart and I could never hurt you nor forget about you. You will always be in my heart as I will never stop loving you. And I promise, on my life, that I will find a way to make everything right for all of us."**

Misty listened patiently to his speech and let the words wash over her. She felt a little bad for causing him so much worry but she felt he needed to know and he thanked her for that so she quickly got over it. She understood everything he said and was surprised that she wasn't feeling anger or disappointment at him. She actually felt content and proud that he was communicating with her and owning up to everything like a true man.

The fact that he revealed that he loved her beyond measure was another thing. It didn't matter to her that he shared his love with three other girls. It was like him caring for his pokémon; he had so many yet took care of each of them and loved them equally and not one of them was jealous or envious. Of course they were humans not pokémon, but Ash was special and she knew that if anyone could pull it off, it would be him.

" **Ash, thank you for understanding me and for telling me how you feel. No matter what happens I know we can be truthful to each other, at least about our feelings. I know you can't tell me some things yet, such as the mission, but I know you will tell me when you're ready. Thank you for sharing your feelings with me, for realizing how I'm feeling and for owning up to everything."**

They leaned in and kissed again before separating shortly after and they hugged each other tightly as they laid on the ground.

" **I have one last surprise for you Mist,"** said Ash as they stopped and sat back up after a couple minutes. He brought out his hand and a blue glow shined before a poke ball appeared after a second. He opened it and a small rectangular box appeared on the ground in front of them in a flash of light. Ash picked it up and glanced at Misty, her eyes wide. Ash chuckled.

" **How did you do that?"** she asked.

" **Remember when I 'caught' a donut? Well I thought if that could work, maybe this will and apparently it does. Good thing it doesn't work on humans though huh?"** joked Ash as Misty elbowed him lightly.

" **Very funny Ketchum."**

They laughed a bit before Ash held out the box to Misty.

" **I hope you like it Mist."**

Misty took the box and opened it. She gasped as she saw what was inside. It was a white gold necklace with a circular pendant, with a blue diamond in the middle of the pendant, shaped like a water drop. She took it out and held it in her hands. She turned it around and saw an engraving with small letters on the back which said;

FOR MY MYSTIC MERMAID

MISTY WATERFLOWER

Misty stared at it for a good minute as Ash kept silent and waited for her response. He knew that he had to let her make the first move after such a moment. His mom had taught him that a long time ago. He made a mental note to thank her for that. She looked up at him; eyes filled with tears and hugged him.

" **I don't like, I love it! Thank you! But how did you afford this?"**

" **I'm glad you approve Mist. And I never really spent my money from all the winnings I got from placing so highly in the past leagues so I can manage,"** said Ash softly as he hugged her back.

" **Alright. Can you put it on for me?"**

Ash took the necklace and opened it while Misty moved her long red hair to the side. He placed the necklace over her chest with one hand, bringing his other hand around from the side to take one of the necklace's ends. He pulled the necklace up enough so he can lock the ends together. Once finished, he gently lowered the now locked necklace and tenderly moved Misty's hair back behind her.

" **How does it look?"** asked Misty.

" **It looks beautiful, only because it's on you."**

" **You're so sweet."** They kissed again as a gust of wind rushed past them, causing Misty to shiver, even when Ash placed his jacket around her again. The fire was out and the only light was from the stars over head. Ash glanced at his Poketch. It was 11pm. He didn't realize how fast time had passed.

" **Should we call it a night Mist? I have no other plans unless you would like to do something else?"**

" **No, I feel anything else will just cheapen the night. I think we should end it perfectly."**

" **As you wish Mist."** Ash stood up and quickly helped Misty up as well and held her close as he sent a mental message; _time for us to go back buddy._ **"Get ready to teleport again Mist."**

A second later they vanished from their spot in a blue glow. They reappeared in the living room, alone. They were surprised that everyone had gone to sleep already. Misty leaned against Ash as she was a little tired, which he noticed and quickly picked her up bridal style.

" **Ooh!"** exclaimed Misty before quieting, not wanting to wake up the others. Ash neared her bedroom but Misty shook her head.

" **No. I want to sleep with you again,"** she said, her cerulean blue eyes looking at him.

" **As you wish Mist,"** smiled Ash.

He changed directions to head to his room now and opened the door. He saw Pikachu wasn't in the room, figuring he was asleep in one of the other rooms. After he stepped inside he closed it and gently lowered Misty onto her feet as he grabbed the bed's blankets and pulled them down. Misty took off his jacket that was still on her, as well as her own. Ash took out an extra pair of pajamas and handed them to her. She thanked him and went into the bathroom to change while Ash changed in the bedroom.

She came out wearing one of Ash's shorts, which was tied up to keep from falling off of her and one of his white short sleeved shirt. Since it was a white shirt, her bright yellow bra was visible from underneath, though she didn't mind. She had taken the necklace off and placed it on the dresser next to the bed so it wouldn't bother her as she slept. Ash was wearing only sweats again, his bare chest showing. They headed into the bathroom, washed up and brushed their teeth. When they finished and walked out of the bathroom, with Misty walking in front of Ash, he poked her ticklish spot again, causing her to yelp and spin around. She jumped at Ash who caught her, surprising her. They both laughed a bit before they stared into each other's eyes and then followed it up with a kiss.

Ash carried her to the bed as they kissed and gently lowered her onto it. This time he was on top of her, lips still locked and their tongues soon entered the fray. They moaned whenever one of them took a break to get some air and when it felt too long they whimpered lightly. One of Misty's hands was on his chest and one of Ash's hands was on her side, the other two hands in their lovers' hair. This went on for quite some time and right when it almost became too intense to just be kissing, they stopped, breaking apart while moaning, wanting to continue but didn't want to make the other one uncomfortable as they just realized where their hands had gone.

Misty's hand had ended up right at the top of his sweats and Ash's hand was underneath the white shirt, on her side, near her breasts. They both opened their eyes and looked into one another's, both seeking permission and if either of them was hesitant.

" **Ash, are you okay?"** asked Misty softly and he smiled.

" **I was about to ask you the same question,"** he replied back, making her smile. **"I don't ever want to make you feel uncomfortable Mist or have you do something that you don't want to do. I don't ever want you to feel pressured to do something and just so you know, this is a bit fast for me too as I've never done anything like this. I do love you and will do anything to make you happy."**

" **You care so much,"** said Misty, as she cupped his cheek with her right hand. **"This may be a little fast, but I want this. I love you and feel the most comfortable and happy when I'm with you. But I don't want you to feel bad or awkward either."**

Ash smiled at her before he grasped her hand on his cheek and moved it slowly to his lips before he kissed her hand. Misty smiled at his action and raised her head to lean in closer to his lips and they kissed again. She sat up slowly as they continued to kiss and then pushed Ash down, who dropped onto his back slowly on the bed. Ash reddened and went wide eyed when he watched Misty smile at him before she stood up and took off the white shirt, revealing her bright yellow bra holding her breasts and toned body. She was a little embarrassed, pink in the face but kept going as she reached behind her back to undue her bra but before she could finish, Ash stopped her.

" **Misty, are you sure you want this?"** he asked, making sure.

" **Yes, I do Ash. Do you?"** she asked him.

" **I do. But I don't have a condom or anything…"** admitted Ash. Misty was surprised he said it with a straight face. She giggled.

" **It's okay. I'm on the pill. Plus, I want our first time to actually feel one another,"** she admitted.

They both smiled through their blushes and Misty continued unclipping her bra and then slowly pulled the yellow bra off of her, revealing her breasts, which were perfectly sized and perky with pink nipples. Next, she loosened the shorts on her and let them drop down to her feet. Her yellow panties were now visible, hugging her firm round butt on top of her slender legs. Misty went crimson as Ash stared, amazed at what he was witnessing.

" **Wow,"** muttered Ash and Misty heard him, making her smile sheepishly.

" **Your turn,"** said Misty turning red.

Ash smiled and pulled off his pants, revealing his boxers and a bulge underneath them. Now it was his turn to turn crimson. Misty smiled as she kneeled down next to him and then moved one leg over his waist before leaning over his body with her own. She leaned in to his face and they both kissed again, her breasts rubbing against his bare chest. They both loved the feeling of their warm bodies making contact with each other like that. Ash moved his hands around her back as they kissed. When their tongues entered the picture, he moved one of his hands to her breasts and grabbed one. Misty let out a squeak as he did so before continuing on with the kissing.

With Misty not rejecting the move, Ash grew bolder and began to play with her breast, squeezing it and moving it around but he did so gently. He soon brought his other hand into the mix and now was playing with both of her tits as they continued to kiss. He loved the feeling of her soft yet perky breasts in his hands. Misty loved the feeling of his hands on her chest too as it felt great, especially when he would touch her nipples but she didn't want to leave him feeling left out. She reached back with one of her hands and moved it underneath his boxers and grasped his semi erect manhood.

Ash let out a sharp hiss as she gripped his shaft and when she started to stroke it slowly he felt himself heating up and groaned. They both moaned loudly into their kissing as they continued what they were doing. Soon, Ash's shaft was rock hard and Misty was wet around her womanhood. They both didn't know if they could hold back anymore as they were both inflamed, their hormones taking over. Ash couldn't bear it so he grabbed Misty around her waist and flipped their positions, having her lying down on her back on the bed, getting on top of her and kissed her. As they kissed, both of them struggled a bit to remove their last bit of clothing for a second but soon his boxers and her panties were thrown to the floor and they separated.

They viewed each other's fully naked bodies now. Ash knew Misty was beautiful even when they were younger but now she had blossomed into a woman that words couldn't describe, as her body was curvy yet toned and her breasts and butt were firm yet also soft and perfectly round. He admired her flawless and proportionate body as he looked over her and Misty did the same to him. She admired Ash's body as he was no longer scrawny and short but now tall, lean and muscular but not overly so. She feasted on the sight of him before looking down and eyed his manhood which was fully erect, seeing that he was well endowed before looking up again.

" **You are so beautiful Misty,"** said Ash making Misty blush madly at his compliment.

" **You're very handsome Ash,"** replied Misty, making Ash go red.

Misty gestured for Ash to come to her with her index finger and Ash smiled before closing the distance between the two, leaning in towards her face and the two kissed, their bodies rubbing up against one another. The rubbing heated them up and made their hormones go crazy. Misty reached down and grabbed his shaft again and started stroking it as Ash moved his hand down to her womanhood and began to rub it slowly. Both Ash and Misty moaned into each other's mouths as they did so.

After a moment, Ash pulled away from Misty's lips but then quickly started to kiss down her neck. Misty went ecstatic as she felt his warm lips on her neck, making her shiver with enjoyment. As he lowered himself down her body while giving out kisses, she let go of his shaft since she couldn't reach it anymore and before she could say anything, Ash licked her right breast's nipple before sucking on it. This new sensation sent a jolt through her body and Misty moaned with a slight squeak, earning a smile from Ash as he continued sucking on and licking her nipple with his tongue while rubbing her womanhood with his right hand. He then brought up his left hand and began playing with her left breast. He soon switched targets, now sucking and licking her left breast and nipple while playing with her right breast with his right hand before he lowered his left hand down her body towards her womanhood once more.

When he reached her womanhood, he rubbed against it for a little while before stroking the opening with his finger. This new sensation sent Misty into higher levels of enjoyment and she groaned and moaned even louder, while taking many sharp and quick breathes. Feeling her get wetter, Ash thought that was good sign and decided to enter a finger inside her. When he did, Misty almost shot up from the shock of it. When Ash stopped and looked at her worryingly, Misty grabbed his face with both hands, pulled it towards her and kissed him passionately, with him returning the passion immediately. He relaxed quickly, now understanding that she was just surprised from his action. They were beyond enflamed now and Misty couldn't wait anymore and neither could Ash. When they separated, they looked into one another's eyes, their eyes burning with passion and heat.

" **I can't wait anymore. I want to become one with you,"** said Misty without embarrassment.

" **I want to experience that too Mist,"** replied Ash, gaining courage from her words.

Ash repositioned himself and lined up his shaft to her womanhood. He nudged the tip of it against her opening and felt Misty quiver. He looked up at her.

" **Please be gentle,"** requested Misty.

" **I promise,"** vowed Ash.

Ash pushed into her opening a bit before pulling out and then back in. He worked his way in slowly, doing his absolute best not to hurt Misty. As he did so, Misty let out moans and gasps. Soon, Ash was able to go a bit in and when he felt a barrier, he stopped and looked up at Misty. She smiled before nodding at him, giving him permission to continue. Ash smiled slightly but knew the next action would cause her some pain but also knew that she would feel more pleasure after since he had the 'talk' with his mom a long time ago. He pushed in, breaking her hymen, causing Misty to scream as pain shot through her body but Ash quickly silenced her with a kiss. He didn't move while kissing her, staying still.

Misty felt the sharp pain slowly dying down as she focused on the kiss. She broke away from Ash after a moment and when he looked at her with concerned eyes, he noticed that her eyes were watery. When he gave her that look of concern, it made her smile before she wrapped him with her legs around his lower back and made him push into her more. Ash moaned as she winced, a tear escaping her eye from the pain. Ash noticed and gently wiped it away and she smiled slightly. She knew she took all of him in, which was more than she thought but soon the pain faded away and she started feeling his shaft inside her. This new sensation felt wonderful to her, feeling his warm member heat her up and fill her up from the inside. She lowered her legs and kissed him. He began to move, pulling out slowly and then right before he was fully out, he pushed back in again. Misty felt amazing at the sensation of him moving inside her. He kept the slow pace for a bit before increasing his speed little by little.

" **You're so tight…it feels…incredible,"** commented Ash, feeling her womanhood hugging his shaft.

" **Ah…never thought…it'd be…this great…"** moaned Misty as he continued.

Misty felt like she was in heaven and her feelings kept getting stronger as the minutes passed. After a couple minutes, Ash was thrusting into her quickly now. She moaned loudly and started to make continuous small noises when Ash licked and sucked on her breasts again while still pumping into her as the two wonderful sensations completely engulfed her. She grabbed the bed sheets and clenched her fists around them, arching her back as the experience was overwhelming her.

" **Oh fuck that feels good!"** shouted Misty, feeling incredible and Ash merely responded back with a muffled moan as he continued sucking on her breast.

He picked up his speed. Misty started moaning, her squeals and squeaks high pitched and so loud that Ash had to kiss her to keep her from waking up the others. He grabbed both her breasts and played with them as he continued pumping into her as they kissed. Misty had dug into his back with her fingernails after wrapping her arms around him from the intense pleasure she was feeling. Needing to get some air they stopped kissing for a moment, panting heavily but kept going.

" **ASH! I feel it coming!"** exclaimed Misty.

" **I'm almost there too Misty!"** growled Ash, slowing down a bit.

" **Oh fuck! Don't stop! Don't slow down!"** demanded Misty, practically yelling at him.

" **As you wish!"**

Ash began to thrust into her powerfully and much more quickly, making Misty make noises again. After a minute more of this, Ash felt himself about to explode.

" **Misty, I can't hold it anymore!"**

" **I want to feel it! I want you all! Fill me up inside!"**

Ash growled a little but kept up his pace. He somehow even went a little faster and harder, making Misty squeal with pleasure suddenly. Her squealing caused him to explode from thinking how great he's making her feel. He shot his load into her and the sudden warm sensation made Misty go over the edge and she came as well and Ash felt it go over his shaft. They both made loud moans as they climaxed, though thankfully not loud enough to wake anyone up. Ash collapsed on top of Misty from exhaustion, his face landing onto her breasts, with his shaft still inside her. Misty and Ash panted heavily yet were feeling incredible as the intense feelings washed over the two. When Ash finally gathered some energy, he glanced up at Misty from her breasts and she smiled at him. Ash gave her his trademark goofy grin and she giggled before he kissed her, sharing a passionate kiss.

They separated after and Ash slipped out of Misty and laid down next to her. Misty took her position again from the night before and placed her head against his chest, wrapping her arm around his stomach as Ash wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few moments before Misty thanked him for the incredible night and Ash thanked her for giving him a chance. They glanced at each other again with loving eyes.

" **I love you Misty."**

" **I love you Ash."**

They kissed each other softly but held it for a while, letting the kiss do their talking. After they separated, they gazed at one another, blue eyes and brown eyes staring into one another.

" **Goodnight my Pokémon Master."**

" **Goodnight my Mystic Mermaid."**

They snuggled back into their previous position, falling asleep quickly in the nude, the blanket covering them. They both were unbelievably happy and feeling the best that either of them had ever felt as they reached a new level in their relationship. Both of them knew that they would never leave one another, that they were destined to be together, whether it was just them or with a few other girls.

 _ **A/N - So what did you guys think? I tried to do the Lemon tastefully, not too much description but still go into depth between them. Please let me know what you think as it will help me see what I did right and wrong so I can make future chapters better. So please, review, favorite and follow! Thanks in advance! Silent is out!**_


	21. Chapter 21 - Sore Loser

**_A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with some news! I can't believe how popular my story, THE BLUE SPIRIT, is becoming and I want to thank everyone for it! Over 10,000 views, over 30 reviews, over 40 favorites and over 50 follows and its part of a community! It may not be as popular or grand as other stories but still...Woohoo! Thank you everyone for the support, praise, comments, questions, suggestions, etc. It really makes me happy to know that you are enjoying the story and it keeps me motivated to keep writing. I appreciate everything! Thank you! And without further ado, here is the next chapter and remember to review after! Thanks in advance and enjoy!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 21 – SORE LOSER

Ash and Misty had finally gone out on a date together the previous night. Ash had prepared the most amazing night for Misty, remembering her favorite place was Cerulean Cape and setting things up there in advance for their whole time there. They had enjoyed themselves greatly and even shared some hidden secrets to each other and one of the biggest things that was exchanged between them was saying the three words everyone wants to hear from that special someone one day; "I Love You". They shared passionate and intimate moments together throughout the date, and at the end of it all, they reached a new level in their relationship as they became intimate together for the first time. It was a perfect ending to their first date.

Ash and Misty were still fast asleep when everyone else had woken up and it was already 830am in the morning. Brock and Cilan had begun preparing breakfast. Leaf, like yesterday morning, decided to be the one to wake them up and to see if she could catch them in the act. She poked her head into the room first since she heard nothing from inside. When she saw the two cuddled in bed, she smiled a bit.

 _Must be nice, cuddling in bed with the person you love. Ash sure has changed. Misty is lucky to be with him. Wait, what?! Did I just say a girl is lucky to be with Ash?!_

Scared of her thoughts, Leaf closed the door and knocked on it loudly before shouting through the door.

" **ASH! MISTY! Wake up and get ready for breakfast!"**

The couple immediately snapped their eyes open in response and glanced at each other.

" **Thanks for the incredible night Ash,"** said Misty.

" **You're welcome and thanks for giving me the opportunity Mist,"** replied Ash.

They smiled at each other as they gazed into each other's eyes, seeing the love they have for one another. They leaned in slowly and gave one last passionate kiss to one another before their relationship was put on 'hold'. They got out of bed, forgetting that they were still in the nude and blushed when they noticed it. They quickly put on their clothes with Misty borrowing his clothes again until she could get to her room.

" **I think we forgot about something,"** said Ash as he turned to make the bed. His question made Misty curious and she peered over his shoulder to look at what he was staring at.

On the white bed sheet was a few dried red marks and several other dried stains. The blanket had some residue from last night on it as well. Ash and Misty glanced at one another and they both blushed after a second, realizing what it was before they laughed.

" **I'll have it get washed,"** said Misty, a little pink.

" **It's alright, I'll take care of it. No need to worry,"** said Ash

Misty replied with an okay and they both went into the bathroom to wash up and when done, Misty moved to the door with her clothes in her hands and wearing the necklace. She glanced back at Ash and gave him a warm smile which he returned with his goofy grin, making her laugh before she left to go back to her room. Before leaving his room himself, he glanced at his starter, Pikachu, who had returned to sleep in the same room as Ash in the early morning. Ash sighed.

 _I swear he's turning into a Snorlax._

Ash joined the others in the dining room without Misty, telling everyone good morning with it replied back to him and sat in the empty chair between Sarah and Leaf. Another empty seat was being held for the red head between Dawn and May, so they can bombard her with questions about her date night with Ash. Even though Serena was curious as well, she wasn't the type to try and force out such personal details from others. The instant Misty appeared the blunette and brunette looked up at her.

" **You look happy,"** commented May with a grin noticing Misty's confidant walk and glowing look.

" **Yea, what did you and Ash do last night huh?"** asked Dawn, glancing at Misty then at Ash, making the two go crimson red as they all stared at them.

" **You two did it, didn't you?"** questioned Gary as he raised his eyebrows several times, a big smirk on his face. This time it was Serena who smacked him upside the head and he yelped out in pain.

Ash and Misty looked at one another for a second, becoming even redder. Sarah, Leaf, Iris, May, Dawn and Serena gasped while the guys merely grinned, looking at the two with amused faces. Ash cleared his throat as Misty sat down on the empty seat while staring at her plate in front of her.

" **As I said before yesterday, what we do is nobody's business,"** replied Ash quietly and turned his focus back onto his food, avoiding everyone's eyes.

" **Whatever,"** remarked Gary, rolling his eyes as he massaged the back of his head. **"I'm surprised you even knew what to do Ash, someone as dense as you."**

" **He's better than you think!"** shot Misty suddenly but went quiet immediately as she realized what she just said. Her eyes went wide as she clapped her hands over her mouth.

" **MISTY!"** shot Ash, embarrassed, not believing she let that loose.

The group of friends went eerily silent at their revelations, staring at the two for a moment. Leaf and Sarah turned to look at Ash between them with wide eyes while May, Dawn and Serena kept glancing between Misty and Ash. Suddenly the entire table burst out laughing, causing the raven haired trainer and the red head to get insanely embarrassed, their faces turning dark red. It took quite a while for them to calm down.

" **Alright guys, that's enough,"** said Brock. **"We're all adults here. Well except for Max."**

" **Hey!"** shouted Max.

" **Thank you Brock,"** said Misty and Ash together.

They continued breakfast with no more word about what the two of them did last night though many were thinking about what they just found out about. Leaf was trying to figure out if Ash really could be that great in bed to get such a response from the red head. Sarah was too busy thinking how lucky Misty must be to be with Ash. May, Dawn and Serena were quiet at first but when they saw the necklace that Misty was wearing, they grew wide eyed and pointed at it quietly. The red headed gym leader smiled before nodding.

" **I'll tell you later, now shut up,"** answered Misty, silencing them.

The group of friends ate and talked, trying to avoid causing further embarrassment on Ash and Misty as they enjoyed Brock's and Cilan's incredible cooking. Gary however was waiting for any opportunity to embarrass them again. Unfortunately for him but luckily for them, he didn't get any.

" **Ash, remember you have a match today at 2pm against Russell Diamond,"** reminded Richie. Ash looked up at Richie and nodded to show him he heard as his mouth was beyond full.

" **When's your match Richie Rich?"** asked Gary. Richie told him it was at 10am against a Bill Paterson.

" **What about for you Leaf?"** asked Iris.

" **It's not updated yet. Maybe after today's matches,"** answered Leaf.

" **Hey Ash? Since you can't watch Richie's match, do you think you could help me with my training a bit before your match?"** asked Sarah quietly, hoping he would agree. Ash nodded and continued chewing his food. **"Thanks!"**

" **Hey can I come too? I would love to see how Ash trains!"** asked Max.

" **I'm really sorry…Max right?"** Max nodded. **"But I was hoping for a private lesson since I lost to him and don't want other trainers to see where my strength and skill level is at. You understand right?"**

" **Yeah, I do."** Max hung his head, obviously sadden.

" **Cheer up Max."** Max looked up at Ash. **"I'll show you one of my new pokémon before you guys go if you promise to stop sulking."** The young boy instantly perked up, adjusting his glasses, since he raised his head too fast.

" **Okay no problem! Awesome! Thanks Ash!"** Ash merely waved his hand and went back to finishing his food.

" **What are you going to do Leaf?"** asked Gary. Leaf looked up at him in confusion. **"Since you can't watch the battle, what are you going to do?"**

" **Oh, that's what you're talking about. Eh, don't worry, I have my ways of sneaking in to watch the battles so I'll still join you guys,"** answered Leaf, making some of them get shocked looks on their faces.

" **How?"** asked a very curious Ash turning to look at Leaf.

" **I have my ways."** Leaf winked at the raven haired trainer who scoffed and went back to his food.

They finished breakfast and relaxed around the table a bit before they got up to get ready to go cheer Richie on his match. The girls all followed Misty to her room, no doubt an attempt to make her spill the beans on what happened last night, however Misty keep telling them that she'll tell them later. Ash took some food for Pikachu and when he saw that the yellow mouse was still asleep, he gently woke him up so he wouldn't get shocked and told him breakfast is ready and to get prepared for some training after. Ash returned to the living room and saw his friends waiting for him to show another one of his new pokémon before heading out.

" **C'mon let's see!"** Max was practically jumping up and down from excitement. Ash chuckled and held out his hand. A poke ball appeared out of thin air with a blue glow, causing Leaf and Sarah to gasp, since they didn't know he could do something like that and Ash opened it. A two legged brown and pink bunny appeared with large ears and fluffy tail. Its legs and ears were mostly covered with pink colored fur at the ends and had pink eyes.

" **Punny!"** cried out the pokémon as she appeared. She took up a battle stance as she saw the strangers, ready to defend herself if needed.

" **Hey, it's okay Lopunny. These people are our friends,"** said Ash. Lopunny glanced at him, seeing him smile and relaxed into a relaxed stance. She held her hands together and bowed slightly to the group.

" **Wow, she sure is respectful,"** said Serena.

" **And she's so cute too! Why is she a different color?"** asked Dawn.

" **Yea, she is. I think she's a shiny pokémon. They are differently colored than the norm. She trains a lot with Lucario and picked up some habits from him. Speaking of which…"**

Ash summoned Lucario as well. As soon as Lopunny saw him, she moved right in front of him and bowed, Lucario returning the bow after. The aura pokémon turned to Ash after.

" **Master, is everything okay?"**

" **Yeah, everything's good. Just a little training today before my match."**

" **Okay Master. By the way, Gardevoir is starting to get bored and wants to come back."**

" **Why am I not surprised?"** sighed Ash. He held up his hand for the third time and summoned Gardevoir.

" **Finally! It's good to be back! When am I training again Ash?"**

" **Not today Gardevoir. I'm going to have Lucario and Lopunny train a bit and if you'd like, you can hang out with the girls as they watch Richie's match."**

" **Sounds good to me! Plus, I'd rather not get in between these two when they train,"** teased Gardevoir as Lopunny growled. Lucario shook his head, crossing his arms as Ash face palmed.

" **I forgot about you two teasing each other all the time…why me?"**

" **Do we really want to open up that can of worms now?"** quipped Gary, smirking. Ash growled at him as most everyone laughed.

" **Okay lets go guys; otherwise I'm going to be late!"** Richie led the way as the group followed, Gardevoir with the girls, all of them chattering away. Sarah looked at them and chuckled as they piled into the elevator. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder after he finished his breakfast, saying hello to Lopunny, receiving a short bow in return.

" **Lopunny, you don't need to bow to everyone, especially to ones you already know and are friends with."** Lopunny stuck her nose in the air. **"Man, what am I going to do with you? C'mon let's go."**

Lucario, Lopunny, Sarah, Ash and Pikachu took the elevator down and greeted Joy. Ash motioned for Sarah and the pokémon to wait for him outside as he wanted to ask Joy something.

" **Hey Joy, can I ask you something?"**

" **You just did but go ahead,"** giggled Joy as Ash rolled his eyes.

" **I need to replace my bed sheets and covers in the master bedroom. I can do that right?"**

" **Yes you can. I'll take care of it for you,"** said Joy and the raven haired trainer suddenly went pale and became embarrassed.

" **Ah, you're not going to be the one doing it right?"** Ash reddened.

" **No, of course not. I'm a nurse, not a maid. Why would you even…"** Joy trailed off as her eyes widened in realization; Richie told her of his and Misty's date last night when they went out too. **"Did you and Misty-"** she started but Ash cut her off.

" **OKAY GREAT! THANKS JOY!"** shouted Ash before running out, causing a very red faced Joy to burst out laughing while shaking her head.

Ash joined the awaiting pretty blonde girl Sarah and his pokémon outside. They headed into the woods and found a pretty large clearing a little farther into the woods and decided to use it.

" **Okay Sarah, go about your training as you always do. Pretend I'm not here. I won't train yet so as to not disturb you but will observe what you do."**

Sarah nodded and called out her pokémon. This was her chance to show him how committed she is in becoming stronger, to impress him and she wouldn't miss the chance. Her Steelix, Tyranitar and Jolteon appeared. She also brought out her other three pokémon, Typhlosion, Victreebell and Hypno. Ash and his pokémon watched her train her pokémon silently for a good while, not making a single sound nor moving from their spots, which was near the trees to give the pokémon space to do their training.

Meanwhile, back with the other group, as they walked towards the stadium to cheer Richie on for his match, the girls hung back a bit from the guys and gestured to them to keep going when they glanced back at them.

" **So, Misty, what exactly happened last night?"** asked Dawn, making the girls look at the red head and Gardevoir to tilt her head in confusion.

" **Misty, you don't have to if you don't want to,"** said Serena, earning glares from the other girls.

" **You know we'll tell you when it's our turn!"** added May as Leaf and Iris glanced at the red head.

" **Alright, fine,"** sighed Misty **. "I'm warning you though. You tell anyone and you're food for Gyarados. Also, Gardevoir, please don't tell Ash anything."**

The girls and Gardevoir swore to keep it a secret and Misty explained everything from last night quietly so others won't hear her as they drew nearer to the stadium. By the time they reached the stadium, Misty finished explaining what happened between her and Ash and the girls and Gardevoir were stunned at hearing the details on how the date was so romantic and how the intimacy shared between the two was incredible.

" **Damn…I never would have thought that Ash was the romantic type….or that he's good in bed,"** commented Leaf, utterly amazed that Ash did so well with Misty and was able to please her so well, especially for their first time. She didn't have any experience in the matter, even though she was very flirtatious and knew how to seduce others to get what she wanted. She never went passing kissing as she just hadn't found the right guy yet but she did know what was expected. They waved bye to Richie when he separated from the guys group in front of them as head into the trainer's entrance.

" **Well, now you know!"** giggled Misty as they entered the public entrance. May, Dawn and Serena had vacant expressions on their faces as they imagined themselves in the same situation with the raven haired trainer. They were snapped out of their trances when the others called for them to hurry up.

Back in the woods, Ash had been observing Sarah train for a good while. He was thinking of how Sarah had good chemistry with her pokémon and they seemed to trust her judgment. He smiled as he became happy at seeing such a thing because whenever he saw pokémon and humans working together, it made him feel good. After a few more minutes, Sarah finished her training and turned to Ash.

" **So, what do you think?"** asked Sarah.

Ash stayed quiet for a moment then stepped forward with his pokémon.

" **Not bad. It's a good training regimen. Do you always train like this? Any variations?"**

" **Thanks and no, not really. It's usually this with some extra stuff at the end like laps around a lake or something."**

" **Okay. Well let me tell you right now, it's a good training session and I can see why you were able to beat the Elite Four of Johto. But you're lacking on a few important things that I learned recently these past few years. For instance…"**

Ash began explaining some things that were holding her back in her training. He then gave some tips and pointers on each of her pokémon specifically that he noticed. When he finished with his advice, Sarah nodded in appreciation.

" **I see. Well, I'll try to do as you suggest. I'll do some research and experimenting too."**

" **Good. Talk with your pokémon as well. They will let you know what they want to focus on or what they want to achieve. Also, get more involved in their training. Don't just give out orders like others. Train with them."**

Sarah raised her eyebrows at him with a look that clearly said 'are you crazy?'. Ash chuckled.

" **I don't mean practice with them using Flamethrower or Thunderbolt on you but while they're training, do some exercises among them. Run with them. Spar with a dummy. When you do stuff like that, training with them, they see that you want to be strong yourself and will encourage them more. Just like you want to be known for having strong pokémon, they want to be known for having a strong trainer,"** clarified Ash.

" **I see. Thank you so much Ash for the advice. I will work with my pokémon to become stronger and you better be ready for our rematch."**

" **I look forward to it Sarah."** They smiled at each other and Sarah blushed a bit before asking him something she was thinking about just then.

" **Can I see how you train your pokémon? Please? Just a little?"**

Sarah gave him the puppy dog look and Ash sighed, agreeing. He had a hard time denying a girl when they used that on him. Sarah jumped in joy and called her pokémon over to one side of the clearing to give Ash some space. Ash called out two more pokémon; Charizard and Sceptile. Sarah and her pokémon were very impressed at the power radiating off of the two additional sparring partners.

" **Hey guys. Time for some light training. Lucario and Lopunny, you know what to do, and so do you two,"** added Ash pointing at Charizard and Sceptile, both of them grinning. **"Go for a while and then we'll switch it up with me and Pikachu."**

Ash and Pikachu gave his four pokémon some space, standing near Sarah and then he whistled, signaling them to begin. Lucario and Lopunny sparred against each other, alternating using Drain Punch against one another while jumping around acrobatically, increasing their resistance against their weakness while staying energized. Charizard flew up into the air and fired Flamethrowers at Sceptile, who didn't dodge the attacks, instead deflecting the flames away by either using his long tree like tail by whirling it around quickly, creating a vortex of air or by cutting through the flames with his sharp appendages on his arms. He would then fire Dragon Pulse and Energy Ball at the dragon whenever able to.

Ash glanced back to see Sarah's reaction and she didn't disappoint; her face was covered with shock. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows raised and her jaw dropped. Her pokémon had similar stunned expressions as well. Ash and Pikachu chuckled and faced forward again. After a while, Ash whistled again and his pokémon stopped.

" **Alright good job. Charizard, Pikachu, you two together, Sceptile and Lucario together and Lopunny, you spar with me."** They moved into their sparring teams and Ash shouted **"Begin!"**

Lopunny and Ash sparred, throwing punches and kicks, blocking and deflecting the attacks. Lucario and Sceptile threw some physical attacks but also practiced some special moves when they were far away from each other. Charizard and Pikachu traded Flamethrowers and Thunderbolts while dodging at a distance but when they got closer, they attempted to hit each other with quick physical strikes.

Sarah couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was unlike any training she had ever seen or heard about. Ash was training with his pokémon, not just by them and his training methods were so unorthodox. His pokémon used moves in such ways that she never thought possible. She remembered his Pidgeot using Steel Wing as a defensive move, shielding against her Tyranitar's Stone Edge and Sceptile was deflecting the Flamethrower with his tail and appendages. Sarah was just lost, astounded that she hadn't even thought of some of these things and could tell without a doubt that this was just scratching the surface of Ash's training style. What really caught her off guard was seeing a human fight a pokémon and actually giving the pokémon a hard time. As she looked closer, she saw something that completely baffled her; Lopunny was panting hard while Ash was just smiling. She went a bit red seeing him fighting as she just stared at him. Ten minutes later, Ash whistled again after dodging Lopunny's last attack, signaling the end of training.

" **Good job guys! You still got it. Have a good rest."**

He returned Charizard, Lopunny and Sceptile, Lucario and Pikachu staying out. He checked the time and saw it was 12pm. He turned to look back at Sarah and saw that she still had the same stunned expression on her face but also reddened and he couldn't help smirk.

" **That's a cute look for you Sarah,"** teased Ash, making Sarah snap out of it and go crimson before slapping his arm while crying out a **"HEY!"** but Ash just kept laughing. Seeing him so amused made her giggle a bit before he spoke again. **"Let's head back. They should be back by now and I want to relax a little before my match."** Sarah agreed, recalling her pokémon as they went back to the hotel.

When they entered the room they saw their friends weren't there yet and so Ash asked Sarah if she would help him get lunch ready. Surprised that he knew how to cook and was asking for her help initially, she quickly agreed while Lucario went to the balcony and Pikachu curled up on one of the couches. They made a simple chicken vegetable soup and cut up some fruit, bread and cheese. They set the table with everything but the soup, keeping a large clear space in the middle of the table for it, which still needed at least fifteen more minutes before being ready. Sarah set a timer as Ash went to take a shower. When he entered his room, he saw that the sheets and covers had been replaced already and he smiled. By the time Ash showered, dressed and went back to the living room, the soup was ready. Right as Ash wanted to ask out loud where the others were, they entered the suite, chatting loudly and were quite surprised to see the two there waiting for them with lunch ready to go.

" **About time you guys got back! I'm starving here!"** exclaimed Ash, his stomach making noises again.

" **Yea yea Ash, you'll survive. By the way, thanks Sarah for setting up lunch for us,"** finished Brock, Cilan giving her a slight bow, making Sarah blush pink. Gardevoir moved to join Lucario in the balcony.

" **Oh no problem but it was mostly Ash. I just helped out with cutting the food,"** admitted Sarah. The group stared at Sarah, not believing a word she said. **"No really, he did it."** The group faced Ash, who went pink as well and rubbed the back of his head.

" **It's not much, just chicken soup. Anyways, let's eat."** Ash sat down at the table and poured some soup into a bowl for him and began eating. Since Ash continued eating, the group thought that it couldn't be too bad otherwise he would've spit it out so they joined him.

" **Wow, this is good!"** May's face lit up as she tried the soup.

" **I'm very surprised. It's simple yet quite tasty. You could be a good cook someday Ash,"** said Cilan.

" **C'mon are you kidding me? Let me try that."** Leaf poured some for her and tried it. As soon as she tasted the soup, she hummed in delight. **"This is great! Ashy, when did you become a chef?"**

Leaf eyed him with newfound respect, batting her eyes at him. Ash blushed slightly as May, Dawn and Serena growled at Leaf who noticed and just laughed at them. Misty didn't mind anymore since she knew how Ash felt; both had confessed to each other their feelings, thoughts and fears and knew that no matter how much Leaf tried to flirt with him or seduce him, he wouldn't betray her or the other three. It kind of surprised her that she wasn't so insecure anymore but was happy about it.

" **Guys, it's just soup but thanks,"** appreciated Ash.

They talked and joked as they sat around the dinner table. Soon enough it was time for Ash's match. They headed back downstairs while Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu stayed in the room. Richie took some soup for Joy for her lunch break. He had told them during their lunch that their date went well and they were planning on going out again soon. They also let Ash know that Richie won his match but barely; his opponent had a very stubborn Absol. When they reached downstairs, Richie gave Joy the bowl of soup and Ash nodded his head slightly at Joy when everyone was looking away and Joy replied back with a knowing look and wink. Richie told them to go on since he couldn't watch his match and wanted to talk to Joy for a bit before going to train some.

They reached the stadium and Ash told his friends he'll see them later as he entered the trainer's tunnel, heading towards the field as his friends took up seats in their usual spot. Somehow it was always empty when they arrived but they didn't complain.

" **WHAT A GREAT MATCH THAT WAS! LET'S HOPE TO SEE SOME MORE IN THE NEXT MATCH! OUR NEXT MATCH FOR THE DAY WILL BE ASH KETCHUM VERSUS RUSSELL DIAMOND!"**

The announcer's words caused the stadium to cheer in agreement before they screamed even louder as Ash entered the field. They did the same for Russell, but much lower, which Russell noticed and made him scowl. _These people are idiots since they haven't realized that greatness is here. They'll soon cheer for me_ , he thought. The two reached the middle where the referee was waiting and handed both trainers microphones. Ash held out his hand.

" **Good luck with the match,"** said Ash with a smile.

Russell glanced at the outstretched hand and scoffed while he turned away, rejecting the friendly handshake. Ash lowered his hand but shrugged, walking away while shaking his head.

" **GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER! RUSSELL IS HERE TO WIN, NOT MAKE FRIENDS FOLKS!"**

Loud boos were heard throughout the stadium, with Ash's friends doing so as well at Russell, yet Ash didn't care. They took up their positions on the field, Ash in the green box, Russell in the red. The referee reminded them of the rules, finishing with asking if they were ready to battle with Russell and Ash nodding.

" **Let the battle begin!"** said the referee as he held up both red and green flags.

" **I hope you're ready to lose! You're battle style won't work against me! I'll show everyone what a hack you are and how weak you're pokémon are!"** yelled Russell and tossed out a poke ball.

A large blue turtle stood on its hind legs with two large cannons sticking out of his shell. Blastoise roared as it stomped its feet on the ground, making the ground shake a bit.

" **That's one powerful Blastoise! Ash better be careful,"** worried Gary. Blastoise are naturally tough and Gary was always boasting how his was stronger than most, if not all and for him to admit that another one was strong, it meant something. The others nodded in agreement, making a certain blunette become worried. Dawn got up from her seat and leaned against the railing while she shouted out some encouragement to the man she loved.

" **You got this Ash! We know you're going to win!"**

Ash heard the blunette and faced her. He lifted up two thumbs up at her and smiled, causing Dawn to beam back at him and the others to relax. That all changed when Russell spoke again.

" **Tell your stupid, attention whore of a girlfriend to shut up and stop bothering us! Hurry up and send out your worthless pokémon so I can win already!"**

Shock. That was what Dawn felt at first before she felt the hurt by the insult and backed away from the railing, publicly humiliated. Her eyes watered and quickly after she started to cry. Misty, May and Serena got up and tried to calm her down while hugging her. The others began yelling out insults of their own at the rude trainer. When Ash heard the insult he became angry but when he saw her crying, he became furious. He turned back to face Russell as his hands lowered, his eyes narrowed and growled. He reached up with one hand and flipped his hat backwards as he drew a poke ball from inside his jacket.

" **THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR! SORRY FOLKS FOR THE LANGUAGE!"**

" **Oh Russell you blew it big time. You're in some deep shit now!"** said Serena with slight venom in her voice, most of them agreeing. Sarah and Leaf gave confused looks. Misty explained seeing them lost.

" **Whenever Ash is seriously pissed off or focusing on an important battle, he'll turn his hat around backwards. It's like a switch for him that tells him to go all out."**

Sarah and Leaf nodded in understanding and they both gave their full attention to Ash who spoke after Misty, the microphone sending his words out to everyone in the stadium.

" **You can insult me all you like as I don't care but the second you insult the ones I care about, I won't have it. I hope you're ready for your loss!"**

The crowd murmured over his words as Ash tossed out his poke ball. A large golden-white fox pokémon with red eyes and nine tails appeared.

" **Nine!"** roared Ninetales. Suddenly, the temperature around the field increased as the air around the stadium heated up and the clouds above vanished. Ninetales' ability of Drought had activated.

" **No way! He has a Ninetales and it has the ability Drought? That's like finding a needle in a haystack!"** said an astonished Brock. Russell wasn't impressed though.

" **LOOKS LIKE ASH'S ANGER HAS GOT THE BEST OF HIM! HE CALLED OUT NINETALES BUT EVEN WITH ITS RARE ABILITY OF DROUGHT, CAN HE OUT-FOX THE POWERFUL TURTLE?"**

" **You're gimmicks won't save you here! Hydro Pump!"** yelled Russell. Blastoise's cannons extended a bit further out and shot two powerful and fast torrents of water that hurtled towards the fox pokémon. Ash didn't say anything but Ninetales dodged the attack.

" **Hydro Pump again!"** The blue turtle fired the attack once more. Without any commands given, Ninetales used Protect at the last second, stopping the attack altogether. Russell was stunned but quickly recovered. He shouted his next attack.

" **Earthquake!"** Blastoise stomped against the ground, causing the entire stadium to shake but Ninetales jumped high up into the air to avoid it.

" **Gotcha! Blastoise, Flash Cannon!"** Bright silver beams of energy shot from the turtle's cannons towards the fox. Ninetales had her nine tails gleam a metallic sheen as she front flipped in the air, hitting the beams of energy with her many tails, deflecting them away.

" **No fucking way!"** exclaimed a stunned and frustrated Russell.

" **LANGUAGE! ANYWAY, HOW ABOUT THAT MOVE FOLKS! ASH HAS TRAINED HIS NINETALES WELL ENOUGH TO NOT EVEN SAY ANY COMMANDS! THIS IS ONE TALENTED FOX!"**

" **Screw this. Blastoise, annihilate that fox! Full power Hydro Cannon!"** Blastoise charged up a blue sphere of energy in front of him, the ultimate water attack and was about to fire when a large green beam of energy shot across the field hitting the large turtle pokémon, engulfing it before sending him crashing into the wall. Blastoise slid down onto the ground unconscious.

" **Blastoise is unable to battle! This round goes to Ninetales!"**

The crowd was shocked into silence before it roared as Russell returned his pokémon and glared at Ash, who had his arms crossed as always but also had a very angry look on his face. His Ninetales took up a battle stance in front of him, growling and baring its teeth at him.

 _He beat my Blastoise with one attack?!_

" **NINETALES TOOK DOWN BLASTOISE WITH ONE SOLAR BEAM! NOW THAT'S ONE POWERFUL FOX!"**

" **Damn, that was incredible! One attack?"** Iris was stunned.

" **Not only that, but he didn't even give out one command,"** awed Serena. Dawn stopped crying but still had tears in her eyes as she faced the battle, turning her head away from May's shoulder. May was still hugging her though her attention was now on the furious Ash. Sarah and Leaf were staring at Ash with dumbstruck expressions, unable to comprehend the power he possessed while Misty smiled.

 _That's my Pokémon Master. Teach this punk some manners._

Russell growled as he tossed another poke ball into the air and Alakazam appeared.

" **Kazam!"** shouted the psychic pokémon, holding up two spoons, one in each hand. Ash returned his Ninetales and tossed another poke ball out. A tall bipedal black fox like pokémon appeared, with red claws on its hands and feet, along with red fur growing out the back of its head.

" **Zoro!"** Zoroark took up an offensive stance, as it eyed its opponent, growling noticeably. Somehow, it knew that Ash was angered and the pokémon sensed it, just like Ninetales.

" **RUSSELL HAS SENT OUT AN ALAKAZAM WHILE ASH SENT OUT A ZOROARK! BOTH ARE POWERFUL POKEMON IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS THE ADVANTAGE THIS TIME AS DARK TYPES ARE IMMUNE TO PSYCHIC TYPE ATTACKS!"**

" **Wow, a Zoroark?! Those are rare and quite powerful,"** commented Leaf.

" **Ash isn't going easy on this guy at all is he?"** asked Sarah, astonished.

" **No he's not Sarah. If its one thing I know about Ash is that he never goes easy on battles but he's fair and knows where to draw the line. Make him mad though and it's another story,"** explained Brock.

" **So what? Dark type or not who gives a shit? Miracle Eye!"** Alakazam focused on Zoroark and a large all seeing eye appeared above Alakazam. The eye blinked and Zoroark glowed white for a second than both the glowing and the eye disappeared.

" **Now, Psybeam!"** The psychic pokémon launched a powerful beam of telekinetic energy at the black fox but right before it struck, the black fox split into a dozen copies and the beam shot through a copy before exploding against the stadium wall.

" **Damn it! Use Dazzling Gleam! Get rid of the imposters!"** ordered Russell and Alakazam's eyes glowed blue before he let out a bright white energy around him and shot it out towards all the Zoroark and it engulfed them all. When the attack finished and the bright light died down, Zoroark was gone.

" **Where did Zoroark go?"** asked Max as he looked all over the field yet nobody answered as they too couldn't find him.

" **What the hell…"** Russell looked around the field as did his Alakazam, trying to find the black fox. **"Where did…shit, look out! Alakazam!"** yelled Russell.

Zoroark had maneuvered so quickly that nobody saw her, not even the powerful psychic pokémon, as being a Dark type made her be hard to sensed from a Psychic type. She had vanished when Alakazam made the last attack but then appeared right next to the psychic. She had a ball of black and purple energy swirling in her claws and the moment Alakazam turned his glance slightly towards her, she hit the psychic pokémon with an up close Dark Pulse. The super-effective attack sent the pokémon flying into the side wall and he too fell down to the ground, unconscious, his eyes shut.

" **Alakazam is unable to battle. This round goes to Zoroark!"**

" **INCREDIBLE! ASH HAS KNOCKED OUT ALAKAZAM WITH ONE HIT AGAIN, THE SAME WAY HE DID WITH BLASTOISE! RUSSELL HAS ONE POKEMON LEFT! LOOKS LIKE HIS RUDE BEHAVIOR HAS NOW COME BACK AROUND TO BITE HIM!"**

The people cheered madly as Russell returned his pokémon, fuming.

 _One attack again? Who the fuck is this guy?_

Russell unclipped his last pokémon's poke ball and stood in silence for a moment.

" **Wow, Ash is in the zone!"** said Iris.

" **Usually when emotions get mixed up in one's battle, it causes them to lose focus and make mistakes. Ash used to be like that too in the past but it looks like no more. His emotions seem to just let his battling instincts take over,"** explained Cilan and the others agreed.

Up in the VIP room, Goodshow and his guests were watching the match between Ash and Russell closely. They didn't like Russell's attitude but were amazed at Ash's performance.

" **I'm telling you, Russell is done for,"** commented the silver haired man in the elegant suite.

" **I'll admit that his strong but the match isn't over yet,"** replied the spiky haired man with the red and black cape.

" **Who are you trying to kid?"** asked the blonde woman. **"You know as well as I do that Ash is going to pulverize Russell."**

" **Don't let your feelings for him make you think rashly,"** snapped the man with the cape, startling the blonde woman. **"Yes, we know of your thoughts about him."**

" **You are mistaken. I only think of him as a valued friend and rival,"** replied the blonde woman and turned away from them, looking at the field once more, though her face was reddened as she thought something; h _ow did they find out?_

" **That better be the only thoughts you have of him. He is a good trainer and a friend to us all, but he is not in our level and unworthy to be with a Champion. And you have your obligations to attend to as one. Remember that,"** finished he man in the cape before he and the others turned back to the battle in time to hear Russell break his momentary silence.

" **It's not over yet Ketchum! You will lose, I swear it!"** screamed Russell, starting to lose his mind as he brought forth his last pokémon. A huge flying pterodactyl like dinosaur appeared, with razor sharp teeth, powerful legs, a long tail and large wings appeared.

" **Aero!"** roared Aerodactyl as it flew up into the air. The crowd went slightly quiet at the sight of the powerful fossil pokémon. Ash withdrew Zoroark and tossed out another poke ball and his Charizard appeared, roaring even louder than Aerodactyl as it landed on the floor and spread its mighty wings.

" **RUSSELL'S LAST HOPE IS AERODACTYL AND ASH HAS BROUGHT OUT CHARIZARD! EVEN THOUGH AERODACTYL HAS THE ADVANTAGE AND IS POWERFUL, WE ALL HAVE HEARD STORIES OF ASH'S CHARIZARD GOING TOE TO TOE WITH THE MOST POWERFUL OF POKEMON! THESE TWO DRAGONS WILL MOST LIKELY GIVE US ONE HECK OF A FIGHT!"**

The stadium erupted in noise seeing the two pokémon taking up positions on the field, waiting for their trainer's command. Charizard's eyes were burning and it snarled loudly at its opponent, the flame on its tail growing larger as a result.

" **Talk about karma."**

" **What do you mean Brock?"** asked Gary for everyone except for Misty who knew the story.

" **A long time ago, Ash had a bad experience with Aerodactyl and his Charmeleon evolved into Charizard to fight it. So now it's like this last round is to help Ash finally overcome Aerodactyl, Charizard to get even and to punish Russell for insulting Dawn,"** explained Brock.

" **If that's the case then Russell is pretty much screwed,"** remarked Leaf.

" **I hope Ash crushes him."** Dawn said as she separated from May finally to fully turn towards the field and her friends agreed with her.

" **Let's show this over-grown lizard whose king of the skies! Aerodactyl, Stone Edge!"** Aerodactyl made the ground beneath Charizard break apart and shoot up at the fire pokémon but Charizard swiftly evaded the attack by moving to the side.

" **Wing Attack!"** shouted Russell. The ancient flying pokémon had his wings glow white as he flew up a bit before dive bombing the red dragon. Right before making contact, Charizard evaded the strike.

" **Damn, fly up into the air!"** commanded Russell. Aerodactyl rose up higher into the air, Ash and Charizard following with their eyes.

" **Why isn't Ash doing anything?"** asked Max, worried.

" **He's waiting for the right moment,"** clarified Gary and Max nodded as he understood.

" **Hyper Beam!"** Aerodactyl fired a large white beam of energy at Charizard, Ash's friends letting out cries of warnings since Ash didn't say anything but the red dragon didn't move. The beam connected and exploded, covering the arena in smoke. Soon the smoke cleared and what they saw made many people in the stands to gasp.

" **AERODACTYL USED HYPER BEAM AGAINST CHARIZARD AND IT HIT ITS MARK! BUT CHARIZARD HAS DEFENDED HIMSELF AGAINST THE POWERFUL ATTACK!"**

Charizard had brought up his shield again, consisting of Heat Wave circling around him in a sphere and using Steel Wing move to cover himself; completely nullifying the powerful beam of energy. Charizard stretched out his wings as the metallic sheen disappeared and roared loudly again, the flames on his tail growing larger. Leaf and Sarah were both amazed by the impressive defensive move as the others smiled as they had seen it before and were feeling a little ashamed for forgetting he could do that. Charizard formed a ball of flames in front of his mouth and shot it up at Aerodactyl, the ball of flames forming into a large five pointed star attack; a Fire Blast.

Aerodactyl was still recharging after using Hyper Beam, so he was unable to move and ended up getting hit by the full force of the attack causing the flying fossil pokémon to screech in pain as it fell to the ground. At the last second, it managed to turn its body to land on its feet, but still received massive damage. Aerodactyl was shaking as it tried to stay standing.

" **It's over Russell. There's no point in making your pokémon fight in its current condition."** Ash was about to return his Charizard when Russell let out a mad laugh, making him stop.

" **HA HA HA HA! You think it's over? Not a chance!"** Russell lifted up his left arm, revealing a Mega Ring. Ash stared at him with disbelief on his face and hoped he wasn't that crazy.

" **No mega evolutions allowed!"** shouted the referee. **"You use that and you're disqualified!"**

" **Don't care. I don't care about some stupid tournament anymore. But I am going to teach this piece of shit that he's not better than me!"** screamed Russell as he touched his Mega Ring.

Aerodactyl glowed white and was covered up in a white sphere that soon exploded as white energy shot out around the now visible Mega Aerodactyl; it had sharp blade like protrusions all over its body and had grown considerably larger. The insults and boos were thrown at deaf ears as Russell started laughing like a mad man, having lost his mind. Ash and Charizard stood their ground, eyeing the two.

" **THAT CHEATING PILE OF TAUROS CRAP!"** Misty yelled as she stood up, her hands clenched into fists, shaking with anger.

" **I'M GOING TO KICK HIS FUCKING ASS!"** shouted May as she slammed a fist into her other hand. The rest were shouting insults at the crazed trainer as Dawn felt fear fill her up once more, worried that Ash might get hurt.

Back in the VIP room, when Russell went berserk and mega evolved his Aerodactyl, they shook their heads and sighed.

" **What a disgusting way to end an incredible battle,"** said one the woman in the white coat.

" **You mean more like a massacre. Ash had complete control until the mega evolution. What do you think he'll do now?"** asked the blonde woman.

" **It doesn't matter whether he mega evolves now as well or not to protect himself since Russell is disqualified. Let's send some officials down there to clean up this mess,"** replied Goodshow sadly.

" **EVERYONE REMAIN CALM. LEAGUE OFFICALS HAVE BEEN SUMMONED AND WILL SOON FIX THIS."**

" **I'll be long gone by then but not before you're groveling at my feet!"** sneered Russell, his Mega Aerodactyl taunting Charizard with throaty growls, which were interpreted as laughing by the red dragon, whose eyes narrowed in response.

" **Be careful Ash!"** Dawn had moved towards the railing again. Ash heard her shout and faced her, his angry look vanishing and replaced with one of concern. He smiled at her before facing Russell again.

" **Aw, looks like your girlfriend wants you to come back in one piece. How sweet. Too bad you'll be going back in pieces! But don't worry, I'll make sure she's happy tonight! Aerodactyl, Giga-Impact!"**

Aerodactyl launched at Charizard after covering itself with a multi colored glow, slamming into the red dragon. Charizard caught him but the impact pushed him back, his large clawed feet dug into the ground to stop the movement. Dawn went crimson and started crying again. Ash had had enough of this guy.

" **You really are a vile piece of shit and I have no respect for people like you. You will pay for that!"**

Charizard turned his head slightly at Ash and nodded. Charizard wanted to show them that they were the better pair. The flame on the tip of his tail grew rapidly to the size of the pokémon itself, his rage strengthening him. The heat generating off of the dragon caused many in the field to sweat. The fire dragon fired a point blank Flamethrower, directly into Aerodactyl's face, causing it to cry out in pain as it was pushed back by the scorching flames. People in the stands started to shout, some using bad words while others screamed in fright.

" **Incredible. How can a Charizard push back a Mega Aerodactyl without mega evolving itself? How powerful is that dragon?"** asked a tall older man with red pointy hair in the VIP room. Nobody answered him for they were in awe as well, not seeing something of the like at all.

" **FOLKS, PLEASE RELAX AS THE OFFICIALS ARE HEADING INTO THE FIELD AS WE SPEAK!"**

Russell snarled as he saw the league officials heading towards him.

" **Aerodactyl, get rid of these pests!"** Aerodactyl moved to attack the officials. Before someone could even react, a red sphere of flames slammed into Aerodactyl at incredible speed, ramming the fossil pokémon into the wall, saving the officials.

" **Did you see how fast he moved?"** asked Leaf, completely stunned

" **Yes, but I still can't believe it myself,"** said Sarah, her eyebrows raised and eyes widened.

Charizard took a few steps away from Aerodactyl, keeping his eyes on him. Aerodactyl stood up and glared at his attacker. Russell was going insane.

" **NO WAY IN HELL HIS STUPID CHARIZARD CAN BEAT MY MEGA AERODACTYL! FUCK THIS! BITE THAT DAMN LIZARDS HEAD OFF!"** roared Russell.

Aerodactyl moved to accomplish the orders, but instead was met with another powerful Flamethrower from up close, followed up by a Dragon Claw to its body, sending the fossil pokémon back onto the ground. Aerodactyl shakily made to get up again but Charizard gave him one more Dragon Claw, this time to its head, knocking out the flying pokémon and it changed back into its normal form.

" **EVEN THOUGH THE MEGA EVOLUTION WAS AN ILLEGAL MOVE AND RUSSELL WAS IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFIED FROM THE TOURNAMENT, ASH AND CHARIZARD HELD THEIR OWN WITHOUT MEGA EVOLVING, WINNING THE MATCH FAIR AND SQUARE AND SAVED THE OFFICIALS' LIVES! IS THERE ANYTHING THIS TRAINER AND HIS POKEMON CAN'T DO?!"**

The crowd cheered for Ash and booed at Russell over the announcer's words. After eyeing the fallen pokémon for a moment, Charizard fixed his gaze onto Russell, making him step back a bit in fear. Ash moved towards them and stood in front of his Charizard as a certain blue haired girl jumped down from the stands and ran to him, their friends following her shortly after. They gathered around beside him, looks of disgust on their faces as they looked at Russell. Dawn had stopped crying yet her eyes were red and puffy as she hugged Ash. League officials moved towards them as the people in the stands watched.

" **Russell Diamond you are disqualified from the tournament for cheating and are under arrest for endangering the lives of others,"** said the head official, a tall man with black hair, who was wearing a suit. Russell hung his head in defeat and shame. Ash thanked his pokémon for saving everyone and doing a good job, the dragon letting out a victory roar, followed by a burst of flame into the air that dissipated shortly after. He then glanced at the blunette hugging him.

" **Are you okay Dawn?"** he asked her as he looked into her puffy blue eyes.

" **Yea I'm fine. Thank you for standing up for me and I'm glad you're alright,"** replied Dawn.

" **Hey, no need to worry right?"** Dawn smiled at him and nodded. **"Let's go home."**

The group turned away from Russell as the league officials closed in around him but Ash sensed the sudden ill intent and reacted. He turned around and pushed the league official out of harm's way and was about to subdue Russell when a blue haired girl stepped in between them receiving the hit that was meant for Ash. Everyone who was nearby stood still as statues while the stadium went eerily silent at the sight of the hidden attack.

Slowly, Dawn looked down and saw Russell grasping a handle, the blade part of it inside her. Russell withdrew the blade, causing blood to gush out and Dawn stumbled back, holding her wound, before falling backwards. Ash caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

Russell made to attack Ash this time since he was preoccupied but Brock intervened, delivering a haymaker punch to the mad trainer's face, sending him to the floor, out cold. The group of friends stood around the two, shocked at what had happened. Brock attempted to contact medical personal with his Poketch's phone application as Ash was holding Dawn up in his arms. She was having difficulty breathing and was trying to talk, blood escaping from her stab wound in the stomach. Their group of friends was tearing up at the sight, the girls kneeling next to the two on the ground.

" **Ash…I…"** Dawn stuttered and then coughed, a little blood trickling out of her mouth. Ash gently wiped it away with his hand. **"I want…I…"**

" **Don't talk Dawn. It'll be okay."** Ash interrupted, tears flowing down his cheeks as he moved his right hand to where her stab wound was. He gently moved her hands away, allowing the blood to come out faster for a second since there was no pressure until he placed his hand on her wound, Dawn closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears but they escaped as she whimpered, the pain getting to her.

" **You'll feel better soon. No need to worry. I promise."** Ash's hand glowed blue. His friends noticed what he was doing, most of them understanding except for Sarah and Leaf who gasped in shock, and encircled them, blocking Ash and Dawn from the eyes in the stadium. Their crying had stopped but were still taking in sharp breaths. The blue glow around his hand brightened, pulsing out waves of healing aura over the wound.

Dawn's wounded area began to glow underneath his hand and slowly healed. The wound stopped bleeding and finally, sealed itself shut. Ash continued pulsing out aura onto Dawn to make sure she was fully healed. When Dawn's breathing stabilized and the color of her face returned, Ash stopped, taking a few deep breathes since he used a good amount of energy to do so before he placed his hand softly against her cheek.

" **Dawn?"** whispered Ash and a few seconds later, Dawn opened her eyes slowly, gazing into Ash's eyes.

" **You saved me,"** she whispered back.

" **Oh thank Arceus. Dawn, don't ever do-"** Ash was interrupted when Dawn lunged forward and kissed him. Nobody was expecting that and at first Ash was stunned, but then closed his eyes and kissed her back, holding her closer in his arms, sitting on the floor with her sitting on him. Their friends smiled at the sight and after a moment they broke apart.

" **Don't ever do something like that again,"** finished Ash.

" **You do it all the time,"** complained Dawn softly.

" **I'm an Aura Guardian. It's my job,"** he said quietly so only she and his friends can hear.

Sarah and Leaf gasped as they now understood how and why he could summon poke balls and heal others. They were astounded that the Ash they know, who was sitting on the ground right in front of them, is one of the legendary protectors of the world that was told of in books and fables.

" **Plus, I would go insane if any of you got hurt or died because of me. Don't ever do something like that again. Okay?"** continued Ash but Dawn frowned.

" **Ash, I know what you're saying and feeling but-"**

" **No matter what. Are we clear?"** repeated Ash, a little stern this time. Dawn didn't say anything or do anything to commit too it. All she did was gaze into Ash's unusually stern eyes with her defiant ones.

" **Hey, let's talk about this some other time,"** said Brock softly as he placed a hand on both their shoulders. Ash and Dawn glanced at him, before returning their gazes but then nodded. Brock helped the two get up.

When their friends parted away, the people in the stadium were silent, holding their breath as they waited to see what happened. When they saw Ash and Dawn get up on their feet, they let out cheers in happiness that everyone was okay. In order to keep up the charade, Ash and Dawn waved at the crowd for a few seconds before Charizard stepped forward, having watched the league officials handcuff Russell and take him away. Ash thanked Charizard again, promising to make it up to him somehow and returned him. They were about to leave when the head league official stopped them.

" **Yes?"** Ash stepped forward in front of the others.

" **I wanted to say thank you for saving my life. I thought that your friend got hit instead but seeing everyone standing, I'm happy nobody is hurt."** Nobody said anything and Ash merely nodded. **"Here, take this."** The head official gave Ash a card. **"It's not much, but call these guys; they have the best food in Kanto and give them this card and the feast will be on us, no strings attached as a thank you for saving me and the other officials. You truly are a great trainer and a good person."**

Ash thanked the official for his generosity and kind words as they shook hands. The crowd cheered once more before he and his friends left the stadium together, taking the closest exit with the raven haired trainer leading the way with Dawn. Ash had grasped her hand and gently pulled her forward to walk beside him when they began to leave the arena. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him, Dawn throwing an arm around his waist as well, leaning into his side as the two walked in front. Ash wasn't going to let her out of his sight, at least not for the rest of the day. He had almost lost her and he didn't know what he would've done if he couldn't heal her. He pushed the dark thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on the walk back to their hotel and on the blunette he was holding.

Behind the two, their friends were walking quietly behind them. When they saw Ash and Dawn get closer to each other, they smiled. They didn't say anything about it and didn't say anything about the kiss the two shared at the field. Misty positioned herself in between May and Serena, her necklace shining under the sun's rays.

" **Hey, I think we should change the order. Let's have Dawn go next. I'm pretty sure it will help them recover from that horrible experience,"** advised Misty.

" **I'm pretty sure even if we didn't it would've gone that way anyway. Sometimes plans need to fall apart so spontaneous things can take its place that will bring out better experiences,"** replied May.

" **I have no problem with that,"** agreed Serena. Misty wrapped her arms around their shoulders and the three continued walking together, smiles on their faces.

" **I think things are going to have much more interesting flavors as things start to get more intense around here,"** said Cilan, as he watched the three girls walking together behind Ash and Dawn.

" **One thing's for sure; it's never dull around Ashy-boy,"** joked Gary, trying to ease the tension and for once, it worked, as the others chuckled slightly.

Back in the VIP room, President Goodshow sighed in relief after hanging up his office phone. He had spoken to the head official who told him that everything was alright and nobody was hurt. He then faced his guests, who were the five Champions of the Pokémon League; Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder and Diantha. They each gave him a look of concern that clearly asked what had happened.

" **Everything is fine. Even though I thought I saw someone get injured, nobody was hurt and Russell has been arrested,"** explained Goodshow and the five Champions were relieved.

" **It's good to hear all is well once more,"** stated Diantha, who was in the white coat.

" **You said it. Oh and Lance,"** said Cynthia, waiting for the spiky haired man with the red and black cape to look at her before she continued. **"What were you saying again before about thinking too rashly?"**

Lance huffed out some air and turned away, muttering that he was going to get some food. Steven and Alder grinned at seeing the usually correct dragon master be wrong for a change and Diantha shook her head in amusement. Cynthia smirked as she turned to face the field again through the window, before becoming lost in her thoughts.

 _I knew you'd win. You've become quite powerful Ash. After getting to know you a little and fighting alongside you and your friends years ago, I knew that you were destined for greatness and someone special. I just wonder how you became so strong and what you've been up to these past three years that you had disappeared. And…I hope you haven't forgotten me…as I haven't forgotten you…_

 ** _A/N - What did you guys think? To all my loyal readers and curious readers, please review and if you haven't follow and favorite! Hope to hear from you all, thanks in advance and have a good weekend!_**


	22. Chapter 22 - Grief

**_A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with another chapter for you! It's mostly a filler but sets things up for the future and I also have a surprise for you guys in this chapter. Also, I might be able to post up another chapter sooner than my usual date of Friday so stay tuned! Also, thank you everyone for reading, both new and old readers! I appreciate the time you guys put in to read it and communicate with me via messages and reviews. Also, I haven't done this before, but since I couldn't reply back to a few reviews privately, I'm going to answer them here;_**

 ** _Ivan - Thanks for the praise and compliments buddy! I hope I have a bright future in writing too! I was actually thinking about writing an original story and publishing it but not yet as I don't have enough experience yet. I also want to see how my first story (this one) goes so I can see if I would be able to do something like that. :)_**

 ** _Citylover96 - Leaf does get involved in the story. Since you're review was on Chapter 12, you may not have caught up yet. But she is going to be in the story. All you have to do is keep reading. I think you'll like the way she makes her appearance! ;)_**

 ** _AgentD24 - Thanks and I try to make each chapter as good as possible before posting them up. About Dawn and pearl shipping, all I can say is keep reading to find out. ;)_**

 ** _Amina - I'm glad you love it! I try to post a new chapter at least once a week, every Friday. I have a hectic work schedule so that leaves me very little time to have a social life and to keep writing. Sometimes I barely have a few hours of sleep a day! (I need a vacation lol) But no worries as I will post at least every Friday. I might be able to post up another one before next Friday after this chapter but not sure yet. Hopefully I can! :)_**

 ** _Guest - Mewtwo may or may not compete in the tournament. I haven't decided yet._**

 ** _Aboz567 - I'm going to send you a private reply but since I'm doing this, I just wanted to say for both of your reviews, THANK YOU!_**

 ** _Alright, thanks for being patient with that._**

 ** _I have one more thing to say to everyone; I have a huge story in mind, and I have already made an outline of what's going to happen, who's going to get involved, when, what, why, etc. and so on. With that in mind, I just wanted to let you know that this story isn't going to be a short one as I have a lot planned. BUT, I still want to hear suggestions, advice and such that will help. I can't promise I'll use everything mentioned, but if it makes sense with the story, I will use it._**

 ** _Thanks and now, on to the best part; the next chapter of THE BLUE SPIRIT! Enjoy!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 22 – GRIEF

Ash had won his third match of the Spirit Tournament but it came with some heart stopping moments. His opponent, Russell Diamond, cheated at the end and mega evolved his Aerodactyl in an attempt to humiliate and beat Ash, knowing he couldn't win in a fair fight as Ash had beaten his first two pokémon with one hit each. The raven haired trainer won however despite the cheating ways and saved the officials who Russell targeted with his mega pokémon when they tried to stop him. When Ash's Charizard beat Aerodactyl, Russell pretended to give up but tried to land a sneak attack with a hidden blade on Ash but Dawn had thrown herself between the two, getting stabbed instead. Brock knocked out Russell with a rage induced punch and Ash had healed Dawn with his aura powers before the two shared a short kiss in front of their friends on the field. They were now heading back to their suite, with Ash and Dawn leading the group, holding each other close. They had barely moved a hundred feet away from the stadium when Dawn stumbled though Ash kept her from falling by catching her.

" **Hey, you alright?"** asked Ash, greatly concerned.

" **Yea, I just became tired and woozy all of a sudden,"** replied Dawn. Ash placed his hat on her head and then picked her up without another word, carrying her in his arms, bridal style and continued walking.

" **Thank you."** Dawn whispered to him, her arms around his neck. Ash smiled and whispered that it was no problem. When their friends saw Ash pick her up after she said she was tired, they smiled happily at the gesture and the girls fawned over it.

" **He's so caring isn't he Leaf?"** asked Sarah with admiring eyes at the raven haired trainer.

" **Yeah, he is."** Leaf's agreement caused a whirlwind of thoughts to go through her head.

 _He hasn't changed at all, still caring and protecting others. He's become so strong and handsome too. He's always been fearless though and he has matured greatly and….wait, what am I doing? Am I really thinking about Ash like that right now? What the hell?_ Leaf's internal struggle went unnoticed by the group as they continued walking.

Halfway to the hotel, some fans and reporters caught up to the stragglers of their group and started asking questions randomly and quite loudly.

" **Hey there, what did you think of the match between Ash and Russell?"**

" **Do you know where we can find Ash? He's always dodging interviews."**

" **Hey, do you where I can find that Charizard trainer? I want to get his autograph!"**

" **Do you know where that fearless and handsome Ash is? I want to ask him out!"**

Ash heard the questions and started walking faster, not wanting to deal with it at all. Gary noticed and nudged Brock.

" **Looks like Ashy-boy doesn't want attention,"** said Gary a little too loudly. A couple of the people bothering their friends behind them heard and rounded on the researcher.

" **You know where he is? Tell us!"** They demanded, practically shouting in Gary's face. The others continued past them, laughing at Gary, as he never knows when to close his mouth. Gary was fuming that they had left him behind to deal with the crazy fans and reporters, but his scowl quickly turned into a smirk as he decided to have some fun with the reporters.

" **So, you want to see the great Ash? Alright then, listen up…"**

Ash sighed in relief as they crazy people didn't notice him and had reached the hotel. As soon as he stepped inside, Richie and Joy shot towards him, with obvious concern on their faces. They heard what had happened at the end, since Joy is a League Official and had a walkie-talkie with her at all times when on her shift, asking Ash if everything is okay. Ash nodded, telling them that everything is alright and that he just needed to take Dawn up so she can rest comfortably as she had fallen asleep in his arms. Not giving them the full story, Ash walked past them and went up in the elevator. A moment later, the rest of their friends showed up. Joy and Richie turned to them.

" **Hey, we heard a bunch of horrible stuff happened through the League's chattering. What happened?"** asked Richie immediately, Joy standing beside him; both of them not letting them go on up until they got an explanation.

" **Well, this is what happened…"** Brock told them exactly what happened from the beginning to the end. When he got to the mega pokémon part, Richie shouted out a curse word angrily and when he talked about how Dawn got stabbed, Joy clapped her hands to her mouth, silencing her cry of shock and quickly began to tear up. Richie wrapped an arm around her as she started to cry, burying her face into his chest, while Richie called Russell several bad names.

" **Hey don't cry Joy, its okay because Ash healed her."** Joy and Richie looked at him as if he was crazy and Brock explained what happened after the injury.

" **I'm so relieved that she's okay and that worthless excuse of a trainer is getting locked up. Good job with the knockout punch Brock,"** complimented Richie.

" **Thanks Richie, but I haven't punched anyone that hard before,"** admitted Brock, as he massaged his knuckles. **"It hurt a little."** Some chuckles were heard at his revelation. Richie turned to Joy.

" **When are you off of your shift?"**

" **Around 5pm. I'll come up before I go home."** Joy rubbed her eyes dry of tears.

" **Okay. I'm going to go check on them. I'll see you later."**

Joy gave Richie a quick kiss on the cheek and returned to work. Richie and the rest traveled up in the elevator and entered their empty room. They looked around for Ash, Dawn, Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu and found them in Serena's and Dawn's bedroom.

Lucario had an angry look on his face while Gardevoir looked sullen. Pikachu was curled up next to Dawn and Piplup who was brought out by Dawn. The small blue penguin pokémon was hugged by Dawn, who still had Ash's hat on her head as she slept under the covers still fully dressed. Ash was sitting on a chair beside Dawn, watching over her as she slept. He glanced at his friends when they entered the room, putting a finger to his mouth to signal them to stay quiet. They quietly left the room after nodding and closed the door.

Ash watched Dawn as she slept for another moment before getting up. Lucario and Gardevoir shared an understanding look with Ash before moving closer to Dawn, letting him know that they will watch over her for him. Ash nodded in appreciation and went out of the room. He walked quietly to the balcony, glad at the fact that the others didn't bother him right now.

Ash leaned against the balcony railing as he stared off into the distance. The memories of the day's events began to flow past in front of his mind's eye. He couldn't believe what had happened. He couldn't believe that Russell was willing to cheat and hurt others. The last time he saw people like that was when he defeated the last evil organization that he had come across years ago; Team Flare.

He went over every detail in his head and couldn't figure out what he did wrong. What made him madder was the fact that he didn't react quickly enough to stop Russell as well before he tried to attack and before Dawn got caught in the middle. His anger caused his aura to flare out and arch around him.

The blue glow from the balcony caught everyone's attention who was gathered round in the living room. Leaf and Sarah stared at him in awe, never before seeing an Aura Guardian's true power. Misty, May and Serena instantly got up and headed towards him. Leaf was about to stop them when Brock grabbed her shoulder and when she turned to look at him, he shook his head. Leaf returned to follow them with her eyes as the three drew closer to Ash.

Ash's aura was blazing around like flames dancing in the wind as the three drew close. Sarah thought that the blue flames might hurt the girls, cause them to shout or scream in pain but when she saw Misty place a hand on his shoulder through the blue flame like aura, she gasped.

" **Ash's aura won't hurt anyone that is not his enemy or is not a threat,"** explained Brock, as soon as Sarah opened her mouth to ask about that.

" **Oh."** It was all she could say and Leaf nodded silently. She was thinking about the same thing.

Ash looked at the person who placed her hand on his shoulder. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to sense others nearing him. Seeing Misty's concerned look made him calm down a little, his aura stopped flaring around and regressed back into him. He noticed Misty wearing the necklace he bought her and it raised his spirits, but only slightly. He now sensed two more people around him and turned around to see it was Serena and May. The three girls had come to check on him.

" **Hey, are you okay Ash?"** asked Misty softly. Ash faced her fully before shaking his head.

" **No, I'm not. I can't get past what happened today. The image of what happened to Dawn keeps replaying in my mind over and over again. I can't stop seeing it!"** He turned around, leaning against the balcony railing again and his eyes watered. Misty hugged him from behind as May and Serena hugged him from both sides.

" **It's not your fault Ash."** Misty spoke into his back, hoping he would listen.

" **It is! I could've prevented it from happening!"** he admitted, tears escaping from his eyes and falling down. The girls' eyes widened as they gasped at what they heard. **"I sensed evil intentions and pushed the official out of the way! I was about to block that idiot's attack when Dawn moved in front of me! If she hadn't done that or if I had pushed her out of the way as well, she wouldn't have gotten hurt!"** Ash started sobbing, the others inside in the living room hearing him. Sarah couldn't bear seeing him so sullen so she got up to go and try to help him, but Leaf pulled her back down.

" **No. It is not our place. Let those three handle it."** Sarah didn't argue but kept her eyes stayed fixed on the four in the balcony. Iris glanced at the two for a second as a thought ran across her mind but then she dismissed it as just her imagination.

" **Ash, it's not your fault,"** said May, repeating Misty's words.

" **But I could've-"**

" **It doesn't matter,"** interrupted Serena. **"You did what you could've and you saved her in the end."**

" **She's right and that's all that matters Ash,"** agreed May. Ash's crying slowed down a bit as the girls words washed over him.

" **We know that you will do your best no matter what to protect the people you care about and that's all we could ever ask of you,"** said Misty.

Ash's crying stopped after a moment and his breathing slowly returned to normal. The three girls were still hugging him and it was very comforting to him. Their words also made him feel a bit better. He slowly turned himself around, the girls letting go so he could do so and he eyed the three.

" **Do you really mean that?"** The raven haired trainer looked at the three girls in front of him. The three nodded and hugged him again at the same time. Ash wrapped his arms around them and smiled.

" **Thank you."** As they released each other, Ash told the girls that he felt better and will join them later. He wanted to think about some other things, promising them that he won't dwell on what happened. They agreed, each giving him a peck on the cheek before moving back into the living room and they sat down on the couch.

" **Will he be okay?"** Leaf asked in a very concerned tone as Sarah glanced at them and Max looked up at his sister but Serena answered.

" **I believe he will be."**

" **What was troubling him?"** asked Sarah. **"Why did he begin to glow and have flames go around him?"**

" **Well Ash is an Aura Guardian and whenever he needs to use it or his emotions become too much, his aura, which the best way to describe is spiritual life energy, flares out around him like that. Also, keep this Aura Guardian stuff secret, the less people who know the better. Anyway, he was blaming himself for what happened to Dawn,"** clarified May.

" **What?!"** both Leaf and Sarah shouted, bewildered. **"Why?"**

" **Because that's who Ash is. He always blames himself, even when he isn't at fault. If he's around someone who gets hurt or gets into a worse situation, he blames himself for not doing something. He's always been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders,"** explained Misty sadly.

" **It's true. I've seen Ash do some amazing things and he's saved the world many times already. Imagine growing up like that, saving the world yet unable to protect your friend from such a stupid thing. It must weigh heavily on Ash,"** revealed Brock.

Brock glanced behind him to see his pseudo brother still leaning against the rail. Leaf and Sarah had expressions on their face that was like a Deerling caught in headlights.

" **You're telling me that Ash has saved the world and not only once, but multiple times?"** croaked out Leaf. Sarah was too awestruck to say anything.

" **Yes he has, many times. He has fought against every single criminal organization known so far and other bad stuff,"** said Max.

" **But not many people know about it. Looks like Ash trusts you two so I don't think he'll mind you two knowing about it as well,"** said May.

" **The first time I met Ash, I thought he was some hopeless kid who didn't know anything but I was quickly shown that I was wrong. He's a very caring person and always puts others before himself,"** added Iris.

" **I must also confess that the first time I met him, I thought he was another delusional trainer who thought he could become a Master one day, but after our first match together and traveling around with him for a bit, I'm glad to say that my initial observation was incorrect and if anyone can reach that goal, it will be him,"** said Cilan.

" **I got to say the first time I crossed paths with Ash was when my and other trainers' pokémon were stolen by Team Rocket while at our first Indigo Plateau tournament appearance. With his help, we were able to stop Team Rocket and get everyone's pokémon back. From that day forward, I knew then that he was a good friend to know and we've been friends since,"** commented Richie.

Leaf and Sarah were thinking many things as a result of hearing their stories about Ash. Not only was Ash an Aura Guardian, but he had saved the world several times and fought against evil organizations. Their friends were speaking so highly of the raven haired trainer and they have stuck by his side through what seems like countless adventures and experiences.

Sarah was astounded that Ash and his friends had such an understanding of each other that they radiated a sense of being a family, not just a group of friends. At that realization, Sarah decided that she wanted something like that and told herself that she would stick with them from now on. Leaf however was thinking about how she could have been a part of everything with him if she hadn't gone her separate way in the beginning when she got her starter pokémon. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Gary had arrived until Iris spoke.

" **So the great Gary finally shows. What, not used to the attention these days mister pokémon researcher?"** teased Iris. The group laughed as Gary sat down on the couch, next to Cilan.

" **Nope. I feed the hungry animals some bullshit about how Ash spends his time nearby Victory Road in between matches and they lapped it up."** Gary put up his feet on the table, smirking, proud of his witty story. Leaf gave Gary an amused look.

" **Huh, not bad Gare-bear."**

" **Damn it Leaf stop saying that!"**

They laughed in amusement at Leaf's teasing and spent their time talking amongst themselves about the tournament's events so far for quite some time, unaware of the time passing. It was when Joy entered their suite that they noticed that it was past 5pm already. The last match of the day would be going on right now but they didn't care. Richie got up to welcome Joy inside while Brock and Cilan got up to make dinner. Joy sat down on the couch saying hello to everyone as Richie sat down.

" **Hey guys. How are Dawn and Ash doing?"**

" **They're doing well Joy considering what happened. Dawn is still resting and Ash is…"** Serena stopped talking as she absent mindedly glanced at the balcony. **"He's still standing there?"**

They all looked in the direction she was facing and saw Ash still leaning against the railing, in his last position when the girls left him.

" **Has he been standing there this whole time?"** whispered May and Max got up to check on him.

Everyone watched as Max got close to Ash in the balcony and tried to talk to him. Max saw that Ash's eyes were blue and he seemed to be concentrating on something as his eyes were narrowed and his brow furrowed. Max had a tendency to act impulsively but not as much anymore since he had traveled some on his own when he finally got his trainer's license, so even though he was shocked at first at seeing his idol like that, he didn't lose it. He returned to the patient group and sat down before talking.

" **He's okay, just meditating."** Max felt proud of himself for thinking that up.

" **How can you tell?"** asked Sarah. She was becoming very interested in Ash and wanted to know as much as she could about him and would take any opportunity to learn more when able.

" **He's eyes are glowing blue."** Max instantly covered his mouth with both hands as Sarah and Leaf cried out together at the same time.

" **WHAT?!"**

" **I mean, ah…I meant to say…ah forget it, yea his eyes are blue. He can make them glow blue because of his aura."** Max explained as May smacked him. **"Ow! What the hell May?! They know he's an Aura Guardian so what does it matter?"**

" **Even so, you don't need to shout out everything that you know! They could've found out on their own just like we did or when he told them himself!"**

" **May, its okay, I mean we are all friends and we trust each other right?"** Misty looked around at the group. **"So it doesn't matter if they found out on their own or by us. Granted, I think its better if they know sooner rather than later as it could be beneficial in the future."**

" **She's right. You guys should really stop acting like kids."**

" **Look who's calling other people kids when she's scared of the cold,"** laughed Gary.

" **HEY!"** Iris got up on her feet, angry.

" **Sit down short stuff before you hurt yourself,"** teased Gary.

" **That's it!"** Iris lunged at Gary who somehow flipped himself over the couch backwards and landed on his feet, earning an impressed look from the others at his athleticism and ran to his room and closed the door before Iris could catch him.

" **Open this door Gare-Bear so I can kick your ass!"** Cilan appeared next to the screaming dragon master in training out of nowhere.

" **Iris, please stop shouting and calm yourself."** Iris rounded on Cilan.

" **I love you Cilan but if you try to get in the middle of this, I will kick your ass too!"** She pounded on the door a little more before Cilan grabbed her, spun her around and picked her up in his arms.

" **Cilan what are you-"** He didn't let her finish as he kissed her on the lips. Iris's anger quickly melted away and joined in as well. After a moment, they stopped and Iris had pink circles on her cheeks.

" **Iris, I love seeing your passion for everything, even when you're angry, but right now our friend Dawn needs her rest. I know you can take care of yourself but perhaps now is not the time."**

Iris looked into Cilan's eyes for a few seconds before hugging him.

" **I'm sorry for losing my temper. I know he likes to make fun but I just lost it for some reason. Thanks."**

" **That's quite alright."** He looked at her before facing the group. **"Dinner should be ready in about five minutes. I suggest you all wash up."**

They got up to wash for dinner and then sat around the table. Ash was still in the balcony when Misty went to retrieve him.

" **Ash? Dinner's ready."**

Ash's eyes stopped glowing blue, changing back to his brown eyes and turned to her.

" **Thanks Mist,"** he answered softly.

" **Ash, are you really okay?"** She wanted to know for sure.

" **Yes, I am. I'm sorry if I worried you or the others but I'm fine."**

" **Good. Otherwise I'd mallet you for moping around,"** warned Misty with a grin. Ash chuckled.

" **I'll keep that in mind Mist."** They hugged, Misty giving Ash a quick kiss on his lips, making him smile. He told her he would check on Dawn before joining them for dinner and she nodded. Misty went to the table as Ash checked in on Dawn. He saw she was still asleep with Piplup in her arms and Pikachu curled up next to her. Lucario and Gardevoir were still standing guard in the corner of the room.

" **Hey guys, thanks. You can go rest and eat or do whatever. She should be fine."** Lucario and Gardevoir nodded and left, leaving the room. Ash moved beside the bed, looking at her. She was sleeping so peacefully. He softly pushed her hair out of her eyes and raised the blanket back up to her shoulders as they had slid down, but made sure it didn't cover Piplup's face. He kissed the side of her forehead since the hat was still on her and left the room, but not before also placing a blanket on the yellow mouse.

He joined the others at the dinner table. He ate his meal quietly, not in the mood to talk or joke around. The others noticed it but continued on with their conversations so as to not make things awkward. They knew he would blame himself for that too. Lucario and Gardevoir took up their balcony positions as always, enjoying the fresh air as they ate their food and conversed.

After the meal, Ash got up, thanked the two chefs for the food and informed them that he was going to go train for a bit and the others nodded. They knew he just wanted to be alone and they respected his wish, even though he didn't outright say it. He called Gardevoir and Lucario to join him and the three left. They soon got into the woods and after they traveled a good distance into the forest, Ash dropped to his knees. Lucario and Gardevoir quickly knelt beside him and noticed how he was shaking violently. He had finally let his emotions take over.

" **I keep seeing it! I keep seeing her get attacked and about to die!"** Ash admitted as he crashed his right fist on the ground repeatedly, making a small hole in the ground from the force of it. **"I care so much about her. I care about all of them so much. I've seen worse things happen in my life. So why am I seeing her get stabbed over and over again in my mind?"**

" **Master, it's alright. You love her, just like you love Ladies Misty, May and Serena and that's why you feel so much sadness. You'll get passed this just like everything else. It was a traumatic experience, but you kept a level head and healed her immediately. You didn't panic and you saved her. You should be proud of yourself,"** replied Lucario.

" **What if I was the cause?"** asked Ash, whispering. His question brought understanding to his pokémon.

" **Is this why you are so upset? You believe yourself to be the cause for all this?"** asked a shocked Lucario suddenly while Gardevoir shook her head in disbelief.

" **I am the cause for it! If I hadn't beaten that scumbag so humiliatingly then he wouldn't have acted in so horribly!"** admitted the raven haired trainer.

" **Ash, remember what happened to me? Remember before the tournament even started how we came across disgusting people who bothered the girls?"** Ash looked at Gardevoir, tears in his eyes.

" **Yes."**

" **Then you should know that it isn't your fault at all. Even if you had barely won, that poor excuse for a trainer would still have done something, I'm sure of it. You need to stop blaming yourself for the actions of others. You did what needed to be done. You put an arrogant and cold hearted person in his place and he didn't like it,"** finished Gardevoir.

" **Master, I hate to say this, but this is good."**

" **What?! What's so good about what happened Lucario?"** A shocked Ash was glaring at Lucario.

" **I'm not saying what happened to Lady Dawn was a good thing, but I am saying that it is good that you are releasing your emotions, confronting what is making you feel this way and experiencing something like this. It will help you in the future when we will inevitably be juggling many people's lives, while we attempt to protect them against the coming evils."**

Ash stayed quiet, trying to hear and understand Lucario's words.

" **I just can't get that image out of my head. It may be childish, it may be pathetic and it may be weak, but when she was stabbed, I felt as if somebody had torn out my heart. I thought I had lost her forever."**

They looked at him for a moment in silence. The fairy pokémon was looking at her trainer with a saddened expression while the aura pokémon thought hard for a couple minutes before he spoke.

" **What's the big deal; you still would have had three other mates to choose from."**

Gardevoir gasped at Lucario's words and was about to tell him off when Lucario was struck by an aura enhanced punch, causing him to fly through the air a good distance before he crashed onto the ground. Ash was furious at what he just heard and his aura flared out. He charged at Lucario who picked himself off the floor quickly and lunged forward. They fought fiercely as Ash spoke, Gardevoir holding her hands to her mouth, in shock from what she just witnessed.

" **I can't believe you just said that! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if even one of them got hurt or died, especially if it was because of me! I love each of them with all my heart!"**

Lucario threw some Aura Spheres and Mach Punches at Ash who dodged and blocked most of the Mach Punches, getting hit by a few of them but he repelled all the spheres with his own.

" **You should know that I would gladly give me life for them at anytime it's needed!"** Their battle raged on and grew even more intense, causing Ash's aura to flare out over the trees.

Back at the hotel, Sarah was in the balcony looking out into the distance, thinking over everything she just learned about Ash. The more she thought about him, the things that he had done from saving others to fighting against terrorists, the more her feelings and respect for the man grew. She sighed after a while, about to go back in when something caught her eye. Out of nowhere, blue streaks of energy popped out from underneath the trees.

" **Hey, look at that!"**

Sarah called out to the others, pointing out into the woods from their balcony. The others joined her in the balcony and looked in the pointed direction. They saw streaks of blue energy shooting out from beneath the trees with great speed.

" **Looks like Ash is letting off some steam,"** mused Gary.

" **Ash is doing that?"** asked Sarah. Her and Leaf's eyes went wide in astonishment.

" **Yup, he is."** As Brock said that, a sudden shockwave of visible blue energy erupted from beneath the trees, expanding outwards before fading away as it reached the edge of the forest.

" **Wow."** Both Leaf and Sarah said it out loud. Their friends chuckled at their astonishment.

" **And it looks like he's sparring against Lucario,"** said Misty.

" **No way can a human fight a pokémon, let alone that human being Ash and the pokémon being Lucario. It's like a Caterpie trying to fight a Charizard,"** said Leaf, looking at Misty with a look that clearly said that she thought she was insane. The red head giggled at her reaction.

" **He's done it before and we've all seen it."** She saw the grinning faces of the group, even from Sarah who mentioned that she witnessed Ash spar against Lopunny when they trained earlier. Leaf was beyond stupefied, not believing it but she did quickly direct her attention back at the spot where the energy erupted out of. They all saw more blue streaks of energy shoot upwards from beneath the trees.

Ash and Lucario were panting heavily, both kneeling on one leg, both battered and bruised. Gardevoir had tried to stop the fight but after almost getting blasted by an Aura Sphere, she decided to keep out of the way for now. Ash and Lucario both stood up shakily and barely managed to launch one more Aura Sphere at each other. Too tired for either of them to move, they both were struck and knocked down to the ground. They stayed lying on the ground for a few minutes, catching their breath. Lucario recovered faster than Ash, since he was a pokémon but slowly got up before limping towards his master.

" **Master,"** croaked Lucario as he reached Ash and eyed him until Ash opened his eyes. **"I'm sorry for what I said. I did it on purpose to anger you so you could let out your frustrations. I do know how you feel and I understand completely. I merely wanted you to stop sulking and blaming yourself. I thought if you had something to release your emotions on, you would feel better. Please forgive me."**

Lucario's apology and revelation stunned Ash for a moment. He shook his head slightly before chuckling but stopped since it caused him pain.

" **Ugh…that hurts…I should've known. It's alright and thanks. I needed that."** Lucario helped Ash up and they leaned against each other for support as they headed out of the forest.

" **You too are so stupid! I swear I'm going to lose it one of these days!"** yelled Gardevoir as she followed them. The two aura users laughed at her remark but then grunted in pain.

" **That's what you get and you deserve it!"** Now Gardevoir was laughing at them. They finally reached the hotel and went upstairs. When the door opened to the suite, their friends took one look at the completely beat up Ash and Lucario and they scrambled to them. They carried the two to the couches and let them relax a bit before asking what happened.

" **Let's just say it was a very intense sparring session. Ash let out his frustrations at the request of Lucario, or more like at the taunting of Lucario."** Gardevoir glared at the two after she summarized the reason why two of their friends were in terrible shape.

" **Why didn't you two heal each other? You both have the ability to do so."**

" **Because they're too tired and beat up Max,"** answered Gardevoir.

" **I have some spare medicine with me, hang on."** Iris left the room and came back with some max potion and sprayed it on Lucario. His injuries rapidly healed and he was as good as new. He placed his paw on Ash's shoulder, channeling some Aura on him. A moment later, Ash was as good as new as well.

" **Thanks Lucario and thanks Iris. I'll get some replacements for you."** Ash stood up and stretched a bit.

" **You are so strange Ash,"** commented Leaf with a teasing smile on her face while most of the group laughed at him as he rubbed the back of his head.

" **Takes one to know one Leaf. I remember you doing some weird things too when we were young,"** replied Ash, making Leaf's jaw drop and the others to laugh. She wasn't expecting a quick comeback from him or to remember anything from the past when they were kids. She would've countered back but since it was Ash, she was stunned into silence, not used to his witty side. She recovered and hit him on the shoulder as he headed to Dawn's room, who glanced back at her with a smirk. His taunting smile made her chuckle and also made her feel something but quickly ignored it. Ash entered the blunette's room to check on her and found the blue haired girl still asleep. He returned to the group.

" **Dawn hasn't woken up at all?"** he asked them as he joined them on the couch.

" **No. It is kind of strange. Is anything wrong?"**

" **Everything is alright May. I can see her breathing but I was just wondering if she got up at all. Maybe the day's events were much more tiring on her than I thought."**

" **I wouldn't be surprised. When Dawn wants to sleep, she'll sleep all day."**

Serena's statement made them laugh a bit. They began talking again and what to do together. They decided to play Taboo in teams, which was basically a game where two teams took turns acting out something for their team to guess what it is without speaking and within a certain time limit. Also, the thing that was acted out is decided by the other team. Since they were almost even teams, they decided to have the men versus the women.

Ash joined them to distract his mind from the events of that day. After about two hours of playing the game, the women won by having the most points. They decided to call it a night and once again it was a little too late for Joy to go home so she spent the night with them, sleeping in Misty and May's room with them. Lucario and Gardevoir requested to join their comrades back home and to sleep more comfortably so Ash returned them. He checked in on Dawn and then went to his own bedroom, wore his usual sweat pants and no shirt for pajamas and lied down to sleep.

However, try as he might, Ash had trouble falling asleep, thinking about Dawn. He tossed and he turned but eventually sleep came to him. Unfortunately, even sleeping turned out to be torture for him though as he kept seeing nightmares, one after the other. He saw Dawn getting hurt, of him not getting there in time, of his other friends angry, everyone calling him a coward, everyone asking him why he betrayed them, why he didn't save her, why he didn't save them. He apologized over and over again, saying he tried his best but they said it wasn't good enough. He was in his suite alone now as one by one his friends and pokémon vanished before him, leaving him because of his failures.

Soon after, the suite disappeared and he was all alone in a dark place and couldn't see in any direction he faced. He shouted out into the darkness but there was nothing and nothing happened. He fell to his knees and started crying. He had failed. Failed his friends, his family, his pokémon, the world, his loved ones and now he was all alone. He sobbed for a long time. He thought he was going to be stuck there for the rest of his life until an evil laugh filled the area. The raven haired trainer was startled into stopping his crying and quickly stood up. He brought out his aura to perhaps sense or see what it was.

" **That won't help you."**

It was a horrible voice, filled with malice and sounded like the worst thing Ash had ever heard. Suddenly the darkness vanished, revealing a grey room but in its stead stood a dark monster, having a humanoid shape, almost like a bodybuilder but disfigured, beastly, hideous, grotesque and disproportionate. Its entire body was covered in a darkened red glow.

The evil creature was the worst thing Ash had ever seen, but the thing that made him lose his breath, his focus, was because of its eyes. Its eyes were entirely black, and it was devoid of all good emotion. It seemed to act like a vacuum, sucking away all the good he felt. Ash flared out his aura to protect himself, knowing this creature was pure evil but the creature just laughed while moving towards the guardian.

The Aura Guardian tried to land a punch against the creature but the monster dodged the strike swiftly before it quickly grabbed Ash by the throat with a monstrous hand, lifting the guardian into the air, its long, crude but sharp nails digging into his skin. His aura was not affecting the creature at all. Ash struggled to free himself while trying to breathe.

" **You will not be able to save them. You are too weak. You will fail. You will lose all that you hold dear. I will watch as you witness your friends fall, your pokémon fall. I will watch as they all succumb to me and then I will make you watch as I tear your pokémon apart. I will make you watch as I turn your friends against you. I will make you watch as I take the love the girls have for you for myself. You have been warned Guardian. I will enjoy our time in the real world. Soon I will awaken. Soon I will spread my darkness. Soon I will be unstoppable. Enjoy the time you have before I arrive, for it will be the last moments of your miserable and pathetic life."**

The evil creature laughed as black streams of energy came out from it and spread out in all directions. When a couple of the streams connected against the guardian, Ash let out a blood curling scream. It was pain beyond pain as he felt it drain his life from him. The creature laughed loudly, his sadistic nature enjoying the pain that he was inflicting. The raven haired trainer's vision was beginning to blur as the pain intensified and soon all he saw was darkness.

" **Ash! Ash! Wake up Ash!"**

Ash was woken up from his nightmare by someone shaking him and when he opened his eyes, he couldn't tell who woke him up at first, his vision blurry. He focused his eyes and saw it was Dawn who had shook him awake. She had turned on his room lights. He gazed at her for a second before rubbing his eyes and sitting up in his bed. He looked at her again and blinked a couple times, realizing that he was awake and that it was only a nightmare. She looked like she was beyond scared, her face pale and eyes filled with worry. She was still wearing his hat on her head. Even though he was scared of what he saw, he couldn't help but think she looked cute with it on until the blunette's question shifted his attention away.

" **Was it a bad dream?"** she asked quietly. Ash looked her in the eyes and nodded.

" **A horrible nightmare. But it was just a dream."**

" **It sounded awful. You were pleading in your sleep then you started to scream."** Dawn shifted slightly.

" **Oh."** Ash went red. _I really screamed in my sleep?_ **"I'm sorry if I woke you up. Was I that loud?"**

" **Oh no, you weren't that loud. I don't think the others heard you. I woke up not too long ago and I came in here a few minutes ago to see if you were awake still and thank you for everything but saw you tossing and turning. Next second you were talking and screaming so I tried to wake you up."**

" **I see."** Ash formed a small smile on his face for her. **"Thank you Dawn."**

" **You're welcome and no need to worry. I'll let you go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."**

Dawn smiled as she got up and made to leave but Ash grasped her hand when she turned towards the door. Ash could see through her blue night gown, because of the room's lights and it was semi-transparent like Misty's, revealing blue undergarments. Dawn turned her head back to look at him, a little pink from him holding her hand.

" **Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now. I want you to stay with me."**

Dawn's face went completely red but agreed. The blunette took of the hat and placed it on the dresser before she climbed into bed, going under the covers and laid down next to the raven haired trainer. They faced each other, lying on their sides. Having spent some time in bed with Misty, Ash wasn't too embarrassed over the situation. Dawn noticed his bare chest and her already red face turned crimson. Ash smiled at her and she giggled a bit. She raised her hand and placed it against his cheek.

" **Thank you for saving me today, my Guardian."** Ash put his hand on top of hers that was on his cheek and held it. He lowered their hands and kissed the palm of her hand.

" **I will always protect you Dawn. I care for you greatly. I will never let anything happen to you."**

Dawn's lips trembled as she felt emotion fill her as it never did before. She felt it fill every inch of her body with a warm feeling and felt like she was flying. It was new, it was exciting and it made her act without thinking at all. She leaned in quickly and kissed the raven haired guardian but instead of a simple kiss, it was an intense one.

Ash's eyes widened in surprise but quickly closed them as he kissed her back. He moved his hands towards Dawn, grabbed her from the waist and pulled her closer, the blunette giving a small squeak of surprise as he did so but she continued kissing him when she realized what he was doing. Their mad passion was soon enflaming them. As the red head had done, the blue haired girl pushed the raven haired man onto his back before moving on top of him and resuming their kiss.

His hands acted as if they had a mind of their own. Ash moved his left hand through her long blue hair and the right hand he moved up and down her leg, stopping it for a moment every now and then, causing Dawn to whimper a bit for stopping the massage. She had both of her hands on his bare body, just pressed against it. They continued like this for another moment when Ash thought if he should try using his tongue in the kiss as well, but then Dawn's tongue entered his mouth, surprising him so that he cracked open his eyes for a quick second then closed them again. They stopped soon enough to get some air, their foreheads touching and they opened their eyes.

" **Someone's forward,"** joked Ash while Dawn gave him a sly smile.

" **I knew you would like it my Guardian,"** teased the blunette.

" **I'd have to be crazy not to like it."** Dawn blushed before immediately kissing him again.

Ash could feel both of them heating up like crazy now. Even as he was in such a heated embrace and was lost in an emotional high, he still sensed what was going on. He felt one of Dawn's hands leave his chest and travel to his hand on her leg and grabbed it. She began moving his hand further up her leg, leading up against the side of her body, over the night gown and then moving their hands to the front, stopping just under her chest.

Dawn moaned into his mouth before pulling away and had Ash look at her as she moved his hand slowly down her front. Ash's eyes went wide and his face reddened as he noticed what she was doing but suddenly Dawn stopped moving their hands when they reached the bottom of her stomach. Ash tilted his head, a confused look on his face, wanting to know why. Dawn raised her other hand and waved her index finger at him with a smirk on her face.

" **Not yet Ashy-boy,"** taunted Dawn.

" **Someone likes to mess around. You're such a tease,"** replied Ash with a grin.

" **Tease am I?"**

Dawn moved his hand around her back, under her night gown and had him grab her firm round ass. Ash let out a small gasp at her actions and Dawn smirked as he stared at her, not believing what she just did. She let go of his hand but he didn't remove it from her rear as Dawn moved both her hands to cup his face as she leaned back in.

" **I may be a tease but looks like you're a pervert. You're hand is still on my butt,"** said Dawn.

" **So I'm a pervert and you're a tease. I guess we set a good example for others huh?"** laughed Ash.

" **Maybe not a good example, but we can show others how to have fun,"** replied Dawn with a grin before they closed the distance and kissed.

Simple at first but then their tongues got involved and Ash squeezed her firm ass tightly a couple seconds later, causing Dawn to squeak with pleasure. She felt a rush surge through her when he did that that she couldn't describe. Whether it was adrenaline or something else entirely, whatever it was, she liked it. She liked it a lot.

After another couple of moments, they stopped to breathe again and Dawn laid down completely on top of Ash, her head resting on the middle of his chest, their bodies aligned. Ash wrapped his arms around her back and Dawn placed her arms on both sides of him. She raised her head and then rested her chin on top of his chest, facing Ash, their eyes gazing into each other's.

" **Goodnight my Guardian."**

" **Goodnight my Lucky Star."**

Dawn's face brightened and her smile broadened, hearing her pet name he picked out for her the first time. They kissed again and shortly after broke apart. Dawn rested her head against his chest again and closed her eyes. Ash looked at the blunette lying on top of him. He smiled at her and brought up the covers around her shoulders before wrapping his arms around her again. Dawn hummed lightly as she felt him hug her again and Ash smiled. He watched over her as she fell asleep until he too fell asleep. Dawn slept comfortably, feeling completely safe in his arms and Ash slept without seeing any more nightmares.

 _ **A/N - Hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to review, fav and follow! :)**_


	23. Chapter 23 - The Star and Her Guardian

_**A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with a new chapter all ready for you! This took quite a while to get done since it's longer than my other chapters. Sorry I couldn't get it done sooner as I mentioned before I might be able to. I wanted it to be good before posting it up and i was trying to catch up on some sleep. I hope you all enjoy it as I had some fun with this one. :)**_

 _ **Also, I'm a little bummed because I keep getting an error type 1 when I try to view my traffic graph for my story. Anyone know how to fix that or how long it takes for FanFiction support to clear that up? I've sent them an email about it already so I don't know what else to do besides waiting.**_

 _ **Amina - Thanks for the review and I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. I think you'll like this chapter a lot! :)**_

 **WARNING! - There will be a LEMON near the end of this chapter. I won't say it again in the story as I feel it will take you out of the flow but there will be a build up to it and you'll notice it. Enjoy and remember to review, favorite and follow!**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 23 – THE STAR AND HER GUARDIAN

Dawn and Ash had slept together on the night of the raven haired trainer's third victory in the Spirit Tournament. The blunette was a little more forward than the red head, as she made Ash grab her ass as they made out before sleeping. Ash slept peacefully with Dawn as no nightmares bothered him like they did before she came into his room to thank him for saving her. They were still sound asleep when Leaf poked her head in again through the room door to wake up the couple but stayed silent. She really was the curious type with no regard for personal boundaries.

Even though she had learned how amazing Ash had become, Leaf still couldn't understand how four girls could take turns dating one man to see who had a stronger bond. She couldn't see herself doing that, even with all her tricks, her flirtatious nature and seductive techniques. Yet there they were, the blunette and raven haired man who was her childhood friend, sleeping together, happy and content with no care in the world. Leaf observed Dawn's face, noting the blissful look on it. She felt a pang of jealousy and envy fill her. She thought of how lucky Dawn was and especially Misty since she had spent time with Ash intimately. Realizing what she was thinking and feeling at that moment, she quickly left, closing the door behind her as she went to the balcony with many thoughts swirling in her head while her heart was thumping loudly.

 _I felt something when I saw those two together, just like when I saw him with Misty and when I found out they actually had sex together, I felt something even more. What is going on with me? Am I jealous? Do I want to be with Ash? Do I like him? I've had crushes before but not like this. Or do I just want what the girls have with him? I know I want someone who I can trust with my life, someone who I know will be there for me no matter what, someone who I can share a bed with, someone who I love more than life itself. I just haven't found the right one yet…but its different with Ash. Why though? I haven't seen him for years and its just a few days I've spent time with him. Why do I feel so many things when I think about him, interact with him or see him with the girls? Is it because I like him too? Or is it because he's my childhood friend and I'm happy for him but jealous of what the girls have? Which is it?_

Leaf was so lost in her head that she didn't notice Gary join her in the balcony. The pokémon researcher saw her leaning against the railing of the balcony and joined her, copying her stance. Leaf didn't notice him and didn't respond to him so he just kept quiet. He stood next to her, leaning against the railing with his head facing her. He kept that up as he gazed at Leaf, with her staring off into the distance, both of them still as statues.

 _She is so lost in her own world right now,_ thought Gary. _Maybe I should snap her out of it?_

Before Gary did anything, Leaf sighed, shaking her head and then stopped all of a sudden. She just noticed someone was near her through the corner of her eye. She turned her head slowly to face the person and when she saw it was Gary and he was staring at her, she jumped and yelped from surprise, causing the man to raise his eyebrows before chuckling.

" **Nice of you to finally notice and say hi Leaf,"** joked Gary. The brunette quickly recomposed herself.

" **It's rude to sneak up on people,"** huffed Leaf as she crossed her arms at him. Gary smiled.

" **I've been here for a while. It's rude for someone not to say hello to someone who brings them company you know."**

" **How long were you standing there?"** Leaf asked, worried she might have mumbled some things out while thinking.

" **Long enough to see you were lost in your own world. You were completely silent and staring off into the distance. Must be something important to make you not notice what's going on around you."**

Leaf sighed as she realized that Gary was right. What she was thinking about was important but she wasn't going to share it with anyone, at least not yet and definitely not with him.

" **Well, I was thinking about some stuff but don't worry about it as I was only trying to figure some things out,"** replied Leaf. Gary cocked his eyebrow.

" **Really? Like what?"**

" **I would tell you, but it's really none of your business Gare-bear,"** shot Leaf.

" **Alright fine. That's what I get for trying to be helpful around here,"** scowled Gary as he walked away.

Leaf looked at him walk back into the living room and sat down on the couch, joining in on the conversation between Richie and Max about some battling strategies. She let out a sigh of relief. She really didn't want anyone to find out about what's been on her mind lately as it might cause some problems and she wasn't even sure yet what she was feeling. She decided to go back to Ash's room to wake them up and noticed what the others were up to. Brock and Cilan were getting breakfast ready and found out from the connoisseur that Iris had gone out with Sarah for a morning jog and should be back soon. Leaf saw Misty, May and Serena were barely washing up in the bathroom since they just woke up a few minutes ago. Pikachu was in the living room, eating some food and had a small packet of ketchup for desert. She reached Ash's room and knocked on his door and called out to them.

" **Dawn! Ash! Wake up for breakfast!"**

The couple woke up from her shouting and Dawn lifted her head off of Ash's chest to give him a morning peck on the lips after playing with his hair for a second.

" **Good morning my Guardian."**

" **Good morning my Lucky Star."**

Dawn smiled at him before she lifted herself off of her guardian, resulting in her basically sitting on top of Ash. She stretched her arms above her head as she arched her back, yawning, pushing her nicely shaped chest out in front of Ash. He quickly grew red in the face at the display and also since he could see through her night gown.

 _I don't mind at all but do they all have transparent pajamas or something?_ Ash thought as Dawn finished her stretch.

She moved off of him, but with slow teasing motions. She brushed against his chest with her hand and let her butt graze against his hand while getting out of bed. She went into the bathroom with a smirk on her face; she knew what she was doing and had noticed Ash's reaction by cracking one eye open very slightly, just enough to see him as she stretched.

She loved playing games with him and the attention he was giving her. She knew for certain that he was staring at her right now as she washed up. Her night gown was shorter than Misty's, barely reaching her upper thighs. Her slender legs were showing and since she was leaning over the bathroom sink as she washed her hands, her cute round butt was sticking out a bit, showing it off, barely covered. Her long blue hair covered her blushing face as she thought of how she must look so enticing to him and how he had grabbed and squeezed her ass the night before.

Ash got up and joined her in the bathroom and when Dawn noticed him moving towards her, she shivered a bit in excitement, thinking he was going to do something romantic or crazy. But when she saw him starting to wash up and brush his teeth, her excitement faded away and she felt stupid and sad. She was expecting for him to react to her teasing but it seemed he didn't notice or care. Dawn finished up quietly and began walking out of the bathroom at the same time that Ash finished up and began drying his hands with a towel.

SMACK! Dawn felt a sharp slap against her left butt cheek, causing her to jump and squeal in surprise. She turned around and saw a devious grin on the raven haired trainer's face. She was about to scold him but the instant she opened her mouth, he kissed her and she was unable to say anything as his tongue entered her mouth. She was shocked frozen from his boldness for a moment before she began to kiss him back.

She felt his hands ran down her back slowly, making her shiver from his touch before resting both of his hands on her butt cheeks. She moaned with pleasure as he squeezed her ass with both hands. Out of nowhere, he lifted her up from her butt and she let out a yelp as he grinned at her. After lifting her up, he moved up to the wall and leaned the blunette up against it before kissing her again.

Dawn was completely overwhelmed by what had just happened. She had thought her teasing went unnoticed by Ash but it seemed he was playing with her just like she was playing with him. She wasn't expecting something like this at all, maybe a kiss or comment, but not this. It surprised her and also excited her, making her feel incredibly sexy and wanted. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer against her and the dark haired man obliged, moving in closer, pressing their bodies against each other. They stopped after a while to gain some air, Ash still holding her up and pressing her against the wall, with Dawn's arms wrapped around his neck. They opened and gazed into each other's eyes, her blue and his brown reflecting off of each other.

" **I knew you would like it,"** teased Ash, using the blunette's words from last night and Dawn grinned.

" **I'd have to be crazy not to have liked it,"** replied Dawn, copying his words as well.

They leaned in for another kiss but a soft one. They pulled away as Ash gently lowered her, keeping eye contact. He smiled at her, then moved away to get her some clothes. She took the clothes and wore them over her nightgown, which was a pair of blue shorts and blue shirt. Ash changed into a pair of black jeans and black shirt. They headed towards the room door, Dawn a little in front of him. When Ash caught up to her he lightly smacked her ass again, causing her to yelp once more. She rounded on him as he chuckled and she smacked him playfully against his arm. He caught her hand when she went for another slap and kissed her to calm her down, interlocking their fingers together before stopping.

" **Hmm…someone's not as shy as before. Looks like you know how to keep a girl from getting too mad at you. Even with you acting like a pervert,"** said Dawn, grinning at the raven haired trainer.

" **What can I say? I'm learning quickly and only because I know how much of a tease you are and how much I know you like to be teased back,"** admitted Ash, causing the blunette to blush madly.

" **Well if that's the case, then be prepared for a very fun day Ash,"** said Dawn, a devious smile forming on her face.

" **I just hope the others are prepared,"** chuckled Ash. They both laughed, imagining their reactions and left the room holding hands, joining the others.

When their friends saw the couple walk into the living room, they did the same thing to them as they did when it was Misty's turn; they wolf whistled at the duo but instead of blushing or turning away, the couple just grinned sheepishly. Before they could sit down on the couch with the others, Cilan informed them that breakfast was ready and everyone got up to have their morning meals. Pikachu stayed in the living room, enjoying having the whole couch to himself as he ate his food. Dawn and Ash sat next to each other.

As they ate their meals, everyone was surprisingly quiet in the beginning but soon enough, their usual meal talks soon began and they all were occupied with conversations. Leaf and Sarah would steal a glance at Ash every now and then as they ate and conversed with the others. When Dawn sucked on her finger seductively after getting some peanut butter on it, Ash missed putting his fork with scrambled eggs on it into his mouth and instead had it collide against his cheek, dropping the food onto the ground. Their friends erupted with laughter at Ash's reaction to Dawn's teasing, making him pout. When they finally finished their meal with Ash suffering from some hand eye coordination problems due to Dawn's teasing several times, the group got up and helped the two chefs clean up everything, both on the ground and on the floor before they all went into the living room to sit down on the couches.

It was a bit of a squeeze even though the couches were fairly large and could hold multiple people. Pikachu jumped onto Serena, who squeaked, not expecting it, but then relaxed and the mouse cuddled in her lap. Dawn sat on Ash's lap, leaning backwards against him, to both continue their teasing games and to give room for the others. The blunette and raven haired trainer chuckled at their friends' looks; some of them were smiling, some raising eyebrows and waving their fingers at them jokingly.

" **So, are you two going to demonstrate for us or something?"** teased Gary and not even a second later, he was on the floor, groaning, as Misty sat back down, holding her mallet.

" **You are such a kid Gary. Do you ever think before you speak?"** Iris asked the researcher as he got back up to his seat, rubbing his head. Before Gary answered, Dawn spoke.

" **Sorry Gare-Bear, but what goes on between my Guardian and I is for us only. No peep shows for you."** Dawn teased, laughing and winking at Ash, who went pink in the face.

" **Dawn, are you trying to have me die of embarrassment?"** asked Ash sarcastically, red faced, as he glanced at Misty, May and Serena who had rather amused looks on their faces from his question. Dawn giggled a bit as she sat up and then turned to face him before responding.

" **I told you to be prepared for a fun day Ash."** She winked at him while Ash rolled his eyes as he raised his hand behind her.

" **Well if that's the agenda for the day…"** Ash ran his finger down her neck and spine, causing the blunette to gasp and shiver.

" **Hey! Stop teasing! Only I can do that!"** said Dawn.

" **Not today Dawn."** Dawn pouted at him but quickly smiled mischievously as she leaned against him.

" **Uh oh, I know that look!"** said May, pointing at her friend who went red.

" **Yeah, what are you planning?"** asked Serena, having seen that look too.

" **You'll see,"** said Dawn, causing Ash to raise one of his eyebrows.

" **Alright enough of this mushy stuff,"** said Gary. **"What are we doing today? Any plans? Do any of you have matches today?"**

" **Nope, the three of us have matches tomorrow but today we're all free,"** answered Richie.

" **I want to get out of the hotel, go somewhere and explore,"** said Max.

" **Yea! I'm getting tired of sitting in this stuffy suite all day. Let's go to the nearby lake!"**

" **Not a bad plan Gary. I'm good with that. I wouldn't mind taking a swim,"** said Sarah, thinking that if Ash saw her in her bikini, he might take notice since she knew she had a nice body. Leaf noticed the small excitement in her voice and wondered what it could be about but then she started thinking of Ash in a swimsuit but quickly stopped. Instead she forced herself to think if she did want to go to a lake.

" **You and me both. It's been too long since I was in the water,"** chimed in Misty. Ash chuckled.

" **I swear Mist; you should've been born a mermaid."** The group laughed as Misty was lost in her imagination of how life would be like as a true mermaid swimming in the ocean but shook her head.

" **As much as I love the water, if I had been born a mermaid, I would've missed out on some incredible experiences,"** replied the red head, winking at Ash. Ash gave her a knowing smile and a nod.

" **So we're all going to the lake then?"** asked Leaf, having made up her mind to go. The group all agreed. **"So let's go get ready. You want to see her in a bikini right?"** she asked Richie as she nudged him, causing him and Joy to get embarrassed and look at the floor.

" **Alright, leave them alone Leaf,"** said Brock.

" **Why should I Brock? I'm just having some fun here. You don't have to get jealous of others getting some attention you know,"** said Leaf, sticking out her tongue at him.

Brock sighed as most of the others laughed at his expense. Sometimes he felt like he was their mother/father figure. He was one of the two oldest in the group, Cilan being the other one who was his same age but he was around them all for much longer. He wished that the girl he's in a relationship with could've been here with them. Ash didn't laugh since he felt bad for his pseudo brother.

" **Alright guys, let's go get ready. Meet up here in half an hour,"** said Ash, trying to get the heat off of Brock. Dawn gave him a quick peck on the lips as she got off of him slowly and seductively. When she looked at him, she saw his dazed expression and giggled, running away to her room. Ash shook his head and pouted as all the others made fun of him. Joy left at that moment so she could go get her bathing suit from home and commented how lucky it was that she wasn't working today. The rest got up to get ready. Ash caught up with Brock and motioned him to follow him to his room with Pikachu following them, and closed the door behind them as they got in.

" **What's up Ash?"**

" **What's wrong with you Brock?"** asked Ash, getting straight to the point.

" **Nothing, I'm good."** Ash crossed his arms. Brock sighed. **"Alright. I know I have you guys here and I'm glad you're back with us. I just feel a bit lonely. I just wish that Lucy was here with us."**

" **Lucy? Wait, the Pike Queen? Is she your girlfriend now?"** asked Ash. At first he was surprised, but then he remembered how Lucy was the only girl who ever enjoyed Brock's overzealous declaration of love.

" **Yes. We just got together recently and I haven't seen her in a while because we both became so busy with school and battling. She said she might be able to come later on,"** revealed Brock.

" **Hey, it'll be alright Brock. I'm sure she'll turn up sooner than you think,"** said Ash, trying to cheer up his friend. Brock looked up at him.

" **Thanks Ash. Well, let's get ready to go to the lake."**

Ash nodded and Brock thanked his friend again and left the room. He got ready while thinking about what he could do to help Brock out. Pikachu asked if Gardevoir and Lucario can join him to stay at the hotel together. Ash agreed and brought out the two pokémon. He told them they had the place to themselves and could go exploring outside if they were careful and didn't bother anyone. As he left his room, he got an idea on how to help out Brock and sent a message on his Poketch.

The group of friends slowly joined each other in the living room. Richie had gone down to ask Joy if she wanted to come with them when he was ready. Everyone was wearing normal clothes over their swimming trunks or bikinis. They piled into the elevator and went downstairs to see Richie leaning against the counter and when they asked him where Joy was, he told them that he was still waiting Joy to return, which only took a few minutes. Joy had changed into a short sleeved shirt and sweat pants, wearing her bikini beneath them.

" **Okay, so how are we going there? Walking? Taxi? It's kind of far,"** said Iris.

" **I have an idea,"** said Ash as he tossed out several poke balls into the air and several pokémon appeared the next second; Pidgeot, Charizard, Swellow, Staraptor, Flygon and Rapidash were all ready to go.

" **Wow Ash, they look so strong!"** exclaimed Sarah, with Leaf nodding in agreement. Max was too excited seeing all the pokémon to even say anything. Ash smiled and thanked her, who blushed slightly.

" **Hey, you're not the only one who has strong pokémon Ashy-Boy!"** said Gary as he too tossed out a poke ball and his regal looking Arcanine appeared, standing tall next to his trainer. Iris, Richie and Leaf followed the pokémon researcher's lead.

" **Dragonite, let's go!"** yelled out Iris.

" **Zippo, I need you!"** called out Richie.

" **Come on out Pidgeot!"** said Leaf.

Iris's Dragonite, Leaf's Pidgeot and Richie's Charizard, Zippo, appeared. Charizard eyed the new pokémon with interest, trying to gauge their strength, which Ash caught.

" **Charizard, no battles today. We are going on a trip."** Charizard sighed but then nodded. Ash turned to face Leaf. **"I'm impressed Leaf. Looks like you finally got over your fear of birds huh?"**

Leaf's jaw dropped as his words hit her. **"You remember that?"** she asked him breathlessly, unable to believe that he still remembered such personal things about her.

" **Of course Leaf. I don't forget such things about my friends,"** he replied softly and Leaf blushed but smiled back at him. **"Okay, let's see who wants to fly and who wants to travel on the ground."**

It took a few minutes to decide who's going how but they finally got it straightened out. Richie and Joy would travel on Zippo, Iris and Cilan on her Dragonite, Gary on his Arcanine, Leaf on her Pidgeot, Sarah was on Ash's Pidgeot, Serena on Staraptor, Misty and May on Ash's Charizard, Brock was on Swellow, Max on Flygon and finally Ash and Dawn were on Rapidash. The flying pokémon took to the skies with their passengers, while Arcanine and Rapidash trotted down the dirt path.

Gary enjoyed the little ride down the dirt path for a bit before getting bored. He glanced at Ash and Dawn, who were a little ahead of him; the blunette was sitting behind Ash holding on to him. Gary grinned seeing the two together. He remembered how his childhood rival was always shy around girls and how he seemed to be always a step behind him. But now things have changed and Gary had to hand it to Ash; he had finally matured and was finally standing on his own two feet. He respected him and viewed him as his best friend but their friendly rivalry would never go away. Thinking about that, the pokémon researcher got an idea, telling his Arcanine to get closer to them. When they did, he noticed that they were talking with low voices and were smiling about something.

" **Hey Ashy-boy, feel like having a little race?"** asked Gary, interrupting their conversation.

" **Hmm…what do you think Dawn?"** asked Ash as he glanced back at her.

" **I think he's going to lose!"** said Dawn. Ash laughed as he leaned down to be closer to his pokémon.

" **What do you say Rapidash? Feel like showing them your speed?"** Rapidash neighed happily, stomping its right front hoof on the ground, eager for a race. **"You're on Gary. Dawn, hold on tight."** Dawn tightened her grip around Ash's waist, feeling his hardened abs and she blushed deeply. **"On three alright? One…two…three!"**

Rapidash and Arcanine launched from their starting positions, both racing down the dirt path towards the lake. They were neck and neck. The flying travelers noticed them speeding away and half shouted to each other to be heard over the wind.

" **Should've known those two can't stop competing,"** said Brock, chuckling.

" **Look at them go!"** said Joy.

" **They're so fast that they're pulling away from us,"** awed May.

" **Looks like we'll just have to keep up and see who wins,"** replied Iris. The flying pokémon increased their speed at her words and they easily caught up to the racing fire types on the ground. Back on the ground, Rapidash and Arcanine kept up with one another, each taking the lead for a few seconds before the other did. It was a back and forth race for a good while.

" **Looks like even with all that training, you're still not faster than me!"** gloated Gary, laughing while Dawn frowned but Ash remained calm.

" **We'll see Gary."** They continued their current pace and soon passed a sign that said the lake was only one mile away.

" **Time to leave you in the dust Ashy-boy!"** yelled Gary as his Arcanine shot forward, increasing the distance between them. The others in the air saw Gary overtake Ash. Sarah was stunned that Ash was going to lose and Leaf shook her head, remembering how Gary would always win back in the old days whenever they competed in anything.

" **Ash, why are you laughing? He's going to win!"** said Dawn, sullen that they were going to lose.

" **Just waiting for the right moment Dawn,"** said Ash as he looked at her with a grin. **"But even if we lose, I don't really care. We're just having fun right?"**

" **Yeah, I guess you're right. But Gary will never let this down. You know that right?"** countered Dawn.

" **Huh, I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me my Lucky Star."** Dawn blushed when he said her pet name. **"I guess it's time to win. Let's go Rapidash!"**

His fire horse pokémon neighed before she increased her speed rapidly at Ash's encouragement with Dawn barely holding on to Ash for dear life. Gary was laughing as he neared the lake, about half a mile left. Gary looked back to see how behind they were but ended up with his mouth open in surprise. Rapidash, Ash and Dawn were gaining ground on them quickly. Gary encouraged his Arcanine to go faster who increased his speed a bit.

" **Wow, did you see how fast Rapidash caught up to them?"** asked May.

" **That's just incredible! Ash keeps on surprising me,"** exclaimed Misty.

Rapidash overtook Arcanine and shot past him, leaving stunned looks on Gary and Arcanine, as Ash and Dawn grinned at them as they passed. Rapidash increased the distance between them and seemed to not even get tired, as if she was just warming up. Arcanine on the other hand, was getting tired and slowed down his pace to barely a gallop. Gary noticed and patted his loyal pokémon on his head.

" **It's okay Arcanine. You did your best and you did a good job. You don't have to keep going so fast,"** praised Gary. His pokémon slowed down and barked in appreciation.

Sarah and Leaf were surprised that Ash was able to come back and rapidly leave Gary in the dust. Leaf was impressed to see Ash beat Gary for once and Sarah was ecstatic that her crush won. Ash and Dawn reached the lake before anyone else and Dawn congratulated Ash on the win with a kiss before thanking Rapidash for her wonderful display of speed. The two of them slid off of the fire horse and found a perfect place to set up their area next to some trees. It had some picnic tables that were near the clear lake and offered a beautiful view of it and the waterfall that poured into it. The others soon arrived and Ash, Iris, Leaf, Richie and Gary thanked their pokémon for the travel and told them they could do as they pleased while staying nearby. Most of the pokémon decided to find a shady place to lie down and take a nap while Braviary and Staraptor went flying to explore the area.

They set up the picnic area before taking off their normal clothes, revealing their swimming clothes underneath. All of the guys were in swim trunks, yet the girls were each wearing a different bikini. They looked so beautiful that all the guys, including Max and Brock, gaped at them, causing the girls to blush.

Misty was wearing a one piece yellow bikini with an oval cut in the middle front, an oval cut in the middle back and long narrow cuts on the sides. May had on a red two piece bikini that was connected in the middle, going down her body both front and back with a narrow strip of cloth. Dawn had put on a simple two piece blue bikini while Serena had on a simple one piece pink bikini. Iris had a purple and black striped two piece bikini, Joy had on a pink one piece bikini, while Leaf and Sarah both had on simple two piece black bikinis, but Leaf's had green leaves on hers while Sarah had yellow polka dots.

The guys gave the girls long whistles, causing them to blush crimson red and told them to quit it, making the guys laugh and the girls followed suite soon after. Ash was completely stunned by how amazing Misty, May, Dawn and Serena looked in their swim wear. He had seen them in bathing suits before in the past, but now they had all grown, having a hard time looking away. But something else surprised him as well. For some reason, Sarah and Leaf caught his eye, both of them looking stunning as well. He couldn't believe how great they looked but also wondered why they caught his attention. He decided that it was just because it was the first time seeing them in their bikinis so he just pushed past it.

After they stopped teasing one another about how they looked, Ash gestured to the lake and ran towards it causing all the girls to go red, seeing his well built body in motion, making Cilan and Richie grow a bit jealous. Even though they trusted their girlfriends and Ash, who they knew would never betray them; they just couldn't help it when their girlfriends admired another. The two men glanced at one another, knowing how each felt and just sighed before shrugging.

" **Well, what are you guys waiting for?"** called out Ash as he neared the lake, climbing up onto a few boulders next to the waterfall, reaching half way up the waterfall's height.

" **Ash be careful!"** warned Dawn.

" **No need to worry,"** replied Ash, winking at her.

Dawn smiled slightly as they all drew near the lake. He took a couple steps back before sprinting forward and jumping off the boulder into the lake, shouting **"Cannonball!"** while he curled himself up into a ball as he dropped down into the water, making a large splash. A few seconds passed and he didn't resurface. Everyone grew worried and went onto the small pier that was built onto the lake.

" **If he doesn't come back up in a few seconds, I'm going in after him,"** said Misty.

Two arms shot out of the water all of a sudden, scaring them all before they grasped both Misty and Dawn who were at the pier's edge. They yelped in surprise before being pulled into the water. The two girls poked their heads out of the water as Ash slowly revealed himself, a big grin on his face.

" **Oh, you're in trouble now Ketchum!"** yelled Misty as she tore after him. Ash tried to get away but it was no use as she was very fast in the water. Misty had caught up to him in no time and she dunked his head into the water for a few seconds before letting go. Ash didn't resurface again.

" **We're not falling for that again!"** said Misty. She screamed as something brushed up against her legs and she was soon lifted above the water, sitting on Ash's shoulders. Their friends laughed as they watched his antics.

" **Hi Mist."** He gave the red head a grin as she went red. **"Bye Mist."** Ash lifted her up from her feet and tossed her high into the air, impressing his friends with his strength. Misty screamed for a split second before composing herself into a diving form as her instincts took over, no doubt due to all her swimming time. She immediately resurfaced after landing a perfect dive and glared at Ash but seeing him laughing, she smiled as she drew near to him.

" **I've always wanted to do that!"** admitted Ash as Misty hit him several times on the shoulder playfully.

" **Watch out Mr. Pokémon Master. Payback will be sweet!"** said Misty. Ash chuckled a bit and smiled.

" **Bring it on Mist."** Ash winked at her, making her shake her head with a smile, before swimming towards Dawn who was giggling. **"Don't think I forgot about you Dawn!"** said Ash has he dived under the water again.

Dawn instantly stopped laughing and tried to move away but it was too late. Ash grabbed her feet and pulled her down under the water with him, Dawn taking a breath before being submerged. He grinned at her underneath the water as he held her. She smiled at him as she placed her hand against his cheek but then half pushed and half slapped him away. They both poked their heads above water right after.

" **Dawn, you're such a tease!"** pouted Ash while Dawn smirked.

The others laughed before they all jumped into the lake, splashing water. They swam together, diving underneath the water to see who could stay the longest, who could reach down the furthest. They played some games such as water volleyball and then tossed around some beach balls. As time went on, other people began showing up at the lake with their own groups. They had returned their pokémon before the others arrived as Ash had sensed people coming and suggested they do so.

They decided to take a break after their third game of water volleyball and they all got out of the water and sat on the pier, drying themselves with the towels they left there before walking back towards their picnic area. Many of the people in the other groups were staring at them, the unknown guys staring at the girls and the unknown girls starting at the guys, but mostly at Ash, Gary and Richie. They sat down on the two tables they reserved while Brock and Cilan started handing out sandwiches to everyone. As they ate, a group of people approached them, consisting of five guys and five girls.

" **Hey there. We saw you guys playing water volleyball. We were wondering if we could borrow your ball so we could play for a bit?"** asked the eldest looking girl in the group. The guy next to her was no doubt her boyfriend as he was standing a little too close to her to be anything else but.

" **Sure, why not?"** said Ash as he got up to get the ball for them and quickly returned, handing the ball over to the girl. **"Have fun."**

" **Thank you."** The girl eyed him for a second before turning away, her group following her.

They continued eating and when they finished, the group split off, doing different things, everyone still in their swim clothes. Misty, May, Serena, Leaf and Sarah went to relax and gossip by the lake, sitting on the pier, legs dangling into the water. Iris and Cilan went for a walk through the nearby forest along the dirt path. Joy and Richie decided go for a swim together in the lake. Brock, Max and Gary were busy playing a card game. Ash and Dawn were sitting on a blanket, underneath the shade of a tree nearby their picnic area. Ash was leaning against the tree, with Dawn on his lap, holding each other and talking.

" **It's good when we all come together and have some fun. This was a good idea don't you think?"** asked Dawn with a cheerful look at her face.

" **I was thinking the same thing as well. Always better when you're with the people you care about,"** replied Ash with a smile as he hugged her tighter.

" **Yeah,"** said Dawn a little sadly and Ash picked up on it.

" **Dawn, I'm sorry."** She looked at him. **"I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for going away for so long. I had no other choice. I wish I could tell you all why. But I can't. Not yet. You understand don't you?"** Ash asked as he looked into her eyes.

" **I do Ash. And it's okay. But if you ever leave like that again, there will be hell to pay,"** warned Dawn.

He smiled at her and next second Dawn let out a surprised squeal as Ash lowered her suddenly backwards as he ran his finger down her stomach, making her shiver. He laughed at her as she called him a tease before leaning in and kissing her.

" **Aww, look at them!"** said May. The girls were walking back towards their picnic area but stopped to turn their heads in the direction of Dawn's squeak and found her and Ash kissing under the tree, their hands going through each other's hair and all over their bodies.

" **So romantic!"** Serena clasped her hands together. Misty smiled at seeing the two happy. She wasn't jealous at all and neither were May and Serena. Leaf however looked like she was envious though.

" **I wish I that could've been me,"** admitted Sarah quietly, though still loud enough for the other four girls to snap their attention to her and she panicked. **"I don't mean it like that! I just want to find someone like him!"**

" **Well, look no further girls as your knights in shining armor have arrived!"** The five girls looked around at the voice who said that and saw five guys behind them. They had moved towards them since they left the pier. They looked older than the girls by a few years and had a vibe of smugness and superiority come off of them. Even though they had no aura senses like Ash, they knew these five were bad news.

" **Thank you but we're not interested. We already have boyfriends,"** said Misty hurriedly, as they turned away from the guys and walked back towards their picnic table. The five guys stayed there for a couple minutes, trying to figure out what to do next since that plan didn't go well.

" **Everything okay?"** asked Brock as the girls sat on the benches looking a little flustered.

" **Yea, we're good. Just had to let those guys know we weren't interested,"** explained May.

" **Especially when we have the perfect boyfriend already,"** said Misty, looking at Ash.

" **I don't have a boyfriend though,"** said Sarah sadly. Serena patted her back.

" **Not yet but you will. You can use Ash for cover if you need to until then,"** offered Serena.

" **Hey I did, and it worked like a charm. Heck I might use him again if the need arises,"** added Leaf, taking advantage of the offer, causing everyone to laugh loudly.

Ash, Dawn, Richie, Joy, Iris and Cilan joined their friends at the picnic tables as May and Misty started handing out ice cream they had brought with them. Dawn was licking her ice cream way too slowly and seductively for Ash's taste and it was making his blood rush to another part of his body. Knowing what she was doing to him, Dawn was overwhelmed with a mad case of the giggles and everyone knew why. He pouted, calling them all jerks as his friends just laughed for a long time before they were able to calm down again. They finished up their ice cream and conversed for a while before deciding that they should start getting ready to leave since it was late afternoon and they were there for several hours already.

While everyone else wore their clothes over their bikinis and swim trunks, Dawn was looking for her clothes. Ash had hid them in retaliation for her teasing. Not having any success, even being helped by the other girls, Dawn was going nuts until she saw the large smirk on Ash's face. Her eyes narrowed as she figured out that he was responsible and marched right up to him. She stopped right in front of him and placed her hands on her hips with the girls glaring at Ash but he was unaffected.

" **Where are my clothes?"** asked Dawn as she tapped her foot.

" **I have no idea Dawn,"** replied Ash, trying to keep a straight face. Dawn moved closer and then poked his chest with her index finger.

" **I know you took them. Now tell me where they are or I will hurt you,"** threatened Dawn.

" **Dawn, I didn't take them. And even if I did, it's not like you could hurt the man you love,"** taunted Ash and Dawn went red but growled at him, making him chuckle. **"You look cute when you're angry."**

" **Don't think you're compliments will help you!"** snapped Dawn, becoming even redder. She tried to stay angry at him, but couldn't. Before either of them could say anything else, they heard Leaf call out to them. They turned to see her moving towards them holding a plastic bag.

" **Hey, Dawn, I found your clothes,"** said Leaf as she handed Dawn the plastic bag who thanked her.

" **Damn…I mean…hey, look there they are Dawn,"** commented Ash while Dawn scoffed.

" **I'm going to get you back for this Ash,"** promised Dawn as she turned to walk away with her clothes, only to receive a quick slap against her rear, making her yelp and jump. She glared back at him to see him whistling innocently and promised revenge for that too, though inside she secretly loved it that he did that. The guys were dumbstruck that he got away with that and the girls huddled around Dawn, gossiping and giggling madly. They were obviously very intrigued that Ash was becoming bolder.

While the girls were in their little group, the guys cleaned up their waste and took the several trash bags to throw away in the dumpster on the other side of the lake. Soon enough, Dawn was fully dressed and she and the girls waited for the guys to come back so they could leave. Barely a couple minutes passed by while waiting when the five guys from before came over to them once again.

" **Hello there girls,"** said one of the guys with obvious lust in his voice, making the girls gag.

" **Didn't we tell you that we're not interested?"** said Misty.

" **Yes but we know you're kidding. C'mon, come join us for a drink,"** offered the guys.

" **We're not kidding and we are already with someone. Even if we weren't we wouldn't go with such immature and rude guys like yourselves who don't understand that we're not interested,"** said Joy and the girls vocally agreed with her and told the guys to leave.

" **How dare you insult us! You'll pay for that!"** yelled one of the guys as he raised his hand at her.

" **HEY ASSHOLE! GET AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!"**

The girls were standing their ground but they were all relieved hearing Richie, who had shouted before the others could respond and the five guys turned around to see who had insulted one of their own. The other people at the lake heard them and looked to see what was happening. Ash and Richie were leading the guys though they all had furious expressions. They went right up to the five guys and stood about a foot away. The five guys were taller and were much bigger than Ash and his friends. They looked like body builders. Max was very intimidated but still stood next to Ash and gave his best glare at them.

" **What did you call me you small piece of shit?!"** asked the guy who was about to hit Joy.

" **I called you an asshole because only an asshole would dare hit a girl,"** replied Richie without fear as he looked up at the large man.

Joy felt her heart flutter at how Richie was defending her. She knew he was a good person but to stand up to someone who was twice his size for her made her feel special. The guy growled and threw a punch at Richie without warning. Yet the large fist was stopped an inch away from Richie's face.

" **What the…"** stammered the guy as he saw who did it.

Ash had caught the fist with such speed that nobody saw him do it until they saw the flying fist stopped in his clenched hand. Richie and Joy had relieved looks form on their faces as their friends were surprised at first before getting over it, becoming angry themselves.

" **Funny how someone so big could have such little experience in manners and respect,"** said Ash, as he pushed the guy from his fist, sending him several feet back. Ash received a stunned look from him since he was twice his size. **"I suggest you and your friends leave now before you anger us further."**

" **You think I'm scared of a punk like you? This isn't over yet!"** said the same guy as he tossed out a poke ball and a large brown humanoid pokémon appeared with two large concrete slabs, one in each hand; a Conkeldurr appeared.

" **Very well,"** said Ash. He was about to send out a pokémon but Richie stopped him.

" **He tried to hit Joy. This is my fight,"** explained Richie and Ash nodded, adding that he'll make sure the others don't get involved. Richie took a poke ball and tossed it into the air. An orange mouse with a long tail ending in a lightning bolt and brown stripes against his back appeared; a Raichu.

" **This guys needs to be taught a lesson. You ready Sparky?"** asked Richie. Sparky nodded and got into a battle stance with sparks shooting out of the red circles on his cheeks. The five guys laughed.

" **What a pipsqueak,"** said the guy and his pokémon sneered. **"Time for a lesson in pain you punk! Dynamic Punch!"** Conkeldurr had his right hand glow white and charged forward at the orange mouse.

" **Let's finish this quickly Sparky! Thunder!"** ordered an angry Richie.

" **RAI…CHUUUU!"** Sparky charged up the attack quickly and let loose a large column of electrical energy up into the sky before it slammed down onto the advancing Fighting type pokémon. The fighter stopped in his tracks, writing and shouting out in pain. When the attack ended, the fighting pokémon dropped to its knees, panting heavily as it had taken a critical hit.

" **Impossible!"** cried out the guy. He glanced at his weakened pokémon then at the orange mouse who had sparks shooting out of his cheeks and finally at Richie who looked furious. **"DAMN YOU!"** he shouted as he pulled out more poke balls from his shorts and so did his friends.

" **STOP!"** shouted a female's voice. They all turned towards the direction the shout came from and saw a familiar looking woman wearing a blue police uniform, which consisted of a skirt and button down collared shirt before they realized it was Officer Jenny that was running to them. **"Stop at once! What's going on here?"** she asked as she stood in front of them.

" **Officer Jenny! These five men are bothering us. We asked them to leave but they wouldn't listen to us, even when our boyfriends came to tell them to leave but they wouldn't listen and attacked them,"** explained Iris quickly.

" **That's not true! They attacked us and we're just defending ourselves! Look, my pokémon is hurt!"** said the guy and Jenny looked at the injured Conkeldurr, getting convinced but Joy intervened.

" **Officer Jenny, I am Nurse Joy from the Indigo Plateau Hotel and it is true that they battled his pokémon but that's because he forced them to fight first!"**

" **Ah, Nurse Joy. Alright then, you five come with me and put away your poke balls!"** ordered Jenny as she faced the five men.

" **You're really going to believe her over us?"** asked the guy and Jenny confirmed, saying Nurse Joy wouldn't lie and is a Pokémon League representative and has authority too. This angered the guy and his friends. **"Screw this bitch! Flamethrower!"** he ordered as he and his friends tossed out poke balls.

Three large red camels appeared, each having two rock like stumps on their backs. Each Camerupt quickly let out a stream of flames at Jenny, Richie and the guys. The five guys cackled sadistically as the flames shot towards Jenny and the guys, as the girls behind them let out screams. Not even a second later, an ear splitting roar was heard that made everyone at the lake close their ears before the flames were dispelled because of a powerful gust of wind.

As soon as the flames were gone, a large red dragon was seen flying towards the Camerupts and with a single Dragon Claw to each, knocked them out, each falling sideways to the ground in defeat. The five guys were beyond scared at what they just saw and the fact that the red dragon was right in front of them, made them freeze in fear.

" **I wouldn't worry about him just yet."** The five bodybuilders turned their heads to the right to see a raven haired young man with a look of rage on his face. Before they could even say something back, Ash delivered a powerful punch to the closest guy's stomach, who instantly dropped to his knees, heaving for air as he held his stomach. Before the first victim even fell to his knees, Ash moved towards the second guy and brought him down with a single kick against his side. The other three guys finally snapped out of their astonishment and lunged at Ash throwing wild punches but he dodged them all. He delivered a quick left hook to one, sending him to the ground before sweeping the legs of the fourth, sending him down and finally brought the last guy down by catching his hastily thrown punch and using the momentum to throw him over his head and slam him into the ground. As the five bodybuilders groaned face first into the ground, Charizard stepped forward and roared at them so they wouldn't even think of getting up. **"Now you should worry about him."**

After warning them to not move, Ash faced his friends and Officer Jenny, who all had bewildered looks on their faces. None of them could believe what just happened in front of them. Chuckling to himself, Ash waved his hand in front of the cop's face who broke out of her stunned form and thanked him for neutralizing the threat with a heavy blush. Taking advantage of the situation, Officer Jenny moved forward with five pairs of handcuffs and a bag held out.

" **You are under arrest for public disturbance, attacking an officer and for putting people's lives in danger. Put your hands behind your backs and all of your poke balls in this bag."**

The five men dared not do anything else with the larger than average Charizard snarling at them and complied. They returned their pokémon and placed their poke balls into the bag before placing their hands behind their backs and Officer Jenny handcuffed each, one by one. As she did this, Joy ran to Richie, tackling him to the ground as she hugged him tightly.

" **Thank you for standing up for me,"** said Joy, tears in her eyes.

" **Anything for you Joy,"** replied Richie softly. The two gazed at one another before they shared a kiss that soon erupted into a passionate one.

The others looked at the happy couple on the ground with large smiles on their faces. Ash glanced at the four girls with a caring look and they returned it with one of their own. The five understood what they were feeling and shared a group hug, with Ash looking into each of their eyes. The four girls saw the love in his eyes for each of them and he saw it from theirs for him as well. He and Dawn kissed and when they separated, Dawn tilted her head towards the other three, indicating to kiss them too. Smiling, Ash kissed the other three and Dawn didn't even feel a hint of jealousy, even though it was her day to be with him. She and the girls knew that certain situations called to change things from time to time and they were alright with that. They separated after with them looking at Jenny working on handcuffing the last man. Ash then noticed Sarah and Leaf looking relieved that nothing bad happened but still had traces of fear on their faces.

" **Hey Sarah! Leaf!"** called out Ash and the two looked at him as he moved towards them. **"Don't be afraid. Things ended well and as long as we're all together, we got each other's backs and everything will be fine okay?"**

The two felt comforted by his words and hugged him, thanking him for cheering them up. Sarah didn't want to let go but knew it would be weird if she didn't and Leaf felt something again as she felt his body against hers. The two quickly withdrew, not wanting to make it awkward. After their hug, Ash gave them a smile, which they returned before he moved to Officer Jenny to ask if she needed help.

" **I could use an escort with these five until I get to the nearby station. It's just down the road here about half a mile away. Oh and thanks for saving us all. What was your name again?"** asked Jenny.

" **Not a problem, I'll escort you there with Charizard Officer Jenny. And it was my pleasure. My name is Ash Ketchum,"** replied Ash with a kind smile.

" **Ash Ketchum huh? I heard rumors of how strong you are from people gossiping about the tournament. Looks like they're true for once. Thank you and you can just call me Jenny,"** she said, flushing pink. She finished up and made them all stand up before facing the raven haired man.

" **You're welcome,"** replied Ash, ignoring the blush as he turned to his friends. **"Hey guys, I'll be right back. I'm going to escort them to the police station that's a little down the road from the lake."**

His friends nodded and Ash motioned to Charizard to follow them. Jenny warned the five men that if they tried to do anything, Charizard was authorized to knock them out and they gulped. The group of friends watched Ash, Charizard, Officer Jenny and the five men go down the road for a couple minutes before they went to their belongings and made sure they had everything ready to go. About fifteen minutes later, the elder girl who borrowed their volleyball came back, her group behind her.

" **I hope you're all okay. We would've come sooner but we were packing up and thanks for letting us borrow the ball, we had a lot of fun,"** said the girl, handing the ball to Dawn.

" **Thanks for the concern but we're good and no problem. We're glad you guys had fun."** Dawn said as her and a few from their group smiled at them. At that moment, Charizard landed beside them and Ash dropped down. **"About time. Did Officer Jenny thank you personally?"** teased Dawn with a wink.

" **Maybe."** Ash chuckled at her stunned look as he closed the distance and hugged the blunette before lowering her a bit as he gave her a very quick kiss. The new arrivals had looks of surprise and amusement on their faces. When Ash brought her back up, Dawn looked a bit peeved. The girls in their group giggled at her as she slapped Ash across the chest who was chuckling at her.

" **You're such a tease Ash! And you better be joking about Officer Jenny!"** shot Dawn, annoyed that the kiss was very short and what he said about but Ash just mentioned that he was only messing with her.

" **That's who you are! I thought I recognized you! You're Ash Ketchum, the trainer who beat that Russell kid without breaking a sweat, even when he cheated and mega evolved his Aerodactyl! You even protected your friends and Officer Jenny from those five guys. Wow, you're very strong. Good looking too, I must say,"** said the elder girl as she eyed him up and down. Her boyfriend behind her fidgeted a bit, the girls in her group staring at Ash as well.

" **Ah thanks. I just did what anyone would've done,"** shrugged Ash, scratching the back of his head.

" **Modest too? Well what do you know? Take care of yourself and I hope your next battles are as entertaining as your last ones but without the drama of course. Good luck."** The elder girl took one last look at Ash before she and her group left, after her boyfriend gave Ash a death glare. Ash sighed.

" **Damn, why is it always me?"**

" **Don't start,"** said Gary and the group laughed as Ash pouted. Dawn hugged him, cheering him up.

" **Don't worry about it Ash. No matter what, we're here for you."**

" **Thanks Dawn. So, everyone ready to go?"** They looked at one another and they nodded. Ash, Iris, Richie, Leaf and Gary brought out their pokémon again. The other people there glanced at them as the roars and cries of pokémon were heard. They left in the same small groups they picked out when they traveled to the lake. When they arrived at the hotel, they thanked their pokémon and returned them.

" **Hey guys, Joy and I are going to go to her place. We'll catch up with you guys later,"** said Richie as he held Joy who had a big smile on her face.

" **Okay. We'll see you guys tomorrow,"** said Ash.

" **Don't fool around all night!"** jested Gary, making the two blush but was instantly on the floor holding his stomach. Leaf, Misty and Iris had elbowed him at the same time. Joy thanked the girls as Richie laughed. They bade goodnight to each other before Richie and Joy left the hotel to head to her home while they headed upstairs to their suite with Brock and Max dragging Gary along behind them.

They entered the room and saw that Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu were sleeping on the couches in the living room, with the TV on. Ash chuckled as he turned the TV off, went to his room and returned with three blankets, covering each of them. His actions earned quiet awes from the girls. When he finished, he quietly told them he was going to take a shower and told Dawn to get ready as soon as she could for their big date. Dawn happily went to her room with the girls as Ash disappeared into his room.

" **Where do you think Ash is going to take Dawn?"** asked Cilan quietly as the guys gathered in the dining room since the couches were occupied by the sleeping pokémon.

" **No idea, but knowing Ash, he'll have a plan. He did a great job with Misty from what I've heard of the girls gossiping here and there,"** said Brock.

They sat down around the dinner table and talked for a bit until Ash joined them a while later. He was wearing his nice suit again but had on a blue long sleeve button shirt this time. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu were still asleep. After an hour, the girls joined them, huddled, hiding Dawn from sight. Ash stood up and moved forward towards them a bit.

" **Presenting the beautiful…"** started Serena.

" **The bubbly and sneaky coordinator…"** said May before yelping, having received a punch in the back from Dawn over her words.

" **The energetic and cheerful blue haired girl…"** added Leaf.

" **The one and only Dawn!"** finished Misty.

The girls parted to reveal Dawn in the middle looking absolutely stunning. Her long blue hair was curled up and had the blue flower hair pin clipped in it. She was wearing a strapless blue sparkling dress that showed off her curvy features and went down to her knee on one side, reaching up to the top half of her other leg's thigh, diagonally cut and was wearing black high heels. She was wearing the same color blue short sleeved jacket.

" **Wow. You look amazing Dawn,"** said Ash. Dawn blushed and commented how he looked good as well. Ash held out his hand and Dawn took it, interlocking their fingers, his gaze fixed on the blunette. **"Be ready to teleport."** Dawn smiled and gave a single nod before the couple disappeared in a flash of blue.

" **I have to remember to ask him how he does that!"** said Sarah.

" **He said he'll let me know later but I guess he wants to wait until after the dates,"** replied Misty.

" **He can keep the secret that's fine by me. I just want to know where he's taking her,"** wondered May.

" **Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow,"** said Serena, pouting.

" **Hey, we are not going to just sit around and wait. Let's do something together,"** exclaimed Leaf. She was never one to just sit around and do nothing. They talked about what to do and split off into smaller groups to do what they planned.

A blue glow appeared on top of a mountain out of nowhere and just as quickly, vanished, leaving behind two people. Dawn immediately looked around her as Ash chuckled at her reaction.

" **Where are we?"**

" **We're at the top of Mount Coronet Dawn,"** answered Ash.

" **What? Are you serious?"** Dawn looked at him with big surprised eyes. Ash chuckled again.

" **Yes I am. I found a very nice spot on this mountain during my travels. Follow me."**

Ash gestured towards the path in front of them and Dawn grabbed his arm, twisting her own around his, sticking close to him. Ash led her down the path as they went around the mountain a bit. Dawn took in her surroundings and the view the mountain provided. She could see all of Sinnoh in every direction she faced, seeing the faint blue line where the ocean must be. It was a spectacular view.

Ash noticed Dawn being awestruck and smiled. They walked a little bit more and soon came to a large flat land on the side of the mountain. The large clearing had a small table with flowers in the middle of it. Around the edges of the clearing were several torches spiked up from the ground alight with flames, providing a good deal of light for the coming night. Near the edge of the clearing, there was a bench constructed out of wood with a thick fluffy blanket on it. Ash gestured towards the bench and the two moved towards it and sat, facing the sunset. Dawn snuggled against Ash as he wrapped an arm around her. They watched the sun disappear behind the horizon, causing many colors to show in the sky.

" **I've never seen such a beautiful sunset before,"** awed Dawn.

" **I'm glad you like it."** Dawn smiled up at him and gave him an extremely quick peck on the lips.

" **Someone's being a tease again."**

" **You bet I am."** She giggled and they hugged each other closer. After watching the sun and colors of the sky disappear, Ash asked her if she would like some dinner who nodded. They got up and went to the small circle table. The raven haired trainer pulled out her seat for the blunette and when she sat down, pushed her chair in gently towards the table. He took up his seat and took out a bottle of wine from the ice chest next to the table. He poured some for Dawn then for himself. The two picked up their glasses.

" **Let this be the one of many things we share between us,"** said Ash.

" **And let us share many more good things and as little bad things as possible,"** added Dawn.

They touched their glasses and drank. Ash brought out the food from another box and placed it on the table. They were all Dawn's favorite dishes. They ate as they joked around with each other, Dawn teasing with seductive poses that resulted in Ash having problems with his coordination again. They then began talking about whatever else came into mind, such as the tournament, Dawn's coordinating and what they wanted to do in the future. They soon finished with their food but continued talking for quite a while until Ash got up.

" **I want to show you something Dawn."** The blunette got up and followed him. The two moved towards the edge of the clearing away from the bench and table. Ash pointed towards a certain direction. Dawn followed his line of sight and saw something familiar in the distance but she couldn't make it out. Ash pulled out a small but very powerful telescope from the inside of his jacket. He gave it to her and told her to look in that direction again. Dawn looked through the telescope and after a moment she gasped.

" **No way!"** She glanced at Ash. **"Is that what I think it is?"** She looked through the telescope again.

" **Yup, it sure is Dawn. It's Twinleaf Town, your hometown. You see the landmark near it? That was the familiar thing we can see all the way from here."**

" **How did you find out about this?"** asked Dawn as she lowered the telescope and gazed at him.

" **By accident honestly. I was training here for a little bit and looking for some pokémon to catch when I noticed the landmark in the distance and when I used that telescope I saw your hometown. It made me feel happy when I saw that as it made me think of you,"** explained Ash and Dawn smiled at him and gave him a quick peek on the cheek, teasing him some more.

" **I wonder how my mom's doing,"** said Dawn, looking in the direction of her home again.

" **We could visit her right now if you'd like to,"** offered Ash.

" **No, it's okay. She knows I'm at the tournament and with friends. I'll just call her tomorrow to see how she's doing. I wonder what she's been up to."**

" **Well, I know what you'll be doing,"** replied Ash with a sly grin on his face. Dawn looked at him with her eyebrows raised at him.

" **Really? And what would that be?"** questioned Dawn as she crossed her arms in front of her as she posed with her hips pushed out to one side.

" **This."** Ash wrapped his arms around her lower back and pulled her in close, making her take in a sharp breath at his forwardness. He gazed into her eyes and slowly leaned in to kiss her. Dawn closed her eyes when he got very close and waited for his lips to touch hers. A second passed then a couple more and finally after several more seconds, she opened one of her eyes slightly to see what was the hold up and saw nothing. She opened both of her eyes fully and was completely shocked to see that he disappeared. She didn't even notice him leaving her, so caught up in the moment.

" **So, how do you like being messed with?"** Dawn spun around and saw Ash standing behind her, his arms crossed, giving her a smirk.

" **That wasn't nice Ash. I thought something happened to you,"** said Dawn softly as tears filled up her eyes. Ash immediately felt guilty and moved towards her.

" **I'm so sorry Dawn. I thought we were just playing around. I didn't mean to cause you any sadness."** He gave her a hug that she returned and started shaking. Ash took a step back and looked at her.

Dawn looked up at him with a smile. She then burst out laughing failing to keep it in.

" **Gotcha!"** laughed Dawn, pointing at him. Ash pouted but then started to chuckle, Dawn's infectious laugh getting to him. They laughed for a bit before finally stopping.

" **I should've known. Well done Dawn, you truly are the more devious one of us two. You get a gift."**

" **Oooo, what kind of gift?"** asked the blunette, suddenly curious.

" **The kind that only I can give."**

Dawn tilted her head in confusion. Before she could even think about what he said, he swiftly closed the distance between the two, grabbed her firm ass with both hands and lifted her up, cutting off Dawn's surprised squeak with a passionate kiss. Dawn threw her arms around his neck while wrapping her legs around his body and kissed back, putting her tongue into his mouth, wrestling with his. Their passion and emotions ran wild, enflaming them with passion. Ash felt like he could carry her forever and Dawn never wanted to let him go again. They both wanted to stay like that for as long as they could but their need to breathe overrode their desires and they reluctantly stopped kissing with Ash still holding her up.

" **So, you like the gift enough to stop teasing?"** asked Ash. Dawn smiled.

" **There will always be teasing but right now, I don't think so."**

" **Good answer. I have something else for you Dawn."** Ash lowered her back onto the ground and told her to close her eyes and led her back to the bench and had her sit. **"Wait right here and don't open your eyes."** He went around and snuffed out each of the torches. Ash finished up and sat down next to Dawn, telling her she could open her eyes. When she did, she gasped loudly at what she saw.

The stars shone brightly, now visible with the torches snuffed out and another thing that Dawn saw seemed to take her breath away. There were waves of energy in the sky made up of different colors and they seemed to pulse with life as they moved. The blunette had never seen anything like it.

" **It's so beautiful."**

" **Not as beautiful as what I'm looking at,"** replied Ash. Dawn glanced at him and saw he was looking at her. She blushed and hit him playfully against his chest as she giggled.

" **You're so sweet."** She snuggled up against him. For some reason, even though they were on top of one of the tallest mountains in the world, she wasn't cold. In fact she felt pretty warm.

" **Thanks. But I have one more thing for you Dawn."** Dawn glanced at him as he reached into his jackets inside pocket and pulled out a narrow box and held it up for her. **"For you. I hope you like it."**

Dawn took the box and slowly opened it. She stared at the gift for a moment before taking it out of the box. It was a white gold necklace with a white gold star on a circular pendant hanging from it. She turned it around and saw the small engraved letters on the back;

FOR MY LUCKY STAR

DAWN BERLITZ

" **It's beautiful! I love it!"** exclaimed Dawn as she hugged Ash. **"Please help me put it on."** Ash took the necklace and placed it around her neck. He connected the ends and let it fall gently against her body. Dawn glanced down at the necklace and beamed happily. **"Thank you for the wonderful gift."**

" **You're welcome."** They kissed for a moment before breaking away. Ash smiled as he stood up, holding out a hand for her, which she took without question, standing up. He held her hands between them. **"Time to go,"** said Ash as Dawn nodded. They disappeared in a flash of blue, leaving the romantic mountain view of the stars and colored lights of the sky. They reappeared in Ash's room in the hotel. Ash used his aura senses to see if anyone was still awake.

" **Everyone's asleep."**

" **How do you know?"**

" **My aura senses. Remember?"**

" **Oh right. Very handy I bet. But I thought you said you don't use it to spy on people?"**

" **I don't Dawn. I merely checked the living room and nobody is there, except for my pokémon who are still asleep. So using logic, they should be in their rooms."**

" **You and logic don't go together,"** giggled Dawn and Ash shook his head.

Ash glanced at his Poketch and saw it was past 12am. Dawn requested to sleep with him again and he didn't object. Ash gave her some clothes to wear as pajamas. She asked for Ash's assistance to unzip her dress from the back, which he did. She immediately stripped down to her strapless blue bra and blue panties in front of Ash, who grew red in the face and quickly turned around. Even though he saw her in a bikini and it was almost the same, it just didn't feel right. Dawn noticed what he did and smiled.

They soon got into their pajamas, Ash his usual, sweat pants only, no shirt and Dawn wearing his blue shorts and short sleeve shirt, taking off the necklace and setting it on the dresser. After they got dressed they went into the bathroom and both washed and brushed their teeth. As they left the bathroom together, the raven haired trainer grabbed the blunette's left butt cheek, making her squeak in surprise.

She quickly turned around and pushed him up against the wall, cupping his face with both her hands, kissing him, as he wrapped his arms around her. Ash lifted up Dawn from her rear again, but this time she didn't make a sound except for a moan and continued kissing. He carried her to the bed and gently lowered her onto it, with him on top of her. They kissed for a long time before stopping to gain some air. Dawn decided it was the best time to ask what's been on her mind while they took a break.

" **Ash, why did you look away when I took off my clothes?"** Ash's face reddened. He moved off of her and sat up against the head board as Dawn sat up as well, eying him.

" **Well, even with all the teasing, games and seeing you in a bikini, it just didn't feel right. But why did you do that though?"** asked Ash and Dawn smiled.

" **I see. Well I was both teasing you and….testing you,"** revealed Dawn.

" **What? Why?"** asked Ash.

" **Honestly? I guess I just wanted to see how you would react to it. Maybe to see if you still respected me enough to look away even with all the teasing and intimate moments. I like doing that with you, cause its fun but I've never done anything more. And I don't want you to think of me as someone to just mess around with."** Dawn frowned slightly and looked away. Ash raised his hand to her chin and gently turned her head to face him.

" **Dawn, I'm glad that you told me this. I want us to be able to communicate with each other and be able to trust each other, to be able to say what's on our minds and hearts. I will always respect you, I will always care for you, I will always protect you and I will always be there for you. And I'll tease you every now and then too,"** finished Ash with a smile.

" **You will?"** Dawn looked into his brown eyes, trying to catch one of them lying but didn't see anything even remotely near it.

" **Yes I will and I promise. And do you know why?"** Dawn stayed silent. **"Because I love you Dawn."**

Dawn gasped at his revelation. It was the first time he said it to her. For a moment she stayed silent and still. Suddenly Dawn kissed him and held his face in her hands. After a moment, she pulled away a little, her sparkling blue eyes gazing into his chocolate brown ones.

" **I love you too Ash. I love you more than anything in the world. I've waited so long for you to say that to me."** She began to tear up and hugged the raven haired trainer, sobbing into his chest.

" **I know Dawn and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you wait. I'm sorry for disappearing. I hope you can forgive me. I hope that you understand that no matter what, I will always love you and protect you from everything to the best of my ability."**

Dawn cried as he spoke to her but she heard him still. It took a while but she eventually stopped and calmed down. She looked up at him again.

" **Ash, I will always love you too. I know it wasn't your choice to leave and I'm not angry at you about that anymore. I will always be by your side. I will never forget you and will never love anyone else besides you, whether I'm with you or not."** Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finished. Ash wiped them away with his thumb tenderly then pulled her closer to him.

" **Dawn, I'm sorry for everything. I love you and wouldn't ever dream of hurting you. Or the other girls. You are my Lucky Star and nothing will ever change that. I promise I will do whatever I can to keep you happy and safe."**

Blue eyes and brown eyes bore into each other. Dawn and Ash leaned in and kissed again but not out of passion or heat, but out of their love for each other. They broke away and stared into each other's eyes. Slowly, Dawn moved back and gave a small smile before she pulled off the shirt she borrowed, revealing her blue bra. She then stood up on the bed and let the shorts she wore fall down to her feet and kicked them away. As she was doing this, Ash was just staring at her, heating up, his hormones vying for control but he kept them under wraps for now.

" **Dawn,"** started Ash, as he moved forward and grasped both of her hands, stopping her from removing her bra. " **I don't want you to do this for any other reason besides you wanting it."**

" **I do want this. I want you. I want us. I want us to experience more than just teasing games. I want to become one with you,"** she answered with a smile.

Ash smiled and nodded, but asked her if she was on the pill as well, and she nodded in return. She reached back and undid her bra, though before pulling it off, she turned to deny Ash seeing her chest, teasing him some more. She turned her head back at him, her long beautiful blue hair on her back and slowly moved her hands down her sides and grasped both sides of her panties. She slowly pulled them down as she bent over, making her butt stick out in the air, showing of her cute round butt and womanhood to him. He turned crimson at the sight and Dawn let a mischievous grin spread on her face as she watched his jaw drop.

" **Like what you see?"** teased Dawn as she straightened out, her back still to him and wiggled her rear.

Ash couldn't speak as he stared at her figure. Dawn giggled, the sound making him get out of his trance and he grinned. He reached up and grasped both her hands before pulling her down to him. Dawn let out a yelp as she dropped down. She turned around and looked in Ash's eyes who gazed into hers, before looking down at his sweats as she felt something against her butt when she landed on top of him.

Before Ash could say anything, Dawn grabbed the top of his sweats, along with his boxers and pulled them both off of him at the same time, threw them to the floor and gasped as she saw it. His well endowed shaft was erect and already hard. She glanced at Ash, who blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head. Dawn smiled and moved her right leg over his body, straddling him, on top of his lower stomach, his shaft grinding against her butt cheeks. Ash let out a hiss of pleasure as he felt her warm body graze against his manhood as Dawn trembled slightly feeling the hot member against her rear. Dawn grasped his face and leaned in to kiss him.

Their lips met and they both felt their hormones and heat enflame them. Ash moved one hand to her firm squeezable butt while the other moved towards her plump yet petite breasts and grabbed one. A respectable size, her tits were more than a handful but still proportionate to her petite size. He alternated playing with her tits as he squeezed her ass while his tongue played around with hers. Dawn was moving her lower body as they did this, rubbing against his shaft, making them both feel incredible.

These new sensations felt wonderful to Dawn, never imagining that it would feel so wonderful. They separated from their kiss and Ash drew her in closer to him so he could kiss her neck and moved slowly down to her breasts. When he bit down on her right nipple softly, Dawn let out a squeal and when he started licking her nipple and sucking on it, she moaned as she arched her back, letting the new feeling fill her body, enjoying it greatly.

Dawn reached behind her and grabbed his shaft and started stroking it, making Ash stop sucking on her nipple for a second and moaned himself. Dawn started slowly but a moment later, she sped up making Ash lose it for a second and he bit her breast over her nipple. Dawn squealed in joy but Ash mistook it for pain and stopped, looking up at her, about to apologize. But when Dawn looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes, she merely smiled and continued stroking his shaft and he smiled back in understanding.

He leaned up and kissed her as his hand moved to her breasts again and the one that was on her ass moved down her front and rubbed her womanhood. Feeling Ash's hand rubbing over her womanhood, Dawn let out a gasp yet didn't stop him as he continued on and making her moan like crazy, heating up. He started grazing his fingers along her opening and when he felt her become wet, he entered a finger into her. As soon as he did that, Dawn squealed while moaning loudly and started stroking Ash faster while he pushed his finger in and out of her faster in response. After a moment of this and more kissing, Dawn separated from Ash and motioned for him to lie down fully on the bed.

" **No more teasing,"** whispered Dawn seductively, her eyes locked onto Ash's.

Ash complied and was soon on his back and Dawn was straddling him. She rose up onto her knees and moved back a little as she hovered over his shaft. She lined up her opening with his member and slowly sat on the tip of it, holding it straight. The tip of his shaft entered her and made her quiver, the feeling being much more intense than she thought it would be. Before Ash could support her and before Dawn could take it slow, she lost her balance while on her knees. When she tried to regain her balance, she slipped again and dropped down, taking him all in at once.

Both Dawn and Ash cried out in shock and pain without thinking. The sudden breaking of her hymen so quickly and forcefully sent waves of pain shooting through her body and feeling the extreme tightness of Dawn without slowly working his way in made Ash feel as if his shaft might get stuck in her forever. His worry about himself was replaced instantly when he noticed Dawn had tears flow down her cheeks, no doubt from the pain she felt so suddenly and powerfully. He pulled Dawn down to him while they were still connected and kissed her to have her focus somewhere else. The pain eased a bit for Dawn as their tongues entered the picture. A moment later they separated and Ash wiped her tears away as he gazed into her blue eyes with his brown eyes, with her whimpering slightly as he did so.

" **It's alright. It'll soon pass and then you'll feel more pleasure than you could ever imagine. No need to worry my Lucky Star. I promise,"** whispered Ash softly to her.

His words soothed and calmed Dawn but her tears still flowed down her cheeks for a few more seconds. Ash brought her in closer and kissed her again. He then moved his hands to grab her breasts and played with them in an attempt to shift her attention elsewhere. Dawn seemed to enjoy that and she let out content hums through her muffled sobs. A few minutes passed and Dawn began to relax a little more. He was getting closer to her feeling better and he moved one of his hands back to her perfect ass and grabbed it. Dawn loved it whenever he would give her ass attention and when he squeezed it, she moaned into his mouth with slight pleasure. Ash thought it would be the best time to have her get used to him being inside her and began to move his lower body up and down slowly.

Dawn whimpered at first as he did so, still feeling the pain, even with all the stimulations he was giving her. Pretty soon though, as he continued, the pain slowly vanished away and soon the sharp stings were replaced with feelings of ecstasy. A moment later, she started moaning and gasping with joy from the incredible sensations she was feeling of him sliding in and out of her. She started moving her hips up and down as well and soon the two had a rhythm going. He would lower himself when she lifted and when she came down, he would lift himself. The combined movements were sending the two into completely higher levels of pleasure as they moaned and groaned loudly as they looked into each other's eyes.

" **OOHHH!"** exclaimed Dawn, the unbelievable feelings and sensations she was experiencing making her go crazy. **"It feels so damn good!"** she gasped.

" **I told you,"** replied Ash with a grin.

Dawn half giggled while moaning and the sound of it made Ash chuckle a bit in response. They couldn't help it. Both of them had to stop their passion as they were overcome with laughter. When they finally finished, Dawn looked into Ash's eyes and saw the love he has for her in them as his brown eyes gazed at her with passion. She felt her heart beat madly within her chest, feeling him inside her even more greatly. She leaned in and kissed him with all the love she could show through it with him returning the effort. After a few minutes of just kissing but with him still inside her, they separated.

" **Love me with everything that you have,"** whispered Dawn as she caressed his cheek.

" **I will do anything for you,"** replied Ash, holding her face with his hands as he started moving his lower body again.

Ash started off sliding into her slowly at first once more before picking up speed. Dawn's hot breath hit his face, making him heat up as he continued while they maintained eye contact. He moved his hands, grabbing her ass and squeezed it, making Dawn arch her back a bit. Her chest became closer towards Ash's face. He grinned before he moved his head forward and caught one of her breasts that were bouncing up and down from their actions with his mouth; licking, biting and sucking on it. These added sensations were too much for Dawn.

" **Oh my God!"** cried Dawn. She was lost in an intense pleasure high and loved it. **"Oh fuck!"**

Hearing her squeal in pleasure, Ash took that as a good sign and began ramming his shaft into her so hard and fast while still playing and sucking on her tits and squeezing her ass that Dawn was completely overwhelmed from the multiple assaults on her body. She moaned loudly with joyful gasps let out every few seconds. Ash knew that she was becoming very loud, just like Misty but decided he had more important things on his mind. Or more accurately, on his mouth, since he continued his ravenous assault on her tits. They continued on like that for a few more minutes when Ash began to feel that he was about to release. He let go of her breast from his mouth and half whispered, half moaned to her.

" **I'm about to explode Dawn!"** revealed Ash.

" **Don't you dare stop or pull out! I want you to make me yours!"** gasped Dawn.

Her demands made Ash gather some adrenaline and started thrusting into her like a damn machine, going harder and faster, which caused Dawn to scream in pleasure at the intense sensations got to her, making her go over the edge.

" **YEESSS!"** shrieked Dawn as she felt her orgasm.

Ash felt his shaft getting washed over with Dawn's release and it was too much for him and he exploded into her. The sudden warm seed inside her made Dawn shout to the ceiling in bliss as she arched her back for a moment before she let herself drop down forward on top of Ash from being so tired out. Her head rested against his chest as both Dawn and Ash panted heavily, still connected to each other. They felt the waves of their intimacy wash over them as their bodies warmed each other and it felt incredible. A moment later, Dawn looked up at Ash, and as he locked gazes with her, she gave him her mischievous look, prompting him to grin. The two shared a quick kiss before separating.

Ash didn't do anything other than hold her close to him and Dawn did the same when she rested her head against his chest. After what seemed like a long time for them, when it was only a moment or two, Dawn repositioned herself, allowing his shaft to slip out of her, as she grabbed the bed covers and raised them to cover them. She then once again lay on top of Ash and faced him with her chin on his chest. Her blue eyes locked with his brown eyes.

" **I love you Ash. "**

" **I love you too Dawn."**

They shared another kiss filled with their love for one another before breaking apart.

" **Goodnight my Guardian,"** hummed Dawn.

" **Goodnight my Lucky Star,"** said Ash softly.

Dawn smiled before placing her head sideways onto his chest and was soon fast asleep while Ash just watched her for a few minutes. As he did so, he remembered what happened to her at the stadium after his match with Russell and his face darkened for a moment before it vanished.

" **I love you Dawn and I can't bear to see you ever getting hurt again. I will protect you from anything and everything. Nothing will hurt you again while I draw breath. I swear it."**

Ash made his promise out loud and Dawn hummed in her sleep right as he finished. Ash smiled as he kept his eyes on her while slowly drifting off to sleep. Luckily for the raven haired man, he had a dreamless night as he slept, holding onto the blunette.

 _ **A/N - And that wraps up chapter 23! Man, I never thought I'd write this much and I still have so much in store for you guys! A little teaser for you all is that things are going to get a bit crazy very soon. As always, review, fav and follow! Take care!**_


	24. Chapter 24 - Double Battles

_**A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with another chapter for you! Thanks for following so far Enjoy and review!**_

 **ALSO, IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 24 – DOUBLE BATTLES

Dawn and Ash had gone out on a date together at Mount Coronet the previous night. Just like with the red head before, the raven haired trainer had set things up in advance and surprised the blunette with a romantic evening filled with wonder. From being able to see her hometown in the distance with a telescope, to viewing the colored lights of the mountain's sky above them, Dawn had the time of her life. Ash had given her a necklace as well with a white gold star on it and she was very appreciative of it. By the end of the night, when they returned to the hotel and got into bed to sleep, the two revealed their feelings for each other, revealing their love for one another. They reached new levels in their relationship after becoming intimate together for the first time and fell asleep as they cuddled. They were sound asleep even as the sun's rays entered the room from the windows.

" **ASH! You're going to be late for your match!"**

Misty shouted as she barged into his room, causing Dawn and Ash to fall off the bed and hit the ground hard as they were startled awake. Luckily for Dawn, she fell onto Ash, who cushioned her fall. After clearing their heads, they helped each other get up.

" **What do you mean?"** asked Ash as he massaged his back.

" **Ah, you two might want to put on some clothes first,"** said Misty, with a broad smile, though her face was slightly red as well.

Ash and Dawn glanced at each other and saw that they were still nude. They both yelped and hurried to put on some clothes as Misty sniggered as she saw them go crazy. Dawn began rapidly putting on her clothes and by the time Ash put on his boxers and sweat pants, she was fully dressed, the fastest she had ever gotten ready.

" **Okay so what's going on Mist?"** asked Ash again after putting on his sweat pants.

" **Your match is at 9am. It's 850am right now!"**

" **What?! Damn it! Why didn't anyone wake me up?"** Ash panicked and Dawn was lost, not knowing what to do. Misty moved forward and grabbed a hold of Ash.

" **Hey!"** Misty forced Ash's gaze to hers with her hands, taking control. **"Relax. The others are already there, along with Gardevoir, Lucario and Pikachu. I don't know why we didn't actually check in on you. I'm sorry about that. But we still have time if we move fast."**

Dawn was impressed as to how quickly Misty handled the situation, staring at her in awe. Ash was quiet for a few seconds but then raised his hand against her cheek.

" **Thank you my Mermaid for setting me straight and not letting me lose my head."** Ash gave her a quick kiss on the lips and the red head smiled. He held her hand and grasped Dawn's as well, who quickly grabbed her necklace to put it on **. "C'mon we gotta go!"** Ash dragged both girls with him to the balcony and tossed out two poke balls when he dropped their hands and then Pidgeot and Charizard appeared.

" **Should we tell him?"** whispered Misty with a sly smirk on her face.

" **No, I think it'll be funny. Plus it'll be payback for what he did with my clothes back at the lake,"** answered Dawn, grinning, putting on the necklace she received from him.

" **Okay, Misty, Dawn you two go on Charizard while I ride Pidgeot to the stadium,"** he said, not hearing what the two girls said, too focused on what he needed to do. Ash helped Misty up first and then Dawn, who he gave a quick kiss to before he climbed onto Pidgeot. **"Let's go!"** His pokémon flew away from the hotel as they headed towards the stadium.

" **Where are Misty and Dawn? Why aren't they here yet?"** asked Sarah, noticing the two girls not there.

" **I'm sure they'll be here soon,"** assured Leaf as she and the others looked around for them..

" **GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! WE ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN THE FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY FOR THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT! IT WILL BE BETWEEN DAVID BLAKE AND ASH KETCHUM!"**

The crowd cheered as David Blake entered the arena. He was a tall, athletic man who wore black jeans and a blue shirt. He waited for his opponent after reaching the referee but Ash was nowhere to be seen. The people in the stands waited a moment for him to show before the spectators began getting restless.

" **Why isn't he here yet?"** asked May, becoming inpatient.

" **Did something happen to him?"** worried Serena.

" **Pikapi…"** Pikachu's ears dropped as he grew concerned. Lucario and Gardevoir glanced at one another.

" **I HATE TO SAY THIS BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ASH KETCHUM ISN'T HERE FOLKS. UNFORTUNATLEY BECAUSE OF THAT IT LOOKS LIKE HE WOULD HAVE TO-"**

The announcer was interrupted by a loud roar and screech. Everyone looked up into the air and saw a very large Charizard and Pidgeot descend into the stadium. Charizard hovered near the group of friends before landing, allowing Misty and Dawn to climb down. The red dragon then flew down into the stands landing next to Ash as he climbed down off of Pidgeot.

" **SCRATCH THAT! LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS ARRIVED, JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME AND WITH STYLE!"**

" **Sorry I'm late but I'm here and ready to battle,"** said Ash as he faced the referee and his opponent, who responded with surprised looks on their faces. **"What?"** asked Ash, confused as to why he was getting weird looks.

" **Is he really still in his pajamas?"** asked Sarah, leaning against the railing to get a better look at him. The others glanced at her in amusement though Leaf was eyeing Ash very carefully from her seat.

" **Yup! We woke up late and we scrambled to get here. Misty and I decided to not say anything since he didn't noticed and I did say I'll get him back for my clothes,"** admitted Dawn with a mischievous grin, causing the group to chuckle.

The people in the stands roared at seeing him arrive. Or to be more accurate, all the girls were screaming at the sight of the fit and handsome raven haired trainer arriving with only sweat pants, bare foot and no shirt. Many of the girls started shouting compliments and whistled at him, some even shouting out that they wanted him. Ash scratched his head, not getting the reason why as he looked at the screaming girls in the stands.

" **He really is dense sometimes,"** sighed Leaf, making her friends laugh as she glanced at Misty and Dawn. **"So, looks like you joined the necklace club Dawn."**

The group glanced at Dawn who went red and when they saw the star necklace on her, they smiled. May started badgering her to tell them details but the blunette shouted at her to shut up and that she'll tell them later. Serena stood up and leaned over the railings.

" **ASH! You're still in your pajamas!"** shouted Serena. Ash glanced at her and then looked down at himself. His eyes widened as he figured out what he did, or more accurately, forgot to do.

" **Oh, shit…eh, I guess I forgot to get dressed fully I was in such a hurry. I don't have time to put on proper clothes do I?"** asked Ash, getting red. The referee shook his head, handing him his microphone. **"Well, I guess we should get the match started then."** David nodded and moved to his trainer's box as Ash moved to his. His Pidgeot and Charizard flew up and landed on the top of the stadium to watch the battle from afar.

" **AFTER AN UNEXPECTED LATE ARRIVAL FROM ASH, WHO CLEARLY HAS THE GIRLS OF THIS STADIUM GOING CRAZY FOR HIM, WE ARE FINALLY READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE!"**

In the VIP room, the President and the five Champions were having a good laugh at the raven haired trainer's forgetfulness. When they finally relaxed, four Champions and Goodshow glanced at Cynthia, who was staring at Ash. She noticed their staring and quickly turned her body to avoid their lingering gazes on her. Lance shook his head in disappointment while Goodshow chuckled and Steven, Alder and Diantha gave each other knowing grins before laughing out loud. A minute later, Cynthia shouted at them to shut up but it only helped in making them laugh harder.

" **The rules are the same as before. Are you two ready?"** David and Ash nodded. **"Let the match begin!"**

The two trainers tossed out poke balls and after flashes of light, two battle ready pokémon appeared.

" **AND THE FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY HAS BEGUN! DAVID HAS CHOSEN WEAVILE WHILE ASH HAS CHOSEN A UNIQUE LOPUNNY! COULD THIS ONE OF A KIND RABBIT PROVE TO BE STRONGER THAN MOST?"**

" **That Weavile is going to have a very bad day,"** commented Lucario. The group of friends glanced at him and was shocked to find him and Gardevoir grinning while Pikachu sniggered. They quickly turned their attention onto the field. Weavile flexed its claws as it eyed Lopunny, who bowed to her trainer, Ash returning the respect with one of his own before she turned around to take up a battle stance.

" **LOOKS LIKE ASH AND HIS LOPUNNY HAVE MUCH RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER AND THE RABBIT POKEMON SEEMS PUMPED AND READY TO KICK BUTT!"**

The girls of the stadium went crazy over the way Ash showed respect to his cute bunny pokémon, many of them leaning against the rails, shouting at him, requesting to be touched or autograph an item of theirs and in some cases even on their bodies. Some even asked for a night out with him. Ash went red but blocked them out, focusing on the match in front of him.

" **I never would have thought it possible that Ash would have girls go crazy over him. And the way these girls are acting…damn… and I thought us guys were bad,"** remarked Gary with disbelief.

" **Yeah, sometimes we're worse,"** replied Leaf without any trace of embarrassment.

" **I believe that as I know for a fact that you are,"** quipped Gary. He grunted after earning an elbow to his side from Leaf as the others laughed at his pain and her embarrassment.

" **Looks like you have the girls going crazy over you Ash, but I hope that's not why you're here! You better not underestimate me as I won't underestimate you!"** said David.

" **Let's give these people a good show!"** answered Ash as he stood up straight and crossed his arms.

" **Weavile, Night Slash!"** Weavile shot forward, his right claw raised, glowing purple and black. At the last second Ash called out his command.

" **Bounce!"** Lopunny jumped up high, dodging the attack. Weavile looked up at the bunny as she shot up into the air.

" **Pursuit!"** Weavile jumped up after Lopunny, who stayed remarkably calm at being chased.

" **Hyper Voice!"** said Ash. Lopunny screamed with all her might, releasing powerful sound waves that both made her hover in the air a little longer while striking Weavile, who was blasted back but quickly braced himself for the rough landing, receiving less damage than he would have.

" **Are you okay?"** Weavile nodded at his trainer. **"Okay. Good job Weavile. Hone Claws!"** Weavile's claws glowed red and he sharpened them by striking against each other as Lopunny landed against the ground and then shot forward towards the dark and ice type.

" **Ice Shard!"** Weavile hurled a chunk of pointed ice that he summoned out of the air at the bunny, causing her to lose balance when hit at close range and stop in her tracks, so close to her target.

" **Follow up with Crush Claw!"** Weavile closed the distance and gripped the bunny with his sharp claws, pinning her arms to her sides while squeezing her. The bunny cried out shrilly in pain.

" **WEAVILE HAS STOPPED LOPUNNY IN HER TRACKS AND IS NOW CRUSHING THE LIFE OUT OF HER! ASH IS GOING TO HAVE TO THINK QUICKLY TO GET OUT OF THIS!"**

The crowd, mostly the girls, started booing, not happy that Ash's cute bunny pokémon was losing. Even his friends were all up, leaning against the rail, not believing what's happening. They looked at Ash, wanting to give advice but kept quiet as they didn't know what to say.

" **C'mon Ash, do something!"** pleaded Serena, as she looked on.

Ash had a concerned look on his face but kept standing tall. _Just a little more, hang in there Lopunny._

Lopunny heard his thoughts so she stopped screaming and gritted her teeth. A few seconds later, she glowed pink and so did Weavile, who instantly let the bunny free, gazing at her as if the bunny was the most beautiful thing in the world. Lopunny took a step back, taking a few breathes.

" **Of course! I should've known!"** shouted Leaf, smacking herself in the head, making everyone stare at her. **"Cute Charm! Lopunny's ability activates when ever somebody physically attacks her and keeps contact for a while!"** They nodded as they understood.

" **DAVID HAD THE UPPER HAND UNTIL LOPUNNY'S ABILITY ACTIVATED, CAUSING WEAVILE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE BUNNY! NOW WITH A LOVESTRUCK POKEMON, DAVID IS AT A DISADVANTAGE! WHAT WILL HE DO NOW?"**

In the VIP room, the people inside thought that Lopunny was done for but when Lopunny's ability activated they chuckled in amusement.

" **Weavile, snap out of it!"** yelled David, but it was no use, his pokémon was head over heels for the bunny. Lopunny smirked as Ash smiled, giving his next command.

" **Good job! Finish it with Focus Punch!"** Before Lopunny could even begin focusing for her attack, David returned Weavile and tossed out another pokémon.

" **DAVID HAS SUBSTITUTED HIS WEAVILE WITH GENGAR! NORMAL AND FIGHTING TYPE ATTACKS WON'T DO ASH ANY GOOD! WILL HE SWITCH OUT AS WELL?"**

" **Good choice, Weavile would've been toast if he stuck with him. Let's see how this will go,"** commented Max. Lopunny took up a battle stance ready to fight but Ash called out to her.

" **Great job Lopunny and I know you can take him but let's have someone else battle ok?"** Lopunny relaxed and nodded. Ash returned her and brought out Espeon, causing many girls to squeak at her cuteness. Dawn even shot a fist into air, yelling out encouragement for her friend who heard, faced her and responded back to the blunette with a cry of her name, making Dawn smile.

" **Shadow Ball!"** The purple cat like pokémon fired a dark purple ball of energy at Gengar who dodged the attack, countering with one of his own, bouncing off the shield Espeon made at the last second.

" **ASH HAS SWITCHED FOR ESPEON AND ALREADY THESE TWO ARE GOING AT IT! THIS SHOULD BE AN INTERESTING MATCH!"**

Many cheers were made over the entertaining battle. The ghost and psychic pokémon fired Shadow Balls at each other while maneuvering around the field, trying to catch the other off guard.

" **Gengar, Hypnosis!"** commanded David. Gengar stopped moving and his eyes glowed red as he stared at Espeon, who stood transfixed, staring back at the ghost. What occurred next, nobody was expecting. Instead of Espeon falling asleep, her eyes glowed white and Gengar fell to the floor, sound asleep.

" **What the hell just happened?!"** screamed David, confused as to what just occurred. Ash chuckled as Espeon meowed playfully, earning herself some awes from the girls in the crowd before he explained.

" **My Espeon has the ability Magic Bounce. All status moves and non-attacking moves that target her will be sent back to the user."**

" **Damn, how lucky can Ash get?"** wondered Gary out loud. The others merely shrugged.

" **Gengar, wake up!"** yelled David but Gengar kept on snoozing. David didn't know what to do as he couldn't call him back otherwise he would have to withdraw the ghost pokémon from the match completely.

" **Espeon, Psychic."** Espeon's eyes glowed blue but Gengar vanished in a flash of light. David had recalled his pokémon.

" **WHAT A TWIST FOLKS! ASH HAD GENGAR GO TO SLEEP USING HIS OWN MOVE AGAINST HIM, MAKING DAVID RECALL HIM, TAKING HIM OUT OF THE MATCH COMPLETELY!"**

" **He might have woken up, but I'm not going to risk him getting hurt. You win that round Ash."** David pulled out his third and final poke ball, tossing it into the air. A large blue and yellow dragon pokémon appeared with a red head and blue jagged wings. Druddigon appeared with a roar into the air. His roar made Charizard eye the dragon carefully from high above, still resting at the top of the stadium. After a few seconds of studying the dragon pokémon, he scoffed and closed his eyes once more.

" **You did great Espeon! Return!"** Espeon beamed at Ash before being recalled. Ash tossed out another poke ball and a white and light blue ghost and ice pokémon appeared.

" **Lass!"** Froslass twirled in the air gracefully as she appeared before facing the dragon on the field. Dawn's and May's eyes widened as soon as they saw her and they glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing; _a contest contender?_

" **Not a bad choice Ash, but not good enough! Druddigon, Draco Meteor!"** shouted David. The blue and yellow dragon formed a red sphere in front of him and shot it at Froslass. After traveling most of the way towards her, the meteor broke apart into dozens of pieces, blocking any attempt to dodge the attack.

" **Wow, he must have trained that Druddigon well to have it control when the Draco Meteor breaks apart like that,"** said Iris, absolutely astonished over the dragon's skill.

" **Blizzard!"** shouted Ash. Froslass summoned up an incredible wind filled with ice shards and snow against the burning meteor pieces. The attacks connected, causing many miniature explosions before clouds of steam appeared and covered the field. As they waited for the steam to clear, they heard Ash and David call out their next commands.

" **Ominous Wind!"** said Ash.

" **Sucker Punch!"** countered David.

Froslass was going to launch ghostly wind energy through the steam but before she could, Druddigon appeared in front of her and delivered an incredible punch fused with dark glowing energy against her body, sending her flying out of the steam cloud and hitting the arena wall.

" **Froslass!"** cried out Ash in concern. The ice and ghost pokémon got back up and floated back to the field, the steam gone. She was hurt but also angry. **"Are you sure you still want to battle?"**

" **Lass!"** Froslass nodded as she let out a battle cry.

" **WHAT A TOUGH POKEMON FOLKS! EVEN AFTER TAKING A SUPER EFFECTIVE HIT TO THE FACE, THIS GRACEFUL FROSLASS ISN'T THROWING IN THE TOWEL YET!"**

The crowd roared in approval, hungry for more action and the Champions inside the VIP room were amazed that the ice and ghost pokémon was able to get back up.

" **That's one stubborn pokémon,"** commented Brock.

" **Just like Ash,"** mused Misty with a smile.

" **I have to admit, I'm surprised Froslass is still standing. But it doesn't matter as we will soon win! Fire Punch!"** Druddigon ran forward, his claw covered in flames.

" **Confuse Ray!"**

" **NO! Dodge it!"** screamed David but it was too late, Druddigon was too close and Froslass hit him with the sinister ray, causing the dragon pokémon to stop instantly and start hitting himself. **"Snap out of it!"** he pleaded but it was no use.

" **Ice Beam!"** Froslass fired a point blank beam of icy energy into the dragon's face, sending him flying back. The dragon pokémon stood up on wobbly legs, though he was no longer confused. **"Good job Froslass. Shadow Ball!"**

" **Flamethrower!"** Druddigon let out a stream of flames from his mouth, colliding against the ball of purple ghost energy but they stalemated.

" **Hyper Beam!"** Ash's command made David shout in surprise as Froslass fired a beam of white energy at Druddigon, cutting through the Shadow Ball and Flamethrower like they weren't even there and hit the dragon pokémon, sending him flying back into the wall. Druddigon slid down unconscious.

" **Druddigon is unable to battle, Froslass is the winner!"** Applause and cheers were heard from the crowd as David returned his pokémon. He brought out Weavile again.

" **INCREDIBLE! FROSLASS WAS ABLE TO OVERPOWER DRUDDIGON EVEN WHEN HURT! DAVID IS DOWN TO HIS LAST POKEMON! HAS WEAVILE REGAINED HIS SENSES AND READY FOR BATTLE?"**

" **Thanks Froslass, you did great."** Froslass went to Ash and hugged him, her icy body not affecting him, even though he was half dressed. **"Take a good rest. You've earned it."** He returned Froslass and brought out Lopunny again, who took up a battle stance as she smirked at Weavile, who growled back.

" **Weavile, you're my last hope! Are you rested enough?"**

" **Wea!"** Weavile nodded and flexed his claws.

" **Let's get this started then. Screech!"** Weavile let out an ear-splitting screech at Lopunny who didn't dodge it in time as Weavile was too fast. She held up her hands to her large ears, attempting to cover them as she dropped to one knee. Ash shouted to counter with Hyper Voice, and she heard it but she couldn't move; the sound waves were too strong.

" **Night Slash!"** Weavile shot forward and slashed with dark glowing claws at the downed bunny who stumbled back, dazed. **"Finish with Dark Pulse!"** Weavile fired a dark beam of energy at the nearby bunny, sending her flying backwards.

" **Lopunny!"** shouted Ash, worried. The bunny landed hard on the floor in front of a worried Ash.

" **No way…"** whispered Lucario as he moved against the railing, his face in complete shock. Gardevoir was next to him, her hands covering her mouth. Pikachu had dropped his ears, standing on Misty's shoulder.

" **Lopunny!"** shouted Ash again. A couple seconds went by before Lopunny pushed up onto her hands and knees and shook her head. She then stood up after a few more seconds. **"Are you alright? Are you sure you want to continue?"** asked Ash. Lopunny nodded and turned around. She took up a fighting stance, raising her fists and starting hopping from one foot to the other while on her tip toes, like a boxer, showing she was ready for more. David and Weavile were stunned at the pokémon's resilience and the crowd was going crazy over seeing such a hard willed pokémon.

" **I should've known it would take more than that to take her out,"** chuckled Lucario, relaxing. The group of friends glanced at him and then back at the amazing pokémon.

" **WHAT A FIGHTING SPIRIT! THIS BUNNY ISN'T DONE YET!"**

" **That bunny might give my Hitmonchan a run for its money,"** thought a large man in a karate uniform.

" **I'm pretty sure that bunny could give all your pokémon a run for its money Bruno,"** replied Cynthia with a laugh, making Bruno growl and Lance to shoot the blonde Champion an annoyed look.

" **Incredible,"** muttered David under his breath. **"Weavile, Focus Blast!"** Weavile shot a concentrated ball of energy at his opponent.

" **Double Team!"** Lopunny made a dozen copies of herself as she surrounded Weavile. The ball of energy shot through one of the copies **. "Drain Punch!** " The Lopunny behind Weavile shot forward and struck Weavile in the back with a power draining strike, siphoning energy from him and restoring hers.

" **Ice Punch!"** yelled David.

" **Counter with Fire Punch!"**

Weavile turned around to hit the bunny with a fist covered in ice but was met with an enflamed fist instead. Both struggled to overpower the other.

" **Poison Jab!"** shouted David. Weavile threw his free fist covered in poison at the bunny who evaded the attack at the last second by ducking.

" **Sky Uppercut!"** snapped Ash, seeing their opening. Lopunny jumped upwards, her fist glowing white, striking against Weavile's jaw. She sent the ice and dark type pokémon into the air a few feet before dropping down onto the ground. Lopunny landed on her feet near her opponent, but then back flipped towards Ash and stood in front of him, taking up her fighting stance.

" **Weavile get up!"** yelled David. Weavile slowly got up and stood in front of Lopunny. The two eyed each other before Weavile smirked and fell face first.

" **Weavile is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Lopunny and the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!"** said the referee.

" **AMAZING! ASH KETCHUM HAS WON HIS MATCH WITHOUT LOSING A SINGLE POKEMON AGAIN AND HIS POKEMON HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY CAN GO THE DISTANCE!"**

Loud cheers were heard from the spectators in the stands. Lopunny turned and flew to Ash, hugging him who returned the hug and complimented the fighting bunny on doing a job well done, happy at their victory. The girls in the crowd went crazy at their affectionate display as the girls in his group swooned at the sight of it. Charizard and Pidgeot landed beside them, giving the pair happy looks. Ash thanked all of his pokémon and returned them. He moved towards David and the referee.

" **Good match Ash. I'm very impressed. Good luck in the tournament."**

" **Thanks David. You were pretty strong too."**

They shook hands and then returned their microphones. Ash and David walked away to their respective exits and right when he entered the tunnel, he received a message on his Poketch which he replied back to it. He met his friends at the end of the tunnel exit who congratulated him on his victory. As they began heading back to the hotel, Richie met up with them after exiting the woods where he was training, having just recently finished. He and Leaf told Ash that their matches were later on in the day. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, while Lucario and Gardevoir smiled and praised his victory.

" **Why didn't you wake up like you usually do Ash?"** asked May after a while.

" **I honestly have no clue why. I usually wake up early, or have an alarm set or Leaf screams at me to get up….Hey, Leaf, why didn't you wake us up in the morning?"**

" **What am I, your alarm clock? Anyways, because Gary told us that you and Dawn had snuck out,"** answered Leaf, glaring at the pokémon researcher who gulped as they all stopped moving.

" **Really?"** Ash frowned at Gary who grew nervous but started defending himself.

" **Hey man it was just a harmless prank! I didn't mean for you to keep sleeping until you almost missed your match, and why do we have to wake you up? Use an alarm clock or can't you be responsible by yourself?"** finished Gary.

" **You know, even though his prank was not a good one, he is right. You shouldn't count on others for that type of thing all the time,"** said Cilan.

" **Yea I know, I just haven't set my alarm lately before getting ready for bed, thinking Leaf would shout at us in the morning again and I didn't want to wake Dawn up. I'm gonna get you back for that Gary. Lucky for you Misty woke us up….speaking of which, how did you know that we were still there if everyone was outside and said we were gone?"** asked Ash, turning to face the red head next to him.

" **Well we had all left the hotel earlier and were training in the woods together. We decided to head to the stadium once we finished since your match was about to start, but I kept getting this feeling that I forgot something so I told the others I'll meet them at the stadium. When I got back to our suite, something else also told me to check your room and that's when I saw you two still sleeping and shouted for you to get up,"** finished Misty, a little red in the face for telling the truth. Ash smiled.

" **Thank you my Mystic Mermaid. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have won today and would've broken my promise to Gardevoir. I owe you big time."** Ash gave her a kiss on the lips before hugging her tightly. She enjoyed being in his arms, feeling his body against hers as she felt complete when in his arms. She saw random girls passing them by and had saddened looks on their faces, seeing the handsome raven haired trainer with a girl already and thinking the red head was lucky for being with him. Misty smiled and grew happier, knowing that she has what others hoped to have one day.

" **ASH!"**

Ash let go of Misty and turned his head around to see who had shouted out his name. It was the elder girl from the lake and her posse. Her boyfriend was right behind her as always while the others were behind the two.

" **Yes?"** Ash turned his body to fully face them and his friends gathered around him.

" **That was an amazing match! You have some very powerful pokémon. And looks like you're not afraid to show off what you got huh?"** said the girl with a wink. Ash scratched the back of his head and blushed slightly while his friends laughed, though the four girls, Leaf and Sarah slightly frowned.

" **Well, I woke up late honestly. Anyway, I never got your name and what can I do for you?"**

" **Oh of course, how rude of me. My name is Emily and this is Taylor, my boyfriend and these are our friends."** The two groups shook hands with one another and told each other their names. **"Anyway, I wanted to ask if you would have a battle with me?"** asked Emily.

" **A battle? Are you in the tournament?"** asked Ash.

" **Yes and no. I'm not in the tournament but I love to watch battles and only want to battle people that really get my heart pumping. So would you have a battle with me? A double battle to be exact?"**

" **Sure why not? Sounds like fun."**

" **Great! I know of a large clearing in the woods this way. We can battle now if you're not busy."**

Ash asked his friends if they wanted to join and watch since Richie's wasn't for another three hours and Leaf's was at the end of the day. They decided to join them and watch. The two groups headed into the woods, Emily leading the way. They soon found the large clearing and Ash went to one side as Emily and Taylor went to the other side. Their friends stayed near the edge of the clearing next to the trees in one large group. Pikachu jumped onto Serena's shoulder as Ash moved to his side of the clearing.

" **Pikapi, pi pika pi chu!"**

" **Thanks for the luck buddy!"** said Ash, giving a thumbs up to his starter.

" **Oh I forgot to mention, Taylor and I are going to battle together for the double battle. That's not a problem is it?"** asked Emily.

" **No not a problem, I just didn't know you meant it like that…"** answered Ash.

" **I'll battle with you if you don't mind,"** said Serena, stepping forward. Ash smiled and nodded. Pikachu jumped back onto Misty's shoulders.

" **I'll referee the match,"** said Brock, as he took up a position on the other side of the field away from the group so he wouldn't be bothered. **"This will be a simple two on two double match, no mega evolutions and no time limit. Are you ready?"** Brock glanced at Emily and Taylor who nodded, then at Ash and Serena who nodded as well. **"Let the battle begin!"**

" **Come on out!"** said Serena who brought forth her Delphox, who appeared in a ball of flames before they died down, revealing the fire and psychic fox.

" **Cool appearance!"** complimented Ash, with Serena and Delphox thanking him. **"Gardevoir, you're up!"** Gardevoir teleported from the group and then reappeared next to Delphox.

" **Not bad choices! I think this will be a good match!"** shouted Emily, as she and Taylor tossed out their poke balls. A black dog with ribbed bones on its back and two horns on its head appeared and a two legged rock shellfish fossil pokémon appeared that had a large flat head and two sharp scythes for arms. Houndoom and Kabutops roared as they took up fighting stances.

" **Wow, what cool pokémon! This is going to be an awesome battle!"** said Max, ecstatic that he was seeing Ash battle again so soon and seeing two new pokémon he'd never seen before, eyeing Delphox and Kabutops.

" **This should be interesting,"** said Gary, after he quickly looked over each pokémon, his researcher side kicking in.

" **You ready Serena?"** asked Ash.

" **You bet!"** replied Serena with a smile as their opponents said their first commands.

" **Houndoom, Flamethrower!"** shouted Emily.

" **Kabutops, Agua Jet!"** commanded Taylor.

Houndoom let out a stream of flames against Gardevoir and Kabutops shot forward, covered in water towards Delphox.

" **Gardevoir, Thunderbolt on Kabutops, keep him away from Delphox!"**

" **Delphox, use your Flamethrower to stop Houndoom's!"**

Gardevoir and Delphox fired their attacks. The two flame attacks connected and canceled each other out as Kabutops was stopped in his tracks by the powerful Thunderbolt.

" **Houndoom, Smog!"** The black dog let out filthy gases onto the field, hiding the two pokémon.

" **Kabutops, Mud Shot!"** The fossil pokémon hurled blobs of mud at the two psychic pokémon through the gas but Delphox and Gardevoir dodged the attacks at the last second.

" **Delphox, get rid of the gas! Mystical Fire!"** The fire fox let out a vortex of multi-colored flames towards the gas, igniting it and causing an explosion. Two cries were heard as Houndoom and Kabutops were hurt from the resulting explosion.

" **Don't give up! Continuous Dark Pulses!"** shouted Emily.

" **Ancient Power!"** yelled Taylor.

Kabutops used his prehistoric power to materialize large boulders made of energy and threw them at the two psychic pokémon as beams of dark energy were sent by Houndoom.

" **Dodge them and then counter with Magical Leaf!"** countered Ash.

" **Rapid fire Shadow Ball against the attacks!"** shouted Serena.

Gardevoir teleported away from each attack and retaliated with sharp bladed leaves each time she reappeared and Delphox sent dark purple balls of energy at each incoming boulder until she was struck by one she hadn't seen and stumbled. Houndoom let out a quick Dark Pulse at her, hoping to take advantage but Gardevoir teleported in front of her and summoned a shield that the attack hit instead.

" **Thanks Ash!"** said Serena, relieved.

" **No problem,"** replied Ash, smiling. Gardevoir nodded at Delphox who nodded back, appreciating it.

" **Wow, what team work! Both sides are doing really well!"** said Sarah, impressed by the battle so far.

" **Yea, I'm surprised these two are giving Ash and Serena a hard time,"** replied Leaf, shocked that Ash was getting a run for his money.

" **Don't be too sure Lady Leaf,"** interjected Lucario. The second group of Emily and Taylor's friends gasped, hearing him speak. **"Master is merely testing them. He wants to see what they are capable of."**

" **You can't be serious,"** said one of the guys from Emily's group. **"He may be good, but not that good."**

" **He is,"** snapped Dawn.

" **Is that so?"** asked one of the girls from the second group, her interest rising.

" **Yes it is but don't even think about it,"** warned Misty quickly, making the girl step away in fear.

" **Watch and see,"** finished May. The second group went silent to watch the battle. Ash's friends were a little ticked off but understood why they would behave that way but they still didn't like it. Kabutops glowed white for a couple seconds. His Ancient Power had boosted his abilities.

" **It's time we let out our full strength!"** said Emily suddenly with Taylor smirking.

Serena grew worried when Emily said that but when she glanced at Ash to see his reaction, she saw him not concerned at all. He was actually grinning.

 _He's so calm. He's actually happy they're going to use their full power. If he's not worried, then I shouldn't be either. Thank you Ash for inspiring me to control my fear as always,_ thought Serena, smiling inwardly as she refocused on the battle.

" **About time!"** said Ash as he crossed his arms, grinning widely. **"I knew you were holding back!"** Emily and Taylor had shocked expressions on their faces for a second before it went away and they laughed.

" **Well then, here we go! Fire Blast!"**

" **Hydro Pump!"**

Houndoom let out a large five pointed flame star that raced across the field at Gardevoir and a powerful water blast erupted from Kabutops at Delphox.

" **Psychic!"** snapped Ash and Serena together. Both of their pokémon's eyes glowed blue and the two elemental attacks were outlined blue as well before stopping in their tracks. They were sent back to their user's ally, the returned Hydro Pump hitting Houndoom and the Fire Blast hitting Kabutops. Both pokémon were thrown from their feet, landing hard onto the ground, grunting in pain.

" **Houndoom please get up!"**

" **You too Kabutops! I know you can do it!"**

Houndoom and Kabutops got onto their feet again but took them a bit of time. Ash sensed their energies were low and thought they should end the match before getting truly hurt.

" **Are you guys sure you want to continue? We can call this a draw if you want,"** suggested Ash. Everyone stared at him, surprised, except for his pokémon, who knew what he was thinking and feeling.

" **No thanks! We either win or lose. We don't like ties as there is no such thing in life,"** said Emily. Taylor and their pokémon nodded in agreement. Ash shrugged and refocused on the battle.

" **Emily and Taylor are true trainers, not giving up till the end. Not someone who has mercy or says to call something a draw. Only weak people do that,"** said another guy from Emily's group. Ash's friends grew angered but before any of them could speak, Leaf lashed out.

" **For your information, it takes more strength to show some one mercy and to allow them to walk away with their integrity than to finish off a weakened opponent when there's no point!"** snapped a fuming Leaf.

The others stared at her. Even Lucario raised his eyebrows at her. He wasn't expecting her to say something like that and he was impressed.

" **Whatever. It doesn't matter what you believe,"** dismissed the guy and Leaf fumed as Sarah tried to calm her down.

" **It's time we finish this!"** said Emily, as she glanced at Taylor who nodded.

" **Houndoom, keep them busy with Flamethrowers and Dark Pulses!"** The dark and fire dog alternated between shooting flames and dark beams of energy at the two psychic pokémon.

" **Dig!"** yelled Taylor. Kabutops disappeared under the ground.

" **Gardevoir, stop Houndoom from distracting you guys! Moon Blast!"**

" **Delphox, protect Gardevoir as she readies her attack!"**

Gardevoir focused her energy to fire the powerful Fairy type attack as Delphox repelled the attacks Houndoom sent at them, keeping an eye out for Kabutops. Gardevoir finished charging the attack and had a great big ball of white energy appear above them that then fired a large beam of white energy at Houndoom who was hit and sent flying back unconscious.

" **Night Slash!"** Kabutops broke through the ground near Delphox and Gardevoir and charged at them both, his powerful dual scythes covered with dark energy.

" **Dodge it!"** snapped Ash and Serena. Both pokémon evaded the attack as they jumped to the side but Kabutops, not used to the extra speed boost given to him by using Ancient Power, kept moving forwards, right at Serena who stood still as a statue in fright. In the next couple of seconds, many things happened at once.

The two groups shouted and screamed warnings. Pikachu and Lucario dashed forward but they were far away. Emily and Taylor screamed for Kabutops to stop. Delphox and Gardevoir attempted to refocus to teleport to her. Ash didn't think at all and just jumped to her as he yelled out her name. Even though he was right next to her, it seemed like it took him forever to get to her. Kabutops tried to stop himself but he was going too fast and was in the air. Before anyone could even say anything, Ash barely reached Serena in time to shield her with his body when the fossil pokémon rammed into them. Kabutops had lowered his scythes and extended his head out so as to not cut them but the fast and heavy tackle sent them flying backwards. Ash flipped Serena around in the air so that he was the one who would crash first into whatever they were going to hit and cushion the blow for her.

" **UUGGGHHHHH!"** grunted Ash as they flew through several bushes, scratching and cutting him much more than her, before slamming into a large tree with his back. The two slid down to the floor a couple feet before landing on the ground. It took a while for Ash to recover from the collision and Serena was just breathing hard.

" **Are you…okay…Serena?"** asked Ash, winded.

" **I think so. Thank you Ash,"** replied Serena as she turned to look back at him but gasped at what she saw. He had saved her from most of the damage, as she only suffered light scratches but when she saw Ash though, she let out a whimper, yelling out for help.

The raven haired trainer had suffered countless cuts and scratches all over his body as they had sped through the bushes with sharp thorns and he was bleeding from all the cuts. Serena knelt down and raised her trembling hands to check him over for other serious wounds. She heard many footsteps coming towards her and soon their friends were around them.

" **Oh no…"** whimpered Dawn, as she stumbled a bit before May helped her balance, though barely as she too lost her footing for a second. Leaf and Sarah were oddly quiet seeing him so messed up. Pikachu jumped down from Misty's shoulder as she neared Serena.

" **Pikapi?"** The yellow mouse slowly approached Ash, with his ears dropped and patted his side.

" **Any serious injuries?"** whispered Misty as she knelt down next to her.

" **I don't know…"** answered Serena.

" **I'm…fine…"** said Ash as he tried to get up but fell back down instantly against the tree.

Serena and Misty gently turned him around and they found he had a large bruise on his back as well as a long, narrow, deep gash, running diagonally from his right shoulder blade all the way to his spine. It was bleeding badly. The group of friends gathered round cried out as they saw the grievous injury. Serena nearly lost it right there but knew she had to do something. She tore off some cloth from her long skirt and pressed it against his gash, trying to stop the bleeding. She glanced at the tree and found the reason for the cut; the tree's trunk had a long narrow bulge growing outwards and blood was covering it. Delphox appeared by Serena's side and placed a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her down as Serena let tears fall down her cheeks.

" **Where's Lucario?"** asked Misty and before they knew it, Lucario appeared, kneeling next to his Master. He placed his paw on Ash's back and pulsed healing aura onto him. Most of his cuts and scratches vanished, healed instantly but the large gash stayed, still bleeding, though not as profusely as before. Lucario stopped soon after.

" **We must take him to a hospital immediately. I've done all that I can for now,"** said Lucario, who then called for Gardevoir. When she appeared, he told her to teleport them to the pokémon center so Joy could help. Serena asked if she could come as well and Gardevoir nodded. Serena returned Delphox and Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and then Ash, Serena, Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu vanished from sight.

" **C'mon we gotta go to them!"** yelled May as she started to run towards the hotel, their friends right behind her. Emily, Taylor and their friends followed after them.

Ash, Serena, Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu appeared in the main lobby of the ground floor of the hotel. Joy looked up from her desk at them as they appeared and let out a small shriek as she saw the raven haired trainer being supported up by Serena and Lucario, some cuts on him and barely able to stand.

" **What happened?"** asked Joy as she quickly moved to them.

" **We were having a battle against two other trainers and Ash saved me from getting hit by a stray attack,"** explained Serena with tears in her eyes.

" **Well he seems okay, why isn't he…"** started Joy but was caught off by Lucario.

" **Lady Joy, Master has a deep gash on his back. I healed most of the cuts and scratches but I couldn't do more since healing with Aura requires much energy. We need your assistance,"** said Lucario. Joy looked at Ash's back.

" **Oh my Mew…Follow me quickly!"** Joy led them through the back door to the hospital. She opened a door to one of the emergency rooms and told them to lay Ash on the empty bed, face down. He wasn't fully aware of what was going on as he had lost a lot of blood. She attached a heart rate monitor as well as an IV bag on him. **"I'll be right back. I need to get some things. Make sure he doesn't move."** Joy left the room, leaving Serena and the pokémon behind.

" **This is all my fault!"** cried Serena after a moment of silence. **"If only I had moved and not stood there like an idiot!"** Serena started to cry and hid her face in her hands.

" **Pi pika pi pi kachu pi pika."**

" **Pikachu is right; it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. Accidents happen,"** said Gardevoir as she hugged Serena and tried to reassure the girl everything will be alright. Joy walked back into the room, her arms loaded with different medical items and tools. She placed them on the table and picked up a bottle of antiseptic. She moved towards Ash and opened the bottle.

" **You should hold him down just in case,"** suggested Joy.

" **I got it covered."** Lucario's eyes glowed blue as he used Psychic. Ash's body was outlined in a slight blue glow while the aura pokémon kept him still. Joy tilted the bottle slowly to pour small amounts of the antibacterial solution onto the deep cut.

" **AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"**

Ash let out a garbled loud yell as soon as the liquid made contact with his wound and would've thrashed around had Lucario not held him still with Psychic. Serena felt even worse after he shouted. Unable to bear it, she left the room and stood in the hallway in front of the closed door and started crying loudly with her hands covering her face.

" **Why was Ash screaming?"**

Serena looked up and saw their friends standing next to her, panting. Dawn had asked the question as Brock entered the room and asked Joy if she needed help.

" **Joy's tending to his wound and when she applied some antibacterial stuff onto his gash, he screamed,"** replied Serena, her lips quivering as she was about to start crying again. Misty, May and Dawn hugged their friend and said comforting words to her to help her relax. The four sat down on a nearby bench as Emily, Taylor and their friends moved in closer.

" **Will Ash be alright?"** asked Emily as she stepped forward.

" **He should be. Brock and Joy are with him now, treating him,"** explained Gary. Max took a seat on the other bench and rested his head against his hands. Leaf and Sarah leaned against the wall, concern on their faces, as Iris and Cilan stood beside Gary.

" **Hopefully everything will be alright,"** said Taylor quietly, speaking for the first time.

" **I'm sure it will be. Joy and Brock are our most capable when it comes to treating wounds. Lucario's recovery technique of Heal Pulse also no doubt aided him,"** said Cilan. Emily, Taylor and most of her group nodded. Then one of the guys spoke from her group.

" **Why didn't that idiot girl move from her spot? If it wasn't for her being such a burden, he wouldn't be injured right now and the battle would have continued."**

It was the same guy who was rude before. Ash's friends grew angry and even the rude guy's group of friends glared at him for his thoughtless words. Before anyone could scold him for what he said, Serena cried harder as she got up and ran down the hall.

" **Serena, wait!"** Misty, May and Dawn chased after her. Leaf and Sarah were about to say something but what happened next made everyone widen their eyes. Gary had stepped towards the guy, giving him a look of fury as he spoke.

" **You will shut your mouth right now and not speak another word. When Serena comes back you will apologize to her and then you will leave."**

" **Who the hell do you think you are? I can speak my mind, it's a free country."**

" **Shut up!"** yelled Emily and Taylor together. The guy instantly went quiet, shocked that his two friends yelled at him. Gary took the opportunity of his silence to talk.

" **I am Gary Oak, Pokémon Researcher and Trainer just for your information and I really don't give a shit who you are. But you will apologize to Serena when she comes back and you will keep quiet until then and you will leave after. We don't need someone like you among us. If you speak one more word until then, I will knock you the fuck out! Understand?"**

The rude guy glared at Gary but didn't say a word. A couple seconds later, Gary headed back towards his friends and sat down on the bench, next to Max. The pokémon researcher was fuming and tried his best to calm down as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

" **That was a cool speech,"** complimented Leaf as she went to him and patted his back. Gary just grunted in response.

" **I'm sorry about my friend,"** apologized Emily, turning to Iris, Cilan and Sarah after glaring at the rude guy in her group. **"I don't know what to do with him sometimes."**

" **He's still a kid, nothing you can do about it,"** said Iris.

" **Maybe. Anyway, Taylor and I are very sorry for what we caused to happen. If there's anything we can do, please let us know."**

" **Thank you Emily but I believe everything should be fine,"** replied Sarah.

" **Yea, Ash has been through worse,"** added Max as he had gotten up and joined their group, wanting to give some space to the angered Gary.

" **What do you mean?"** asked Emily curiously.

" **He's always helping people out and received more than his fair share of injuries,"** explained Cilan.

" **I didn't know he had gone through a lot of injuries,"** remarked Sarah with a frown as a thought went through her head; _just how many times has he gotten injured?_

" **There's a lot you don't know yet. Stick around and you'll find out sooner or later,"** said Brock with a slight smile as he closed the door.

" **Brock! How's he doing?"** asked Leaf, walking up to him.

" **He'll be fine. Joy and I stitched up his nasty cut. It'll heal no problem but will most likely leave a scar."** The group of friends nodded as they sighed and Brock looked around. **"Where's Serena? Ash wanted to see her before Joy gives him a sleeping pill so he can rest."**

" **She ran down the hall crying because of Mr. Douche Bag's big mouth over here insulted her and said it was her fault. Misty, May and Dawn went after her,"** informed Gary.

Brock, the normally cool and collected one, was angered at what he heard and swiftly acted. He grabbed the rude guy and slammed him against the wall. Everyone gasped, even his own friends as they've never seen him so angry. Well, almost never since he had knocked out Russell before.

" **How dare you,"** snarled Brock. **"You'd be bloody and bruised on the floor right now if I didn't have bigger worries right now. Whether or not it was her fault, you have no right to make her feel bad. Everyone makes mistakes and accidents happen. Maybe next time it might happen to you. Just be glad there are people like Ash around who care more about others than themselves."** Brock slammed the rude guy against the wall again and let him go when a voice was heard from the end of the hallway.

" **Damn, I've never seen you so aggressive Brock. It kind of turned me on."**

Brock turned his head to face the end of the hallway and when he saw who it was, his jaw dropped. An attractive woman, the same age as Brock, stood there. She had a purple tank top, purple gloves that extended to reach her elbows, black pants with yellow diamonds designed at the top of them, purple shoes, with red eyes and long black hair with streaks of red in them.

" **Lucy? Is that you?"** asked Brock, not believing what he was seeing. Lucy giggled before she responded.

" **The one and only!"** Brock ran to her and gave her a hug as he spun her around, Lucy laughing as he did so. Brock stopped soon after and the two shared a kiss.

" **Awww!"** cooed Iris, Sarah and Leaf while Emily and her girlfriends simply stared at them.

" **Not that I'm not happy that you're here, but what are you doing here Lucy?"** asked Brock.

" **Well I did say I'll visit if able. Plus, I was told by a close mutual friend that you were miserable without me and it looks like it's true. So how many people have you been beating up since last we saw each other huh Brock?"** asked Lucy, teasing her boyfriend as she slipped her arm through his. Brock chuckled while the two walked towards the group of friends as they talked.

" **Not what it looks like Lucy. When did he talk to you?"**

" **Yesterday. He sent me a message via Poketch. Imagine my surprise hearing from him after so long,"** explained Lucy and Brock raised his eyebrows.

" **How did you get here so fast?"**

" **Ask Ash how. He told me when I was ready to let him know and he would have his friend teleport me near the end of Victory Road so I could travel the rest of the way here and surprise you. By the way, where is he? I want to thank him for helping me get here so quickly."**

" **Ash is seriously hurt and it's because of me."**

Lucy and Brock glanced at Serena, who had just returned with Misty, May and Dawn behind her.

" **Sorry, but who are you and what do you mean?"** asked Lucy, her eyes narrowing.

Lucy didn't know some of the newer people in the group as her and Brock had just got together recently and some of them hadn't traveled with Ash to the Battle Frontier with him. She only knew Ash, Brock, May, Max and Misty, since they were the ones who she met when they first got there. Brock hurriedly introduced Lucy to everyone and vice versa. He then quickly explained what had happened.

" **Oh that's horrible. Serena was it? Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault at all. Things like this happen."** Serena didn't say anything as she looked down at her feet. Gary glared at the rude guy.

" **Ahem…excuse me."** Serena barely raised her head at the rude guy who cleared his throat. **"I'm sorry for what I said."** Serena nodded slightly then continued looking down at her feet. The rude guy then left.

" **Serena?** " She looked at Brock. **"Ash wanted to see you."**

Serena nodded and she slowly entered the room, closing the door behind her before moving next to the raven haired trainer. She let out a gasp when she saw it. The back of Ash had a large white bandage, covering a good deal of his back. It had a line of red on it, no doubt his blood.

" **He should be alright and good as new soon. You guys did a good job getting him quickly. I just gave him a sleeping pill so it'll take effect pretty soon,"** said Joy as she cleaned up the supplies she used.

" **You may relax Lady Serena. Master will make a full recovery except for maybe a scar. Do not even think for a moment that you are at fault,"** said Lucario as he and Gardevoir smiled at her.

" **Pika!"** agreed Pikachu as he jumped into Serena's arms. She smiled a little bit and thanked the pokémon for their words.

" **Serena?"** Ash's tired voice called out to her.

" **I'm here Ash."** She knelt beside him, her face lining up with his, as he couldn't move and was lying on his stomach. Pikachu jumped down onto the ground to let her speak with him easily.

" **Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"** asked Ash. Serena was flabbergasted.

" **How could you even think about how I am when you're the one worse off? I barely got some scratches."**

" **I'm sorry about that. I hope those scratches don't hurt."** Serena couldn't believe it. He was more worried about her scratches than his nasty cut on his back.

" **It's nothing and you have nothing to be sorry about. If anyone should be sorry it should be me for not moving out of the way."** Serena's eyes started to water.

" **No, it's not your fault so don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."** Serena smiled a little. **"If you don't mind, I'm going to sleep now. Joy gave me some sleeping pills and I think they're starting to work."**

" **Okay Ash. Sleep well and I will be here when you wake up. I promise."**

Ash smiled as Serena gave him a quick but loving kiss on the lips but didn't say anything else after as he soon fell asleep. Serena left the room to give him some space after watching him for a few minutes, the three pokémon promising to keep watch over him. As she entered the hallway, she saw the two groups were talking. Soon Emily and her group left after giving her number to Sarah, saying if they needed anything to contact her.

" **I don't like them at all,"** said Gary with a glare at Emily's group as they left. His friends glanced at him but didn't say anything, as they agreed with him.

" **I'd rather not deal with them either except for Emily and maybe Taylor. At least those two seemed to have their heads on right,"** said Sarah. Cilan and Brock nodded while the others shrugged. **"How's he doing Serena?"** asked Sarah after noticing Serena was there.

" **He's doing alright. He's sleeping now,"** replied Serena with a tone in her voice that suggested she was still a little sullen. The others felt bad and wanted to cheer her up but nobody knew what to do. That is until Leaf came up with a bright idea.

" **Hey I know what will cheer you up Serena,"** said Leaf with a devious smile on her face. Everyone looked at her and her smile grew larger. **"Dawn still hasn't told us girls what happened during her date with Ash!"**

" **Hey! That's right! I told you now it's your turn!"** shouted Misty at the blunette who turned crimson.

" **Curse you Leaf!"** shot Dawn and the others laughed while Leaf smirked at her. With that, all of the girls, including Joy, grabbed the blunette and ushered her towards an empty room for her to spill the beans about their night together as the guys laughed. They invited Lucy to come as well but she declined the offer, saying she has a lot to catch up on and wants to hear that from Brock first before gossiping with them. The girls nodded in understanding when they left and Lucy turned towards Brock and the others.

" **So, Brock…Are you going to tell me what's happened and what's been going on?"** asked Lucy with a hand on her hip.

" **Well, it's a long story Lucy, but I'll tell you everything."** He held her hand and they walked away from the guys who were left behind who started thinking of things to do so they wouldn't be bored. Brock and Lucy headed outside to take a walk as he explained. **"Remember when I told you about Ash telling us he had to go away for a while and how we couldn't find him? Well, when we arrived here…"**

* * *

 _ **A/N - There you go you action lovers. I hope the battles and altercations were to your liking. Remember to review!**_

 **IMPORTANT - I'm going to take a break from writing as things have been hectic and there is so much going on in my life. Also, I'm going to travel out of the country to visit family I haven't seen in over twenty years and go sight seeing. If I'm able, I'll try to post up a chapter while traveling but no promises. Thank you all for reading and leaving reviews, I really appreciate it. Take care everyone and hope you guys are still interested in the story when I come back, which will be in about three weeks. Silent is out! :)**


	25. Chapter 25 - The Fifth Match

_**A/N - Hey guys, I'm baaccckkkk! Well, not really as I'm still on vacation and traveling around but I was able to finish up this chapter for you guys while working on it little by little. Some quick replies to a couple reviews since I can't message them back before the chapter starts.**_

 ** _AMINA - I have no idea what those symbols mean and I can't figure out your new alias. I'm really sorry about that. Can you please tell me?_**

 ** _NIGHTCORE - Thanks for the compliments and by the way it wasn't Taylor who was rude, it was another guy in his group. Just so you know! :)_**

 ** _Okay, here's the next chapter for you guys and hope you like it as it took me a while to get it done since I worked on it only when I had some extra free time during my travels. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long for a new chapter. Remember to review, fav and follow since it only takes a short time to do so and i would greatly appreciate it!_**

* * *

 ** _EDIT & UPDATE 09/28/15 - Some minor spelling and also fixed a mistake pointed out by LegendaryWriterS. Thanks dude! Also, I just got back from my travels so I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. _**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 25 – THE FIFTH MATCH

Far away from the Indigo Plateau, hidden from everyone, an underground facility had people working tirelessly over many experiments. The facility was made up of large, multi-structured and connected buildings buried deep within the ground and had many levels. This hidden mini city consisted of living quarters, a laboratory, a large simulation area, a testing field, resource management area that included food, building and experimentation materials, its own mini hospital for humans and pokémon as well and much more. A man entered the laboratory and spoke to the scientists working there.

" **How are the experiments coming along?"** asked the tall and intimidating man, who was dressed in a black pin striped business suit, as he stepped inside the laboratory room.

" **They are coming along nicely sir, even better than we estimated. We have fixed the problem with the performance enhancers,"** replied the head scientist as he turned around to face his boss. **"We have found out why they weren't working correctly and why they only seemed to amplify one's rage, lust and fear. They now enhance one's physical abilities to peak levels but also strip them of their moral compass and freedom of choice, yet they still raise one's aggression and sadistic nature. They make people into perfect soldiers. A success compared to the first dose on those bumbling teen aged fools."**

The scientist laughed and the tall man nodded his head in agreement before replying back.

" **You are correct but those fools were needed. It was a good thing we were able to kidnap and use them without any suspicious eyes seeing us. I believe you have found them again?"**

" **Yes sir. We found them unconscious with burn marks all over them and their pokémon. We don't know the cause of why that happened though. But we have already injected them and their pokémon with the new enhancers and they are ready to follow your commands without question. Also…"** the scientist trailed off, getting a little anxious.

" **Yes? Out with it!"** demanded the tall man.

" **We are getting closer to the source for these performance enhancers and its energy signature is off the charts. It is unlike anything we have ever seen."**

" **Could it be just another legendary pokémon sleeping in the ground?"**

" **No sir. It is most definitely not a pokémon. I hazard a guess that it is a very ancient and powerful entity that we have siphoned some of its energy from and used to make the enhancers but what it is we cannot say yet. However, I would love to be able to study it. It may help us break past some limits we are still facing. Its energy is stronger than most legendaries as well from our initial reports. We can reach it and contain it in one of our capture devices meant for the legendaries if we strengthen it. It will just take some time to do so as it is very deep in the ground."**

" **Alright, get me a full report at what is needed to reach it and whether or not we can actually harness the power it contains and then I'll make my decision."**

" **Thank you sir! I'll get right on it!"**

" **Good. Make sure the device is ready to be used at the tournament's closing ceremony. That will be the perfect time to strike. Also, I want a demonstration of the performance enhancers. Use ten of the enhanced subjects and give them full roster of pokémon and some weapons. Use the worthless teenagers as well in that group of ten. Have them attack the tournament tomorrow and make sure to get some sort of record of everything that happens. I want to know where we fall short."**

" **Sir?"**

" **The tournament will have the Champions of each region there and maybe some of the Elite Four as well. Even enhanced to peak levels, they may not succeed if they get involved. I want to see how much damage they can cause before being put down. "**

" **Understood. Sir, what about the Aura Guardian? Can I please use him to further our studies and experiments?"**

" **No. Not yet. Continue with what I said for now. We will leave him be for the time being. It's not like he can wander from our eyes anyways. "**

The tall man left the laboratory while smiling evilly and walked down the hallway. He felt good that his plans were finally starting to bare fruit. He reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a large metal door with two guards dressed entirely in black standing in front of it. They saluted their boss as they stepped aside. The man keyed in his code on the electronic panel to the side of the metal door and it opened. He moved inside and took a few steps forward to reach a control console in the middle of the room. He pushed some buttons on it too, causing some beeps to sound out in the quiet room, making a mechanism to come to life as its gears grinded. A large cylinder rose from the ground and kept rising until it was fully extended upright. The thick curved glass had some dust on it and made it difficult to peer inside. The man wiped away some of the dust with a towel that was kept in the room and peered inside it while a happy yet mad smile formed on his face.

" **Soon my old friend. Soon, you will see how your greatest failure will come back to haunt you. Everything you did, all the sacrifices you made, have been for nothing. After so long, we are finally making progress. Everything will be in my grasp and everything will be the way I have envisioned it to be. And I have it all thanks to your failure. Oh how I can't wait for the day I finally let you awaken and see the things that I have done in your absence. I will mark it on my calendar as the day I finally break you. I will watch you suffer in agony over what you let happen for the rest of your days."**

The man laughed loudly at his own words and smirked at whatever was inside the circular glass container as he pushed the buttons on the console again. The large cylinder lowered back into the ground as the man left the room.

In a place where it is beyond the reach of normal humans and pokémon, a large white pokémon was resting on its gold throne with red cushions. Arceus was sleeping and was woken up by his three sons who had come to visit him with some news.

" **Father!"** said the three reality dragons as they appeared in the Hall of Origin.

" **Yes my sons. What is it?"** asked Arceus as he got up.

" **Father, we wanted to see how you think of the chosen one's progress so far?"** asked Palkia.

" **It is actually better than what I have expected. The Guardian has done a great job so far. I'm actually impressed with how much he has learned and accomplished. His and his pokémon's strength is greater than I thought it would be. It is a very good sign,"** replied Arceus.

" **That's what we were thinking as well. So perhaps they may have a chance after all,"** hoped Dialga.

" **Yes there is. Ash, his pokémon and Mewtwo have become much stronger than I expected. I wonder if they will be able to resist what is coming at the tournament."** Giratina looked up at his father before he continued. **"If they cannot win against it, we should lend our aid."**

" **No."** Arceus's command confused them. They were surprised as to why he would said that. Finally, Dialga spoke up.

" **Why Father? I have seen what is coming and have relayed the information to you earlier. There is some chance that they may fail and that many will perish. Why shouldn't we lend aid?"**

Arceus was quiet for a moment. The reality dragons waited patiently. Finally the Alpha Pokémon answered his son's question.

" **Because it is his test. The purpose of the tournament isn't for him to win but to see where he stands. Ash is near the halfway point and has done marvelously but has still to face his greatest challenges yet. We shall not lend aid. Also, I don't believe he will fail. He will need this to better prepare him for what the future holds."**

" **I see. You are right. But what of Mewtwo and the others?"** asked Giratina.

" **Mewtwo and Ash have trained together and have grown stronger together. This is his test as well. As for the others, since they are already with him and have trained with him, that is alright as well. I am only talking about the ones who are not yet with him and of ourselves."**

" **We understand Father. But do you really think the others will join him in the future? If that's the case, then hopefully all will end well,"** stated Palkia.

" **I'm sure some of them will join him before it starts and I believe things will end up alright. We must have faith in the chosen ones. My sons, if that is all, I must get to work and so should you."**

The three reality dragons, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina nodded and left to their respective dimensions via portals that the three opened in front of them. Arceus sighed after they left.

" **There is something else as well my children but you cannot know. Not yet. None of you can know this burden as of now. Something that I have not felt since I came to be. That is what is at the center of the coming darkness and things will be a lot harder than what I have let be known. When that comes to pass, I hope the chosen are ready. If the prophecy does not come true about the Aura Guardian, I fear for the future."**

Arceus's head dropped a bit before vanishing from his spot.

The next morning, as the sun rose, brightening the land with its glow, its rays shot through the ground floor's windows of the Indigo Plateau Hotel where a raven haired trainer was sound asleep on his stomach, in one of the emergency medical rooms. He was recovering from a horrible gash on his back that he had received after protecting Serena from a pokémon attack that sent the two flying through many thorny bushes before slamming into a large, hard tree. Serena walked away with a few cuts and scratches but Ash had suffered greatly, even though most of his smaller wounds were healed by Lucario, he still needed to visit the hospital to take care of his nasty cut. Standing in the corner was Lucario, his arms crossed and eyes closed, meditating. He had kept a silent vigil over his master all night, not once falling asleep. Next to Ash were the four girls, three of whom were fast asleep, while Serena was awake.

Serena had woken up earlier and stayed seated in her position, watching Ash as he slept. Pikachu had curled up in her lap the night before to take a nap and was still there. Gardevoir had stayed as well who stayed up a while with Lucario so he wasn't alone until she fell asleep on one of the chairs against the wall. Joy had brought them all blankets and covered them as they slept. Usually, they only allowed one person to stay the night with a patient, but Joy over looked it and knew nobody would bother them about it. The others had left a couple times to watch Leaf's and Richie's matches that they had won but returned to Ash's side as they waited for him to recover. When it became late, they went to their room but said they would come back down in the morning as they didn't want to spend the night in the hallway and there was no more space in the room to sleep. Sarah and Leaf would've stayed but both didn't want to them to ask questions and so they quietly went upstairs with the others, their nights filled with thoughts and dreams about the recovering young man. Serena smiled at Ash as he mumbled in his sleep a little before going quiet again.

 _He's so adorable, even while sleeping._ Serena's smile faded away as she continued her thoughts. _I am such an idiot for causing this to happen to him. Why didn't I move? Why was I so scared? Haven't I seen horrible things like that happen before? Hell, I've even went through some stuff like that when we fought against Team Flare. So why did I freeze then? What prevented me from reacting?_

Serena was lost in thought for a few minutes before shaking her head in an attempt to clear her head. She sighed and looked at Ash again. His hair had covered his eye and his mouth was open slightly, a little bit of drool collecting. Serena giggled quietly. She reached out and gently wiped away the forming drool with her handkerchief before moving his hair out of his eyes.

" **I'm so sorry for this Ash. I hope you can forgive me."**

" **It's not your fault Serena."**

Serena jumped, startled by the sudden voice. She thought she was the only one awake but looks like May had woken up as well. Pikachu was woken up by the honey blonde girl moving and jumped onto Ash's bed, curling up next to him.

" **Pi pika,"** said Pikachu in a sleepy voice, annoyed at being woken up and quickly fell asleep. Serena looked at May as the coordinator spoke again in a whisper.

" **It's not your fault okay? Things happen. You can't blame yourself for that. It could have happened to any one of us. So don't dwell on it. Plus Ash wouldn't want you to feel that way and it will just make him depressed. So chin up alright?"** advised May with a smile on her face.

" **I guess you're right. Thank you May."**

" **You bet I am."** May gave two thumbs up to Serena and the two giggled, though not too loudly so they wouldn't wake up anyone. It turned out their attempt to not waken the others was useless as Misty and Dawn woke up shortly after. They both stretched as they yawned.

" **Damn, my back. I need to crack it,"** said Misty as she got up and arched her back, causing it to make cracking sounds. **"Ah, that's much better."**

" **Lucky that's all you need to crack,"** said Dawn as she got up to stretch as well. **"My legs are killing me too. I shouldn't have folded them under the chair."** Dawn stretched her legs out after cracking her back as well. Serena and May chuckled at the two.

" **Nobody told you to sleep in those weird positions,"** commented May.

" **Hey you don't have many choices when you're sleeping on a chair!"** snapped Misty quietly.

" **So how did May and I sleep so well?"** asked Serena with a smirk.

" **Cause you two are weird,"** answered Dawn. Serena and May frowned at the blunette's comment, while Misty and Dawn laughed, but soon the other two joined in laughing as well.

" **What a great way to wake up; hearing the wonderful laughter of four beautiful girls."**

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena went red in the face as they heard the words come out of Ash's mouth. They froze for a second, embarrassed, but quickly got up and moved closer to him. He still wasn't allowed to move from his current position, which was lying on his stomach. He was strapped to the bed when he slept to prevent him from moving so as to not open up his stitches.

" **Hey Ash,"** said the four girls softly. They had all moved to one side to face him since he was facing one side as they knelt beside him.

" **Hey girls. Good morning. Can you do me a favor? Can you please take off the straps? It's really tight and I feel like I'm going to be interrogated or something."**

The girls giggled and were about to do so when Dawn stopped them, a mischievous smirk on her face. She knelt down beside Ash again.

" **And what will you do for us in return? Will you give us something?"**

Ash knew she was teasing him but went along with it.

" **Oh I didn't know I had to give something in return. If that's the case maybe I'll just have Gardevoir teleport me out of here and forget giving you a gift."**

" **You're such an ass!"** cried Dawn as Misty, May and Serena laughed.

" **Hey I'm not the one trying to get something from an injured person Dawn!"**

" **What, I'm just messing with you!"**

" **I know. Why don't you take these straps off so I can give you my thanks?"** Ash winked at her when he finished, causing her to blush.

The girls took the straps off of him so he could relax. Ash motioned Dawn to come closer with his arm since he wasn't supposed to move his body and the blunette obliged. As she drew closer, Ash cupped one side of her face and brought her closer to his. Dawn was getting weak kneed and closed her eyes as she expected a kiss. However Ash didn't kiss her and instead spoke something in her ear, the other three hearing it and making them giggle.

" **No kiss for a blackmailer."**

Dawn glanced at Ash and saw him grinning. She went red in the face and puffed out her cheeks.

" **You're such a tease!"** said Dawn as she stood back up, hands on her hips, frowning.

" **I learned from the best,"** replied Ash, smirking. They all laughed at his comment, including Dawn, though she was waving her finger at the raven haired trainer.

" **I'll get you back for that one Ash."**

Ash merely chuckled. Pikachu woke up and glared at them all, his cheeks shooting out sparks, his eyes tired. He jumped off the bed and onto the chair next to Gardevoir and curled up next to her falling asleep again. The four girls shook their heads at the yellow mouse while letting out a sigh. Serena knelt back down to face Ash.

" **Ash, how are you feeling?"**

" **I'm feeling pretty fine actually. I could get up and walk around no problem."**

" **I think it'll be better if you just rested more okay?"** interrupted Serena softly.

" **Alright Serena. Only because you said so."**

" **Thank you Ash."** Serena placed her hand on his hand, who quickly interlocked his fingers with hers. The other girls smiled at the sweet interaction between the two. **"I'm so sorry for what happened. It was-"**

" **Stop Serena. It wasn't your fault and no need for you to say sorry alright? Things just happen. Don't let it get to you. What's Dawn's favorite saying?"** asked Ash.

" **No need to worry!"** answered Dawn happily.

" **There you go Serena. No need to worry. Alright?"**

" **Okay Ash. Only because you said so."** Ash smiled as she used his own words back. Serena gave him a short kiss on the lips and right when they separated, the door opened.

Brock and Joy entered the room at that moment. They were surprised to see them awake so early. They said good morning to them and had it repeated back to them. Brock began checking Ash's vitals while Joy tenderly removed the bandages so they could check on the stitches.

" **So how's it going Brocko? Happy to see Lucy?"** asked Ash. Brock went red as the girls giggled.

" **Yea I am. Thanks Ash for that. How were you able to get her here so fast?"**

" **Sorry but can't tell for now. I will in the future though."**

A sudden knock on the door made everyone glance at the door. Lucario stayed still, eyes still closed. He sensed nothing bad in his meditative state and so didn't react. May opened the door to see the rest of their friends, along with Lucy, standing there.

" **Oh hey guys! You can come in I guess. Just don't be too loud as Gardevoir and Pikachu are still asleep,"** instructed May.

The group quietly entered the room and said their hellos to everyone who was awake inside. Some of them grimaced while the rest gasped as they saw the long stitched up cut on Ash's back. Joy had removed the bandages so she could check on it.

" **Sorry I can't get up right now guys."**

" **Eh no worries Ashy-boy,"** said Gary as he took a seat on an empty chair.

" **Does it still hurt Ash?"** asked Sarah as she, Leaf and Max drew closer and peered at the wound. Serena frowned as she thought about the pain he must be going through.

" **Nah, I'm okay. I've been through worse."**

" **I believe you, especially after hearing all the stories about you,"** said Lucy as she knelt beside him so they can see each other's faces.

" **Oh Lucy hey! I almost forgot about you. How you been? Was the trip okay?"** asked Ash.

" **Slow down Ash. Man, even when you're wounded you don't ease up on the gas do you?"** giggled Lucy. **"I've been good and doing better now that I'm not bored out of my mind. It's been slow since the tournament started and even slower now. Everyone is either here or watching at home. Plus, I'm glad to be with Brock again. "** Brock went scarlet and the others chuckled, but Lucy showed no embarrassment whatsoever. **"The trip was fine but I wasn't expecting to teleport near here. That's one fancy trick you got there. How'd you do that?"**

" **Sorry Lucy, but can't tell my secrets right now."** Ash smiled as Lucy crossed her arms and huffed.

" **Is that so?"** questioned the Pike Queen.

" **You better believe it. He won't tell any of us. But he did say he'll tell us later,"** explained Misty.

" **Yea, and we're going to hold you to it!"** remarked Dawn.

Ash audibly gulped, causing some of them to chuckle. The group of friends began talking and joking around while Brock and Joy continued their work. They soon bandaged up the stitches again and Joy replaced his used up IV bag with another one. Gardevoir woke up and greeted everyone and joined in on the conversations. Richie excused himself as he wanted to check when their next matches were and Leaf joined him. The two walked down the hallway together commenting on how they might face each other or Ash soon if the three of them kept winning.

" **Do you think you'll win against Ash?"** asked Leaf suddenly when they stopped in front of the battle board. Richie sighed before looking at the brunette.

" **Honestly? I can't believe I'm saying this but no way. I'm nowhere near his level from what I've heard and seen. But I won't just give up. I'm going to give him the best battle I can if we do end up battling each other. Who knows? I may win. What do you think of your chances if you face him?"** asked Richie. Leaf took a long breath before answering him.

" **I don't think I can win against him either. I snuck in with our friends to watch the battles he had and he is completely in the zone. I never even dreamed he would become so strong. It's like he's a Pokémon Master already but with no title. I knew he would get far when we were kids since he never gave up but I never expected this. Not at all. Maybe if I had traveled around with him, at least for a little bit, then maybe I might be more prepared. Though I doubt that would even help now. He's become much more than I could have ever guessed."**

Leaf glanced at the battle board but wasn't really seeing it. Richie looked at her for a moment, curious as something intrigued him. Something else was hidden in her words and he had picked up on it. He had become more aware of what people said and acted ever since his talk with Ash about not taking a chance and speaking with Joy about how she noticed what was between his friend and the four girls.

" **Leaf, is there something going on?"** asked Richie out of the blue. Leaf moved her head so fast at him that her neck cracked.

" **What do you mean?"** Leaf asked as she massaged her neck, a little anxious.

" **I mean, is there something you want or need to talk about? Maybe about a certain someone or something else?"** asked Richie, not getting too specific. He had enough tact to be general in these types of questions, to help people feel a little more at ease.

" **Well…yes and no. I don't really know as I'm not sure yet."**

Richie nodded. **"I understand. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."**

" **Thanks Richie, I appreciate it."**

The two smiled at one another before looking at the board and searching for their names and Ash's. It didn't take them too long they find their match details.

" **Shit…"** they both muttered at the same time but didn't hear each other.

" **I'm facing Tobias at 1030am today. Damn it. What about you?"** asked Richie.

" **Damn, good luck Richie. And…my match is today too at 12pm and it's against Ash."**

" **No way! Wow."** Richie gave her a look of concern as he witnessed her become still as a statue. **"C'mon Leaf, let's get back to the others and let them know of our matches."**

Richie steered a shocked Leaf back to Ash's hospital room and opened the door for her before the two walked in. The two received questioning looks at them, mostly because of Leaf's stunned expression and that Richie was holding her shoulders from behind as he escorted her inside the room. Joy flushed pink a bit before it went away as she became a little jealous but controlled herself.

" **Richie, what happened?"** asked Joy, trying to stay calm as Gary had gotten up and waved his hands in front of Leaf's face but got nothing.

" **We just found out we have battles today. Mine is at 1030am today against Tobias…"** Richie trailed off as he glanced at Leaf.

" **Whoa, Tobias? Isn't he the one with Darkrai and Latios?"** asked Lucy. Everyone nodded, saying that Richie was going to have a very tough battle coming up.

" **Well when is Leaf's match?"** asked Max.

" **Leaf is battling today as well at 12pm..."** Richie trailed off again, glancing at Leaf once more.

" **Ah what's going on guys?"** asked Joy, growing concerned as Richie's actions were making her feel uneasy. No response from either of the two until Ash broke the silence.

" **Hey guys, did you find out when I'm battling?"** asked Ash from his position on the bed. Leaf turned to look at him before she answered.

" **Today…12pm."**

Joy sighed out in relief, finally knowing the reason why the two were acting strange. She trusted Richie but not Leaf. She was friends sure, but couldn't shake off a feeling that Leaf was hiding something. Gary understood and gave Leaf a look of understanding and slight pity, the others doing the same thing _._

" **Oh."** Ash understood and only said that one word. Leaf and Ash kept their gazes at one another for a moment before they broke their line of sight. Leaf sat down on a nearby empty chair and was soon joined by Sarah who patted her back, knowing exactly what Leaf was going up against since she had too.

" **This is going to be awesome!"** said Max, pumping his fist into the air. **"Three of my friends are going to have great battles today!"**

" **It will be a most entertaining and beautiful battle, I am sure,"** agreed Cilan, trying to cheer up Richie and Leaf who were going to face their most difficult battle ever.

" **Ash can't move yet guys. How is he supposed to go and battle so soon?"** asked a concerned Serena.

" **I'm fine guys. Look I can get up,"** Ash made to move but was quickly stopped by everyone who roared out **"NO!"** together. Ash was stunned. Lucario opened his eyes finally and Pikachu woke up from the group scream with a scowl on his face.

" **Look guys, I'm fine really. Plus I can't forfeit. Just let me show you."** Again he was stopped.

" **Don't worry Ash. We'll just ask for them to postpone our match. It's not like you don't have a good enough reason,"** suggested Leaf.

" **That's a good idea! I'll call Mr. Goodshow right now and ask him,"** said Joy and Richie joined her as she left the room. He wanted to talk to her about a couple things and the others waited for them to come back. After speaking with Goodshow, Joy was about to head back when Richie stopped her.

" **What is it Richie?"**

" **Have you noticed anything strange about Leaf?"** he asked her and she raised her eyebrows before sighing and answering.

" **Yes, I have. Do you know what it is?"**

" **I'm not too sure but I have a feeling it has something to do with Ash,"** answered Richie.

" **That's what it is!"** exclaimed Joy as she facepalmed and Richie took a step back in surprise. **"Sorry Richie, I didn't mean to scare you. Let's leave Leaf alone for now. She has enough on her plate for the moment."**

Richie nodded and the two headed back to the room where the others were waiting. When the couple first left, Lucy asked Leaf a question.

" **So Leaf, how does it feel to be matched up against Ash?"** asked Lucy.

The Pike Queen was interested to see how one of Ash's friends felt that they had to battle him when they knew how strong he was. Brock had explained everything to Lucy last night. She wanted to see Ash's strength first hand and couldn't wait for it. Sarah gave her friend a knowing look; she had faced Ash in the first round, losing badly and knew what Leaf was going to face. Leaf glanced at the Pike Queen before responding.

" **I'll tell you this much; he better be ready to lose. I've seen him battle and he hasn't seen me. I have the advantage."** Leaf smiled, standing up and placing her hands on her hips, as if that answered everything. Ash chuckled hearing her and seeing what she did from the corner of his eye. It reminded him of when they were kids since that was what she always did to let on a confident face.

" **I'm looking forward to our battle Leaf. I hope you're ready."**

Joy and Richie walked back in right when Ash finished talking.

" **Well I talked to Goodshow and told him the situation. He said that even though he understands, the bad news is that they cannot postpone one person's match as it will mess up everyone else's match times. I asked him about a possible substitution and even that was not allowed in this tournament since if you lost, you could make a case against it and get another chance, which would be unfair to the other trainers."** Joy finished explaining what she was told by Goodshow.

" **I guess I have no choice then,"** said Ash as he made to get up but four pairs of hands pushed him back onto the bed.

" **Don't move!"** said the four girls at once. Ash was losing his patience but controlled his temper.

" **Stop. I know you four mean well, but I have no choice and I'm fine. Move your hands."**

The four girls glanced at each other and then at Brock, who nodded. Reluctantly, they removed their hands and Ash pushed himself up. He moved his feet to touch the floor as he sat up at first, grimacing a bit before standing up.

" **See? All good."** Ash grinned at everyone with his goofy smile and the four girls smiled at him before they gave him a gentle group hug.

" **Alright, enough of this. It's almost time for Richie's match and he needs us to cheer him on. He's facing Tobias next,"** said Iris and the others agreed.

" **Richie, good luck against Tobias,"** said Ash as he faced his almost twin after being let go.

" **Thanks Ash I appreciate it."** Richie replied back as he headed out of the room. Joy followed him out and before he left the building, gave him a good luck kiss. Their group followed him to give him his support and they said bye to Ash but the four girls stayed behind with the raven haired trainer.

" **You guys don't want to watch Richie's match?"** asked a surprised Ash.

" **No, it's okay,"** said May.

" **We want to be by your side,"** replied Dawn.

" **You do understand it's just a cut right? No need to worry right?"**

" **Yes yes, we know Ash. We just want to spend some time with you before you face Leaf,"** said Serena.

" **We thought it might be a bit difficult facing a childhood friend in battle,"** explained Misty.

" **Oh I see. Well, don't worry. It's not going to be like when I faced Richie or some of the others. Leaf has always been tougher than most and she was a pain sometimes just like Gary right before we left for our pokémon journeys so you could say I'm not thinking too much about it. Of course, if this was a few years ago, then I might be worried but right now? Nah, I'm actually going to enjoy my battle with her. I'll try not to pulverize her too badly."**

" **Someone's confident,"** quipped May, making Ash scratch the back of his head while chuckling.

" **Yeah, next thing you know he'll say he can fly or something,"** joked Misty as she rolled her eyes. They laughed at that and the three pokémon grinned. They loved the interactions between Ash and the girls as it made them happy to see them happy.

" **C'mon, let's go. We have some time to kill. What should we do?"** Ash moved behind a dressing screen and changed into a pair of black jeans before walking into view while putting on a black shirt slowly so as to not mess up the stitches. When he stretched, the girls saw his muscles tighten a bit and they all flushed pink, making Gardevoir and Pikachu snicker at their reactions while Lucario didn't care. Serena was first to recover this time.

" **How about you tell us what pokémon you're going to use against her?"**

" **I can't do that Serena. Where's the fun in that? No suspense."**

" **You will too! We won't let you leave until you show us!"** said May as she moved towards the door and blocked it while stretching out her arms and legs as if to block the whole wall. Ash chuckled.

" **You know I could just pick you up and move you right?"**

" **No you can't! Not right now anyways! You forget about something?"** replied May.

" **Damn it. Alright then, Gardevoir use Psychic to move her out of the way."**

Gardevoir didn't do anything but crossed her arms and shook her head. Ash then told Lucario to do it who refused, saying he's not getting involved. Ash's jaw dropped and the four girls placed their hands on their hips and tapped their feet, waiting. Ash hung his head in defeat as he raised his arms.

" **Alright, alright you win. Man, now I have three traitors on my team,"** huffed Ash as he glanced at Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir, who each turned red in the face.

" **Pi pika chu pi pikapi chu pi!"**

" **I'm lucky I'm hurt or I would've been shocked huh? Well if that's the case no more ketchup for you buddy for the next three days."**

" **Pika…"** Pikachu's ears dropped as he gave a pout, causing everyone to chuckle over the mouse's obsession. Ash held out his hand and three minimized poke balls appeared while covered in a blue glow.

" **Ash, shouldn't we go outside before you release them?"** asked Serena, thinking that the small room won't have enough space for large pokémon.

" **Nah, we'll be fine."**

Ash opened the three poke balls and three small cat and dog like pokémon appeared. One was blue with a long tail, the other was yellow with jagged and spiky fur and the other was red with a yellow mane and yellow bushy tail. The three pokémon jumped up and down around them in glee.

" **Vape!"** purred the blue one.

" **Jolt!"** barked the yellow one.

" **Flare!"** said the red one.

" **They're so cute!"** squealed the girls and instantly knelt down to hug the three pokémon. Misty went gaga over Vaporeon, since her favorite was water types and this was one of her favorite pokémon ever. Serena was hugging Flareon who enjoyed being cuddled with and licked her face, making her laugh. Dawn and May were tickling and massaging Jolteon who had his fur relax and become soft since he was feeling great. Ash smiled at the group as they played around for a bit.

 _This is how they should live their lives; happily. I love them so much. I hope I can always be there for them and can protect them all from everything,_ thought Ash as he watched them play around for a bit.

" **Master, we should get going. You're match will be soon."**

" **Alright Lucario. Return, Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon."** The three pokémon disappeared in red lights back into their poke balls, which Ash let stay and just clipped to his belt.

" **Ash, I thought you said that you don't have to carry your poke balls anymore."**

" **That's true Dawn. But since I'm going to use these three anyway, I figured I'll just have them stay beside me."**

" **Oh okay. Let's go."**

The five trainers and three pokémon left the building. Pikachu jumped up onto Serena's shoulder who received a nuzzle from the yellow mouse. Lucario and Gardevoir were walking side by side in front of the others, talking. They reached the stadium with ten minutes to spare and they separated, Ash going in with his pokémon this time, Pikachu on his shoulder, Lucario and Gardevoir on either side. Serena caught up to Ash before he went in too far a little after and Ash motioned for his pokémon to continue on but wait for him at the end of the tunnel.

" **What's up Serena?"**

" **Just wanted to say good luck."** Serena smiled and gave him a kiss.

She didn't mean to give a long one but she didn't want to let go and Ash was becoming inflamed from it. The simple kiss turned into a passionate one. Ash picked her up and moved her to be pushed against the tunnel wall. Their bodies pressed together, he moved his hands up and down her sides as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He brought up one of his hands and used it to go through her hair. Serena felt as if she was in heaven, feeling his body against hers, his hand in her hair and it heated her up. She didn't want it to stop. Unfortunately, they soon had to separate due to lack of air but gazed into each other's eyes as their foreheads touched. Ash took off his hat and placed it on Serena's head.

" **Thank you Serena. We'll continue this later."** Ash smiled at her, making her go pink. She grinned as she turned away and ran down the tunnel, taking his hat with her. Ash watched her figure disappear in the distance with a smile on his face before continuing down the tunnel and reached the end. He waited with his pokémon until the announcer spoke.

" **WE ARE NOW READY FOR THE NEXT MATCH OF THE DAY! IT WILL BE BETWEEN TWO POWER HOUSE TRAINERS THAT BOTH CAME FROM PALLET TOWN! IS THERE MAGICAL WATER OR AIR AROUND THAT PLACE OR SOMETHING? ANYWAYS, THIS NEXT MATCH IS BETWEEN LEAF GREEN AND ASH KETCHUM!"**

The crowd roared in approval as the two trainers walked onto the field, waving at everyone but their gazes were onto one another. Lucario and Gardevoir kept stoic as Pikachu waved energetically.

" **Wow, you can feel the energy coming off of them!"** said Max, getting pumped to see their battle.

" **Yea, this is going to be an awesome match, you mark my words! Pallet Town has the best trainers in the world!"** exclaimed Gary and the others glanced at him in amusement.

" **I just hope Leaf has better luck than I did,"** sighed Richie. He had been eliminated in his last match. Tobias had steamrolled him. He was barely able to knock out Darkrai using his third and final pokémon but then he used his Latios. Joy rubbed his back, trying to make him feel better. She had gotten off her shift half an hour ago and decided to join her friends to watch Ash's match and found out about Richie's loss.

" **It's alright Richie. Tobias hasn't lost to anyone yet in tournaments but you were able to knock out his Darkrai. That's a victory as well as only you and Ash were able to do that. I'm sure you'll do better next time,"** assured Joy, giving him a peck on his cheek.

" **Yea I suppose. Thanks Joy."** Richie glanced at Joy with a small smile before returning his attention back onto the field in time to see Leaf and Ash meet the referee and get their microphones.

" **I hope you're ready Ash,"** said Leaf as she locked her green eyes with his brown ones.

" **This has been a long time coming Leaf. It's time to have that match we promised so long ago,"** said Ash with a smile.

Leaf gasped at that statement. She couldn't believe that Ash still remembered about the promise between them that they would face each other in a tournament when they were younger. She smiled, shaking his hand that sent a jolt through her body, letting go quickly and went to her trainer box a bit confused at the sudden feeling. She knew what it was but this wasn't the time for it. She pushed it to the back of her mind for the time being as she had to focus for her match. Pikachu jumped down onto the ground next to Ash as Lucario and Gardevoir stood behind him.

Lucy was holding Brock's hand but was eagerly watching the battle start, which made Brock smile. He loved how passionate she was about pokémon battles. The referee reminded them of the rules and they nodded before he shouted **"Let the battle begin!"** Leaf and Ash tossed their poke balls into the air.

" **AND THEY'RE OFF! ASH HAS DECIDED TO USE VAPOREON WHILE LEAF HAS GONE WITH VOLCARONA! BOTH POKEMON ARE STRONG BUT ASH HAS THE ADVANTAGE BUT VOLCARONA ARE RARE AND POWERFUL POKEMON! IT'S ANYONE'S GAME AT THIS POINT!"**

" **Wow, a Volcarona! Where did she get one?"** wondered Gary, as he looked at the large, six winged fire moth that was rare to find.

" **Doesn't matter! Vaporeon will win!"** snapped Misty. Gary didn't respond back, knowing her obsession of water types and particularly of the one on the field at the moment.

" **Quiver Dance!"** shot out Leaf, not wasting any time. Volcarona started a dance with flames jumping out from him as he bopped up and down, side to side, causing him to glow white for a second, powering up his special stats and giving him a boost in speed.

" **Good! Now use Signal Beam!"** shouted Leaf. Volcarona fired a beam of yellow green energy at Vaporeon who stood ready for her trainer's command. Ash smirked as he crossed his arms.

" **Haze."** Vaporeon summoned dark clouds to appear around the whole field after she dodged the attack and made them cover both herself and the fire moth. Volcarona growled as he lost his boost.

" **Damn it! I wasn't expecting that. Bug Buzz!"** Volcarona flapped his six wings and made the dark clouds disappear while sending out waves of lightly colored energy at his opponent.

" **Counter with Hyper Voice then follow up with Shadow Ball."** Vaporeon yelled out with as much force as she could, sending powerful sound waves to counter the energy waves. She fired off a ball of ghostly energy at the bug right after.

" **Protect!"** Volcarona brought up a shield which the attack bounced off of. **"Good, now finish with Hurricane!"** The fire moth began flapping his wings rapidly and brought up a powerful whirlwind of air around the whole field. Leaf covered her face and held onto her hat, as did many around the stadium, especially Serena, clinging onto Ash's hat. When Leaf took a chance to glance at Ash, she was in shock at what she saw: he was still standing straight up, arms crossed and still smiling, though his hair went mad, flying in all directions. He was like a mountain that wasn't bothered by the incredible fast winds.

 _He's not even reacting to it! How tough is he?_

Leaf finished her thoughts as the winds died down. She lowered her arms and looked around the field, seeing nothing but a hole in the ground, making her eyes go wide.

" **Volcarona, quick, Flamethrower down that hole!"** screamed Leaf. He flew towards the hole and shot powerful flames into it.

" **Hydro Pump."** Vaporeon shot out from the ground behind Volcarona and blasted the fire moth with a close range attack. The powerful blast of water hit the moth in its back and was sent flying towards the side wall, crashing into it. It slid down before getting back up, although it took some effort. Vaporeon retook her starting point in front of Ash.

" **ASH HAD VAPOREON HIDE UNDER THE GROUND AS VOLCARONA USED UP HIS ENERGY FOR THAT INCREDIBLE HURRICANE AND SNUCK IN A POWERFUL BLOW TO THE FIRE MOTH! YET IT IS STILL UP BUT LOOKS TIRED!"**

" **Wow, Ash isn't going easy at all on her,"** whispered Sarah, utterly amazed at Ash's battling once again and even more so that he was not playing around, even against a friend.

" **That's Ash for you. When battling, he never goes easy, even against his friends as he feels that's like an insult if you don't do your best at all times,"** said Brock.

" **I hope Leaf has something up her sleeve,"** muttered Richie, still sulking over his loss.

" **I never knew how strong Ash has become. I must have a rematch with him!"** yelped Lucy, ecstatic about the possibility and Brock smiled over his girlfriend's excitement.

" **You okay to go on Volcarona?"** The fire moth glanced at her and nodded. **"Okay. Let's get some energy back. Giga Drain!"** Volcarona glowed green and sent out streams of green energy towards the water cat.

" **Double Team."** Vaporeon split into a dozen copies and surrendered the fire moth, dodging the attack.

" **Heat Wave!"** Volcarona sent out scorching winds from him, expanding outwards in all directions.

" **Aqua Ring."** All the copies vanished and the real one had her eyes glow blue as she made a sphere of water encase her. The heat energy collided against the cool water but did nothing. Volcarona was losing strength fast and Leaf noticed.

" **Giga Drain!"** shouted Leaf, her last hope to get back into the game. Volcarona barely turned green when Ash made his command.

" **Surf."** Vaporeon summoned a huge wave of water from nowhere and jumped high into the air to land on top of it from her spot as the wall of water hurtled at Volcarona who was hit with the crashing weight of the large wave. When the water disappeared, Volcarona was on the ground, its eyes in swirls.

" **Volcarona is unable to battle. This round goes to Vaporeon and Ash!"**

The crowd cheered as Leaf returned her moth, thanking it for its hard work before sending out her second pokémon. A large, dark grey and white pokémon appeared. It roared as it appeared, making many in the stands cover their ears. Ash returned Vaporeon and sent out his next as well.

" **LEAF HAS BROUGHT OUT HER AGGRON, WHO HAS BEATEN ENTIRE TEAMS BY HIMSELF! ASH HAS CHOSEN TO SWITCH OUT TO FLAREON! HAS HE GONE MAD? OR IS HE GIVING VAPOREON A BREAK AND HOPING FLAREON CAN LAST LONG ENOUGH FOR VAPOREON TO REST?"**

" **Never underestimate Ash. He knows his type match ups but he doesn't care about it too much,"** remarked Misty.

" **I agree. This announcer needs to change. Keeps saying the same things,"** added May.

" **Well, you know they are limited to what they can say as it's aired on the TV,"** explained Max.

" **Whatever,"** said the red head and brunette together.

 _Hmmm….Ash knows I have a slight type advantage but I know better. He's up to something._

" **Aggron, stay alert! This isn't like other battles!"** Aggron narrowed his eyes and growled at Flareon, who grinned and turned around to shake her rear at him, causing the large pokémon to roar with rage.

" **Cheeky little thing isn't she?"** laughed Serena, amused by the fire type.

" **You said it!"** giggled Sarah as the others shook their heads.

" **We'll make you regret that Ash!"** yelled Leaf. **"Aggron, Rock Slide!"** Many large boulders materialized in the air before they were shot at the fire type.

" **Dig."** Flareon disappeared under ground, evading the boulders.

" **Big mistake Ash! Earthquake!"** Aggron stomped on the ground hard causing the entire stadium to shake and tremble but Flareon popped out of the ground immediately after next to the large pokémon.

" **Too slow Leaf. Fire Blast followed with Flare Blitz!"**

Flareon let out a large blast of flames in the shape of a five pointed star and then quickly covered itself in a fiery sphere and charged at Aggron. The large pokémon barely registered what was happening when the Fire Blast struck, causing it to wince before being struck by the fire type hard against its side, and making it cry out in pain as it was pushed back.

" **NO! Quick, Aqua Tail!"** Aggron covered its large tail in water and swung it at Flareon who was struck hard, sending it crashing against the floor hard but she got back up with a few scratches.

" **Flareon! You ready for more?"**

" **Flare!"** it cried out, eager to continue.

" **No more fun and games Ash!"** called out Leaf. **"Sand Storm!"** A swirling tornado of sand and small rocks was whipped up and was shot at Flareon.

" **Fire Spin."** Flareon spewed out a vortex of fire that danced towards the swirling sands and the two attacks canceled each other out when they made contact instantly, not even a power struggle ensued.

" **Aqua Pulse!"** shouted Leaf and her pokémon shot a pulse of water from its mouth towards Flareon.

" **Flame Charge."** Flareon ran to the pulse of water covered in flames and right before it could strike her, she moved to the side and kept going forward.

" **Alternate Aqua Pulse and Rock Tomb! Trip her up and if she gets close, counter with Superpower!"** Multiple pulses of water energy and large boulders were fired at Flareon who kept using Flame Charge to dodge the attacks, becoming faster and faster as her speed was increased by using the move.

" **LEAF IS TRYING TO TAKE OUT THE FIRE EEVEE EVOLUTION BUT FLAREON HAS BECOME SO FAST THAT LEAF CAN'T HIT IT!"**

" **This isn't good. Leaf is putting herself into a corner and she doesn't even realize it,"** remarked Brock. Lucy and Gary nodded as Dawn spoke.

" **How so Brock? Aggron are strong and tough and it has the type advantage."**

" **That's true Dawn but by using Flame Charge, Ash is making Flareon faster and harder to hit. Plus this evolution of Eevee has incredible strength for its small size, rivaling that of Aggron. Even though Aggron has great power, incredible defenses and endurance, it's not fast enough to keep up with Flareon at all right now. So now Ash can keep using hit and run tactics to wear it down enough and then finish it off when it's tired."**

" **Oh I get it. Wow, why didn't I think of that?"** wondered Dawn.

" **It's alright Dawn. You're still young and inexperienced, unlike Brock here,"** said Lucy as she ran her fingers up Brock's neck, causing him to shiver.

" **Lucy!"** Brock yelped, making the others laugh. Brock pouted but then smiled after Lucy kissed him.

" **I'm just teasing."**

" **I know."**

" **Hey love birds, watch the match!"** shot Gary. Brock and Lucy went red and faced the arena, but held hands and drew closer to one another.

" **I'm not that inexperienced,"** whined Dawn quietly as she crossed her arms. Misty heard her whisper and when the two glanced at each other, they both formed knowing grins on their faces as they went pink. Luckily for the two, nobody noticed as they were too attentive to the battle in front of them.

 _This is going nowhere. I have to do something to stop him,_ thought Leaf.

" **Aggron, Earthquake!"** The ground shook again and Flareon stumbled for a bit, unable to avoid the sudden tremors.

" **Good now finish with Hyper Beam!"** A beam of white energy was shot at Flareon who stood still.

" **Protect."**

" **Damn it!"** screamed Leaf as the beam of white energy bounced off Flareon's shield. Aggron was tired and now had to recharge.

" **Finish this Flareon. Flare Blitz!"** Flareon once again covered herself in flames, but this time they were hotter and shot forward at the tired rock and steel type. She raced across the field in a red and yellow blur and slammed into Aggron, causing a small explosion and dust to come up. The dust soon settled back onto the ground and Aggron was on the floor, swirls in its eyes as Flareon was skipping back to Ash, obviously pleased with herself.

" **Aggron is unable to battle; the winner of this round is Flareon!"**

Leaf returned Aggron, thanking him and then pulled out a new poke ball, staring at it while breathing hard as if she just ran a marathon. She felt alive and loved the fact that he was pushing her to her absolute limits. She felt something inside her stir even more powerfully and she couldn't ignore it anymore. She knew right then and there that she has feelings for him. She glanced up at Ash with a smile as she spoke.

" **I've never been pushed this far in a long time Ash. I'm glad we can battle each other with our full strength. You may have knocked out two of my pokémon, but it's not over yet. Venusaur, I choose you!"** yelled Leaf as she tossed out the poke ball. A large dinosaur like pokémon appeared that had a large bloomed tree like flower on its back.

" **Saur!"** roared Venusaur as it appeared. It was slightly larger than most of its kinds and looked extremely powerful. Ash recalled Flareon, thanking her before calling out Jolteon.

" **Jolt!"** barked Jolteon and had its fur stand on it, eyeing Venusaur.

" **LEAF HAS VENUSAR, HER STRONGEST POKEMON TAKE THE FIELD! SHE IS UP AGAINST THE ROPES BUT WITH HER STARTER POKEMON AT HER SIDE, SHE MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE A COME BACK!"**

The crowd roared, pleased with the entertaining battle and wanting more. In the VIP room, Diantha let a smile form on her face.

" **He's become very strong. I didn't think he would beat two of her pokemon so easily. This ought to be interesting,"** she said. Lance stayed quiet as Steven and Alder exchanged looks. Cynthia didn't respond, keeping her attention on the match.

" **Let's kick things up a notch, shall we Leaf? Agility!"** Jolteon barked and charged forward and started running around Venusaur in circles with amazing speed.

" **Stop him with Vine Whip!"** Venusaur lashed out with two long and thick vines from the tree like flower on his back and tried to stop Jolteon in its tracks but it wasn't fast enough. It tried several more times but was unsuccessful. **"Damn it. Try Earthquake!"**

Venusaur lifted up onto its hind legs before dropping back down onto the ground causing a large tremor to again rock the field as Ash made his next command.

" **Magnet Rise and keep going!"** Jolteon used the electrical energy in his body and in the air to rise from the ground, avoiding the shaky ground and kept going around in circles, using his spiky fur to cut through the air and turn like a jet, going even faster than before. It looked like there was many of him.

" **Such speed…Incredible,"** awed Richie. He was stunned and so were the others.

" **Razor Leaf!"** panicked Leaf. Venusaur launched many sharp leaves at Jolteon in all directions but none connected, passing through many after images of the speedy electric type.

" **You're doing great Jolteon! Keep it up! Now, add Pin Missile into the mix!"** Jolteon's fur glowed white and then fired many pin sized needles onto the grass dinosaur. Venusaur cried out in pain as it received the attack from all angles. Jolteon was going so fast that the attack was coming from every single direction, making it look like Venusaur was fighting against a dozen Jolteons at once.

" **Oh my…Leaf is getting her butt kicked!"** yelped Serena.

" **I never knew Ash thought up such strategies like this!"** commented Misty.

" **I can't believe how insane this is!"** said Dawn.

 _What am I supposed to do_ , thought Leaf, watching her starter pokémon get man handled by a pokémon a fraction of its size. _He's too fast. I've tried everything I could think of…wait!_

" **Stun Spore!"** cried out Leaf. Venusaur cried out in agony but still let out a cloud of spores from the top of the flower and sent them out in all directions.

" **Dig!"** snapped Ash. Jolteon disappeared under the ground in a flash.

" **Gotcha! Earthquake and gather energy while you're at it!"** The ground shook again as Venusaur gathered the sun's energy into its large flower. Jolteon cried out from underneath and popped out of the ground, a little hurt but mostly dazed. He wobbled a bit before he shook his head to regain focus.

" **Solar Beam!"**

" **Thunder!"**

Venusaur fired a large green beam of energy instantly while Jolteon responded with a large column of yellow electricity that shot up before slamming into his opponent from above. Both attacks hit their targets, sending Jolteon flying back and crashing into the wall as Venusaur dropped to the ground. Jolteon slid down the wall and didn't get up.

" **Venusaur get up!"**

" **Jolteon, you can do it friend."**

Surprisingly, both pokémon got up and shook their heads. Jolteon was panting as he went back onto the field but Venusaur was shaking violently as he tried to stay standing. The large grass dinosaur collapsed a second later.

" **Venusaur is unable to battle. Jolteon is the winner of this round and the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!"**

 _ **A/N - What did you guys think of the battle and how Leaf came to her realization? Thanks in advance for reviews and please fav and follow! Take care!**_


	26. Chapter 26 - A Guardian's Purpose

_**A/N - Hey guys, Silent here! I'm officially back from my vacation and here is the next chapter for you guys. I am extremely proud of this chapter as I have poured my heart and soul into it, going over it many times and I believe it is one of, if not the best chapter I've done so far. I really hope you enjoy reading it.**_

 _ **Also, I would like to make a request to all my readers. Please review! The last chapter I posted, "The Fifth Match", got over a thousand views in one day and I barely got a few reviews on it. I need to hear from you guys as it keeps me motivated to keep writing. Also, please favorite and follow if you haven't done so already. If you guys like it, then show your support! Help it become one of the most popular stories if you believe it is worthy of it! Let it get to the top or be among the top! It only takes a few mouse clicks and a couple minutes to do all that. I think that's a fair trade for the hours I spend on each chapter if you guys really like and enjoy the story. That's all I ask from you guys.**_

 _ **Anyways, thanks for all the support everyone. Also, special shout out to the ones who consistently leave reviews. You know who you are! Thanks guys!**_

 _ **Nightcore - Thanks buddy! I try my best. :)**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 26 – A GUARDIAN'S PURPOSE

" **What an amazing match! I can't believe how strong your boy has become!"** commented a man with grey hair who was wearing a researcher's coat.

" **That's my Ash. He always surprises everyone and always gives it his all doesn't he Samuel?"** said a dark red haired woman.

" **I agree Delia. Good thing we were able to get back home on time after feeding the pokémon to watch the match. By the way, thanks for the help,"** finished Oak as he reached over and grabbed a few crackers from the coffee table and tossed them into his mouth.

" **Not a problem and thanks for inviting me to watch with you. Oh look!"** Delia pointed at the TV when the announcer spoke.

" **INCREDIBLE! ASH HAS BEATEN LEAF WITH NO POKEMON LOST ONCE AGAIN! HE IS ON A ROLL! THAT WAS SOME MATCH!"**

The people in the stands cheered and roared, shouting out praises to the raven haired trainer. Nobody had ever seen such a match like the one they just witnessed in front of them. Leaf and Ash barely returned their pokémon when BOOM! A sudden loud explosion was heard that shook the stadium, scaring everyone, causing people to scream in fright.

" **What the hell?"** Ash said as he looked around. Lucario and Gardevoir readied themselves in case they were to be attacked and Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder to get a better look and to protect his best friend if needed. Everyone in the stadium had fear on their face, silent and unmoving after screaming. Leaf and Ash's group of friends looked around, trying to stay calm as they did so.

Suddenly, all the entrances and exits to the stadium had their large steel doors close while many of the same pokémon appeared in front of the doors when they closed. They were humanoid pokémon, colored red, black and silver and had many sharp blades growing out all over their bodies. They had weird, darkened red spots on them. All the Bisharp hungrily looked at the frightened people in the stands. The ones closest to them started to panic and moved away from the Bisharp, but the newly arrived pokémon didn't shift from their guarding positions in front of the steel doors.

" **EVERYONE RELAX AS THERE IS ONLY A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM FOR THE DOORS AND THE LEAGUE OFFICIALS ARE ON IT. WE WILL SOON WORK IT OUT AND YOU WILL BE ON YOUR WAY. DO NOT APPROACH THE BISHARP AS THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE'S-AAH!"**

The announcer's words were cut off unexpectedly with a shout of pain and that did nothing to calm the scared people in the stands. Ash glanced at his pokémon who nodded at him, signaling that they were ready for anything and that they were ready to face whatever was coming. But before he could do anything, he sensed something with an evil intent coming from the other side of the stadium.

" **LEAF! LOOKOUT BEHIND YOU!"** shouted Ash, his words carried out over the speaker system since he still had the microphone attached to his shirt, causing everyone in the stadium to look in the brunette's direction. Leaf turned her head to look behind her and saw a man with a devil's mask, who was dressed entirely in black, running towards her, holding a sword in a readied position to strike.

" **AAAAAHHHHHHH!"** Leaf let out a high pitched scream before dashing forward but tripped in her haste and fell to the floor, scraping her arms as she held them in front of her to brace for impact. She looked behind her again and saw the man raise his sword as he drew near. Leaf covered her head with her slightly bleeding arms and screamed again since that was all she could do.

" **LEEAAAFFFF!"** cried out their friends in fright as they leaned over the rails, unable to do anything but watch the horrible event unfold.

CLANG! A loud metal on metal sound echoed throughout the shocked and silent stadium. Leaf looked up from beneath her hands after a couple seconds and saw Lucario standing in front of her, using his Metal Claw to cover his paw in a metallic sheen to catch the sword in mid strike, stopping the otherwise fatal blow. Gardevoir appeared next to her and then teleported both of them next to Ash, who helped her up immediately. She looked into his caring brown eyes, which were blazing with fire as he looked into her frightened green ones. She saw the concern written all over his eyes and it made her heart beat madly both at seeing him worry about her and because she was almost killed. Her eyes began to overfill with water before she immediately burst into tears after she buried her face into his chest, sobbing loudly as her life had flashed before her eyes. Ash hugged her tightly, drawing her in close to him to comfort her. He kept one hand on the back of her head while the other was slowly rubbing her back gingerly as he tried to calm her nerves.

" **It's alright Leaf. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."** Ash's words were heard throughout the stadium and in the VIP room thanks to his microphone. Everyone was touched at his calm and caring words, keeping his cool in the face of danger. But they weren't able to see that inside him, his rage was building over what he was thinking. He had almost bared witness to losing his childhood friend after so long of not seeing each other and finally crossing paths once more. He couldn't have that, not on his watch. He continued rubbing her back while Leaf continued to sob, shivering tremendously as fear completely over took her. Ash looked up at Lucario, cold fury in his eyes now as a thought ran through his head; _he will pay for threatening her!_

" **Drop him Lucario!"** shot Ash. Lucario growled before he punched the masked man but the man barely took a few steps back. Lucario and Ash's eyes went wide, unable to comprehend what just happened.

" **That guy just took a punch from Lucario and barely moved!"** yelped Sarah, utterly shocked and frightened. The others didn't respond, unable to speak as they were too stunned that Lucario's hit hardly affected the attacker.

The masked man returned the punch with a kick to Lucario's chest that pushed him back several feet but soon stopped as the aura canine dug his feet into the ground. Lucario snarled while Ash let go of Leaf and motioned for her to get behind him when they saw several more masked men dressed in black enter the field, all holding swords. Leaf cried out shrilly, becoming even more scared. But as she stood behind her childhood friend, seeing him not back down, she understood something; he would protect her at all costs. Realizing that, she felt such emotion that she buried her head into his back this time as she hugged him, feeling his warm and strong body as she sobbed, trying to gain some comfort from it.

 _Oh my Mew! What's going on? I was almost killed! But he saved me! He saved me again! But who's going to save us?! Ash, what are you going to do?! You can't fight them all! Not by yourself! I can't lose you now after all this time. Especially not now that I've started to realize what I'm feeling for you!_

Ash didn't do anything to comfort Leaf this time, even though he knew she was frigthtened but he had bigger things to worry about. A total of ten masked men lined up next to each other and moved towards them, their swords held in front of them. Lucario vanished from his spot and reappeared next to Ash.

" **Are you okay Lucario?"**

" **Yes Master. I barely used any power and I was merely surprised. Their strength is formidable."**

" **That's not good. Gardevoir take Leaf and Pikachu to the others and you two protect them."**

Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue in response as she, Pikachu and Leaf teleported to their friends and the girls went to Leaf, who was still sobbing, trying to comfort her. Pikachu jumped onto Misty's shoulders, sparks shooting out of his cheeks. Gardevoir faced the field as Ash and Lucario took up battle stances as the ten men still moved forward, taking their time while twirling their swords around to show off their skill. The people in the stands stared on in horror, their faces twisted in fright as they were unable to escape, the exits blocked and guarded.

" **I can feel some incredibly evil vibes coming off of these invaders. This is not good,"** stated Cilan with a frown, fear and worry filling him.

" **What is he thinking?! They have swords!"** shouted Iris, biting her finger nails in worry.

" **Ash, get out of there!"** yelled Max, not wanting his idol and friend to get hurt.

" **Has he gone crazy?"** asked Joy, while Richie yelled for his friend to run.

Leaf looked up as she heard her friends' cries and stared in horror with teary eyes at Ash and Lucario, outnumbered by the advancing armed men. He was just standing there with Lucario in fighting stances while waiting for the ten men to reach them. She couldn't speak at all, unable to form words, still paralyzed with fear.

" **Ash, you don't have to do this!"** pleaded May and Serena.

Misty and Dawn caught each other's eye but said nothing, knowing he would continue even if they screamed at him as well. He had promised them he would do whatever he could to protect them all during their dates and nobody else was around as far as they could tell that was able to do what he could. They only hoped that he would be able to pull it off and be alright in the end.

" **I don't think it matters right now guys,"** said Brock and the others glanced at him. **"All the entrances are closed and guarded. There's no escape. Do any of you have pokémon with you? And do any of you know how to actually fight?"** asked Brock.

The group of friends mumbled about meaning to take self-defense classes and that only Cilan, Misty, Serena, Lucy, Brock and Gary had any able pokémon with them. Leaf only had her pokémon from her match with her, who were obviously knocked out so she was unable to help.

" **Well, be ready to call out your pokémon if needed but right now, if we jump in there, we'll cause more trouble for Ash. We got to keep a clear head. We've seen him sparring with Lucario before and right now the people in the stands will probably need us more so be on your guard,"** finished Brock.

The sounds of breaking glass from the VIP room were heard throughout the stadium after Brock spoke. A Dragonite, Metagross and Garchomp flew out of the VIP room with their trainers riding on top of them. The three pairs landed next to Ash and Lucario who had their pokémon take up battle positions as well. Lucario glanced at the three pokémon and gave each a curt nod, appreciating the help, who received one in kind. Ash glanced at the new arrivals with a smile on his face.

" **Can't let you hog all the fun Ash,"** commented the tall and well built Lance as he crossed his arms, his red and black cape floating from the gentle wind.

" **People would think we don't do anything anymore,"** mused Steven, the silver haired, elegantly dressed fossil collector. He stood up straight, his hands clenched into fists.

" **I haven't forgotten our time working together Ash back in Sinnoh and it will be a pleasure battling alongside you once again Ash,"** said Cynthia with a smile, her yellow hair covering half her face and her long black coat trailing behind her, one hand on her hip.

" **Thanks guys but let's leave small talk for later,"** replied Ash with a small smile but it turned into a frown when the ten masked man stopped advancing and lowered their swords.

" **Huh. Maybe they're too scared to fight against three Champions!"** hoped Lucy.

" **I don't think that's the reason Lucy. Look!"**

Gary pointed at the vile men who started moving again. They put away their swords but then reached around their back and each of the masked men took out a pistol and cocked it back, aiming at the four trainers and their pokémon.

" **NO!"**

" **Please stop!"**

" **Don't do it!"**

" **ASH!"**

The cries of the girls made Ash's hair stand on end as he quickly sent out rapid mental commands.

 _Lucario bring up an Aura Shield. Also, I need you here Mewtwo but don't be seen. Stay up above in the stadium and hide in the clouds. You're on defense for now and plan B if needed._

" **You must die. Everyone must die. Now say goodbye,"** said the first masked man in a distorted voice and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot was louder than the sounds of the girls' screams as it echoed in the silent stadium. Yet the bullet didn't strike its intended target. Instead it struck a blue shield and dropped down to the floor. The shield had completely absorbed the bullet's energy so it wouldn't bounce off and hit somebody else.

" **Everyone fire at once!"** commanded the leader after seeing how his initial shot was stopped. The ten masked men opened fire on them. Lucario struggled to keep the shied up as screams and shouts were heard from the people in the stands. Gardevoir had a look of fear make its way onto her face as she saw Lucario struggling to keep it up as she could see him gritting his teeth as he held it up.

" **How much more can Lucario withstand?"** whimpered May as she started to become teary eyed.

" **He can take it! He's Ash's pokémon!"** answered Max loudly as he gripped the railing hard.

" **I don't know about you but I'm not staying here any longer!"** snapped Misty as she made to jump down into the field, clutching a poke ball. She barely grasped the railing and lifted one of her legs onto it when she was grabbed and held back by Brock and Lucy. **"Let me go!"**

" **No Misty. You have to stay,"** replied Brock sadly though with force but Misty kept struggling to get loose from their grip.

" **But Brock I have to! He needs me! I can't let him fight alone! Please! I CAN'T LOSE HIM!"**

" **I know and I'm sorry Misty but you'll cause more harm than good right now. Plus he'll be fine and he's not alone. Lance, Steven and Cynthia are with him. Don't worry."**

Misty stopped struggling after a moment and nodded, her eyes watering. She prayed that he'd come out of it alright and so did the other girls. Silence followed that made them look at the field again. The masked men had stopped firing and were putting away their guns as Lucario stumbled back a back from being tired out from holding up the shield against the bullets. He was panting heavily and Gardevoir's eyes went wide and wanted to be by his side to help him fight but knew her place was by the others. She whimpered slightly but remained where she was.

" **Good job Lucario. We'll take it from here,"** said Lance as he, Steven and Cynthia moved forward with their pokémon.

The masked men laughed and brought out their swords again but also tossed out numerous poke balls into the air that brought out many pokémon in front of them. All the pokémon looked weird, as if mutated. They were slightly larger than normal with their usual coloring off as they had many dark red spots on them. There were several of each of Mightyena, Bisharp, Heatmor, Luxray, Drapion, Crawdaunt, Houndoom, Ariados, Weavile and Scoliopede. There was also one of each of Azumarill, Electivire, Empoleon, Exeggutor, Roserade and Flygon. Something about those pokémon brought a feeling of déjà vu to Ash. There were about sixty pokémon facing them, not counting the Bisharp in the stands. The large group of invaders were advancing slowly towards Ash, the Champions and their pokémon.

" **How are they going to fight against so many at once?! This isn't fair!"** cried Serena but before anyone could answer her, the first masked man spoke again in his distorted voice.

" **You will die. And so will the people in the stands."** The lead masked man signaled the Bisharp in the stands to attack and the dozen Bisharp around the stands moved towards the people near them. The people started running away from the deadly pokémon but all that did was cause them to trip and stumble over each other as they attempted to run away. They had failed to notice that they had nowhere to run to as they couldn't escape the stadium with all the passages out of there were blocked.

" **NOW BRUNO!"** shouted Lance.

A tall, large and muscular man in a karate uniform jumped out of the VIP room and tossed out several poke balls into the air. Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop, Mienshao and Hariyama appeared. The seven fighters moved to intercept the attacking Bisharp and Ash's friends sent out their pokémon to fight the five nearby them.

" **Starmie go!"** snapped Misty.

" **Umbreon!"** shouted Gary.

" **Simisage, evaluation time!"** yelled Cilan.

" **Delphox I need you!"** screamed Serena.

" **Seviper come on out!"** added Lucy.

" **Golem, protect everyone!"** finished Brock.

Pikachu, Gardevoir and Ash's friends' pokémon fought against the Bisharp near them to protect themselves and the other people around them while Bruno and his fighting pokémon fought with the other Bisharp. Ash was momentarily distracted, watching the chaos around his friends, trying to see if they would be okay. He noticed that Pikachu was having a hard time, unable to unleash his full strength since he was around so many people and could hurt them. He made a mental note to help his friend on that in the future; if that is, they survived this. He was so observed in his friends' safety that he wasn't watching the fiasco in the field until Lucario's yell snapped his attention back at what's in front of him.

" **MASTER! LOOK OUT!"** Lucario pushed Ash out of the way of an incoming Dark Pulse attack from one of the Houndooms. Ash got back up and thanked Lucario who had fired a Flash Cannon in return that sent the Houndoom flying back. Ash got back up into a battle stance, ready to defend himself.

" **What do you think of the odds?"** asked Lance as his Dragonite plowed into several pokémon, sending them flying while he dodged a Thunderbolt that was fired at him from a Luxray.

" **Could be worse,"** answered Steven as his Metagross did the same, sending several pokémon flying as well. Steven dropped to the ground to evade a Flamethrower shot from a Heatmor at him. When he got up, he noticed the pokémon his Metagross hit got back up without a problem, barely scratched and slightly bruised. He shook his head and sighed. _This is going to be tough,_ he thought.

" **It's worse. We need to use more power but there are too many of them and we'll lose if this keeps up,"** deduced Cynthia, whose Garchomp hurled several boulders that appeared out of thin air at their adversaries, striking a few. She ducked as a Water Pulse was launched at her from a Crawdaunt.

" **You guys don't have any more pokémon with you?"** asked Ash as he rolled out of the way of a Poison Sting fired by one of the Ariados. When he got back up he saw the Champion's three pokémon knock out a couple pokémon at once and Lucario dropped one as well. The three shook their heads before responding back while the four of them grouped together to watch each other's backs.

" **Diantha and Alder went to check on the explosion we heard before this all happened,"** said Steven. His Metagross knocked out an Ariados with a Zen Headbutt that sent it crashing against the stadium wall unconscious.

" **We weren't expecting something like this, not when we were finally enjoying a period of calm and peace for so long,"** added Lance, angry at himself for becoming soft and not staying vigilant. His Dragonite fired a Thunderbolt at a Mightyena who writhed about in pain a bit before falling down.

" **And we only have our lead pokémon with us since we weren't planning on battling or anything of the sort anytime soon,"** explained Cynthia, with obvious worry etched on her face. Her Garchomp bit a Heatmor on the head before sending it flying back, plowing into a few other of their opponents but they all got back up except for Heatmor.

" **It's alright Cynthia,"** said Ash as he grasped her shoulder, attempting to calm her down. She felt a jolt go through her body and some comfort from his touch but didn't show it. **"I'm here and so are you three. We didn't give up a few years ago and we won't give up now."** Cynthia smiled at him in response, making Lance look at the two before Ash tossed out many poke balls into the air.

His Zoroark, Ninetales, Pidgeot, Flygon, Tyrantrum, Espeon, Lopunny, Froslass, Vaporeon, Flareon and Jolteon appeared and quickly joined the chaotic battle, helping out Lucario, Dragonite, Garchomp and Metagross. Now the fighting seemed to become more balanced as Ash's pokémon began to take control, even though they were greatly outnumbered. The pokémon they faced were insanely strong, but it seemed they lacked the skills and experience to use their strength and abilities properly. Ash's pokémon, however, were trained to great levels and strengths. They also practiced battling together so they knew how each of their allies fought. The masked men were watching the battle, not moving, swords held in front of them to defend from any close range attackers that drew near them.

" **Now we're getting somewhere,"** smiled Steven as the odds tipped slightly into their favor.

" **You're pokémon are powerful Ash and they seem to be working together with ease,"** remarked Cynthia with an impressed gaze at the raven haired trainer. She witnessed his Pidgeot fire an Air Slash at a group consisting of Mightyena, Luxray, Weavile and Crawdaunt, who flinched, only to have Zoroark fire Focus Blasts at them in their moment of weakness. The raven haired trainer glanced at Cynthia and nodded with a smile, acknowledging the compliment, making the blonde Champion smile too. Then, Ash's smile vanished instantly before he shouted.

" **LOOK OUT CYNTHIA!"** Ash tackled the Sinnoh native to the ground in order to save her from being attacked by a Mightyena that had slipped through their pokémon and had tried to pounce on her from behind with its jaws open to clamp down on her neck. Garchomp whirled around and with a loud feral roar sped towards the now targeted pokémon who dared attack her trainer and friend.

" **Thank you Ash,"** said Cynthia quietly, blushing since he was on top of her on the ground. Ash nodded and got off of her before helping her up. They saw Garchomp grab the Mightyena and throw it high into the air before launching a Dragon Pulse at it, who yelped loudly in pain before crashing down.

The cameras were still rolling and were transmitting the entire chaos to the whole world. The invaders had taken care of the communications office and the announcer since he wasn't talking anymore. All across the regions, many people were screaming and crying out in fright over what they were seeing. Many people who got to know Ash when he journeyed across the world were shocked at was happening at the tournament and were also scared of what could happen to Ash and their other friends. If they were scared, it was nothing to what a certain raven haired trainer's mother was feeling at that moment. Delia Ketchum and Samuel Oak had their eyes wide in fear and hugging each other. Ash's mom was crying as Gary's grandpa just stayed quiet until Delia spoke in between her sobs.

" **ASH! My…baby …please…be careful…"** she cried as Oak massaged her back, half-hugging her as the two watched in fear.

" **I'm sure he will be alright Delia. Ash is no pushover."** Oak tried to reassure her that everything will be fine as the two continued watching.

In another location, far away in a different region, a ten year old girl was watching the match with her older brother who wore large round glasses and a few friends. When the horrible people appeared and the fighting began to get intense, the girl screamed and yelled out for Ash to run, making her brother jump, startled.

" **Bonnie! You know he can't hear you!"** chastised her brother, making their friends glance at them before snapping their attention back to the intense battle shown on the TV.

" **I know Clemont but I don't know what else to do!"** snapped Bonnie. She started crying and hugged one of the couch's pillows.

" **I don't know either but I'm sure he'll be okay. It's Ash for Arceus's sake!"** Clemont hugged his little sister as he spoke; he hoped his words would calm her down and that Ash pulls off a miracle again like he did when they had fought against Team Flare together.

" **They should be okay. I mean the Champions are there too,"** said one of their friends, a pretty brunette girl while her eyes remained glued to the TV.

" **You're right Shauna. We shouldn't lose hope. Isn't that right Trevor?"** said the largest of the group, a tall and round young man.

" **You're right Tierno,"** responded the smallest of the group, a short young man with orange hair.

In a far away land, a beautiful kingdom was next to a large forest and near the world's last Tree of Beginning. It is a kingdom of peace and prosperity that made many who visited want to come back or stay there, enjoying the calm land. However, in the throne room, it was the exact opposite.

Queen Ilene trembled in fear and panic as her most trusted knight, who was also an Aura Guardian himself, Master Riley, stood beside her with a grave look on his face. He wasn't an Aura Guardian by lineage as he wasn't from any particular bloodline chosen by Arceus so many years ago when Aura Guardians first appeared but he trained on using his aura, just like Psychics did to use their senses and abilities. He developed his aura to the point where he could use it to fight, protect, heal and had taken the Guardian's Oath in order to serve the Queen of Rota, giving him the title of Aura Guardian. They were both watching the tournament, pleased with Ash's performance so far but when the terrible things began to happen, the queen had screamed out in fright.

" **NO! Why is this happening Riley?"** whispered Ilene, shaking.

" **I don't know my Queen. Hopefully Ash can do what needs to be done,"** replied Riley. **"He is doing a good job and the Champions are with him. They should be alright."**

" **I hope you are right. Please, Lady Mew, grant them luck and strength!"** prayed Ilene with her eyes closed before a horrible sound made her snap her eyes open to look at the TV again.

" **AAAAAHHHHHH!"**

A girl's scream caught Ash's attention and he snapped his neck to where his friends were fighting. He saw Gardevoir and Pikachu crash to the ground and saw Misty's Starmie get knocked out, slamming into the red head, making the two fall down onto the stands' hard concrete floor. Serena's Delphox was fighting another Bisharp behind them but was losing ground. Leaf, Dawn and May were cowering between Misty and Serena as they hugged each other. The others were still standing and fighting but they weren't nearby and they were having some issues as well. The Bisharp was advancing on the downed red head. Ash's heart beat madly in his chest at the sight as if trying to escape.

" **MISTY!"** yelled Ash, making the three Champions glance at him right before he disappeared in a blue glow, causing the three to raise their eyebrows and widen their eyes in surprise.

Misty was on the floor, pinned down by her own pokémon and Gardevoir was barely moving and Pikachu was gasping for breath as he stood shakily back up, growling. The yellow mouse and the green fairy had taken powerful attacks for Misty's Starmie while it charged up an attack but the star pokémon wasn't fast enough to launch its strike before getting knocked out. The Bisharp advanced to the red head and raised its arm that had attached curved blades.

Misty let out a high pitched scream again but before the attacking pokémon could swing its bladed arm down, a large Aura Sphere smashed into its face, sending it flying backwards. Misty glanced behind her and was relieved to see Ash there, who had a furious expression on his face. He hurled another one at the Bisharp that had just knocked out Delphox, sending it flying backwards as well. He fired two more spheres at the Bisharp Sarah was fighting a bit away and the other one that Brock and Lucy were fighting against. Gary, Richie, Iris, Cilan and Joy were together as they kept the other Bisharp at bay. Sarah, Brock and Lucy whirled around to see who launched the attacks and were glad to see that it was Ash. The unknown people in the stands near them had their eyes widen in shock at what the raven haired trainer just did but did not react, frozen by what they saw. Ash turned around to help Misty get up and she saw his eyes change back from blue to brown.

" **Are you alright Mist?"** asked Ash, obvious worry coating his words.

" **Yes, thank you!"** Misty gave him a hug but quickly withdrew as she felt something sticky and warm. She raised her hands to see what it was and saw blood, instantly knowing the cause. **"Ash your stitches!"** she cried out.

" **Not important right now. Serena!"** Ash called out as he turned to Serena to help her up and Misty saw the back of his shirt get darker with every passing second where the cut was. _Oh no…_

" **Yes I'm fine, thanks Ash."** Serena gave him a hug and she too felt the blood. Before she could say anything, Ash knelt besides Gardevoir and Pikachu.

" **C'mon Gardevoir, Pikachu, get up. I need you."** Gardevoir and Pikachu were panting heavily but when Ash pulsed some healing aura onto them, they recovered and stood up. They weren't at full strength but it was better than nothing.

" **Thank you."**

" **Pika!"**

" **No problem. Watch over them for now. I may need you."** Ash then moved towards Leaf, May and Dawn to check on them.

" **You three okay?"** asked Ash. Leaf, May and Dawn had tears going down their faces but just nodded their heads. Ash smiled and hugged the three. He then wiped each of their tears away gently as he looked into their eyes, making them feel great comfort from his gentle and caring touch. **"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Nothing will happen to you. I swear it."**

When they separated, Leaf, May and Dawn noticed the blood on their hands, their eyes widening as they gasped at the red stains and then gazed at him. He stood up, ignoring their questioning looks and healed Delphox and Starmie, who immediately got back up as well. Ash then faced the five girls before looking to the side when someone shouted his name.

" **ASH!"** It was Sarah. She had run to him and tackled him to give him a hug. This time though he didn't fall down. **"Thank you for helping me,"** she said softly as she sobbed slightly into his chest. Ash returned the hug and patted her back before pulling away.

" **Anytime Sarah."** He then faced them all as Sarah stood next to Misty. **"I promise you'll all be safe."** Before any of the six could say anything, Ash vanished and reappeared in the field in between Cynthia and Steven.

" **Where'd you go?"** asked Lance.

" **Yea what happened?"** questioned Steven.

" **Ash?"** Cynthia gave him a confused and worried look.

" **Later. Recall your pokémon now,"** replied Ash.

" **ARE YOU CRAZY?!"** shouted Lance while Steven merely stared and Cynthia cocked an eyebrow.

" **You're pokémon are tired and unable to fight anymore. They knocked out many but they are ineffective now. Besides I have a plan. Recall your pokémon,"** repeated Ash as his eyes began glowing a light blue. Lance, Cynthia and Steven had their eyes widened in understanding as they raised their hands holding poke balls.

" **Dragonite, return!"**

" **Metagross, return!"**

" **Garchomp, return!"**

The three pokémon who were exhausted but still battling, were hit with red beams of light and vanished inside their poke balls at the same time. Before Ash could tell his pokémon to withdraw, he saw Lopunny, Zoroark and Ninetales get struck hard and were sent flying back, smashing into the stadium walls and creating large craters in them before they slid down unconscious. They were chased by the mutated pokémon who were preparing to attack them while unconscious to end their lives.

" **LEAVE THEM ALONE!"** roared Ash as he fired multiple Aura Spheres at the pokémon who went after them. Seeing him do that made the Champions and many from the stands gasp since they had never seen someone do something like that before. They hit their marks, pushing back several while knocking out a couple in the process. They shook their heads as they got back up and advanced towards Ash, their new target. The three Champions stepped back but Ash remained at his position, standing tall, his rage filling him.

" **Oh no, they're after him!"** cried May as Gardevoir shot a Thunderbolt and Delphox launched Mystical Fire at the Bisharp they were fighting against, knocking the pokémon down.

" **Damn it! Wait, what is he doing?!"** shouted Dawn as Pikachu and Starmie slammed into the Bisharp near them. Ash had a faint blue glowing outline appear around him, causing many to gasp in the stadium.

" **Is he really going to use it in front of all these people?"** asked a stupefied Max.

" **What is he trying to do Brock?"** asked Lucy with wonder as she noticed the blue glow.

" **Ash is revealing his true strength,"** answered Brock.

Ash recalled all of his pokémon as they were getting tired and ineffective as well, except for Lucario, who was fighting like a pokémon possessed, dodging and evading all attacks and landing several of his own. Lucario knocked out another pokémon before getting hit by a Thunder Punch by Electivire. He was sent flying back towards Ash who caught his friend, stopping him before he lowered him to the ground.

" **Thank you Master."**

" **No problem. It's time Lucario,"** said Ash while healing him. Lucario nodded in agreement and Ash glanced up into the sky. **"TRAP THEM IN THE FIELD!"** shouted Ash.

A large purple shield appeared over the field and the Bisharp in the stands were thrown by an invisible force, one by one, into the shield, saving many people; Bruno was rescued as he was on the floor in pain from a cut and about to get slashed again. A couple of his fighting pokémon was out for the count as well but were still getting hit and several of Ash's friends and their pokémon were saved at the last second. The masked men and their pokémon were all under the shield and used many attacks to attempt to break through but were unable to do so. Ash's friends, the Champions and everyone else in the stands fixed their gazes on the attackers. Pikachu and Gardevoir were panting heavily though they were still ready and willing to fight on, staying by the group.

" **That won't work,"** growled Ash. He and Lucario were in the shield as well. The three Champions were pulled back by something so they wouldn't get caught in it but when they turned around they saw nothing there.

" **Doesn't matter. You are a fool for taking us on alone. Looks like you will be the first to die then and when you fall, killing the rest will be a piece of cake."** The masked men moved forward with their swords raised, their remaining pokémon following them. A good chunk of their pokémon was knocked out by Ash's and the Champion's pokémon but they still had around forty with them.

" **Ash get out of there!"** shouted Lucy.

" **Stop it Ash! You can't do this on your own!"** added Sarah, afraid he was going to get hurt.

" **Ash! I believe in you!"** screamed Misty, making the others look at her. She turned to face them. **"Support him and his aura will get stronger!"**

" **Shit! How could we have forgotten?"** muttered Gary as he face palmed.

" **Doesn't matter right now. Ash, you can do it!"** screamed Dawn.

" **You're the best Ash! Show them whose boss!"** yelled Leaf suddenly, standing up, finally overcoming her fear so she can support the raven haired trainer.

The others began to cheer for Ash, encouraging him, lending him their support. The people in the stands and the Champions thought that they had gone nuts. He and his pokémon are strong sure, but how could one man and one pokémon fight against so many?

" **You're friends are brainless fools in believing you can stop us. They think you can protect them and save them all. Instead they will watch you die in front of their eyes,"** commented the lead masked man as they continued forward towards the awaiting Ash and Lucario.

" **That's where you're wrong,"** said Ash. **"And you will pay for endangering my friends. It's time for you and the rest of the world to see what I am truly capable of."**

Ash spread his feet and brought his arms up at a right angle with his hands in fists. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated. His eyes glowed a bright blue and the blue outline around him glowed brighter. Strong winds picked up from nowhere and began whirling around Ash before the very ground began to shake, causing everyone to stumble a bit. Streaks of blue light began bursting out from Ash's body before suddenly blue flame like energy flared out from him. He stood up straight suddenly and a bright blue light flashed over the stadium. The howling winds and earthquake died down and the many people in the stands gasped and murmured as to what they thought he was. The three Champions took in sharp breathes, knowing what he was but never before seeing a true Aura Guardian in person, let alone his power. Cynthia was beyond amazed and her mind and heart raced as she took in the sight of him. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

" **Ash…is an Aura Guardian,"** commented Cynthia under her breath to herself.

Cynthia watched as Ash had many small blue spheres emerge from his flame like blue aura, that turned into poke balls and each one opened to reveal a new battle ready pokémon; Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Primape, Gengar, Snorlax, Tyranitar, Sceptile, Blaziken, Greninja, Garchomp, Infernape, Gallade and Serperior. They let out a collective roar together once they all appeared, showing their readiness to battle and to intimidate their enemies. Ash then had three more blue spheres appear that also turned into three Premier Balls. The rare balls opened up to reveal their pokémon who were Entei, Raikou and Suicune. The three legendary pokémon let out loud roars as they too stood tall behind the Aura Guardian, looking majestic in their own right. The last three pokémon completely surprised everyone as they were rare and powerful legendary pokémon. Many people had their jaws drop at the site of them, including the Champions.

" **No way! Look at all those powerful pokémon!"** remarked Richie, holding Joy close to him who was scared beyond measure but not able to tear her gaze away from the field.

" **As if his other pokémon weren't enough, he has these as well?"** asked a stunned Iris.

" **He's got an army with him!"** exaggerated Max.

" **Not only that but he has the Legendary Beasts of Johto with him?!"** asked a shocked Gary.

" **Incredible. He never stops surprising me,"** whispered Misty. Dawn, Serena, May, Leaf and Sarah nodded silently in agreement.

" **Are those three really…"** started Steven but stopped, unable to continue as he looked at the three legendary beasts with awe.

" **Yes. Yes they are,"** answered Cynthia with a whisper while Lance kept staring with his mouth slightly open, still not believing it.

Before anyone else could comment, Ash let out an Aura Pulse, which was a thin blue wall-like wave of aura energy, towards the masked men and their pokémon. It pushed them all back as his pokémon stood tall behind the Aura Guardian, growling, waiting for Ash's command.

" **Did he just do that by himself?"** asked Sarah, astonished and everyone else marveled at his display of power.

" **That's the power of an Aura Guardian,"** answered May, smiling a little for the first time since the horrible event started.

Lance, Cynthia and Steven were wide eyed, unable to fully realize what they just witnessed. Ash sent out another Aura Pulse, pushing them back yet again but this time it was strong enough to cause the masks on the men to fly off, revealing their faces. Ash froze dead in his tracks.

" **YOU?!"** shouted Ash, stunned.

Lucario and Charizard narrowed their eyes and snarled. Gardevoir squeaked and cowered. Misty instantly hugged the frightened psychic and fairy pokémon, understanding why she got scared.

" **Is that…"**

" **No way…"**

" **Are you kidding me?"**

" **What the fuck?"**

Four of the masked men were Tracey, Kenny, Drew and Rudy. The other six were random people that nobody recognized who looked to be several years older than them.

" **Why are you doing this?"** asked Ash.

" **It is required of us and so we must do it."** Tracey spoke with no emotion, like a robot as he and the others stepped forward, swords in hand.

" **What do you mean? You don't have to do anything! You don't have to listen to someone who makes you do stuff like this!"** pleaded Ash.

" **We do what we must. We are to obey without question. Our mission is to kill everyone who is at this tournament. It is our job, our purpose. And we will not fail."**

With that response, Tracey and the nine others ran forward, getting their swords ready to attack. Ash raised his hands up and brought out an Aura Shield in front of him and his pokémon. The ten intruder's swords smashed against the Aura Shield but the shield held, even though Ash was pushed back a bit. Ash spoke as he struggled a little to keep holding up the shield against their relentless attacks and everyone heard him through the speakers.

" **I'm sorry Tracey that you and the others chose such a path. You used to be my friend but you and the others betrayed me, betrayed our friends and betrayed the girls. You tried to take Misty, Dawn and May for your own evil reasons. You attacked my pokémon without mercy, trying to end their lives. And now you are trying to hurt many others who wanted to enjoy the tournament. I won't let you. I made a promise to protect my friends from anything and everything. As long as I draw breath, I will never let you or anybody else hurt them!"**

With his speech finished, his aura flared out powerfully and he sent out another pulse that pushed the ten men back many feet. Ash stood up straight and concentrated his power into manifesting a sword and shield in the air made out of aura energy that he reached up and grabbed, making many in the stadium murmur over what he just did. He then looked up into the sky, shouting out his next command.

" **PLAN B!"** shouted Ash.

Not even a second later, hundreds of small bullet sized purple energy balls rained down from the sky on top of the attackers, like mini guns spewing out bullets from many helicopters. Countless small explosions occurred when the purple bullets made contact with their targets, drawing up clouds of dust around the attackers yet the attack continued for several more seconds, traveling through the clouds. Everyone was astounded at the powerful attack and wondered who or what could do such a thing.

When the attack finally finished and the smoke cleared, they saw the evil men and mutated pokémon had taken up defensive positions against the attack but they looked like they still took a good deal of damage. Even though some of them weren't affected by the attack directly, the explosions the psychic bullets made still hurt them. Ash glanced back at his pokémon, a furious expression on his face.

" **TAKE THEM DOWN!"** commanded Ash.

Lucario raised his head up and let out a bone chilling howl into the sky, sending shivers down everyone's spine before sprinting forward and as he did so, he brought out a thick blue bone club made of aura energy out of the air, twirling it in his paws. Charizard, Infernape and Blaziken covered themselves in red flames and shot forward. Sceptile sprinted forward, his arm's sharp appendages glowing green and Serperior dug into the ground, her tail glowing green. Gallade sprinted forward a bit as his sharp appendages glowed purple, readying Psycho Cuts before vanishing from sight. Primape growled as he jumped high into the air, his leg glowing white as he readied a Mega Kick. Greninja and Gengar vanished from sight, readying Shadow Balls in their hands before disappearing. Garchomp flew into the air as he charged up a Dragon Pulse. Venusaur launched dozens of incredibly sharp and accurate Razor Leafs. Blastoise dug into the ground with his feet and his cannons extended forward a bit as he shot powerful Hydro Pumps. Snorlax curled into a ball and used Rollout to steamroll over the mutated pokémon and Tyranitar roared as large boulders appeared in the air and he tossed them. Entei, Raikou and Suicune jumped up and launched a Flamethrower, Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam respectively from the sky. Ash charged forwards with his shield raised and smashed into Kenny, sending him stumbling back before engaging the ten men in battle.

Even though they had numbers on their side, the mutated pokémon and men were weakened by Mewtwo's Psystrike and Ash's pokémon were holding their own against the forty or so pokémon while Ash was fighting the ten men single handedly, evading strike after strike and landing a few hits here and there. He was able to disarm a few of them from their swords in the process and tossed them outside of the shield. The battle raged on as everyone looked on with shock and fear on their faces.

" **I can't believe this,"** whispered Sarah. She was beyond scared as she watched Ash and his pokémon fighting against overwhelming odds as they fought to protect them all.

" **Is this what he's been training for?"** asked Iris, glancing at her boyfriend. Cilan was too occupied absorbing what he was seeing to reply back. It was one of the few times he was shocked into silence.

" **Ash…why must you always be the hero?"** asked a concerned Misty to no one in particular as she watched the love of her life fighting with everything he's got.

" **Please be careful Ash,"** whimpered Serena as tears fell down her face, unable to look away from the carnage below.

" **You've always been so brave. Please don't die on us now!"** cried May as she hugged her little brother Max who was crying, worried about his idol and friend.

" **He can't die! He has to win! He's never lost something like this before!"** exclaimed Dawn while shivering with fear.

" **LADE!"** Gallade cried as a Thunderbolt and Water Pulse hit him after he knocked out an Ariados with a Psycho Cut. The reaction from the two attacks caused an explosion that sent the fighting psychic pokémon flying out of the shield and crashed against the stadium wall before sliding down unconscious.

" **Oh no, Gallade!"** cried out Joy but then another shout was heard that drew their attention.

" **PRIME!"** Primape was struck by two Dark Pulses at the same time after knocking out a Bisharp and was sent flying out of the shield, landing on the floor unconscious near the Champions, who glanced at the pokémon. They saw the bruised spots where the attacks made contact and the three grimaced, knowing how much that would've hurt before snapping their attention back to the horrible fight. A green snake was quickly sent after him after slithering around launching Energy Balls at the enemies, knocking out a few before Serperior was knocked out by a double hit from a powerful Fire Blast sent by a Houndoom and a Sludge Bomb from a Drapion.

" **He's losing ground!"** yelled Lucy.

" **C'mon Ash you can do it!"** shouted Brock.

Leaf had pulled herself together when she saw Ash charge in fearlessly but was getting scared again, looking at her childhood friend fighting the now revealed men. He had knocked out two of them but was getting tired. They could see him slowing down and not dodging attacks as quickly as before. His aura was still around him but not as bright either.

 _He hasn't changed at all, always fighting to protect others. Just like he did for me. But he's getting hurt! Please Ash, you can do it! You can beat them! I know you can! Please don't leave me!_

" **ASH! Please don't give up! You can do it! I believe in you!"** cried out Leaf, trying to encourage him, while leaning over the railings.

Gary quickly grabbed her and moved her away so she wouldn't fall over as the stadium trembled. They looked around to see the cause of it and soon found out. Snorlax had body slammed three pokémon at once and when he got up, he fired a point blank Hyper Beam at the three, knocking them out.

" **Talk about a horrible way to go,"** said Cynthia, smiling but it quickly turned into a frown.

" **SNOR!"** cried out the large pokémon as Heatmor, Luxray, Crawdaunt and Scoliopede launched several attacks at once at him, knocking him out. He dropped to the floor with a loud thud, shaking the whole stadium. The four pokémon attacked him while he was unconscious, actually cutting into his thick skin and fat, drawing blood.

" **NOOO! Leave him alone!"** cried out Max, tears going down his face.

" **STOP IT!"** screamed May.

A large red sphere of flames collided into the group, sending Heatmor and Crawdaunt flying back. Charizard growled as he slashed at Luxray with Dragon Claw, knocking him out and then fired a point blank Flamethrower into Scoliopede's face, roasting the large bug pokémon alive, knocking him out for the count too. The flame on his tail had increased in size and he was in rage mode again. Charizard let out an ear splitting roar, causing all in the stadium to cover their ears before letting out a Fire Blast that shot through several mutated pokémon, damaging each of them some. Infernape had the flame on his head glow white as his rage peaked; he was launching Flamethrowers at all around him, keeping his enemies at bay from him and his allies. Blaziken's forearms were coated in flames as his fury had grown as well, sending several of the mutated pokémon high into the air with his Sky Uppercuts and intercepting many physical attacks from making contact with Ash's pokémon. The three fire pokémon were launching attacks nonstop, fighting many of the mutated pokémon at once, not feeling the pain of multiple attacks hitting them as their adrenaline and rage fueled them.

" **Incredible. Look at them go!"** breathed out Cynthia, never before seeing such a sight.

" **I for one do not want to get on their bad side,"** remarked Steven as he witnessed the extraordinary power of the three fire starters.

" **They have the fighting spirit of true warriors. Their fiery hearts will not be extinguished easily,"** said Lance with respect.

Greninja, Sceptile and Garchomp were dashing around while launching speedy attacks against the many pokémon, preventing them from using attacks of their own, giving their comrades time to launch their own attacks at their distracted opponents. This worked for a bit before a Drapion and a Weavile teamed up against Sceptile, tripping him up, causing him to stumble into an Ice Punch from a Crawdaunt and a full power Fire Punch from Heatmor that sent Sceptile out of the shield, out cold.

Greninja and Garchomp tried to save their ally but were hit with multiple attacks from several Bisharp, after being slowed down by Ariados and Luxray when they became distracted. The two pokémon crashed to the floor unconscious. They were immediately hounded on by their aggressors until Gengar appeared out of nowhere between them holding up a protective shield as Blastoise and Tyranitar fired Hyper Beams at the ghost's attackers, knocking them out.

Entei, Raikou and Suicune were fighting several of the mutated pokémon at once back to back, damaging them greatly as they stood their ground. While preoccupied with fighting the pokémon in front of them, none of the legendary beasts noticed that their enemies were slowly separating them until it was too late. Entei was the first victim as two Mightyena and two Houndoom pounced on top of him and snapped their jaws with sharp teeth on his back and began shaking their heads, cutting into his flesh, making the large fire beast roar out in pain. He began jumping around while howling in agony as he attempted to get them off his back. He even smashed against the shield wall with his back to get them off but it was no good.

" **ENTEI!"** cried out Joy, seeing the poor pokémon being ripped to shreds in front of them.

Entei's comrades heard his cries and wanted to help him but couldn't as each of them had their hands full. Finally, Suicune was able to break free from her opponents and launched multiple Signal Beams at the four on Entei's back, knocking them off of him. Entei breathed out in relief but soon his face paled as Suicune left herself open to attack and was soon punished for it. A couple Luxray hit the aurora pokémon with a double Thunderbolt who shrieked out in pain before she was silenced from a Drapion's Cross Poison and a Solar Beam from a Houndoom. Suicune dropped to the floor unconscious from the attacks, causing many in the stands to gasp that the legendary pokémon fell.

" **Oh my Mew. Not even a legendary pokémon can survive long against them,"** whispered Misty.

Entei was shocked that his sister was taken down so easily and his eyes narrowed with rage. He roared as he was outlined in a red glow. He covered himself in flames before rushing towards Suicune's attackers and slammed into them, sending them flying back until they crashed into shield wall. He was about to finish them off with a powerful Fire Blast but was then struck by a Dark Pulse from a Houndoom and two Water Pulses from two Crawdaunts. Entei fell to the ground and struggled to get back up but was then struck by Flygon's Dragon Pulse sending him back down to the ground. He didn't get back up again.

During Entei and Suicune's ordeal, Raikou was busy trying to fend off Heatmor, Scoliopede, Mightyena, Roserade and two Weaviles. He was too quick for them to land a hit on them but they kept him too busy to counter attack. From the corners of his eyes, Raikou saw his brother and sister get taken out and it enraged him. With a mighty roar, Raikou charged towards his attackers and slammed into Mightyena, sending the dark canine flying back before he used Crunch on the Heatmor who cried out. While still biting down on the fire type, Raikou was mercilessly attacked from Scoliopede, Roserade and the two Weaviles. With a feral snarl, Raikou let go of the now weakened Heatmor and let off a powerful last ditch Discharge attack with all of his remaining strength that struck all the mutated pokémon near him, taking out several before he too dropped to the ground, out for the count.

" **I can't believe it…"** gasped Sarah, her eyes filling up with water.

" **The Legendary Beasts of Johto have fallen!"** shouted Gary.

" **This is really bad,"** commented Dawn as she and May began crying. Serena was letting out tears before them and Misty was all cried out. Leaf was watching everything with wide eyes, not making a single sound.

The carnage kept going, not slowing down at all even as the amount of players slowly decreased. If anything, as the number of pokémon fighting dwindled, the more brutal the fighting became. And Ash had sustained a few blows and cuts but none too serious. He was able to knock out another man so it was now seven against one but he was losing energy fast, barely dodging attacks by the skin of his teeth. His pokémon were losing ground as well.

The mutated pokémon, even though not having much skill or experience, were strong and their endurance was high. Ash's Venusaur had been knocked out after firing Energy Balls for a while and launched a final attack, a Solar Beam, knocking out a couple pokémon before Heatmor and Houndoom stopped him by using Fire Blasts on him. Blastoise was shocked to a crisp by several Luxrays after taking out the Heatmor and Houndoom with a Hydro Cannon. Gengar knocked out the several Luxray with rapid Shadow Balls before being silenced by Scoliopede and Weavile with a Megahorn and Dark Pulse, sending him flying out of the shield and slamming into the wall, becoming stuck in it with narrow veins spreading out from the force of the impact.

Tyranitar was fighting four Bisharp at once, holding them at bay until he knocked out one with a Brick Break before they overpowered him with Metal Claws. As he dropped to the ground, they continued slashing at his rock hard armored body, trying to kill him. Right as they slashed through to his softer innards, Infernape quickly intervened and launched devastating punches and kicks at the now three Bisharp, pushing them back.

Charizard, Blaziken and Infernape were three of the four of Ash's pokémon left, fighting against the horde of mutated pokémon alone. It was three against many and they were fighting back to back, surrounded, their limitless rage keeping them on their feet as they fired scorching hot flames at their attackers while Lucario was engaged in a fight a bit away from the three fire types.

Lucario was giving it everything he had and then some against Azumarill, Electivire, Empoleon, Exeggutor, Roserade, Flygon and a couple Bisharp. He snarled at them as he remembered them to be the ones who hurt Gardevoir. He had taken up the same promise as his Master had, that they would protect her from all the horrible stuff in the world. They may have not been able to keep that promise, but they weren't going to stop trying their best to do so. Since coming into his life, his affection for her had steadily grown and he cared for her greatly, even more so than his other comrades. His rage was keeping him on his feet even after sustaining multiple hard strikes.

" **You shall pay for all you have done!"** roared Lucario as he knocked out Roserade with a Blaze Kick before continuing his relentless counter attacks and attempting to evade their strikes.

" **He's going to lose! We have to help!"** shouted Cynthia but Lance and Steven didn't respond. The blonde Champion of Sinnoh turned to glare at them. **"Why aren't you doing anything?!"**

" **And how do you propose we help him?"** asked Steven quietly as Lance eyed his two fellow Champions. **"We have no able pokémon and the shield prevents us from entering."**

Cynthia turned away from them and continued watching the massacre that was happening right in front of her. She couldn't believe she was just a bystander to such a terrible event. Never before was she not a part of the fight. Never before was she not ready to take care of business. What's worse is that the person who was fighting for them all was someone she held in high regards and had thought about for a long time, hiding her feelings for him. She hated not being able to help him. She hoped that he would succeed and that he would come out of it alive. If he fell, she wouldn't know what she would do.

" **This is really terrible,"** whimpered May as she held her little brother Max.

" **What the hell are we doing just standing here?! We have to help him!"** cried out Misty.

" **With what Misty?! You know damn well that we don't have anything to lend aid with! Our pokémon couldn't handle one. Hell, three legendary pokémon didn't last long and there is still around twenty down there!"** shouted Gary.

" **I hate to say it but Gary's right Misty. If we try to help, it may make things worse by giving the attackers something to use against Ash. Right now, he and his pokémon are the only ones capable of ending this,"** sighed Leaf, glancing at Misty and the others before turning and locking her gaze on Ash.

 _Please Ash, you and your pokémon can do it. Don't leave me now as we just ran into each other again. Especially when I'm just starting to understand my feelings for you. Life just can't be that cruel. Please come back to us...to me,_ thought Leaf, praying that he would be alright and that this horrible nightmare would end soon.

Sarah was listening on them while keeping her attention on Ash. She couldn't believe how courageous he was, how he had thrown himself into the fire to protect them all. What astounded her most was the fact that he was still standing after fighting for so long and sustaining multiple injuries.

 _Please win this Ash. I don't want you to lose or…die. I've lost too many people I cared about in my life already to lose someone else, especially one who I have feelings for..._

Misty didn't argue back, knowing that Gary and Leaf were right but quickly turned her attention to the chaotic battle in front of them. Pikachu and Gardevoir where whimpering as they wanted to help but knew that Ash wanted them to stay by his friends' side in case they were needed. If anything happened to them, they would never forgive themselves. They then saw something that made them all panic and shout out in response.

" **ASH!"**

Ash was over powered when the seven remaining men had all attacked him at once, striking his shield, after he dodged one of their attacks. He fell to the ground but quickly rolled away to dodge a strike from Tracey's sword, narrowly missing his chest. The raven haired trainer moved back, holding his aura sword and shield, panting heavily.

The corrupted Tracey, Kenny, Drew and Rudy sprinted forward holding their swords up and Ash channeled his aura to his shield to block their combined attack. The four swords hit the shield and pushed Ash backwards, his feet digging into the ground but he was able to hold his position. He kept his shield up and attempted to strike back with his sword but a black metal object was raised to point at him with Tracey's free hand.

BANG! A loud gunshot was heard throughout the stadium when Tracey pulled the trigger. Everyone, including the fighting pokémon, both mutated and Ash's own, stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound.

Ash stumbled back a bit, his aura, sword and shield disappearing into thin air before he dropped to one knee. He looked down at himself and saw another hole in his already tattered and torn shirt. He was shot in the stomach and it began oozing out blood badly, feeling his energy slowly dwindling. He pressed his hand against his wound, crying out in pain as he attempted to stop the blood from escaping, making his friends cry out for him as the vile men and mutated pokémon laughed sadistically.

" **ASH!"** cried out Misty, Dawn, Serena, May, Leaf and Sarah together.

" **ASH!"** screamed Cynthia.

His friends called out to him, sobbing and the girls tried to jump down onto the field to him but were held back by the others. Cynthia made to move to him, to attack the shield herself but was held back by Steven. Lucario was stunned still for a second, disbelief on his face. He then narrowed his eyes and focused a great amount of his energy before he punched the ground hard. A massive Earthquake occurred, making all in the stadium stumble about before using Extreme Speed to get to Ash's side.

" **MASTER!"** Lucario knelt by his side after putting up an Aura Shield around them as the seven men soon found their balance and knew they would try to attack them.

" **Lu…cario…"** whizzed Ash, unable to continue.

Charizard, Infernape and Blaziken were exhausted but when they saw that Ash got hurt, they were frozen in shock and fear. They saw Lucario move to him and a moment later, their eyes narrowed with rage and they roared in fury, their flames growing larger and glowing brighter. Each of the fire starters were thinking one thing and one thing only at that moment; their enemies would soon be bathed in a hell storm of fiery wrath.

" **CHAR!"**

" **BLAZE!"**

" **INFER!"**

The three fire types had glowing red outlines appear around them, their eyes glowing red as well while they charged up three balls of fire in front of them, the spheres growing larger and larger. Their Blaze ability had activated and they used its boost along with their rage to make their next attack stronger than ever before. The mutated pokémon saw this and every single one of them attempted to attack the three fire starters while they charged up their attacks. But the intense heat kept them from drawing close so they launched attacks from afar at the fire pokémon, hitting them but they didn't stop.

" **Look at those three!"** shouted Iris.

" **They're so consumed with rage, that they're ignoring the pain they're no doubt receiving,"** remarked Cilan, finally snapping out of his silent trance, amazed at their willpower and resilience.

" **Dear Mew…"** gasped Cynthia as she witnessed the three fire pokémon withstand the terrible onslaught against them, holding their positions. Lance and Steven were dumbfounded at the sheer strength and resilience of the three pokémon.

" **Contain it!"** croaked Ash, making his friends wince at hearing his hoarse voice over the speakers but gave each other confused looks thinking the same thing; _who was Ash talking to?_

His three powerful fire pokémon launched the Blaze and rage enhanced full powered Blast Burns in front of them, hitting the mutated pokémon and engulfing them all up in a vortex of beautiful yet deadly red, orange and yellow flames, spinning high up into the air. The three fire pokémon stayed on the ground in the middle of it all, still spewing out fire from their mouths. The purple shield went away as a purple barrier appeared around the large flaming tornado, containing the fire and all the mutated pokémon from spreading out over the stadium.

The attack was deadly but also strangely enchanting, catching the attention of all in the stadium as the flames whirled around with deadly speed. An incredibly loud explosion was heard as the flames erupted, making the vortex glow white before causing shockwaves to generate from the sheer power of the explosion inside the contained area. The mutated pokémon crashed back and forth against the walls of the barrier before the fire was replaced with swirling dark smoke clouds. The smoke stopped moving and went away before all the mutated pokémon fell to the floor, unconscious. Seeing their enemies out for the count, the three fire pokémon let out loud victory roars before dropping to the ground themselves, unconscious from their many wounds finally overwhelming their incredible wills.

" **They did it….THEY DID IT!"** cheered Dawn, jumping up and down, pumping her fist into the air.

" **It's not over yet, Dawn!"**

Dawn stopped jumping up and down and glanced at Serena, who was pointing at Ash and Lucario. Dawn's smile quickly faded away.

" **ASH!"** screamed Dawn, becoming pale.

" **PIKAPI!"** shouted Pikachu on top of Misty's shoulder, Gardevoir in the red head's arms, whimpering.

Ash's friends jumped down into the arena and ran towards Ash, Lucario and the vile men, passing the many fainted pokémon on the ground. The three Champions followed them, right at their heels. The seven men twirled their swords, smiling evilly, welcoming the new victims. Ash was still kneeling, holding up his body with his other hand, Lucario holding up the shield. Drew, Tracey and two of the unknown men took out their pistols again and aimed at Ash's friends.

" **PROTECT THEM!"** shouted Ash, before falling onto the ground, face first, gasping for air.

A purple barrier appeared in front of Ash's friends, Pikachu, Gardevoir and the Champions, preventing them from getting closer and protecting them from the gunshots. Seeing the bullets hit the shield, they aimed at the bystanders in the stadium and fired at them but purple shields blocked the bullets as well. They couldn't shoot at anyone, as they were all protected.

" **You can't keep this up forever. We will end all of your lives."** Tracey said as he aimed at Lucario's shield and fired. The others fired as well and when they ran out of bullets they struck the shield over and over with their swords and Lucario struggled as he kept holding up the shield, hoping his Master would get back up and wondering what Mewtwo was planning and when he would strike.

All of Ash's friends were pounding on the purple barrier, trying to get through, with many of them crying as they feared for him. They were also angry that they couldn't get to him, that he had kept them away from harm as he fought on alone again and soaked up all the damage himself.

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena were yelling out his name, as they continued striking the barrier while crying hysterically. Max, Cilan, Iris and Joy had stopped, exhausted, but had tears flowing down their cheeks as they watched. Pikachu and Gardevoir fired attack after attack at the shield to get through but were unable to. Leaf, Sarah and Cynthia had their hands pressed up against the shield staring in horror. Brock, Lucy, Richie and Gary were holding back tears as they watched, not doing anything, knowing that they couldn't do anything at all. Lance and Steven were just standing there taking in what they were seeing with their mouths slightly open and their eyes wide.

Ash's vision went black when he hit the ground and his hearing went away. A flash of white light and he suddenly found himself in a grey room, alone. He felt that he'd been there before but before he could do anything, a creature appeared in front of him out of thin air and he immediately remembered why. The darkened red humanoid creature that was disfigured and devoid of any good, stood in front of him again. The horrifying creature grinned maliciously as its black eyes glinted with sadistic pride.

" **How did you like getting a taste of my powers?"**

" **What?"** cried out Ash, confused and scared, taking a step back.

" **The pokémon and humans who you were fighting against have been strengthened using my powers, my darkness."**

" **How?"**

" **Don't know, don't care. But I am glad. I was able to do the things I love sooner than expected. Well, indirectly though, as it was through them, but I felt everything. And this is only a fraction of what I am capable of. Oh how I am enjoying this. Soon I will be released. Soon I will come for you. And through the eyes of the ones you fought against, I have seen the love you have for your friends, your pokémon and those girls. I knew about them but seeing them in person….ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't wait to feast on your friends and their emotions and I will make the girls my own and make you watch!"**

Ash grew angry. He was scared of this monster but the mere thought of his friends getting hurt, the girls getting hurt, made him furious. His eyes glowed blue and his aura flared out. The evil creature cackled in amusement.

" **Do you not remember the last time?"** The creature shot forward and blocked Ash's strike before grabbing his throat and lifting him up. **"You cannot defeat me. I will end you now, and your friends will be next. I will spare the girls so I can take them for myself when I am free."**

A large Aura Sphere slammed into the creature's face, sending him backwards as he dropped Ash. When the creature and Ash looked for the source, they found a purple bipedal feline nearby. Mewtwo had joined the battle.

" **How did you know?"** choked out Ash barely, trying to get air into his lungs with deep breathes.

" **I sensed your mind get invaded and entered it as well to help you. You must return Ash. You have the strength needed to overcome them and I am still here, standing by your side."**

" **Nice try abomination. You will be stuck here as well then. Two for the price of one. Then I will have some fun with the others,"** laughed the creature evilly.

Mewtwo growled at the creature and took up a battle stance. Ash was slowly getting back to his feet. Images of his friends, his pokémon, his allies and of the girls flashed across his mind's eye. He couldn't let anything happen to them. Ash gathered strength from thinking about everyone he cares about and his rage grew at how this dark being wanted to hurt them.

" **You won't get near them!"** roared Ash as he fired an Aura Sphere to the creature's face, hitting it and making him let out a cry of agony.

" **How dare you! I will end your pathetic life now!"** shot the creature as it lunged at Ash but the Aura Guardian dodged as Mewtwo sent out another Aura Sphere at the creature to hold it at bay as Ash's aura flared out again while he powered up an Aura Beam in his hands.

" **It's not my time to go yet,"** replied Ash simply as the glowing blue sphere of energy powered up in his hands before he fired the beam of aura energy that raced towards the creature, hitting it and sending it flying into the distance.

" **I will awaken and when I do, say goodbye to all you know and love!"** The creature's words faded into the distance as Ash looked on with his aura dying down.

" **Well done Ash. Though we have one more thing to do."**

" **You're right Mewtwo. I have to get back."**

As if waiting for his words, the grey room glowed white and then nothing. Ash felt the cold hard ground of the stadium ground suddenly and the smell of burnt air around him. He could hear people screaming his name and he wanted to call back out to them but he couldn't. He felt exhausted, broken, bruised and in extreme pain. He knew he was bleeding profusely. Yet he knew it was not his time to die or to give up and he couldn't let the ones he loved above all else down. He felt his aura inside him flicker a bit before it gained strength and started burning brightly inside him once more, growing stronger as his extraordinary willpower gave him energy.

Lucario had held up the shield for a long time but couldn't anymore. He was out of energy and dropped to his hands and knees, panting heavily for air. The Aura Shield faded away and the seven men started to laugh maniacally. Gardevoir trembled seeing Lucario so weakened. She had never seen him so vulnerable. Tracey moved forward while holding out his sword.

" **And the first to die will be this annoying pokémon and then its master."** He raised his sword.

" **LUCARIO!"** screamed Gardevoir, falling to her knees, bawling loudly.

" **PIKA!"** squeaked Pikachu, terrified of what was coming.

" **STOP!"** yelled several of Ash's friends at once, but they're pleas were ignored.

Tracey swung the sword down hard and fast with both hands, intending to cut off Lucario's head with a single swipe. A sudden flash of bright blue light erupted near the two that blinded everyone in the stadium. When they were able to see again, they looked to see what caused it. The people in the stands, the Champions and even Ash's friends had expressions of disbelief all over their faces.

Ash was on his feet again and had stopped the attack by catching the sword in mid strike with both hands, between his palms. His eyes were narrowed with fury and he was snarling.

" **Holy mother of Mew…"** muttered Gary.

" **ASH!"** shouted the four girls together, beyond thrilled seeing him on his feet again.

" **Amazing."** Sarah was staring at Ash with wide eyes, her heart beating madly for him.

" **Ash, you're something else."** whispered Leaf, gazing at her raven haired childhood friend, feeling something incredibly strong inside her as she gazed at him.

" **Remind me to never get on his bad side,"** remarked Lucy quietly, seeing Ash furious.

The three Champions had their jaws drop at what they saw. They couldn't believe it. Even with everything that they witnessed, this was the last straw. Cynthia's heart fluttered when she saw him standing again and she was beyond happy to see him alive.

" **If you cannot wait for you death then I will kill you first!"** shouted Tracey, as he pushed harder, trying to connect the blow.

Ash ignored Tracey and concentrated on his aura. His eyes glowed blue again and his aura shot out more tremendously than ever before. The blue flames surrounding him reached twice his height as powerful winds blew around him. Tracey had a hard time staying on his feet but wouldn't budge. Ash used his aura to enhance his strength significantly and applied pressure to the blade before breaking it in half.

" **WHAT THE FUCK?!"** burst out a very surprised Brock, unable to control himself after seeing Ash do that, with everyone else dumbstruck at what he just did.

Ash dropped the broken half onto the floor next to Lucario who was slowly regaining energy. The guardian walked calmly forward with a furious expression on his face, his aura dancing around him violently and sent out Aura Pulses continuously towards the seven evil men, pushing them back. Tracey charged forward after the last pulse of aura and tried to punch Ash but he caught the strike with his left hand before kicking Tracey in the chest. Tracey cried out in pain but tried to counter with a kick but the Aura Guardian caught his leg in mid air before throwing him into the stadium wall followed by a large Aura Sphere that smashed into him, knocking him out. He continued towards the six remaining men, his aura still burning brightly around him.

" **YOU GOT THIS ASH!"** cheered the four girls. They were ecstatic that he was kicking ass and taking names.

The six men charged at him, two of them still with swords. A mad fight ensued that looked like a choreographed action scene. Ash dodged and evaded each strike thrown at him with ease, his aura senses helping him evade the strikes and land hits of his own with grace. Lucario shakily raised himself on one knee, leaning against it, his breathing still ragged.

 _That's it Master. Keep it up._

The Aura Guardian knocked out Kenny with a full power punch to the face, causing some teeth to fly out before he slammed face first into the ground. Rudy and Drew threw punches at Ash who caught them both but one of the others slashed at Ash's chest with his sword, drawing blood.

" **NOOOOOOOO!"** shouted many of Ash's friends, fearing the worst.

Ash looked down at the cut on his chest. Luckily for him, the blade didn't cut too deep into him but it still drew blood and angered him even more. He growled as he broke Rudy and Drew's wrists when he pushed up on their caught fists. The two dropped to their knees as Ash kicked the one with the sword hard, sending him flying back. He then used Rudy's and Drew's arms to pick the two up and slam them together in the air, knocking them out before he dropped them to the ground. He raised his hands to his sides, palms open. Two large Aura Spheres appeared instantly in his palms before he chucked them, one after the other to the two men in front of him. Both of them were hit in the face and sent crashing to the ground, unconscious. He then pulsed out his aura at the last man, who frantically attempted to hit him with his sword but was pushed back. Ash brought his hands together to his side as a ball of swirling blue energy appeared. Right when the last man charged at him, Ash fired his attack and the beam of blue aura energy escaped from his hands, racing towards the last man, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying through the air before crashing into the stadium wall, getting stuck in it from the sheer force of the attack, out cold.

Ash kept his position for a second before lowering his arms and standing tall once more. He released a couple Aura Pulses that expanded in all directions, past the outer stadium walls, calming and warming everyone when it passed over them as well as checking for other threats.

" **Why do I feel so good all of a sudden?"** asked Lucy, feeling warm and relaxed.

" **As an Aura Guardian, Ash can use his powers to calm and comfort nearby people if he so wishes,"** explained Brock.

" **Oh."** Lucy understood, as did Sarah, Leaf, Joy and Cynthia. They were wondering the same thing as well. Not sensing anything, Ash relaxed a bit and sent out a mental message.

 _Thank you buddy. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you._

 _You're welcome. But why didn't you want me to get more involved?_

 _Because nobody truly knows about you and I would like to keep it that way for now. And I wasn't out of the fight yet._

 _Alright, I understand. You did well, I'm proud of you. Should I teleport the others back home? I will make sure they get treated back to full strength._

 _Yes and I know you will. And thank you Mewtwo._

 _You're welcome and it was my pleasure Ash._

Ash's pokémon, except for Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu, disappeared in a blue glow.

" **Where did Ash's pokémon go?!"** questioned Leaf with worry.

" **They went home. My friend teleported them back home and will treat them,"** answered Ash as he slowly faced his friends who all smiled at him **"I hope you all are okay."** They nodded as they moved towards him, the purple shields finally gone. The people in the stands roared and cheered, seeing the horrible event finally pass and their savior alright. **"Good. That's…all that...matters..."** said Ash, before he lost consciousness and he fell over backwards onto the ground as his aura faded away.

" **ASH!"** screamed out his friends as they all ran to him.

Ash Ketchum was on his back, lying on the ground, his eyes closed and barely breathing. The battered, bruised, cut and shot Aura Guardian was in so much pain, bleeding from so many injuries that his body shut down, no longer feeding off his adrenaline and rage. His friends gathered around him as Misty, Dawn, Serena, May, Sarah and Leaf dropped to the ground to get closer to him, sobbing. Cynthia wanted to go to him as well but didn't know if she should and if she was ready if somebody asked something. The people in the stands went eerily silent over witnessing the raven haired savior fall to the ground. She felt someone grasp her shoulder but she didn't pay it any attention until that person spoke.

" **Go to him Cynthia,"** encouraged Steven.

Lance glared at Steven but the Hoenn Champion didn't notice it. Cynthia glanced at Steven, who nodded at her with a smile. Cynthia gave a small smile before dashing forward to the fallen raven haired trainer. She knelt down beside Dawn who barely glanced at her but the others did nothing as they were too focused on Ash.

" **Is he alright? Will he be okay?"** asked Cynthia in a hushed tone.

" **I don't know. He has too many wounds and injuries for me to even know where to start treating him,"** cried out Joy.

" **We need to take him to a hospital quickly. Gardevoir, can you teleport us there?"** asked Brock, taking control, as his 'stay calm under pressure' side kicked in. Gardevoir, even though exhausted herself, nodded and her eyes glowed blue.

Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Brock, Lucy, Leaf, Gary, Iris, Cilan, Joy, Richie, Max, Cynthia, Lucario, Pikachu and Gardevoir disappeared in a flash of blue. The people gasped at that and began to murmur where they went and what would happen to them now.

" **I can't believe you told her to go to him,"** said Lance as he made Steven look at him. Steven frowned before replying back.

" **She needed to. And you need to let it go."** Lance sighed and shook his head. **"C'mon, we got other things to take care of since it looks like we're left with clean up,"** remarked Steven.

Steven looked around at the mutated pokémon and evil men who were knocked out, scattered all over the field. He moved towards one of the Bisharp nearby and when he touched it, it disintegrated into dust.

" **What the hell…"** muttered Lance, taking a step back, appalled at what he just saw.

The two Champions went around to a few other mutated pokémon and when they touched them or got near them, they all turned to dust as well. Suddenly, all the mutated pokémon burst into dust clouds. They moved towards the men and when they touched them, they were surprised that they stayed intact though they did seem to burn them when they were touched.

" **Good. At least we can get some answers now,"** said Lance, standing up while calling someone on his phone. **"Yes, it's me. I need you to get my pokémon from the valley and get here as quickly as you can. I don't care what it takes, just do it and do it quickly,"** said Lance and hung up.

Steven nodded in agreement as the steel doors to the stadium exits and entrances finally opened. The people in the stands hurried out with their voices loud, talking about what they had just witnessed as they were herded out of the stadium by Diantha, Alder and many emergency personnel who had arrived at the scene of the tragic event. They were finally able to open the doors and let everyone out. As they watched the people being escorted out, the two Champions waited near the unconscious ten men for the police to come, handcuff them and take them to jail for the time being until they could question them. Steven looked at the ten vile men on the ground. He sighed as he had a feeling that things were going to become a lot more difficult in the coming days.

 _ **A/N - A lot of things happened in this chapter and many characters were involved. What did you guys think? And what do you think will happen next? Remember to review, fav and follow! Until next time, this is Silent checking out. Peace!**_


	27. Chapter 27 - Indigo Hospital

**_A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with another chapter for you! Just a little bit of news, "The Blue Spirit" has reached over 100 follows, 100 favorites, 87 reviews, its part of 4 communities and over 22,000 views! Thanks so much! I've reached two of my goals now help me reach my third goal of 100 reviews! Also, I have a little proposition for you guys but I'll leave that until the end of the chapter. Thanks and enjoy!_**

 ** _IVAN - Ash and May aren't going to go out for a bit because of some things that are going to happen but when you see the reasons why, you'll understand. Also, I have plans for Gary and which girl he's going to get with. It'll be different than what others have done. That's all I can say. ;)_**

 ** _GUEST - Yup, last chapter was supposed to be nonstop action. Hope you and everyone else enjoyed it. :)_**

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 27 – INDIGO HOSPITAL

BEEP...

BEEP…

BEEP…

BEEP…

" **Heart rate is surprisingly still normal sir but blood pressure is a little low,"** said the nurse who was keeping her eye on the machines showing the patient's vitals.

" **Did you find the bullet yet?"** asked another nurse who was assisting the surgeon.

" **No. It looks like it's in there deep,"** replied the surgeon as he peered through his magnifying goggles closer to the gunshot wound before he dug in deeper with his surgeon tools.

" **I can't believe he's still alive. He shouldn't be. Not after all that he has suffered through and all the blood he has lost,"** commented the first nurse. **"His will to live is extraordinary. What do you think is keeping him alive?"**

" **Who knows? We've been at this for hours. Do you think he'll survive?"** asked a third nurse.

" **I will do everything I can to not let him die. After all he's done and the fact that he's still with us…I do not want to be the one who tells his friends that he didn't make it,"** remarked the surgeon and the nurses nodded, hoping that that scenario wouldn't come to pass.

They continued their work as they did their best to save their patient while his friends waited for an update in the waiting room of Indigo Hospital. While the large group of friends waited to get an update with worried looks on their faces, all around the world people were talking of what happened at the Spirit Tournament for the cameras were still rolling and streamed the live carnage to everyone who was watching at home on their TVs or on the go on their devices. Countless people were horrified of what happened, unable to comprehend why someone would do such terrible things. Many people around the world, particular people who knew Ash, wanted to go to Indigo Plateau to see him, to see with their own eyes if he was alright and to help him out with whatever they could but couldn't leave, for one reason or another. However, there were some others across the different regions that were preparing to leave their homes, having made up their minds on traveling to the Indigo Plateau to find their loved ones to make sure they were alright.

In the middle of the ocean next to the Hoenn Region, was a large paradise like mini city that had many different types of pokémon battles offered to trainers for them to compete in. Inside one of these buildings, a purple short haired girl, dressed in a white blouse and black pants was packing her suitcase hurriedly, while her faithful Espeon stood on the bed, watching her as she packed. She used to be a petite and skinny girl but had developed as she grew older. Though not as curvaceous as other girls, she was still very attractive. She was in her early twenties, wise beyond her years, a powerful empath, a psychic and one of the Frontier Brains, which are the strongest trainers the Battle Frontier has to offer who were the head of their own battle buildings. The TV was on in her room, turned to the news channel.

" **-AND RIGHT NOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING CRAZY OVER WHAT HAPPENED. SOME ARE LEAVING THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS, EVEN AT THIS LATE HOUR IN THE EVENING IN FEAR THAT ANOTHER ATTACK COULD HAPPEN EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENT GOODSHOW HAS INCREASED SECURITY GREATLY SINCE THE INCIDENT. SOME BELIEVE-"**

The anchor's voice was silenced as a large man with a big belly wearing white shorts and a blue and white tropical shirt pushed the mute button on the TV remote. He then spoke to the purple haired girl.

" **Anabel, you know why I'm here right?"** asked the man, looking at the girl through his sunglasses that he always wore, even when indoors, with a concerned expression.

" **I know Scott, but you can't stop me and neither can the other Frontier Brains. I have to go!"** answered Anabel while throwing a couple more things into her suitcase.

" **What would you going now aid in anything?"** asked Scott. **"The fight is over. He won, the attackers are locked up and people are slowly calming down. What's left?"**

" **You know exactly what's left Scott!"** shouted Anabel as she turned to face him, though he didn't react to her death glare. **"He's been hurt incredibly bad and he's finally appeared after three years! Even you couldn't find him then! Why I didn't go earlier when I first found out, when we first started watching the tournament, listening to you and the others, I'll never know why! We aren't even busy, slower than ever because of the tournament. But I'm not going to miss my chance to see him again! He may die! He may disappear! This may be my only chance and nobody is going to stop me!"**

Anabel yelled out her last sentence, fuming at Scott. Scott looked at her for a moment before smiling, surprising the Salon Maiden who calmed down quickly and gave a look of confusion. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone.

" **You'll want a fast ride I assume. Let me call my personal pilot,"** said Scott as he dialed on the phone.

" **Thank you Scott,"** muttered Anabel as she finished her packing.

In a large city near the northern coast of the Kanto Region, three beautiful girls in their early twenties were walking towards a large dome shaped building that had a Dewgong pictured on the front of the building in the morning. The three girls were the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City, the stars of their water ballet shows and were returning back from shopping with their hands holding many bags as they talked and joked. The three sisters had grown up some; still beautiful as ever but also decent battlers now and they don't use the word 'like' after every few words anymore. They soon entered the building after unlocking the door with their key and relocked it after entering, putting out a 'closed' sign to ward off people.

The three sisters dropped off their bags on the floor and one of them, the blue haired girl who was the second oldest, Violet, turned on the TV and started flipping through channels as the three sat on the large comfy couch to relax after walking around the mall for so long.

" **-come with me my princess as we will-"**

CLICK

" **-the score is 78 to 68 and-"**

CLICK

" **-chaos at the tournament resulted in-"**

CLICK

" **-to bake the pie one must…"**

" **WAIT!"** shouted Daisy, the yellow haired sister who was the eldest. **"Go back to the last channel!"**

Violet sighed and put the previous channel with a push on the remote's button. A news anchor was speaking as a video played in the background.

" **-AS YOU CAN ALL SEE THE SITUATION WAS DIRE INDEED. THE POKEMON AND THE MEN WHO ATTACKED THE STADIUM WERE OUT FOR BLOOD YET SOME FOUGHT BACK. HERE'S ONE WHO-"**

The news channel showed an attractive red haired girl fighting against a Bisharp with her Starmie as the anchor talked over the silent video but when both of them were struck down to the floor, the three sisters cried out **"MISTY!"** together, as they stood up.

" **-AND WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF NOT FOR THE BRAVE ACTIONS OF THIS YOUNG MAN-"**

The video showed a raven haired trainer defending her and the others, striking the pokémon down.

" **Is that…"**

" **Could it be…"  
**

" **He looks familiar…"**

The three sisters looked at one another with surprised expressions before looking at the news again.

" **-WE HAVE CONFIRMED HIS IDENTITY AS ASH KETCHUM FROM PALLET TOWN AND THAT'S NOT ALL THIS GREAT TRAINER DID AS HE-"**

" **That's Ash?!"**

" **No way!"**

" **Damn, he's hot!"**

" **-WHO CONTINUED FIGHTING AGAINST THE EVIL MEN AND EMERGED VICTORIOUS, SAVING EVERYONE BEFORE HE FINALLY SUCCUMBED TO HIS WOUNDS. WE HAVE RECEIVED WORD THAT HE IS CURRENTLY AT THE INDIGO HOSPITAL AS DOCTORS SCRAMBLED TO TRY TO SAVE HIS LIFE. THAT IS THE LATEST WE'VE HEARD SEVERAL HOURS AGO AND STILL NO UPDATE. WE CAN ONLY-"**

" **We have to go see how Misty is doing!"** said Lily suddenly as she tried calling her but couldn't get through as the line was busy.

" **You're right; we have to make sure she's not hurt and she's probably going crazy as she waits for Ash to recover. You know how much she cares about him. Hell, she'll probably tell him how she feels now and she may need our support if things don't go well. Let's get ready to head out. And only pack necessary things. This isn't going to be a vacation trip. But what about the gym?"** asked Violet as she turned off the TV.

" **We haven't had a challenger in a long time and we can close it down for a while without getting into trouble with the League. We'll leave a message on the front doors before we leave,"** replied Daisy.

The sisters got up to go get ready for the trip and Daisy called Professor Oak to see if he could get them a ride to the Indigo Plateau.

In a small town located in south west Kanto, Professor Samuel Oak and Delia Ketchum were busy getting ready to leave and head for the Indigo Plateau.

" **I'm here and ready to go!"** called out a very pretty girl, wearing yellow shorts and yellow blouse, as she stepped inside her grandfather's laboratory. This was Daisy Oak, Gary's older sister by a couple years. Her grandpa, Professor Oak, poked his head out of one of the many rooms lining the hallway.

" **Ah Daisy, you're here. Good we're almost ready to go. Delia is finishing up and we should be able to leave as soon as the helicopter gets here and-"** His phone ringing cut him off. He placed his bags down to grab his phone out of his pants pocket and answered it. **"Hello, this is Professor Oak. I'm sorry but I'm a little busy-OH! Hello Daisy Waterflower, how are you...Yes, we've been watching the tournament and know what's happened. We're getting ready to go there…Pick you three up on the way? Not a problem…Don't worry about it. We will see you in about an hour as we will be travelling by helicopter…but please don't delay…Okay bye."** Oak hung up the phone as the sounds of a helicopter nearing them was heard. **"Right on time!"** exclaimed the professor as he picked up his luggage. **"Delia, we have to go! They're here!"** called out Oak as he headed for the door, gesturing to his granddaughter Daisy to get out as they heard a woman's voice from down the hall.

" **I'm coming!"** shouted Delia as she shot out of the bathroom. She grabbed her bag that was on the couch in one hand and ran to them.

 _I'm coming Ash! My baby, I'm on my way. Please be alright!_

As soon as she stepped outside the laboratory, she got a call on her phone and she answered it.

" **Hello? Oh hey…Yes, I'm about to leave…Both of you are on the way...I'm sure your daughters will be happy to see you too…Okay, have a safe trip, we'll see you there soon!"** Delia hung up and ran to the waiting helicopter.

Far away, in the region of Unova, two brothers were sneaking around in a helicopter field late at night, trying to find a way to use one of them when they were caught by a pilot who wanted to check on his own personal copter before going home, having just landed from another flight.

" **What are you two doing here?"** asked the pilot.

The brothers glanced at the pilot and then at themselves. The blue haired brother spoke as the red haired brother gave the guy a puppy dog look.

" **Please sir, we're trying to get to the Indigo Plateau. Our brother is there and we have to know how he is as he's not picking up his phone or replying to our messages."**

" **I see. Well the reason you can't reach anyone right now by phone or messages is because it's total chaos over there right now and it'll be difficult to get there, let alone land near the Plateau."**

" **Please sir, will you help us?"** asked the blue haired man.

" **We'll pay you!"** added the red haired one.

" **I don't want your money,"** replied the pilot and the two brothers sunk their heads in defeat. **"But I will take you there. I know the love a brother has for his siblings. Let's get into my copter and we'll get going,"** remarked the pilot as the two brothers thanked the pilot and each brother shook the pilot's hand before getting into the helicopter.

Very loud sounds could be heard from inside the Maple household in Petalburg City of the Hoenn region late at night, as Norman Maple was stomping around getting his luggage packed and his pokémon ready to travel. He had seen what had happened at the tournament and was glad that his daughter May and son Max were safe but wanted to go see them. Also, he had a bone to pick with a certain raven haired trainer. His wife, Caroline, was trying to calm him down as she finished packing her suitcase.

" **Norman, please relax. The taxi will be here soon,"** said Caroline softly.

" **I can't Caroline! I'm so worried about May and Max. I know they're safe for now but I have to see them as soon as possible!"** replied Norman, trying to hide his other reason.

" **I know you care about our children more than anything else in the world, but you're trying to hide something Norman and you can't hide anything from me."**

Norman looked up at his wife as he was zipping up his packed luggage. The stared at each other for a couple minutes before Norman gave in, sighing.

" **Alright fin. I do want to see them both but I also have some other business to attend to,"** answered Norman as he clipped his poke balls to his belt after recalling his pokémon. Caroline sighed.

" **Still Norman? You haven't gotten over it?"** asked his wife. Norman looked at her with an intense gaze.

" **ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"** exploded Norman, though his wife stood tall and strong, not fearing her husband's rage. **"How long were our kids moping around the house before they told us the reason why? How long did it take Max to finally battle again? Hell, how long did it take for May to stop crying in her sleep in the middle of the night? He left them and went on his merry way without a second thought when he disappeared three years ago!"**

Norman stopped to take a breather, seething while his vein showed on his neck. Caroline waited a moment before speaking.

" **I understand Norman but he did call them to tell them before leaving and things are different now. He has come back and I've heard from them both how happy they have been since he came back. They've been spending time together again and-"**

" **WHAT?! You talked to them without telling me?! And you knew?!"**

Caroline sweat dropped, slapping herself mentally as she let that slip. She had talked to May and Max a couple times while her husband was at the gym. He only watched tournaments starting from the halfway stage, saying that was when things got good. Unfortunately that was when he saw Ash battle in the fifth match against Leaf and his blood began boiling at the site of him before his rage was replaced with fear over his children when the stadium was attacked. Caroline was glad to hear them happy again though, especially for her daughter. May had told her of her feelings for Ash a long time ago.

" **It's not a big deal Norman,"** started Caroline, trying to defuse the situation. **"We were only talking about the tournament mostly and how Ash had gotten stronger and-"**

" **Don't say that punk's name in my house!"** roared Norman.

" **What in the world is the matter with you? He saved them!"** shouted Caroline, getting angry herself.

" **What's the matter with me? Are you kidding me? I swear I'm going crazy because it seems like I'm the only sane one here!"** He paced a bit after throwing up his arms in the air before looking back at his wife and continued. **"He may have saved them but he's the one who also caused their anguish Caroline! Max missed a tournament because of him. May missed out on a contest because of him. And you saw what happened after the match, the entire thing was broadcasted all over the world. You saw him protecting that Leaf girl. You saw him protecting two other girls before finally checking on our daughter! The news even said that the red head was his girlfriend! How can he do that to May? How could he string her along, disappear on her, then come back and taunt her with another girl?"**

Caroline was shocked at what she heard, her eyes widening as she thought of the possibility of what he said being true. _Could he really do that? Is he really capable of such a thing?_

" **I don't know Norman,"** said Caroline finally after a moment of thinking. **"We met him before and he wasn't like that at all. It may seem like that's how it is but the news is always exaggerating things. Another news channel said that Leaf was his girlfriend."**

" **It doesn't matter Caroline. People change. All I know is that when he left, Max's spirit shook for a long time before finally getting back into the battling rhythm. And May….she lost that spunky attitude of hers for a long time, becoming a ghost of her former self before getting a little bit of it back. He has to answer for what he has done to them, especially May. He has to pay for what he's done to her."**

When Norman finished, a car honk was heard from outside. Their taxi had arrived and Caroline followed after her husband quietly, who had taken both of their luggages in one hand while heading out of their house towards the taxi.

" **STAY OUT!"** roared a red headed girl as her Starmie used Psychic to throw several reporters out of the Indigo Plateau Hospital. They had been trying to sneak in all morning and yesterday night to snap photos of the raven haired trainer who was now finally sleeping after many long hours of surgery in his intensive care room. They had tried again later on the next morning, thinking they would have a chance.

" **Wow, nicely done Misty. That one guy flew over the tree,"** giggled Dawn, as she used her hand as a hat to shield her eyes from the sun. It was about 1030am.

" **Thanks. I think that's the last of them. Let's head back inside. Starmie, if you see anymore reporters, please send them away. And so you're not alone…"**

Misty tossed another poke ball into the air and a large, long, blue and yellow sea serpent appeared. Her Gyarados roared and took up a guarding position in front of the hospital after being told by his trainer of the situation. They were to allow other people who were hurt and visitors to go inside but if any reporters or photographers neared, to scare them away but not to hurt them.

Misty and Dawn walked into the hospital, taking the elevator up to the third floor and rejoined the others who were all sitting in the large waiting area. Pikachu, Gardevoir and Lucario were with Ash in his room, watching over him as he slept. They had prevented a couple photographers from taking a picture of him as they snuck in as nurses.

" **Let off some steam I take it?"** asked Lucy as she saw the two sit down and sigh.

" **I never knew how annoying paparazzi and the media can be,"** confessed Mist. **"I used to think my sisters were just exaggerating but no, they actually toned it down. They're worse."**

Several of her friends laughed at her statement of realization.

" **Well, good news is that they have sent less and less, knowing that we're here guarding Ash,"** said Brock.

" **Imagine if we weren't here,"** chimed in Iris. They all thought for a second and shuddered, picturing the headline for tomorrow's newspaper saying false things about Ash or the news channel blowing things out of proportion about him and his aura.

" **Man, it's been crazy since your match with him ended, huh Leaf?"** asked Max as he glanced at the brunette.

Leaf nodded without saying anything. Ever since they had brought Ash to the hospital in a panic, she had stayed silent. She did not speak a single word, laughed, grunted, groaned or any other type of noise for that matter. She said nothing and did nothing except stay in his room with him for a bit when they were all allowed to and sat down in the waiting room, staring at the wall.

Gary noticed her bizarre behavior as he knew her a little better from the others and commented that it was not normal for her from what he knew of her. The others merely replied that she was probably just upset and needed some time to deal with the fact that she was almost killed and what had happened. Gary wasn't sure but said no more on the subject.

" **I can't believe everything that's happened since yesterday afternoon,"** said Lucy as she leaned against Brock to rest a bit who wrapped his arm around her neck. She was getting tired of sitting up straight.

" **I hear ya Lucy,"** replied Sarah. **"The attack, seeing Ash go ballistic, getting him here and waiting for a long time before getting an update...I don't think I've ever been this stressed out before."**

The others nodded in agreement. When they teleported to the hospital, they were going nuts as Ash was unconscious and was bleeding from many serious wounds. Most of the group split up to find a nurse or doctor as Misty, May, Serena and Dawn stayed with him, trying to stop the bleeding from his many injuries. When the hospital staff finally took him in, they waited for a long time in the waiting room until they got an update late at night. The Champion of Sinnoh was with them through all this time as well though her stay with them was cut short.

Cynthia had received a call from her fellow Champions after getting an update from the doctor saying that they needed her to come to an emergency meeting regarding the captured men from the stadium attack. Reluctantly, Cynthia left after telling them bye and also mentioned that she would come back if she could. The others thanked her for waiting with them and told her that she was more than welcome to return. After the Sinnoh Champion left, Dawn got a feeling that there was something else but kept it to herself for the time being as she wasn't entirely sure and felt it wouldn't be good adding fuel to a fire for no reason.

While they waited, they spent the time talking about the fight, Ash's strength and abilities, all of the pokémon he used, including discussing when, where and how he could've captured the Legendary Beasts of Johto while keeping the media away from their friend. They were finally told by the head doctor after waiting for so long that the surgery to remove the bullet was successful and they had stitched up that wound and his two large cuts after cleaning them out of dust, dirt and other foreign particles. They took a while because they wanted to make sure they cleaned up the wounds well and the bullet was found next to his kidney after searching for it for a long time so they had to take their time and maneuver around it.

The four girls were beyond worried about him and kept talking to one another in order to keep their minds distracted to pass the time. Leaf spent her whole time there being unusually quiet, listening in to everyone else's conversations. Sarah would join in the conversations only to pass the time, as she didn't know what to do as she waited for Ash. It was ironic that Leaf, the usual talkative one, and Sarah, the usual quiet one, had their roles reversed in this stressful time. However, both girls were worried about the raven haired trainer who was resting now to recover from his wounds and along with the four girls, couldn't wait to see him up on his feet again.

" **Did anyone get a response from Goodshow yet?"** asked Richie after everyone was silent for a moment, being careful not to move too much.

Joy was leaning against him, sleeping, as she had stayed up late well into the night, checking Ash's vitals every half hour until the replacement nurse started her shift at 4am after they were informed that he would recover and everything was okay. Richie had requested a blanket from the nurse on shift and covered his girlfriend Joy with it before wrapping his arm around her on the couch in the waiting room. Everyone had stayed in the hospital for the night, only leaving to throw out the media, crazy fans or to get food. Joy was the only one asleep at the moment since she was up later than the others who had taken turns in smaller groups to stay up to watch for unwelcomed guests like the paparazzi.

" **Oh I did!"** Iris said but then grimaced. **"Hey, it slipped my mind, sorry!"** she apologized quickly after seeing everyone's glare.

" **Well, what did he say?"** questioned Serena.

" **He said that the tournament is postponed until Ash recovers, the stadium is repaired from the explosion and after checking everything in and around the stadium to make sure there are no other threats. He said that they will honor him for his brave actions and will wait until he can compete again. They will make the announcement today at noon,"** answered Iris.

" **That's great! Finally, something good is happening for him,"** said May as she smiled.

" **I hate to say this as I don't believe in such things, but it looks like Ash's luck is turning for the better,"** remarked Cilan with a small smile.

As soon as he finished saying that, the large elevator doors dinged open and a group of people entered the area. Delia Ketchum, Professor Oak, Gary's sister Daisy, Misty's sister Daisy, Lily, Violet, Anabel, Chili, Cress, Norman, Caroline, Johanna and Grace walked forward while some of them talked amongst themselves before spotting Ash's friends sitting in the waiting room and quickly stopped talking. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Brock, Lucy, Max, Gary, Leaf, Cilan, Iris, Joy, Richie and Sarah stared at the new arrivals. Both groups were silent for a moment before Iris broke it.

" **You just had to say something Cilan,"** commented Iris as she sighed and shook her head.

" **Where is Ash? Is he alright?"** Delia asked as she moved forward, her lips quivering, about to cry right then and there.

" **Yes, he's fine and I'll show you his room Mrs. Ketchum,"** said Joy as she had woken up suddenly from the elevator ding and noticed nobody moved from her group.

" **Thank you. Please, just call me Delia."** Joy nodded as Delia moved closer and she led Ash's mom to where her son was.

The two groups eyed each other before suddenly several surprised shouts and happy outbursts were heard across the room before multiple interactions happened at once.

" **MOM! I can't believe you're here!"** Dawn jumped from her seat and hugged her mom Johanna, burying her face into her mom's bosom, who returned the hug.

" **I'm so glad you're okay Dawn!"** replied Johanna, tightening her hug on her daughter, letting out tears of relief that her daughter was alright.

" **May, Max; it's so good to see you two safe and sound!"** cried Caroline as her two children gave her a hug and Norman hugged the three in his strong arms.

" **We missed you Mom. And you too Dad!"** said Max as May merely smiled and let out a few tears.

" **CILAN!"** cried out his brothers as he shouted back to them as well.

" **CRESS! CHILI! How did you two get here?"** asked Cilan.

" **We hitched a ride on a helicopter bro,"** answered Chili with a smirk as the three brothers hugged each other and Cilan re-introduced Iris to his brothers, but as his girlfriend now.

" **Getting into trouble are we?"** joked Iris as she greeted them, the two brothers chuckling at her question.

" **Gramps! Daisy! Why are you two here?"** asked Gary as his grandpa and sister moved to him. They had a three way hug before separating.

" **To check on you squirt,"** replied his sister Daisy as she ruffled his hair with their grandpa smiling at the two. **"Also, I never thanked you. Thanks for…well…you know."** Daisy smiled her thanks at her kid brother and then gave him a hug again. When they separated, Gary waved it off.

" **Don't mention it Daisy. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't care? But you have to thank Ash as well since he's the one who beat the ever living crap out of him…twice,"** revealed Gary with a grin.

" **Is that so? Will do, thanks bro,"** replied Daisy Oak with a smile. **"Hmmm…now how should I thank him? Oh, I know. I'll just take him to my room and then I'll…"** Daisy stopped and smirked mischievously, which made Gary cover his ears and become wide eyed while their grandpa pretended he was interested in the painting that hung on the wall near them.

" **I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"** he cried out, scared that his sister might continue but then Daisy laughed out loud.

" **GOTCHA! HAHAHAHA! Oh man, I needed that. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Thanks again little bro,"** giggled Daisy while Gary scowled and muttered something about being scarred for life.

" **Serena, I'm so happy to see you and I'm so proud of you!"** said Grace as she hugged her daughter.

" **Good to see you too Mom but why are you proud of me? I didn't do anything. It was all Ash. He's the one who saved everyone,"** replied Serena, a little confused.

" **That may be true, but you didn't cower in fear but fought and tried to help him and your friends. I saw all that you did on the news."**

" **Oh right. Thanks Mom."** Serena went pink over her mother's words as the two hugged again.

" **Lucy?"** asked a purple haired girl quietly as she saw someone who she thought she knew from behind.

" **Anabel!"** Lucy and Anabel jumped up in joy seeing each other before giving one another bear hugs as they were close friends, since both worked at the Battle Frontier as Frontier Brains.

" **Are you okay? How's everything?"** asked Anabel immediately after they separated.

" **Yea I'm good and things are finally quieting down slowly. So, do I need to ask why you're here?"** asked Lucy with a smirk and a wink, making Anabel blush as her eyes widened, fearing others may hear her friend.

" **Sshh!"** replied Anabel, as Brock moved closer to the two, saying hi to Anabel and re-introducing himself as Lucy's boyfriend. **"That's right, you two are together now. That's great! I'm so happy for you two,"** replied Anabel, making Brock and Lucy smile as they held hands.

" **Misty! We're so happy that you're alright!"** said Daisy as she and the two other sisters gave a group hug to the red head.

" **Happy…to see you…too…I…can't…breathe…"** gasped Misty since they were hugging her too hard.

" **Sorry Misty,"** said Violet as they stopped. **"It's just that we were terrified about you since you wouldn't pick up your phone or answer any of our messages."**

" **Yea, I get it. Well around here, it's hard to get a call or message through since everyone is still going crazy over what happened yesterday afternoon,"** replied Misty.

" **Yea we saw everything. You fought bravely. We're proud of you. And it looks like your knight in shining armor rescued you huh? We always knew you two would get together. By the way, how's your boyfriend Ash doing Misty? Has he recovered? "** asked Lily, making her little sister blush as she didn't deny it.

" **Ash is your boyfriend?"** asked Anabel loudly and unexpectedly, drawing the attention of the four sisters. Anabel heard Lily as she was near them, standing next to Brock and Lucy.

" **I TOLD YOU!"** shouted Norman at Caroline, after hearing Anabel's loud question.

Everyone stopped talking and went silent over Norman's outburst, making May and Max get pink circles appear on their cheeks in embarrassment.

" **Mom, what's Dad talking about?"** asked May, afraid to hear the answer but before her Mom could answer, Delia and Joy came back at that moment.

" **He's doing fine and he's sleeping right now. The doctor said he'll make a full recovery but will have a couple scars but that's okay!"** beamed Delia at everyone at first, but after noticing them being quiet and staring at Norman, her smile faded away. **"What's going on?"** she asked with worry.

" **I should be asking that same question,"** replied Norman. He looked at his offspring before speaking, still hugging them. **"What's been going on around here? Why haven't you checked in with me?"**

" **Well it's a long story Dad,"** started Max looking at his feet.

" **Yea, we'll tell you everything later,"** finished May, though she didn't drop her gaze.

" **No, you'll tell me now. And what's going on between that Ash and you May?"**

Something in his tone of voice when he said "that Ash" made everyone a little angry from Ash's group of friends, including Delia and Anabel. May and Max pulled away from their father, though Max only moved a couple steps back, stopping next to his Mom, but May moved back until she was standing next to Dawn and Johanna, a good ten feet away from her father.

" **Why did you say 'that Ash' and with that tone of voice?"** asked May, narrowing her eyes at her father.

" **Because I have a bone to pick with him that's why,"** answered Norman coldly.

" **You'll do no such thing! You won't get near my son!"** shouted Delia as she marched right up to him and stared him down, an angry expression on her face. **"My son has just risked his life to save everyone, including your daughter and son who are his friends! If anything, you should be thanking him on your hands and knees right now instead of coming here to pick a fight!"**

" **Out of my way Delia. This isn't your fight. This is between me and him. Man to man."**

Delia didn't move. She continued to glare at Norman who shot daggers back. The tension between the two was unbearable. Nobody knew what to do and there was a long and awkward silence until soft steps were heard from behind them. Everyone turned around to see the cause of the sound and every single person gasped besides Norman, who growled instead.

Ash Ketchum was walking slowly towards them, having woken up from their shouting and sensing the hostile aura from many of them. He was being helped along by Lucario, who had Ash's arm wrapped around his neck and his own arm wrapped around his Master's midsection. Gardevoir and Pikachu were following from behind, concerned expressions on them. He was barefoot and without a shirt, wearing only hospital pants. A long but narrow rectangular bandage was on his chest that ran to his stomach, covering the stitches they put to help seal and heal the last sword attack that cut him. A two inch by two inch square bandage was placed over the gunshot wound he received near his side from Tracey underneath the first bandage, after the doctors had found the bullet, taken it out, cleaned it and stitched it up. On his back was a new bandage covering the stitches they had to redo from his previous wound. He had many black and blue bruises all over his body and many scratches and cuts, some large enough to warrant a smaller bandage as there were several on him. His face had a black eye and on one side of his head was wrapped up in bandages too as he had cut his head when he fell down after losing consciousness in the end.

This was the worst state anyone had ever seen him in and many were filled with sadness over how beat up he was but were amazed that he could walk in that condition, even though he was being helped along. He looked like he survived going through hell and back. Nobody spoke or moved as he drew nearer to them. He had locked eyes with May's father Norman and was going to settle things right then and there but Lucario sent him a mental message.

 _Are you sure Master? Are you up for this right now?_

 _Yes, I'm sure Lucario._

 _Alright. I'll jump in if needed._

 _No. You will not and make sure nobody gets involved, no matter what._

 _But Master I…_

 _Promise me Lucario._

… _._

 _LUCARIO!_

 _I promise Master._

Ash and his pokémon reached the group and stopped for a second. Ash slipped his arm off of Lucario while the aura pokémon lowered his own. He stood there, keeping his gaze at May's father for a second before moving towards him. He limped as he moved towards the angry man, maintaining eye contact.

 _How does he do it? Where does he get his strength from?_ thought an awestruck Sarah.

 _Ash, you're the only one I know who's never afraid!_ May looked at him with wonder.

 _That's my Pokémon Master. Never shying away from a challenge._ Misty smiled.

 _Keep it up my Guardian! You're always here for us._ Dawn beamed at him as he moved past her.

 _I'm so proud of you Ash. I know you'll do the right thing,_ thought Serena.

 _Who else would march right up to a man who wanted to beat the crap out of him with no showing of fear, even when he himself is in an already horrible state? Ash, you're something else entirely. After everything you've done…I knew I had feelings for you…But…now I know…I've fallen in love with you,_ thought Leaf as she watched him go past her with her eyes wide and her heart beating madly.

 _I can't believe the state he's in. I can feel his pain but I can also sense his determination. I've never felt such willpower before, it's amazing!_ Anabel's admiration, respect and feelings grew even more than she thought possible for the young man.

The others stared on in absolute shock as they watched him get closer to the intimidating man. Anabel, the girls' mothers and along with Misty's sisters, were also impressed by his physique, getting pink circles on their faces as they noticed it even in such a state. After what seemed like ages, Ash had finally reached the gym leader and stood about a foot away from him. Ash straightened up when he reached Norman and they were almost the same height. Norman had lost two of his advantages; he used to tower over the raven haired trainer before he grew up and his muscular build advantage was lost as well, seeing the young man had matured and now had lean muscles of his own. The two stood quiet, not blinking before Ash started to speak.

" **I know why you're angry at me Mr. Maple and I want to say that I'm sor-"**

Norman punched the already injured man in the stomach, cutting him off, making him stumble backwards. Ash had known it was coming but didn't block it. He sensed what the man wanted, what he came for and he was going to let him have it.

" **ASH!"** cried out several people at once in worry.

" **DAD!"** yelled May and Max together angrily.

" **NORMAN!"** screamed his wife in shock.

Everyone moved towards the two to stop and separate them. However, Lucario's eyes glowed blue and every single person besides Ash and Norman were frozen in place. They were glaring at Ash and Lucario, telling him to let them go but he didn't listen.

" **I'm sorry but this needs to end now before it turns into something else,"** replied Ash calmly as Norman looked around at the frozen people and then at Ash.

 _I'll give him points for taking it like a man but he's still going to get an ass whooping!_

" **This is what you wanted to do, isn't it? Well, here I am,"** said Ash as he gestured to himself standing in front of him, waiting for Norman to strike.

Norman growled at the challenge and punched the young man again in the chest. Ash stumbled back before recomposing himself and standing up straight again in front of Norman.

" **Is that all you got?"** taunted Ash. May's eyes went wide as she yelled desperately for them to stop.

 _Does he have a death wish? Man, he's crazy_ , thought Gary.

" **I'll show you what I've got you punk!"**

Norman punched Ash's stomach again, causing the raven haired trainer to cough and blood to splatter the floor. His bandage covering his bullet wound had come off and some of his stitches tore open. Ash taunted him again by moving his hand as if to say keep them coming.

" **You befriended my children, came into our home, broke bread with us and what do you do next? You leave them!"** roared Norman has he punched him again in the body, causing Ash to grunt.

" **You made Max miss a tournament because he was too depressed over his friend leaving!"**

He punched him again as Max reddened in embarrassment.

" **You made May stop going to contests! You caused her to spend many nights crying in her sleep!"**

He punched him in the face this time, making Ash spit out blood as his head turned to the side from the strike. May went crimson over what her father said.

" **And then you came back!"**

Norman took a breather, getting tired. Ash was barely standing on his feet and Pikachu's ears dropped as he feared for him. But neither had he, Gardevoir or Lucario intervened since Ash told them not to, no matter what happened.

 _Just a little more, hang in there._ Gardevoir's mental words encouraged Ash, drawing strength from it.

" **And?"** gasped Ash. Norman raged at his question.

" **And you came back and you didn't give a damn about May at all! You stringed her along while getting cozy with the redhead and that Leaf girl! I saw how you held them in the broadcast of the horrible fight against the invaders! Hero or not, you're playing games with my daughter and I won't stand for it!"**

Norman had punched Ash after each sentence. The raven haired trainer dropped to one knee, coughing up blood and his chest stitches opened up more, causing the bandages over it to quickly redden.

 _Is that why Dad's so angry?_ Thought May. _Oh no, I'm so sorry Ash! He doesn't know!_

Ash shakily stood back up, wiping away the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand before he looked at May's father, who was breathing hard. They were quiet for a few seconds before Norman spoke again, but this time with a calmer voice.

" **May…I knew that she liked you. All the times she talked about you…all the stories she said…It was obvious. Why? Why did you leave her? My son Max was hurting bad too since his idol was gone but May…you know how she is…why…why'd you leave? Why did you cause them so much pain? And why would you continue to hurt her after coming back? What are you after? Why are you doing all this? Please tell me!"**

Norman pleaded to the young man and grabbed Ash's shoulders, shaking him as a single tear fell from his eyes. Nobody could believe what they just saw, not even May, Max or his wife Caroline. Ash motioned at Lucario who let everyone go. Nobody moved or made a sound until Ash spoke.

" **I know that she likes me Mr. Maple. And I like her too."** Everyone besides Ash's group stared, not knowing the whole story. **"But it's not as simple as that. There is more to it. But this isn't the time for it. As for Misty and Leaf, they are important to me too and I will do anything to protect the ones I care about. You asked me why I left and I'll answer you. I left to become stronger. I left to train and prepare for the coming days. If I hadn't, then we wouldn't be here right now, with you punching me. Instead, you'd be burying your son and daughter if you were lucky enough to find their bodies."**

Norman and Caroline gasped before glancing at each other and the others shifted uncomfortably at Ash's dark words. They then faced the young man in front of them. Several others looked around the group, hoping to find something to talk about to break the silence but they were saved from doing so when Ash continued to talk.

" **I had to leave them Mr. Maple but it wasn't by choice. I had to leave everyone I knew. Believe me when I say it was no picnic. I suffered as well. I've gone through three years worth of harsh training, traveling to each and every hell hole this planet had to offer, breaking bone, getting insanely sick, fleeing for my life against scary pokémon and enduring sleepless nights while thinking about my friends. I wondered what they were doing, whether they had succeeded in their dreams and if they remembered me at all."**

Many of Ash's friends glanced at one another. Ash hadn't told them much about his three year absence and he was saying some of it right now.

 _Has he really suffered through all that?_ wondered Leaf.

 _Poor Ash, I never knew_ , thought Sarah as Anabel's eyes watered.

" **If you don't believe any of that, I don't blame you Mr. Maple. But at least believe this."** Ash took a breather before continuing. **"My friends, my family and my pokémon are my life and I would gladly die for any one of them."**

Ash brushed off Norman's hands from his shoulders, turned to leave and walked a bit before stumbling down to one knee, coughing and shaking a bit from his injuries. Before the others could react, Lucario appeared by his side and helped him back up.

" **I got you Master. Let's take you back to your bed and get these stitches and bandages replaced."**

Ash was helped down the hall by Lucario, followed by Pikachu and Gardevoir, after the others let him pass without a word. Even Delia let her son go without cuddling him, even though she really wanted to.

" **I'm gonna go redo his stitches and bandages,"** said Joy, the first one recovering and Richie nodded.

" **I'll come help you,"** added Brock and Joy smiled at the offer.

The group watched Brock and Joy go down the hall and disappear into Ash's room before they all turned to glare at Norman. Norman opened his mouth and closed it a couple times before he sagged his shoulders and finally said something.

" **I'm sorry everyone. I let my rage blind me,"** he sighed as he looked around at the others, embarrassed. **"But why didn't he fight back? Why didn't he defend himself?"**

" **With all due respect Mr. Maple, Ash did fight back, but not with his own fists. He fought using only his words. He has a kind soul and only uses violence as a last resort,"** answered Cilan. Iris gave her boyfriend an admiring look before hugging him, impressed by his words.

" **And honestly Mr. Maple, if he did actually fight back, you would be the one who would require a hospital room right now,"** said Gary without fear, inspired by his childhood friend's courage.

Norman glared at Gary for a second who didn't look away. A moment later, he sighed and shook his head. Max didn't move, frozen in fear as he didn't know what his father would do, never seeing him in this type of situation. May however, went straight up to her father and looked him in the eye when he raised his head.

" **I love him Dad. And I know he loves me too. But things are complicated."** May glanced back at Misty, Serena and Dawn. The four nodded at each other, thinking it best to just let everyone know right now as they probably wouldn't get another chance to explain things. **"You should know that I also know that he loves Misty, Dawn and Serena as well, and the three of them love him too."**

Aside from their group, everyone else who just joined them let out cries of shock. Anabel went wide eyed at the revelation that the four girls were in love with Ash and that he loved them back.

" **WHAT?!"** yelled Norman, unable to say anything else.

" **What kind of nonsense is this?!"** shrieked Johanna, looking at her daughter. Dawn moved towards May, standing beside her.

" **It's not nonsense Mom!"** replied Dawn with a fierce gaze.

" **Serena, please tell me this is a joke,"** said Grace, looking at her daughter. Serena left her mother's embrace and stood next to May on her other side.

" **No Mom, it's not a joke,"** answered Serena calmly.

" **Misty?"** asked her three sisters together. Misty glanced at her sisters before smiling and moving to join the three.

" **It's true. We each love Ash and he loves the each of us and we are happy with it all,"** answered the red head and the four girls stood close to one another and held hands to show that they meant what they were saying and that made their parents realize that they weren't kidding around.

" **I will not stand by and let my only daughter be part of some sort of harem!"** cried out Grace as she, Johanna and Caroline moved forward towards their daughters who shouted back protests. Misty's sisters and Norman looked at the four girls as if they were crazy while Delia gazed at them with wonder.

" **Enough."** It was a soft voice that said the word but it was said with authority, causing the arguing mothers and daughters to freeze in silence. Delia glanced at Professor Oak, who had seen enough and moved towards the four girls and stood between them and the three mothers.

 _Damn Gramps, I didn't know you had balls of steel to stop angry mothers like that_ , thought Gary, who was very impressed at his grandfather's bold move.

" **You each say you love him?"** asked Professor Oak.

" **Yes,"** replied Misty, May, Dawn and Serena together at once.

" **And he loves each of you the same?"**

" **Yes."**

" **Are you all 18 or over?"**

" **Yes."**

" **And this isn't the first time that Ash has saved each of you is it?"**

" **No."**

Many people in the group had their eyes widened at this new bit of information that Ash had saved them before.

" **Have you discussed what you each are looking for in a relationship with him?"**

" **Yes."**

" **Has he discussed what he's looking for with you?"**

" **Yes."**

" **Are you prepared for what may come in whatever scenario plays out and will you be alright with it?"**

" **Yes."**

Professor Oak turned to face the parents. He stood quiet for a moment, thinking hard about how he should explain his thoughts. Finally he spoke.

" **As of this moment, what these four young ladies and Ash have together, I can tell is unique and seems to be pure. We will not interfere with it and let it run its course. Whatever happens between them is between them as they are legally adults now and we must accept that fact. But there are more serious things going on right now and we should look into the matter at hand of the attack on the tournament. That is more important at the moment than what's going on between Ash and the four girls."**

Several people among the large group nodded over the professor's words as the mothers glanced at each other but didn't say or do anything. Norman was still as a statue, the revelation shocking him, yet he still heard and listened to Professor Oak's words.

" **However, we must be thankful that they and their friends have such strong bonds as only united can they survive against what may come next if this is just the start. They have each shown tremendous courage and strength of character and everyone in the world has seen it. And we must also be thankful that we have a powerful guardian amongst our midst."**

Some tilted their heads in confusion as he said his last sentence. Oak chuckled before continuing.

" **I am talking of course about Ash, as seeing the things he did at the tournament confirms what he is. Ash is probably the last true Aura Guardian, most likely from an ancient bloodline since his powers are so strong."**

Many of the newer group members gasped as they heard the news, not knowing that the raven haired trainer was an Aura Guardian as the news didn't say what the blue glow and flames were around him. Delia shifted uncomfortably in her spot a bit as Oak revealed what her son is but kept quiet and luckily nobody noticed her distress.

" **Johanna, Grace, Norman, Caroline, Daisy, Violet and Lily; I hope this information helps you feel better as only those with a pure heart can use Aura, even if from a bloodline of Aura Guardians. So if you are afraid that Ash is somehow tricking the girls into being his or just using them, you can rest easy on knowing in the fact that that is not the case."**

The professor finished his speech and turned to face the four girls after eyeing the parents and Misty's sisters for a second who didn't argue or comment back.

" **Good luck in all that you pursue. I hope the best case scenario plays out for you all."**

The girls smiled at him and gave him a hug as he returned one of his own.

" **Thank you Professor Oak,"** they said together at once who replied back with a smile. When they separated, Misty spoke to everyone.

" **Please keep this between us, as we're not yet ready for anyone else to find out."**

Everyone nodded, even the parents and Misty's sisters who smiled at their baby sister after a moment.

" **You have a lot of explaining to do Misty,"** said Daisy as she pointed her finger at her as Misty smirked.

" **Later. We're going to go check on Ash first."**

Misty, Serena, May and Dawn moved together to go see Ash in his room. The three mothers sat down on the empty chairs as they held their heads in their hands, no doubt trying to process all the new information. Norman walked over to the wall to lean against it with his back as he crossed his arms, thinking over everything. Delia was frozen still but then got out of her trance when Oak gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

" **Yes?"** she asked.

" **Are you alright?"** asked Oak. Delia smiled a little.

" **Yes, I'm fine. My baby is alright and apparently he has grown up so much. I never knew just how much and what he's been through,"** she remarked as she took an empty seat.

" **You didn't know where he was either?"** asked Oak, making everyone look at her. She shook her head.

" **I see. I thought he would at least let you know but told you to keep quiet. I guess not this time."**

The four girls returned after about ten minutes while the rest sat in silence. They sat together on a large empty couch across from their mothers, crossing their arms and legs. They told everyone that Brock and Joy had fixed him up and gave him a sleeping pill so he could rest who had returned before the four girls did. Misty's sisters joined them on the couch, sitting next to the red head. Daisy put an arm around her baby sister's shoulders.

" **Looks like you're finally growing up baby sis,"** teased Daisy. Misty smiled as she grasped the necklace he had bought for her. Her sisters noticed and grinned.

" **So he got you a present huh Misty? Let me see!"** said Violet moving closer.

Everyone looked at the sisters, including Norman and the four mothers. Misty took off her hand and Violet saw it. She held it up closer to her eyes and saw it was a blue diamond shaped in a water drop. She flipped it over and read out loud the marked words on the back; **"For my Mystic Mermaid, Misty Waterflower."**

" **Aww! How sweet! I never thought he'd be so romantic!"** said Lily. **"You're a very lucky girl Misty."**

" **Why does she get a gift and the others don't if he loves them equally huh? Well?"** asked Johanna, her fingers drumming on her leg, a little angry. Delia frowned but Caroline and Grace crossed their arms and legs while they glared in agreement.

" **Mom, I got a gift too. See!"** Dawn held up her necklace as she got up and moved towards her mother, holding it in her hands. Johanna looked at it and saw it was a white gold star necklace. Dawn flipped it over so her mom can see the words indented in the back that the blunette read out loud; **"For my Lucky Star, Dawn Berlitz."**

Johanna looked at the gift, her expression softening a bit before looking at her daughter, who was completely happy and content. Her wall crumbled and she suddenly hugged her daughter who was not expecting that but quickly returned the hug, smiling and letting out soft tears.

" **As long as your happy then I'm okay with it all Dawn,"** confessed Johanna as she gave her daughter a bear hug.

" **Thanks Mom. I know you just want what's best for me. But honestly, the happiest I feel, besides coordinating and traveling, is when I'm with him. He makes sure I'm safe no matter what and I know he'll do anything and everything to make me happy. That's all I want Mom."**

Hearing Dawn's words made Caroline and Grace look at their daughters May and Serena who were smiling at Dawn and her mother. Caroline and Grace understood right then and there. They got up, walked to the two and picked them up before hugging them.

" **I'm so sorry for getting crazy. I'm just not used to this sort of thing as very few try it and fewer still make it work. I'm here for you no matter what. I promise,"** said Caroline as she hugged May.

" **Thanks Mom. That's all I wanted to hear,"** replied May as she too began to get watery eyes.

" **Serena, I'm not going to repeat their words but just so you know, I feel the same way. I'm here for you no matter what. But where are your and May's necklaces? Did he go broke?"** Grace chuckled at her own corny joke, making a few people laugh, her daughter Serena among them.

" **Thanks and no Mom,"** replied Serena, half chuckling half annoyed. **"He gave Misty and Dawn necklaces because they had gone out on a date already. We decided to take turns and May and I have not had our dates yet."**

" **Turns? Okay, as much as I am happy of Ash's luck in having four great girls like yourselves standing by his side, you're going to have to explain what's going on,"** asked Delia as she moved towards them.

" **Alright, we'll tell you. But when we go back to our hotel suite as if we tried to explain things here, we may be overheard,"** replied Misty.

The people in the new group agreed and dropped the subject for the time being. Everyone began to talk and catch up on what they've all been doing, telling jokes here and there as well. Nobody noticed Leaf walking down the hall towards Ash's room. Anabel took a seat next to Lucy and Brock, as she became lost in her thoughts.

 _So, he has already confessed his love for these four. I guess he never did see me as more than just a friend. Should I still tell him? Would he like me as well? Or would it just confuse him? Or scare him away from being my friend even? Damn it, what the hell should I do?_

" **Hey Anabel, are you okay?"** asked Brock, noticing her quiet and sad demeanor. Lucy took note of her friend's sullen face and knew what it was about.

" **She's fine Brock, probably just tired from her trip,"** said Lucy, saving her friend from answering. Anabel smiled at the two and when Brock looked away, she thanked her friend quietly.

" **No problem,"** replied Lucy back whispering. **"But I know what it's about so you better tell me later."**

Anabel's eyes went wide and Lucy smirked before turning her attention back to the multiple conversations going on in front of her.

Leaf checked behind her as she reached Ash's room. Nobody was looking her way and she quickly entered the room. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu smiled at the new guest in the room and Leaf returned one as well, waving to them.

" **Hey guys. How's he doing?"** she asked, moving to his side.

" **Master is doing well. His stitches have been redone and his heart rate is normal. Joy gave him a sleeping pill so he should be out for a couple hours at least,"** responded Lucario.

" **That's good to hear Lucario,"** said Leaf with a smile as Gardevoir and Pikachu beamed at her. **"I have a favor to ask."**

" **Yes? What is it Lady Leaf?"** asked the aura pokémon as he drew closer.

" **Could you three give me a private moment with him? I want to tell him my thanks for saving my life. And also, thank you Lucario for saving my life as well."**

" **You are most welcome Lady Leaf. Master cares greatly for all his friends, human and pokémon. I will help him protect you all no matter what,"** replied Lucario with a bow.

" **Not a problem Leaf. We'll go get some water down the hall, relax there for a few minutes and then come back after. Is that enough time?"** asked Gardevoir.

" **Yes, thank you."**

The three pokémon left without another word and closed the door behind them. Leaf turned her attention back to her childhood friend, her eyes taking in as much as they could as she gazed at him sleeping. She then drew closer to him and stood right next to him as his breathing continued evenly.

" **I'm so sorry that you are going through so much pain but I know you'll pull through. You've shown how strong you are and you saved my life. Literally."** Leaf brushed a bit of his hair away that was covering his right eye before continuing as a small smile formed on her lips. **"We used to be so close when we were kids…"** began Leaf in a whisper but stopped as she glanced behind her at the door. She thought she heard something but when nothing happened she faced him again before she continued on. **"I don't know what happened between us,"** she continued, still whispering. **"I should've kept that promise to travel together with you. Maybe things would've been different…or maybe not. I've changed since that time but you haven't. Even as kids, you were the one who never gave up, who always faced any challenge head on and who always threw himself in front of others to protect them. I don't know why it took me so long but I've finally realized that you are more than just my childhood friend. You are the man of my dreams, the type of guy that I would proudly call mine. But I'm too late. You have already professed your love to the other four. I can't believe I'm saying this but I am jealous and envious of what they have with you. Maybe there is room for one more girl in your heart?"** Leaf sighed after that question, knowing how ridiculous it sounds. **"A desperate and pathetic hope isn't it? But I'm still glad for running into you again and I thank Arceus for it. Ever since crossing paths with you again, I've been changing and I've felt something inside me every time I looked at you or talked with you. Seeing you with the girls and seeing how happy you make them, made me feel it even more. I finally know what it all means. I want to be with you. I want you to be mine and I want to be yours and I will wait for you no matter how long it takes for you to see that. What I'm trying to say is…I'm in love with you Ash Ketchum."**

With that, Leaf lowered her face close to Ash's and gently kissed him on his lips, closing her eyes as she did so and holding it there for several seconds before parting. She stayed hovering an inch over Ash's face, who let out a soft moan before quieting. Leaf smiled, a little ecstatic at causing him to make such a sound. A creak sounded out in the quiet room that made her whip around quickly. She saw Sarah and Anabel standing there with their mouths open and eyes wide over what they just witnessed.

" **Ah fuck…"** muttered Leaf under her breath as she realized just how much shit she just put herself in.

 _ **A/N - Well what did you guys think? Let me know what you think of the interactions between everyone and whether or not I was able to capture their personalities.**_

 _ **Also, here is the proposition I have for you all. I have practically finished the next chapter and it's pretty much ready to go. I just need to go over and edit it but I don't want to post it up yet as I want some feedback on this chapter. So here's what I'm thinking; I could either wait until next Friday to post it up as per usual or you guys help me get at least a total of 120 favorites, 120 follows and 100 reviews and I will post it up as soon as I reach those numbers. I will leave it up to my readers and how you respond back will show me whether you want an update or not and may dictate the frequency that I update in the future. Thanks and please, proper reviews only!**_


	28. Chapter 28 - Goodshow and an Interview

_**A/N - Hey guys, it's Silent! A little surprise for you guys as I have another chapter all ready to go for you the very next day after posting up the last one yesterday. A lot of you left messages asking to please not have conditions to post up the next chapter if it's ready to go. I had that proposition up to see how much everyone wanted to read the next chapter...I'm not proud of it but I just wanted to see as I was curious...and I went through some crap recently and so I was a little lost in the head. I guess I just needed something to get out of it and you guys were it so thank you. Also, I promise not to do something like that again. I will post up chapters either usually on Fridays again or as soon as I'm finished with it. Thanks for understanding and for all the support. Hope you like this chapter too!**_

 _ **Jamilade - Hey, no problem. Not everyone has to agree with the harem thing but I don't think it's what you make it out to be. If anything, I believe it's harder and it's definitely not being lazy as you have to juggle everyone's feelings, character, make sure each one has enough time to shine and that each make important or necessary contributions to the story. Also, each girl completes a part of Ash and that is going to be important in the story. People in real life go through this as well, trying to choose the right one as they date. There are many who also have multiple girlfriends/wives. For example, Hugh Hefner, Dan Bilzerian, several other actors I heard about, some Arabic Sheiks, etc. Your analogy of trying to mix three different types of milk because you can't choose and getting a foul taste, I get what you were trying to mean but I don't believe it applies here. I think the better way to describe it is having a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, an Aston Martin and a Saleen S7 and you love each of them the same, take care of each the same and want to enjoy having each in your life. That's how I see it for the story. Sorry if it bugs you but hey, I can't please everyone and you're entitled to your own opinion. But don't worry, he's not going to have a million girls end up with him. Even with his Aura powers, I don't think he'll survive that. lol**_

 **NOTE - Several of you commented that Norman was a bit out of character, out of line and he went a little too far in the last chapter. I understand why you would say that but I needed it for the story. Also, I figured when a parent is angered over something that hurt their child/children, many times all reasonable thought and logic tends to go out the window so I thought it would fit in. But I try to keep characters personality and character either the same/similar to the cannon anime but I have to change some things around or add/remove some things about them to make the story work and because I haven't watched for a long time and tend to go off of my memory with some research here and there. This is sort of an alternate universe after the Kalos region in a way and the characters have grown so expect some changes here and there as people do change as they get older. Okay, enough rant. Time for the chapter! ENJOY!**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 28 – GOODSHOW AND AN INTERVIEW

It was almost noon on the day after the stadium attack. A blue haired girl was hiking up a steep hill towards a large mountain in front of her. She had just arrived to the nearby town a few hours ago and took a rest before she decided to head up the mountain. She was here on a mission and needed to complete it quickly. This girl was very attractive, with her hourglass yet athletic figure. She wore a dark and light blue one piece workout apparel that went from her shoulders down to her thighs along with a cape that was black on the outside and light blue on the inside.

After another twenty minutes or so, she reached the base of the mountain. She raised her head to look at the large steel doors that had large inscribed pictures of two dragons facing each other in mid battle, their claws locked together. She smiled a little as she took in the beautiful design. Every time she saw it, it would bring a smile to her face as it depicted many things that she values such as determination, courage, strength and much more. She took another step and banged hard with her fist against the steel doors and waited. A few minutes later, they finally opened, though slowly and with loud creaking sounds.

" **About time. What took you?"** she asked the door opener with a smirk.

" **Relax will ya? It takes a while to get to the doors from my cabin,"** answered the door opener.

The person standing in front of the blue haired girl was a girl as well, probably the same age as the blunette. She had green hair and was wearing a red short sleeved mini jacket over her black tank top with a red mini skirt that barely reached her thighs.

" **Riiight,"** commented the blue haired girl and the green haired girl huffed in response. **"Anyway, did you get them ready Liza?"** asked the blue haired girl.

" **Yea, they're ready,"** replied Liza as she handed the blunette two poke balls who thanked her. **"So what's the big emergency Clair that both you and your cousin Lance need your Charizards back?"** asked Liza, making Clair look at her as if she was crazy.

" **You don't know what happened?"** asked Clair with a surprised look.

" **You know very well that I only go to the nearby village once a month and that's usually at the beginning of the month. We're halfway through the month genius,"** remarked Liza as she placed her hand on her hip.

" **Oh right. Well you did hear about the Spirit Tournament though right?"** asked Clair.

" **Yeah. Wait that started already?"** asked Liza after nodding.

" **Yeah, it started. And do you remember Ash? And how Ash disappeared three years ago? How his friends were looking for him and no one could find him?"** Liza nodded again to show she was still following and to show she still remembered Ash as a thought went through her head; _who could forget him?_ **"Well he came back and he is in the tournament, absolutely destroying the competition."**

" **No way!"** Liza gasped, surprised to hear that. She knew that Ash had potential but to hear that he's wiping the floor with everyone seemed unreal.

" **That's what I thought at first. But that's not the reason why we need our Charizards back. Immediately after his fifth match, the stadium was attacked by several men who had a small battalion of pokémon with them."**

" **WHAT?!"** shrieked Liza. **"What happened?! Is everyone alright?! Is Ash alright? Who was it?! What's going on?!"**

" **Whoa, relax there. Long story short, it was Ash who saved everyone but got hurt in the end. He's in the hospital right now,"** said Clair.

" **Oh shit. Damn it. Tell me everything that happened Clair. Start from the beginning. And afterwards I'm coming with you,"** remarked Liza.

" **Alright. I can't really keep you from doing that and it'll be nice not traveling alone for a change,"** replied Clair as she followed Liza to her cabin so she could explain everything while the green haired girl got ready for them to leave.

While Clair was with Liza in the Charicific Valley explaining what had happened from the beginning to Liza who listened as she got ready, things were becoming a little tense back at the Indigo Hospital. More specifically, in a certain raven haired guardian's room, a brunette girl was eyeing a blonde girl and purple haired girl with fear in her eyes. Leaf was standing in front of the two, too shocked and scared to move. Sarah and Anabel had walked in on her confessing her love to and kissing Ash while he slept. The three of them stood there in silence for a moment before Sarah moved forward with Anabel walking closely behind with a look of rage.

" **Leaf, what the hell are you-"** started Sarah but was silenced in shock when Anabel suddenly slapped Leaf hard, making the brunette move her head from the impact of the smack with the sound echoing in the quiet room.

" **Damn that hurt!"** cried out Leaf as she held her cheek. Realizing that they were being loud, the three of them glanced at the sleeping young man to see if they had woken him up but he continued sleeping peacefully.

" **How dare you!"** said the purple haired girl in a hushed voice after breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't wake Ash up. Anabel was furious and Sarah was looking at her with an astonished look in her eyes. Leaf eyed her attacker, fear but also anger filling her. **"How could you take advantage of him when he's in such a state?!"** spat Anabel, though she did so quietly as to not wake Ash up. Leaf frowned at her before talking back.

" **Don't give me that bullshit!"** shot Leaf. **"I know you like him too!"** Anabel blinked before losing her nerve.

" **I-I don't know what you're talking a-about,"** replied Anabel but she didn't fool anyone because of her stutter and slight blushing. Sarah was staring at Anabel as well.

" **Wait a second,"** said Sarah, making the two girls look at her. **"Are you telling me that I'm not the only who who's been hiding feelings for him?"**

Anabel's jaw dropped but Leaf smirked.

" **So, finally coming clean huh?"** teased Leaf making Sarah go pink. **"I knew a long time ago. I've seen the way you look at him. And you're bad yourself Anabel."**

" **What do you mean?"** asked the purple haired girl, stunned.

" **Really? I'm surprised nobody said anything, the way you were just staring at Ash when he walked over to us and took May's father's beating like it was nothing. I noticed it. Be happy the four didn't as they would've murdered you."**

" **No they wouldn't! Would they?"** asked Anabel worryingly.

" **They are crazy about him that's for sure,"** replied Sarah with a sigh.

" **I see. So you have a death wish?"** Anabel asked Leaf.

" **No. I just wanted to confess my feelings for him at least before I can try to move on. The kiss was a kiss goodbye,"** replied Leaf.

" **Is that so?"** asked Sarah before she and Anabel glanced at each other. They weren't buying it.

" **Yes it is!"** shot Leaf, glaring at the two.

" **If that's the case, then you would have told him when he's awake,"** remarked Anabel. Leaf stared at her as Sarah shook her head. **"If you truly wanted closure, then you would've done that when he was awake. I think you did that to hold on to him, waiting to see what happens."**

Leaf bit her lip. _Was it that obvious?_

" **Well what about you two? What are you two doing here then?"** snapped Leaf.

" **I came to see whether he's alright or not and because I've been thinking about him for so long. When I came to see how he's doing, Sarah wanted to join as well. I want to confess my feelings for him too but not now. I will find the right time when he's awake,"** replied Anabel calmly and Leaf nodded in understanding. They both then looked at Sarah who took in a breath.

" **I will probably tell him as well but I don't know when,"** said Sarah without hesitation.

" **I see. Well, isn't this is interesting but let's go back before somebody grows suspicious."**

Leaf, Sarah and Anabel left Ash in his room right when Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir came back. The three walked down the hall and rejoined the large group in the waiting area. As soon as they sat down on empty couches, the elevator doors dinged open and a very important man with a large white beard and wearing a white suit entered the area with two security officials following him a step behind. President Goodshow saw the large group and smiled.

" **Ah, you must be Ash's friends!"**

The President of the Pokémon League moved towards them and shook each person's hand before facing them all, beaming at them while his two security guards stood behind him, arms crossed with stoic expressions.

" **Ah, Charles, it's a pleasure, but why are you here?"** asked Oak as the two shook hands.

" **Hello Samuel. How's everything? And please, the rest of you, no formalities please. Just call me Charles or Goodshow. I'm here to see that wonderful man Ash Ketchum. He is here is he not?"**

" **He is Charles but my son is sleeping right now,"** answered Delia as she stood up.

" **Ah, so you're his mother! I must say, ah…"**

" **My name is Delia."**

" **Delia! What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman,"** commented Goodshow, making Delia blush a bit. **"I must say, even though you already know this, but you're son is a very courageous man! I knew he was something special all those years ago when I first met him at his first tournament appearance but no way did I think he was this type of person! An Aura Guardian! A powerful trainer! Yet kind hearted and selfless! Delia, you're son is the most amazing person I've ever met!"**

Delia blushed even more at his compliments and waved her hand as she responded back saying he was too kind. Many of Ash's friends grinned at one another. They knew all that before and were happy for him that other people were beginning to notice it as well.

" **No no, Delia, I mean every word from my heart. Why I even-"** BEEP! An alarm cut off Goodshow and he glanced at his watch. **"What perfect timing! Here, let me prove to you how much I mean my words."**

Goodshow reached for the TV remote on the small stand in the corner of the room and turned on the large flat screen TV that was hanging on the wall. He changed the channel to a news channel and set down the remote. He gestured everyone to watch the news with a large smile on his face.

" **AND NOW WE BRING YOU THE NEWS AT NOON! EVERYONE IS STILL TALKING ABOUT THE ATTACK ON THE STADIUM THAT OCCURRED DURING THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT'S FIFTH ROUND MATCH UPS. IT'S BEEN A TOUGH TIME SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION AND QUIETING DOWN EXAGGERATIONS AS BELIEVABLE AS** _ **'I WAS ALMOST KILLED'**_ **TO** _ **'I WAS THE GREAT SAVIOR'**_ **AND I'M LIKE** _ **'REALLY?'**_ **YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT YOU WERE THE SAVIOR WHEN THE ENTIRE THING WAS BROADCASTED LIVE? I MEAN COME ON. ALRIGHT PEOPLE LETS GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT FROM NON OTHER THAN PRESIDENT GOODSHOW HIMSELF, WHO GAVE US THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OUR VERY OWN SPECIAL NEWS REPORTER, BRITNEY SNOW HALF AN HOUR AGO! LET'S WATCH."**

The video changed from the male news anchor who was in a suit to a female reporter, who had on a white blouse and her brown hair was curly. She was standing next to President Goodshow.

" **I'M BRITNEY SNOW AND I'M STANDING HERE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE, MR. CHARLES GOODSHOW.** (Charles smiled and waved to the camera) **MR. GOODSHOW, THE ENTIRE HORRIBLE EVENT WAS BROADCASTED TO THE WHOLE WORLD YET THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE OUT THERE CLAIMING TO BE THE SO CALLED SAVIOR. CAN YOU PLEASE CLEAR THIS OUT FOR US?"**

" **NOT A PROBLEM BRITNEY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE THINKING, BUT AS THE BROADCAST SHOWS, WE ALL OWE OUR LIVES AND THANKS TO A VERY SPECIAL TRAINER BY THE NAME OF ASH KETCHUM. OF COURSE THE CHAMPIONS LANCE, STEVEN AND CYNTHIA WERE THERE AS WELL AND THERE WERE A FEW OF ASH'S FRIENDS FIGHTING IN THE STANDS TOO. YET WHEN THE CHIPS WERE DOWN AND ALL LOOKED LOST, ASH STEPPED UP AND FOUGHT BACK, STRIKING DOWN ALL THE MUTATED POKEMON AND EVIL MEN, EVEN WHEN OUTNUMBERED AND INJURED HIMSELF."**

" **THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP BUT WE ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE BLUE GLOW AND FLAMES AROUND THE YOUNG MAN? IS IT BECAUSE OF SOME EXPERIMENT? IS HE A CYBORG? OR IS HE A HYBRID HUMAN AND POKEMON?"**

Charles laughed in the video and in the hospital and so did many in the group as they watched the interview from the hospital's waiting room.

" **NO, NO AND NO. WHAT THAT WAS…I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF I SHOULD BE THE ONE SAYING WHAT IT IS, BUT BETTER TO HAVE PEOPLE KNOW THE TRUTH THAN TO MAKE UP WILD STORIES. THAT WAS ASH KETCHUM'S AURA POWERS."**

" **AURA POWERS?"**

" **YES BRITNEY, HIS AURA POWERS. EVERYONE HAS AURA, AS IT IS THE SPIRITUAL LIFE ENERGY INSIDE EVERYONE; POKEMON, HUMANS, PLANTS AND ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE. CERTAIN SPECIAL INDIVIDUALS CAN USE IT SOMEWHAT TO ENHANCE THEIR SENSES, ABILITIES OR TO DO OTHER THINGS WITH THEIR MINDS, SUCH AS PSYCHICS AND EMPATHS WHO USE THEIR GIFTS IF THEY TRAIN HARD ENOUGH. HOWEVER, CERTAIN SPECIAL PERSONS ARE CHOSEN BY LORD ARCEUS WHO CAN BECOME AN AURA GUARIDAN, WHICH IS A PERSON WITH A PURE MIND AND HEART THAT CAN FULLY USE AND MANIPULATE AURA IF THEY SO WISH AND TRAIN HARD. THE AURA GUARDIANS WERE MADE TO BE PROTECTORS OF THE WORLD, MAINTAINING BALANCE AND HELPING PEOPLE AND POKEMON WHEN ABLE. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT ASH IS AN AURA GUARDIAN."**

" **AN AURA GUARDIAN? WE HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT ANOTHER ONE BESIDES MASTER RILEY IN THE KINGDOM OF ROTA. AND WE'VE NEVER SEEN ONE USING THEIR POWERS BEFORE. WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW? THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THAT?"** asked Britney.

" **I HAVE MANY FRIENDS IN RESEARCH POSITIONS ACROSS THE WORLD AND OTHER FRIENDS WHO PRACTICE AND FOLLOW OLDER TRADITIONS AND CULTURES. PLUS I READ A LOT,"** chuckled Goodshow.

" **I SEE. WE'RE ALMOST DONE MR. GOODSHOW. BUT FIRST, I BET MANY ARE WONDERING WOULDN'T IT BE DANGEROUS FOR SOMEONE TO HAVE THAT MUCH POWER?"**

" **I UNDERTSAND YOU'RE CONCERN BRITNEY BUT AS I SAID, AURA GUARDIANS ARE CHOSEN BY LORD ARCEUS AND MUST HAVE A PURE MIND AND HEART TO BE ABLE TO USE AURA. WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THE YOUNG MAN. ESPECIALLY AFTER WITNESSING HIM THROWING HIMSELF IN FRONT OF OTHERS TO PROTECT THEM ALL."**

" **YOU MAKE SENSE MR. GOODSHOW AND THANK YOU FOR EXPLAING THAT AGAIN. NOW, WILL THE TOURNAMENT CONTINUE, AND WILL ASH CONTINUE TO COMPETE? AND WILL HE BE REWARDED FOR HIS HEROIC ACTIONS?"**

" **THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT WILL CONTINUE AND ASH WILL STILL COMPETE WITH NO DOUBT FROM MY MIND. WE WILL HONOR HIS ACTIONS BY POSTPONING THE TOURNAMENT UNTIL HE RECOVERS FROM THE INJURIES HE SUSTAINED PROTECTING EVERYONE. THAT WILL GIVE US SOME TIME TO RESTORE THE STADIUM AS WELL TO ITS FORMER GLORY AND BEEF UP SECURITY. AS FOR A REWARD, WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP HIM RECOVER AND NOT WORRY ABOUT HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO ARE PROBABLY ON THEIR WAY TO SEE HIM RIGHT NOW. THE POKEMON LEAGUE WILL HANDLE ALL OF HIS HOSPITAL COSTS AS WELL AS ALL COSTS RACKED UP BY HIM, HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHILE THEY STAY AT THEIR HOTEL. WE WILL MAKE SURE HE AND HIS GROUP ENJOY THEIR STAY HERE. I HAVE ONE MORE GIFT FOR HIM BUT THAT I WILL ONLY TELL THE YOUNG MAN WHEN I SEE HIM."**

" **THANK YOU PRESIDENT GOODSHOW FOR YOUR TIME, EXPLAING THINGS AND FOR TAKING CARE OF SUCH A FINE YOUNG MAN."** Britney turned to face the camera. **"THERE YOU HAVE IT EVERYONE. THE TRUE SAVIOR WAS ASH KETCHUM, AN AURA GUARDIAN, CHOSEN BY LORD ARCEUS TO BE OUR PROTECTOR WHO WILL CONTINUE COMPETING IN THE TOURNAMENT. THE POKEMON LEAGUE IS GOING TO MAKE SURE HIS STAY IS AS COMFORTABLE AND ENJOYABLE AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW, SIGNING OFF."**

The news channel switched back to the news anchor right after Britney signed off.

" **BECAUSE OF THE LIVE BROADCAST, MANY PEOPLE RECORDED THE EVENT AND MANY HAVE MADE MUSIC VIDEOS AND UPLOADED THEM AS TRIBUTES TO THE HERO, ASH KETCHUM. SOME ARE EVEN CALLING HIM THE CHOSEN ONE, POKEMON MASTER, THE PROTECTOR AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, THE BLUE SPIRIT. GET IT? BECAUSE HIS POWERS ARE COLORED BLUE AND HE HAS AN INCREDIBLE FIGHTING SPIRIT? EH? AH, WHATEVER. ANYWAY, WE WILL SHOW YOU THE TOP FIVE MUSIC VIDEOS THAT WE PICKED RIGHT AFTER THESE COMMERCIALS."**

At that moment, Goodshow turned off the TV and turned to face the others.

" **I like that; The Blue Spirit. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"** asked Goodshow as he turned back to the group with a smile. **"Anyway, I hope that clears up some things. I have set up a new suite for him and I hope he likes it and I tried to be a little discreet, to help Ash out with his privacy but I bet you know how stubborn the media is."**

Several people laughed knowing what he meant as they had dealt with them numerous times over the past twenty four hours.

" **You didn't have to do anything Charles but we appreciate it just the same,"** replied Delia with a smile.

" **Nonsense Delia. I will not stand by and not give credit, thanks or reward where it's due and your son deserves it all, probably more so. I could never repay him for what he has done. Anyway, when you all return to the Indigo Plateau Hotel, I have made arrangements for Ash and all of you to be transferred to the very top level of the hotel."**

Gary's jaw dropped after hearing that.

" **You mean we get the penthouse suite usually reserved for you or the current Pokémon Master?"** asked Gary in disbelief.

" **Hit the nail right on the head there,"** chuckled Goodshow. The younger people in the group glanced at one another with grins plastered on their faces and Goodshow laughed. **"I don't need it and the Pokémon Master hasn't been seen in a while so I don't think he'll mind. And don't worry about the bunk bed charges for your current suite. Consider it gone."**

" **Thank you Goodshow!"** said Misty, Serena, May and Dawn as they got up and hugged the President who went red at being hugged by four beautiful girls.

" **You're all very welcome. It's no problem. I'm happy to do it especially because all of you have earned it, especially Ash."**

" **He's pretty great isn't he?"** remarked Misty with a smile as the four girls separated from Goodshow.

" **Who's pretty great?"**

Everyone turned to see the man whose voice they know so well. Ash was walking towards them, holding his side, but not limping anymore and some of his light bruises and cuts were completely gone. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu were right behind. They were a little happier seeing Ash had recovered a bit. The four girls shot to him at once, hugging him but also a little peeved.

" **What are you doing out of bed?!"** snapped Dawn as she let go.

" **You're supposed to be resting!"** added Serena, eyeing him angrily.

" **You know me, can't sleep with all this fun stuff going on, even with a sleeping pill. And who's pretty great Misty?"** asked Ash with a hint of jealousy in his tone of voice.

" **Very funny mister and wow, are you jealous?"** The four girls giggled. **"I was talking about you, you dummy,"** replied Misty as she giggled. Ash shook his head slightly and smiled.

" **How are you not limping anymore and how are most of your smaller cuts and lighter bruises gone?"** asked May as she checked him over. He was wearing slippers this time but still no shirt. Ash smiled.

" **Heal Pulse."**

" **OH!"** said the four at once.

" **Wait, why didn't you use that before when you first came out of your room to face my Dad?"** asked Max as they joined the group.

" **I didn't want Lucario getting tired doing that for me, especially so soon after our huge battle as it takes a lot of energy to heal someone, and when it's many wounds, it's even worse but Lucario is more stubborn than I am. Plus I thought if I made it look like I was in very bad shape, your Dad might go easier on me since I sensed how angry he was. I guess I was wrong,"** chuckled Ash.

Many from the group laughed as May slapped his arm playfully, yelling out **"ASH!"** before giggling. Ash looked up at Norman, who gave Ash a curt nod, which he returned. The young man greeted each of the new arrivals, shaking hands with them all and hugging several like Cilan's brothers, Gary's sister Daisy, Misty's sisters and Anabel, causing all the newly arrived girls to go slightly red since he was so fit. He finally turned to face Goodshow.

" **Hello Mr. Goodshow. It's good to see you again,"** said Ash as he raised his hand.

" **You call me Charles or Goodshow. No 'Mr' or 'President' from you alright?"** Ash smiled before nodding while Goodshow shook his hand. **"Good. I wanted to personally thank you Ash for all that you have done for us and wanted to tell you that I can never repay you for that. However, please accept these few feeble gifts as thanks. Your hospital costs will be covered by the Pokémon League, the bunk bed charges are taken care of and I have bumped you and your friends up to the pent house suite of the Indigo Plateau Hotel on the last floor all the way at the top and we will gladly cover all costs occurred by you and the people who stay with you until you leave after the tournament ends with the closing ceremony. So go ape shit on room service and whatever else the hotel as to offer."**

" **I'm not so sure that's a good idea Goodshow,"** started Gary as everyone glanced at him. **"Ash and May can eat someone out of their house and home."**

" **HEY!"** shouted Ash and May together, causing everyone to laugh at them.

" **Let's put it to the test shall we?"** joked Goodshow. Ash and May pouted, causing more laughter. **"Okay, okay, enough's enough I guess,"** he relented. **"Ash, I have one more gift for you."**

He pulled out a small box from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to the raven haired trainer. Ash took the box and opened it. Inside it was a poke ball but it was different; the bottom half was the same color as a normal poke ball, which was grayish silver, but the top half was purple with two red circles on the top, with a large 'M' on the front.

" **No freaking way!"** exclaimed Gary. Many of Ash's friends crowded around him to get a better look at the gift but only a few realized what it was as they gasped but the others were lost.

" **The only Master Ball in existence that was made by Sliph and that will capture any pokémon without fail. They never did make it into production since it would cost way too much to mass produce. I have had that for many years, thinking it would be a great prize for a great victor one day. But now I see that the best person to give it to is you Ash. You have earned that fair and square with your actions and I can't think of a better person who will put it to good use."**

" **I don't know what to say besides thank you Goodshow,"** said Ash as he shook the president's hand. After that he stared at the Master Ball for a moment. _This will catch any pokémon without fail?_

" **You're welcome Ash. Also, I have a slight favor to ask of you. Will you please give an interview to the media? They've been going crazy trying to get to you and I have kept them at bay for the time being. You don't have to answer any questions you don't want to and can say 'no comment' or 'next question'. I'm sure if you give them this one interview then they will probably leave you alone."**

" **I'll do the interview Goodshow but I doubt they'll leave me alone,"** chuckled Ash, his friends chuckling with him.

" **Great, thank you Ash. I will set up the interview for today at 6pm in the large conference room at the hotel. I will have one of my assistants come for you about twenty minutes before hand. Is that alright with you?"**

" **Not a problem. Gives me enough time to get back to the hotel and relax for a bit. But I want my family and friends to be able to come if they wish to."**

" **Great! I'll see you then and that's absolutely no problem. Feel better and the arrangements are already made. You can move your belongings with you to the penthouse as soon as you get back to the hotel. See you all later!"**

Goodshow waved his farewell at the group and left, the two security guards following him into the elevator. Gary faced his childhood friend with a slight smirk.

" **I swear you're the luckiest son of a b-"**

" **Language Gary!"** interjected Delia. Everyone laughed and Gary went red.

" **Ah man, now we gotta deal with having older people around!"** whined Gary.

" **Who are you calling old?!"** snapped Johanna, Grace, Caroline and Delia together, as they scowled at the young pokémon researcher. Gary sweat dropped, taking a couple steps back, holding his hands out in front of him as he waved them in the air.

" **I didn't mean it like that! Please! You're all young and very attractive!"** shouted Gary, panicking and the four mothers raised their eyebrows at him.

" **You never did learn when to stop talking little brother,"** teased his sister Daisy, her brother scowling in return, making them all laugh.

" **C'mon everyone. Let's head back to the hotel,"** said Ash as he walked towards the elevator.

He soon stopped and turned around when he heard a door open and several voices. He smiled when he sensed who the voices belonged to and waited for them to get nearer before he said anything. The others turned to look in the direction he was looking at to see why. Joy, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Iris smiled once they realized who the four were.

" **Are you sure you're fine?"** asked a pink haired girl as she hugged the left arm of a tall and very muscular large man who nodded with a smile at her.

" **You're not lying to us are you Bruno?"** asked another pink haired girl who looked exactly like the first girl, hugging his right arm. Bruno looked at her and shook his head.

" **Of course not. I would never lie to any of you,"** he replied back softly.

" **Good. Now let's go home so we can all relax. It's been a long day already,"** said a third girl with pink hair too as she popped her head out from behind them, since she was hugging him from behind.

The three identical girls were smiling and holding onto Bruno as they walked towards Ash and his group, many of whom were looking at the new arrivals with wide eyes and mouths slightly open since they were in the presence of an Elite Four member and had three beautiful girls clinging to him. Suddenly, Joy spoke out, getting their attention.

" **Hey guys. Looks like Bruno is fine since he's back on his feet,"** said Joy. The three girls glanced at Joy and the next second they squealed in surprise and hugged their sister, asking her how she is. **"I'm doing well thanks. Some news for you; I have a boyfriend now."** She pointed at Richie who blushed slightly and waved hello.

" **Hi Richie!"** said the three together enthusiastically as they each gave him a hug and Richie blushed even more, making his friends chuckle.

" **Everyone, these three are my sisters Ann Joy, Annie Joy and Anna Joy. And you all know who Bruno is,"** commented Joy as she introduced her sisters and Bruno to everyone.

" **So what are you doing here Joy? Working or is someone you know hurt?"** asked Ann.

" **I was waiting for Ash to get better with all of his friends and family here,"** answered Joy.

" **Wait, Ash is here too?!"** asked Annie with wide eyes.

" **Yea, I'm right here,"** said Ash as he stepped forward, making Joy's sisters and Bruno to look at him.

" **Ash, it's good to see you are alright. I must thank you for saving my life along with everyone else's life at the stadium,"** praised Bruno as he stepped forward and shook the young guardian's hand. Even though Ash had gotten taller and grew some muscles, he paled in comparison to the karate master who towered over him.

" **Thanks Bruno. I just did what I could. I'm sure others would have too,"** replied Ash after they withdrew their hands and rubbed the back of his head.

" **Not likely. Not many would have thrown themselves into the fire like that to protect others,"** said Bruno and Ash blushed as many others nodded in agreement.

" **Ash,"** started Anna as she, Ann and Annie moved closer to the raven haired guardian and he looked at them with a slight tilt of his head. **"We wanted to thank you for saving the man of our dreams. We don't know what we would've done if something happened to him but thanks to you, we don't have to go through that. Thank you."**

Ann, Annie and Anna each gave Ash a kiss on the cheek as they thanked him, making several of the guys' jaws drop from his group of friends, namely Brock, Gary, Chili and Cress. Lucy elbowed Brock who hurriedly apologized to her, saying he was just surprised that's all, causing several near them to chuckle at his predicament.

" **Ah, thanks but no need to worry. I'm glad I was able to help and make sure everyone got out in one piece,"** said Ash.

" **Even so, thank you. And good luck with the rest of the tournament,"** said Bruno before giving Ash a curt nod and got one back in return from the Guardian.

" **Bye Joy and friends. See you around. Oh and you're all invited to our wedding once we pick a date,"** said Annie as she, Ann, Anna and Bruno left after they said their goodbyes.

Seeing Joy's three sisters happy with one man made Caroline, Joanna and Grace think about what they learned about their daughters and Ash being together. They didn't know of any others in that kind of situation and they were surprised to see them so happy. The three mothers glanced at one another as they each thought that perhaps it could work out well for their daughters and Ash. They meant what they said before about being supportive but seeing others who were happy in a similar situation made them truly believe that it was possible.

" **I'm glad that they're happy and dong alright,"** commented Ash a couple minutes later before heading towards the elevators again. **"C'mon, let's go for real this time."**

" **Ash, what about your clothes?"** asked his Mom, seeing him only in hospital pants, slippers and covered with four bandages, two on his front, one on his back and one on the back side of his head.

" **They were all torn up and bloodied. I had the nurse throw them away and I'll be fine until we get back to the hotel,"** replied Ash as he glanced back at his Mom. **"I'm fine Mom. Really. C'mon, let's go."**

He continued on as Misty, Dawn, Serena and May quickly joined him, two on each side of him. His Pikachu jumped onto Misty's shoulder and Gardevoir and Lucario followed from behind.

" **They really do look happy together,"** whispered Caroline to her husband as he approached her, looking at the five who were talking and had pleasant expressions on their faces.

" **I just hope it stays that way,"** sighed Norman after a long silence.

Sarah, Leaf and Anabel gave looks of longing at Ash and luckily for them, it went unnoticed as the large group of friends and family members gathered round the elevator. They went down in two groups as the elevator, large as it was, couldn't have them all fit at once. Ash signed himself out and they all left the hospital building shortly after, walking down the sidewalk to the area where most of the taxi cabs usually waited at. They called for three large SUVs to take them back to the hotel. When they arrived at the hotel, Norman paid for the fares and they all headed inside the building. A representative from the Pokémon League was waiting for them inside and immediately moved to Ash.

" **Ash! It's good to see you on your feet!"** said the official. It was the same man who he had saved earlier from Russell's sneak attack.

" **Thanks. How have you been?"** asked Ash as he shook the official's hand.

" **Been great thank you. I'm here to make sure everything is smooth in the transfer of your belongings to the penthouse suite and to just get your signature on this paper that says everything is agreed upon,"** replied the official.

" **Let me see that please,"** said Delia, taking the paper that he took out from his jacket. She scanned the document, not finding any hidden or fine print that could bite them in the ass later and made to sign it but the official stopped her.

" **I'm sorry miss, but I must have Ash sign it. It's what Mr. Goodshow required."**

Ash took the paper and pen and signed it after his Mom said it was alright and everything was good. The official took the paper and put it inside his jacket's pocket.

" **Alright, follow me please."** They all moved to the elevator and decided that they needed to take four trips for everyone to get to the top floor. Once they were all together again on the fortieth floor, the official walked down the short hall and took out multiple card keys. He slid one down the door's security panel and a green light turned on with a beep. He opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door open from inside and motioning for everyone to come in. Everyone had a look of wonder on their face as they stepped inside and looked around.

The penthouse suite was huge and very modernly decorated. It had several couches facing a large flat screen TV that hung on the wall, with several gaming consoles connected to it sitting on a TV stand. There were two large media shelves filled with movies and games on either side of the TV and consoles. The kitchen was twice the size of the one Ash and his friends used on the lower floor. The dining room was spacious enough to have two large dining tables in it, big enough for everyone in their group to eat comfortably at the same time and still have a few extra people added. It had a large balcony and patio combo that was curved around two sides of the building, letting them see over everything in the distance. There was a big swimming pool and large jacuzzi along with a pool table and foosball table that were sitting underneath the patio cover. There were many bedrooms and bathrooms enough for them all to share without a problem, having queen beds in each of them and one king bed in the master bedroom.

" **This is going to be great!"** shouted Max happily, throwing a fist into the air. Many of the people in their group nodded in agreement.

" **Thank you very much sir and please let Goodshow know about our thanks as well,"** said Ash as he turned to the official.

" **Not a problem Ash, and just call me Alex. Do you need help bringing up your belongings?"** asked Alex.

" **No, we'll take care of it ourselves. You've done too much for us already,"** replied Ash with a smile.

Alex nodded, shook hands with Ash and gave him five card keys to the room and left after saying his farewell. Ash took one card key for himself before hanging the rest from the key holder that was nailed to the wall next to the door. He then faced the others with his trademark goofy grin.

" **Not bad huh?"** asked Ash with a chuckle. **"So I guess we need to divide up the rooms again."**

" **Won't be much of an issue this time, since we have many more rooms and more space to bring up beds no problem,"** replied Brock. **"But you still get the master bedroom Ash. It's because of you again that we got a great suite, just like before. "**

Everyone agreed at Brock's statement and Ash thanked them, turning slightly red as he scratched the back of his head, being careful not to mess up the bandage on his head. They then spoke and figured out the room occupants. After talking for a little while with some shouting here and there, they came up with the following groups for each room; Ash alone; Misty, Dawn, Serena and May; Norman and Caroline; Delia, Grace, and Johanna; Brock and Lucy; Richie and Joy; Iris and Cilan; Gary and his grandpa Oak; Gary's sister Daisy, Misty's sister Daisy, Lily and Violet; Chili, Cress and Max; and finally Sarah, Leaf and Anabel.

The parents tried to force the kids to all have separate beds and no sharing of rooms between different genders but were ultimately defeated as several of the couples were not their own children and they were of age and legally adults so they decided that those that were not in a relationship should not share beds, even though they were all close and were comfortable, even if they were the same gender. They decided that since they were all adults, except for Max, that whoever was in a relationship already could share a room together, except for Ash and the four girls, as the girl's parents and Misty's sisters were adamant about it. The young adults gave in on that request and they came to an agreement that they each would get their own twin bed instead of sharing one since they were not in a relationship and the many siblings were overjoyed that they didn't have to share a bed.

Joy wrote down the requested changes of the beds and said she'll turn them in when they went down to their previous room to get their belongings, which they soon did. Joy was glad that she was able to share a room with Richie, not having to go home all the time. She thought that she should bring some clothes with her the first chance she got as she headed downstairs and handed in the requested changes to the hotel staff manager. Joy traveled to her house to pack a duffel bag with some clothes.

The others packed up their stuff as fast as they could from their old suite but it still took them quite a bit of time since they had to chase down their belongings as they had gotten everywhere. By the time they were able to go back up to their new suite on the top floor, Joy had come back to them with her duffel bag filled with clothes and they found that the requested changes have already been done and completed, the beds having been replaced and set up.

" **Talk about room service!"** exclaimed Sarah with a grin.

" **Yea, must be because it's the penthouse suite and we have a celebrity with us now,"** quipped Gary.

" **Shut up Gary!"** said Ash, embarrassed. They all laughed causing the raven haired trainer to pout.

" **Ash, quit sulking and go put on some proper clothes!"** ordered Delia.

Ash threw up his hands as he huffed and went to his room after picking up his luggage. All the girls giggled at him, slightly pink in the face as they admired his body; even though it was bandaged up, they could still see much of his lean muscles. Everyone else went to their respective rooms with their roommates or lover and put away their belongings since they would still be there until the tournament ended. As soon as each person finished putting away their stuff, they slowly reformed the large group as they all went to the living room and sat down on the large couches.

" **Ah, this is the life!"** exclaimed Chili as he hopped onto an empty spot on one of the couches, making Violet giggle at his statement. Chili glanced at her and went red before smiling back. Violet kept her smile as she sat down next to her sisters Daisy and Lily.

" **Be careful brother. Your wish may actually come true and you may hate it,"** replied Cress as he sat down next to his energetic and rash brother. His comment made Lily glance at him but did nothing. Daisy noticed her two sisters' actions and shook her head slightly, but smiled.

" **I doubt that Cress,"** replied Chili as he put his feet up on the empty coffee table and put his hands behind his head.

" **Don't get too comfy buddy, as we'll soon be going down to the interview. That's if you want to come join us. Who knows, maybe you'll get to appear on TV like Ashy-boy,"** joked Gary, taking a seat next to the two brothers.

" **I hope it's not too bad. I really don't feel like doing it,"** sighed Ash as he plopped down on one of the empty couches after changing his clothes. He was wearing black jeans and a blue shirt, covering his bandages on his body while his hat covered the bandage on his head. Serena had given his hat back to him when they packed up their stuff in the lower room. His Pikachu jumped up onto him and stood on his shoulder when Lucario and Gardevoir took a seat on the same couch as Ash, both on his left side.

" **Pikapi, pi pikachu!"**

" **Thanks buddy for wishing me luck."** Ash smiled at his starter and scratched the mouse behind its ear.

" **Chaaa!"** cooed the yellow mouse, getting smiles from Misty's sisters.

" **Don't worry Master, you'll do fine."** The newer members from the group were used to hearing some pokémon speak with Telepathy but when Gardevoir began speaking as well, they were stunned.

" **You'll do great Ash,"** she said in her soft and angel like voice, making the newer members of the group stare at her for a few seconds, making the fairy pokémon go pink.

" **You're pokémon are right,"** said Daisy Waterflower after recovering. **"It'll be over before you know it. Just be relaxed and don't take it too personally as they're just doing their jobs. If they ask something or talk about something you don't like, just tell them you're not going to comment or answer and move on,"** advised Misty's oldest sister.

" **Thanks Daisy. I'll do just that if needed."**

" **Hey Ash?"** said Gary's sister, Daisy Oak, as she joined the group around the living room and took a seat next to him.

" **Hey Daisy, what's up?"** asked Ash as he turned to face her.

" **I just wanted to say thank you for taking out the trash,"** she said as she gave him a kiss on his cheek, making him go red and causing Gary to jerk forward from his seated position. Everyone around raised their highbrows in surprise, not expecting that at all.

" **Ah thanks, but what do…oh…that…Yea, no problem and you're welcome,"** said Ash smiling as he figured out what it was about.

" **Hey, are you cheating on Misty Ash? Cause I will kick your ass!"** said Lily, standing up, making Cress look at her in amusement. Daisy Oak tried to explain as Ash curled up into a ball on the couch as he too tried to explain but she wasn't listening to either of them as she got closer.

" **Woah, Lily, where's the fire?"** asked Misty as she and the three girls entered the room, seeing her sister advancing on Ash with an angry look.

" **This girl just kissed your boyfriend and he didn't stop her!"** she shouted as she pointed at Gary's sister who went wide eyed and red.

" **WHAT?!"** screamed Misty and the three girls as they turned to see who the culprit was. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel flinched as they saw how angry they got, seeing that they may have to go through that when they confess one day. But when they saw it was Gary's sister Daisy, the four girls calmed down instantly and burst out laughing, making everyone stare.

" **Ah Misty, why are you laughing?"** asked Violet.

" **Yea, shouldn't you be angry?"** added Daisy, confused.

" **No, I shouldn't be angry and I'm laughing because you three are idiots and still trying to cause trouble over nothing!"** snapped Misty. Her three sisters growled but before they could say anything, she explained. **"This is Gary's older sister Daisy and Ash beat the crap out of a guy who treated her badly and I bet the kiss was just a thank you just like what Joy's sisters did. Right Daisy?"**

" **Couldn't have said it better myself and it was just a kiss on the cheek,"** clarified Daisy. **"Wow, you really have matured Misty. I remember you being more of a hot head. I'm impressed."**

" **Thank you Daisy,"** said Misty as the four girls sat down next to the raven haired trainer as Daisy got up with Lucario and Gardevoir scooting over more to the left, making room for them.

" **So am I in the clear or am I going to get slapped by one of you?"** asked Ash, slowly lowering his defenses as he eyed the four girls.

" **You're in the clear for now Ash but don't think you can use this as an excuse to do other things,"** warned Misty but Ash just smiled.

" **I'll never even dream of it Mist,"** replied Ash. Misty smiled before giving him a soft kiss on the lips and then snuggled into his side. The other three copied her as they all gave him a soft kiss as well before they too snuggled closer to him as he wrapped his arms around them. Anabel had a hurt look in her eyes that only Sarah and Leaf saw. They were used to seeing the five be together but Anabel was still adjusting. The blonde and brunette glanced at each other before sighing and shook their heads slightly.

" **Man, you are one lucky bastard,"** remarked Chili as he eyed the five, causing them to go pink slightly.

Everyone chuckled at Chili's words though Delia scolded him for his language, making Chili cower in his seat, making them laugh again. Suddenly someone knocked on the door so Ash got up to see who it was, with Pikachu on his shoulder.

" **Yes?"** stated Ash as he opened the door. A league official was standing before him.

" **I'm here to escort Ash Ketchum and his friends to the conference room for the interview. Are you ready?"** asked the official.

Ash glanced back to the group and saw everyone was gathered round, ready.

" **Yes we are,"** he replied.

" **Good let's go then."**

Ash followed the official, the others following him with Lucario and Gardevoir right behind Ash. They took the stairs down one level as they had setup the conference room on the thirty ninth floor in one of the larger suites and entered the room. They saw that the very large living room had dozens of foldable metal chairs propped up in many rows with a path way to walk through in the middle, facing a long table covered with a white tablecloth and several microphones placed on top of it.

The media were already there and when they saw Ash and his group, they quickly took many photographs and tried to ask questions but were held back by the many league officials. Ash sweat dropped as he slowed to a stop.

" **Ash, over here!"** called out Goodshow near the front. Ash and his friends hurried to the president. Ash and Goodshow shook hands while being photographed.

" **Is it always like this?"** asked Ash quietly, getting a little nervous.

" **No, not really, but you're the biggest news in a long time so they're all clamoring to get some answers,"** said Goodshow with a grin. **"By the way, those seats are reserved for your friends and family."** Goodshow pointed to the chairs that had reserved signs on them and Ash's group moved to take their seats, after they wished him luck.

The four girls didn't get close to hug or kiss him since they knew it would get in the news somehow and neither they nor Ash wanted that right now. Ash and his pokémon followed Goodshow and the two sat at the table facing everyone. Pikachu stayed on Ash's shoulder as Gardevoir and Lucario stood standing behind Ash, even after he told them they could sit down. Many league officials stood behind them and all around the room along the walls to make sure nothing happened and to control the media. Before Goodshow spoke, the girls smiled at Ash who returned a smile of his own to them.

" **Alright everyone, please settle down."** The media personnel sat down and went silent. **"Thank you. You all know the reason why we are here,"** continued Goodshow. Several camera guys were behind everyone else, videoing everyone and everything. **"Ash Ketchum has agreed to a one time interview with all of you but if he feels uncomfortable about something, he will not talk about it or answer back. This interview will only last for one hour so please have your questions ready and we will start from the front and work our way back."** Goodshow turned to Ash, who nodded. **"Let us begin with you there,"** finished Goodshow pointing at the reporter in the front.

" **Thank you Mr. Goodshow. Ash, everyone wants to know; how did you and your pokémon become so strong?"** asked a tall female reporter.

" **I just went into heavy training for three years,"** replied Ash with a shrug.

" **Is that why you disappeared?"** asked another reporter as the first sat down.

" **Pretty much."**

" **You're family and friends must have worried about you since it was said that you had disappeared and nobody could find you. Were you able to keep in touch with them at least?"** asked another. Ash frowned at that question and so did many from his group. Pikachu patted Ash's head to calm him.

" **No I wasn't. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't get in contact but I kept going thanks to the support of my pokémon and was able to stay patient until the day came that I could return."**

" **When did you find out about your aura powers? Did you always know and did you always know you were an Aura Guardian?"** asked one of the shorter reporters.

" **He found out about his aura powers when he visited my kingdom,"** replied a proud female's voice from the back of the room.

Everyone, including the camera men, turned around to see who spoke and their eyes widened. Queen Ilene and Master Riley were walking down the path between the chairs and heading towards Ash and Mr. Goodshow. Queen Ilene was wearing her royal clothes consisting of a white and light blue dress like gown with her scepter in hand and crown on her head. Master Riley was wearing his Guardian's uniform that consisted of blue pants, a black sleeveless shirt with a blue cape and blue fedora hat along with his staff. Pikachu jumped onto the table as Ash got up and maneuvered quickly to reach them and when he was in front of the queen he knelt down on one leg and bowed his head.

" **My Queen, it is good to see you. But why are you here so far from home?"** asked Ash as he took her one outstretched hand and kissed the back of it gently before standing back up after.

Seeing Ash act in that way made many people stare. Chili, Cress, Cilan, Max, Richie, Brock and Gary's jaw dropped while seven girls grew angry, yet three of them kept it within themselves, while the other four shook in fury and became red in the face.

" **Is Ash your lover?!"** shouted a young reporter, making Queen Ilene and Ash go crimson red. The four girls had steam practically shoot out of their ears now. Norman started cracking his knuckles as his neck's vein popped.

" **Ash is in so much trouble,"** whispered Chili to his brothers, who nodded while they grimaced, as they saw the four girls get angry and their mothers and sisters were shaking as well.

" **Ash Ketchum is not my lover,"** shot Queen Ilene as she faced the reporter who made the outburst with a death glare. **"He is only a friend and he had visited my kingdom years ago and participated in a small tournament there with his friends. Some interesting events took place that revealed his aura powers then. He is merely following an Aura Guardian's protocol, which Master Riley has taught him that states he must greet royalty in the same manner as a knight would."**

The young reporter sat back down slowly, face flushed with embarrassment and fear filling him from the Queen's death glare. The seven girls relaxed after hearing that Ash was doing it not because he wanted to, but because he had to and the mothers, Norman and sisters calmed down as well. The four girls glanced at each other before shaking their heads thinking the same thing; _we should know better._

" **Thank you Queen Ilene for clearing things up but you didn't answer my question. Why are you and Master Riley here?"** asked Ash.

" **We came to visit you. We had seen what you did; protecting everyone at the stadium and wanted to come see you and make sure you were alright. When we went to the hospital you had already signed out and we were told that you were giving an interview and had to see it for ourselves,"** answered Riley as he and Ash shook hands.

" **We also ran into a couple friends of yours on the way here,"** added Ilene as she stepped aside. A young man a couple years older than Ash with large round glasses wearing a blue jumpsuit and his younger sister who had on a pink shirt and skirt waved at the raven haired trainer when they saw him.

" **Clemont! Bonnie!"** Ash dashed to the two and hugged them both. **"It's good to see you two again!"**

" **It's good to see you too Ash!"** squeaked Bonnie as she returned the hug.

" **Likewise Ash,"** replied Clemont.

" **We'll catch up soon I promise. Let me just finish this up,"** said Ash as Goodshow gestured to him to come back to the front. Three of the four new arrivals sat in the last few empty chairs, with Riley ending up standing but he didn't mind. Ash went back to the front and continued the interview.

" **So where were we? Oh right. So Queen Ilene explained when I first found out about my aura and I took the Guardian's Oath a couple years later that gave me the title of Aura Guardian, even though I was already one technically. This was done before I left for my three years of training."**

" **Mr. Ketchum, since Queen Ilene is not your girlfriend, does that mean you're available?"** asked another female reporter, who was fairly attractive and looked rather hopeful.

" **Ah no, sorry I'm not as I am with someone but it's kind of complicated,"** chuckled Ash. Many of his friends laughed, knowing the truth.

" **Can you tell us who she is?"** replied back the same reporter.

" **I'm not ready yet since as I haven't been in a relationship before,"** answered Ash honestly, making the reporter get wide eyed before she sat down.

" **That's hard to believe that such a handsome and courageous young man like yourself hasn't been in a relationship until recently. Can you tell us anything about her?"** asked another female reporter.

" **I'm not going to say who she is or any other personal information about her but I will tell you that she is beautiful, smart, kind, caring, passionate, a tough trainer, a top coordinator, incredible at Pokémon Showcases, I've known her for a long time and I will never betray her."**

The four girls' hearts melted as he talked about each of them in his statement and they understood why he said it as if they were only one girl since neither of them wanted the attention it would bring if he mentioned he was with four girls at once right now. They weren't ready for it and there was already enough for the media to be gossiping about Ash without adding their love lives into headlines.

" **Sounds like you are one lucky man to find such a great girl. Do you know where other single guys like myself can find a girl like that?"** asked a male reporter, making several people laugh.

" **I can't help you there buddy. I really did get lucky as I just bumped into her during my travels. Just be yourself I guess and don't be a jackass,"** replied Ash with chuckle.

" **Pika,"** agreed Pikachu as he nodded, crossing his arms, making everyone laugh.

" **Mr. Goodshow said you will still be competing. We are amazed that you have recovered so quickly. How did you get better so fast?"**

" **Yes, I will still be competing as I have promised a close friend of mine and my pokémon that victory will be ours in this tournament. About the healing, I still am recovering. I have some bandages underneath my clothes and hat but I'll be fine. I have great friends who rushed me to the hospital and great doctors that treated my injuries. Plus I've always been a quick healer so that's pretty lucky of me I guess,"** finished Ash, not fully disclosing how he recovered so quickly. He really didn't want the attention.

" **Can we get a picture of your injuries?"** asked another reporter, standing up while signaling his camera man to get ready to get the shot.

" **Why would you want to take a picture of that?"** asked Ash confused. **"You should take a picture instead of my pokémon who fought bravely and helped protect everyone. Or of my friends who are sitting right there who also helped out. Those pictures will be a lot better than my stitched up cuts and bullet wound."**

The reporter opened and closed his mouth stupidly since he was embarrassed for his request. He hurriedly ordered his camera man to photograph Pikachu, Gardevoir and Lucario who were next to Ash and then of his friends sitting down nearby. Some of Ash's friends, such as Gary and Max and a couple others, made poses for the pictures that made many laugh. When they calmed down finally after a few minutes, Goodshow spoke.

" **The tournament will continue tomorrow since he's back on his feet. We have repaired everything and we were patiently waiting to find out about Ash's condition and when we found out, we got the ball rolling. The computer has already selected the next match ups. His next match is tomorrow at 5pm, the last match of the day, just so everyone knows,"** added Goodshow. All of the media personal made a note of that in their notepads.

" **Where did that purple shield and barriers come from during the fight? Whoever or whatever did that, were they also responsible for that incredible attack from the sky?"** asked another reporter.

" **Those purple barriers, shield and attack were done by a friend of mine who came to help me out during the fight,"** explained Ash.

" **I see. Can you tell us a bit more of who exactly that friend of yours is?"** asked the same reporter.

" **Sorry, but he likes his privacy,"** replied Ash and the reporter nodded before sitting down.

" **You are a tournament favorite and are incredibly strong but fighting a no rules battle for your life and fighting a league match are two different things. Do you believe you can beat Tobias who has never lost a match except against the Champions and some of the Elite Four? And what about the other tough trainers such as Paul and Trip? You have a rivalry with them do you not?"** asked a tall and large man.

" **I do have rivalries with them. But I'm not too worried as I believe my pokémon are ready for anything and so am I,"** replied Ash confidently as his pokémon beside him gave cheers. The reporter sat down, annoyed he didn't get more information.

" **Do you think your parents are proud of you or are they scared of what you did?"** asked a young female reporter.

" **My Mom is always worried about me but I believe that she is proud of me as well and I hope I can continue making her proud of me,"** replied Ash. Delia smiled at her son.

" **You didn't mention your father. What about him?"**

Ash's face darkened with his friends and Mom noticing.

" **Next question."**

The young female reporter sat down, not continuing but another quickly stood up.

" **How come you don't want to talk about your father? Did he leave you or has he died or…"**

" **Next question."**

Ash was becoming angry and so was his Mom. The four girls glanced at Delia and then back at Ash, worried. The reporter didn't relent.

" **Look, we would like to know about your father, whose son became so strong and would like to know who he was and how you view him and…"**

" **Enough,"** said Ash as he glared at the man who wouldn't relent. His Pikachu was growling while Gardevoir and Lucario eyed the reporter with dislike. " **My personal life is my business only and whether or not I choose to share it with the world or not is up to me and me alone. I guess you just don't understand the concept of 'next question' when someone says it so let me spell it out for you. If you have any other questions to ask that is not related to my family I will answer them if I feel I should answer it. If not, then this interview is over."**

Delia was impressed that her son handled that situation well. She feared that he may explode and make a scene but he had matured greatly in the past three years. The reporter sat back down after being embarrassed and Ash answered a few more questions, mostly about the attack, his powers, what he can do and the tournament. He gave them vague answers regarding his powers for some of them and said a couple times to watch the video of the stadium attack since it was public now. The one hour interview session ended when Goodshow's watch alarm went off and the media was quickly escorted out by the league officials. Ash sighed as he stood up before moving to his friends.

" **I'm never doing an interview again,"** said Ash as some of his friends chuckled.

" **Thank you Ash,"** said Goodshow as he joined them. **"I do apologize for that one reporter's rudeness. You can go back to your suite and I hope the rest of your time here is spent on better things."** Before Ash could say anything, a strong voice with authority was heard from the conference room's entrance.

" **Sorry Ash but it looks like you're not going anywhere just yet."**

Ash, his group, his pokémon and Goodshow turned to see Lance moving towards them with Steven, Cynthia, Alder and Diantha right behind them. Lance had a serious look on his face, while Steven, Diantha and Alder looked curious while Cynthia had a worried expression but quickly changed it to a normal one when Ash glanced at her.

" **Hey Cynthia. Thanks for waiting for me to get better. My friends told me about that and I appreciate it,"** said Ash, making Cynthia smile and blush ever so slightly. Ash then turned to face Lance. **"Look Lance, it's good to see you but I'm tired and I want to go rest. I'll speak to you either before my match tomorrow or after,"** said Ash as made to move past the Champions but Lance blocked his path.

" **No Ash. We have some things to discuss and we need to talk about it now. Privately."**

" **Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of everyone here,"** replied Ash.

Pikachu was on his shoulder, sparks shooting out of his cheeks and Lucario and Gardevoir were standing beside him. Every one of his friends stood up and eyed the Champions. Even Queen Ilene stood up and eyed them with annoyance. Lance however wouldn't be deterred and his face stayed serious.

" **Very well then; what have you been up to these past three years?"** asked the Dragon master.

" **Like I said, I was training."**

" **Is that so? Then why did the invaders say to speak to you when we questioned them about the attack on the stadium?"**

" **What?!"** Ash was stunned.

" **How could you believe their word?!"** shouted Misty. To question Ash about such a thing was like questioning a fish as to why it couldn't breathe on land. It just didn't make sense.

" **I don't but it's very odd. Ash disappears for three years and we've experienced a calm and peace that we haven't seen in a long time. The moment he reappears, all hell breaks loose. This is connected to you in some way and I intend to find out how and why,"** said Lance, making some people think about what he just said until someone else spoke.

" **You do know that it was because of Ash that we even experienced such peace?"** interrupted Serena angrily, making everyone look at her. **"He was the one who brought down Team Flare after they tried to fire that weapon that could've destroyed the whole damn world!"**

" **I wasn't there and neither were any people I can trust. I cannot take the word of Ash alone over something that may cause many innocent lives to be lost. I have my own-"**

SMACK! Lance was silenced and made to stumble back a bit as May had slapped him hard because she lost her cool. Everyone gasped at her action, including her father and mother. Cynthia praised the young girl's action in her head, impressed since that was what she was thinking of doing at that moment but was beaten to the punch.

" **May, you don't need-"** started Ash weakly as she had surprised him but was cut off.

" **Don't you dare say Ash isn't trustworthy!"** screamed May, shaking with rage.

" **Do you know the penalty for striking another person, let alone a Champion?"** asked Lance as he straightened out, with a scary look on his face. **"Jail time. You are under arrest miss."**

" **NO! Leave her alone!"** yelled Ash.

" **Then answer what were you up to these past few years!"** repeated Lance angrily.

" **I told you! I was in training,"** repeated Ash but Lance growled.

" **Fine. If you don't want to come clean then your girlfriend is under arrest."**

" **Lance, this isn't necessary. And that was hardly a strike. Plus, I've told you about the time Ash and I fought alongside his other friends in Sinnoh on Mount Coronet. Doesn't that count for something?"** asked Cynthia as she tried to defuse the hostile situation. She was about to speak more but was silenced under his cold glare.

" **If you cannot stay neutral and unbiased because of your past experiences with him, if you cannot control your emotions and feelings, you will leave immediately. And I will be the judge of what's necessary when the stakes are innocent people's lives,"** growled Lance.

Cynthia's face flushed crimson as she was silenced, not wanting her secret to be let out just yet. Satisfied with her falling in line, Lance turned back around as he took out hand cuffs from his pocket. Ash stepped in front of May who was quickly becoming afraid.

" **Look I'm telling you the truth, I was in training and I would never do such a thing as be involved with people like that. I don't have the faintest clue as to why they would say that. Don't you remember you and I fighting against Team Agua and Team Magma together? You know me damn it!"**

" **I thought I did. You're words aren't proof enough I'm afraid and I can't take any chances. Three years is enough time to change anyone and the recent events are too suspicious to be just coincidences. Either tell me what you did now or step aside or you'll be arrested as well."**

Ash's friends started shouting along with the raven haired trainer and even Queen Ilene got involved saying that this was total lunacy until May spoke out.

" **STOP!"** she yelled. Everyone went silent and May looked at Ash. **"It's okay. I shouldn't have slapped him even if he did deserve it. I'm not going to risk anyone else getting in trouble over me. And I know you'll find a way to get me out."**

May looked at Ash, fixing her blue eyes onto his brown. She leaned in and kissed Ash on the lips softly for a few seconds, making Cynthia's eyes go wide in surprise unnoticed before May turned around to step forward and Lance cuffed her. Caroline started to cry and Norman muttered under his breath as he held his wife, trying to comfort her. Max was just staring open mouthed at what was happening. They walked a few feet away, the other Champions giving space for them to leave, but with half hearted looks on their faces clearly meaning that they weren't happy with how things were going. May glanced back at Ash as she continued walking, her eyes filled with sadness and fear. Ash felt his heart drop.

" **NO!"** shouted Ash as he sprinted forward, past the stunned four Champions before snatching May out of Lance's grasp, who turned around with a furious look. **"You will not take her away. I'll show you what I've been up to and the type of person I am. Then you'll know the truth."**

" **And how are you going to do that?"** asked Lance, still angry but intrigued.

" **Take off the hand cuffs and you'll see."**

 _ **A/N - So what did you guys think? Also, just so you know, the next chapter is going to be a bit of nostalgia run but with some new angles/slightly different from the usual to go with the story. It's going to be big and I hope I can pull it off. It's going to be a longer chapter than the others, with lots of information and will set things up for later. I just started on it so I hope I can finish it in time. Hope you guys are prepared. :)**_


	29. Chapter 29 - Memories

**IMPORTANT UPDATE 10-20-15; I have made a poll asking for your guys opinion. Please check it out and it's posted on my profile page. I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!**

* * *

 ** _A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with the next chapter for you! I don't know how I did it, but I was able to finish and edit it in time. This is my longest chapter ever and I doubt my other chapters will be this long (It's over 50 pages in Word with over 27,000 words!). It's long because there was a lot that I had to mention in this chapter. I really enjoyed getting this one done as it basically tells a lot about Ash, who he is, how he became who he is, etc. I hope you enjoy it!_**

 ** _Nightcore - Thanks for the praise and giving the advice. Appreciate it!_**

 ** _Guest 1 - Yea, sorry buddy it's just that it was the perfect spot to take a break and stop the story. Well, here you go!_**

 ** _Guest 2 - That's the idea and yea, a lot is going to be revealed in this chapter._**

 **NOTE 1 - Before you guys tell me that some things aren't canon, or why I didn't include certain things, I will remind you that I am doing this mostly from memory and very little research here and there since I don't have much time. Plus, the ones I chose I felt show Ash's personality better from my memory. Also, I couldn't put in everything and I had to change some things to make it fit the story better. This is FanFiction after all. :)**

 **NOTE 2 - Just wanted to tell everyone thank you for all the support. I really do appreciate it.**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 29 – MEMORIES

Lance was about to leave with May in hand cuffs when Ash agreed to show him proof that he wasn't involved in the stadium attack in exchange for May's freedom. After Lance took off May's handcuffs, Caroline quickly went to her daughter and hugged her tightly before leading her back to their group.

" **Well, I'm waiting."** Lance crossed his arms and glared at Ash. The raven haired trainer sighed before looking at his psychic pokémon.

" **Gardevoir, come here please,"** said Ash softly. Gardevoir gracefully moved towards him and stopped by his side, a questioning look on her face. " **You know what to do."**

" **But, I don't have much experience in this. I'm not sure I can do it,"** remarked Gardevoir. Queen Ilene, Riley, Bonnie and Clemont stared at the psychic and fairy type, never before hearing a Gardevoir speak, even though it was through telepathy.

" **Ash, what are you trying to do?"** asked May, worried but Ash held up his hand, signaling her to wait.

" **You'll see,"** replied Ash as he glanced at her before facing his pokémon again. **"You can do it Gardevoir, I believe in you. But if you want, I'm sure Anabel can help you. She is a psychic too."**

Anabel blushed slightly at being mentioned by her crush but quickly got over it and moved towards them. She stopped right in front of the two.

" **I will be happy to help Ash with whatever it is you're trying to do. Just tell me what and how,"** stated Anabel with a smile.

" **What is going on here?"** asked Steven, confused at what he was trying to do.

" **I would also like to know what it is you're planning Ash,"** commented Diantha.

" **Gardevoir is going to bring out my memories and Anabel is going to help her stabilize the connection. You're going to see what I've done in my life to show the type of person I am as your proof that I wasn't and wouldn't be involved in the stadium attack or anything of the sort."**

" **I see. Well, if that's the case then we need a neutral third party,"** said Lance. He took out his phone and quickly called someone as Ash's eyes narrowed. **"I need you here. Now."**

Lance hung up and a second later, a pink glow appeared in front of them. Sabrina, the beautiful psychic Gym Leader of Saffron City appeared, having just teleported to their location. She was wearing her trademark gym outfit consisting of a red knee length skirt and red jacket over her black blouse, complimenting her black hair. Gary yelped at the sight of her and quickly hid behind Leaf and Ilene, who glanced back at him with amused but also confused faces.

" **I'm here Lance. And Gary, I know you're there. You can stop hiding and being afraid. I've moved on."**

Gary slowly peered out from behind the two girls and gulped before giving his ex-girlfriend of barely a month a small smile.

" **Typical Gare-Bear,"** jabbed Leaf, earning some chuckles from their friends. Gary scowled and moved to stand between her and Ilene again. The latter of the two wondered for a brief moment as to the reason why the young man would be so scared of the black haired girl but then pushed it aside. She had more important things going on right now that she wanted to focus on.

" **What is it Lance?"** asked Sabrina calmly, facing him and the other Champions.

" **Ash here is going to show us some of his memories. I want you to be part of these two who bring them out to make sure they aren't altering anything."**

Sabrina looked at the people that Lance pointed to and noticed the raven haired trainer standing near her. The gym leader's cold demeanor softened at the sight of him, who nodded at her with a straight face. She still remembered how he helped her break free of her cold emotionless self years ago.

" **I see. Very well,"** said Sabrina. She moved to stand near Gardevoir and Anabel who were nervous.

" **Relax Gardevoir; I know you can do it. Show them what you believe will help them see the type of person I am and that I'm not lying. And I know you'll do great too Anabel. Sabrina, thanks for doing this,"** remarked Ash. Gardevoir and Anabel smiled, gathering confidence from his encouragement and Sabrina merely nodded with a stoic look on her face though her eyes were locked onto Ash.

Sabrina, Gardevoir and Anabel glanced at one another before each of them placed a hand on Ash's head and a moment later, their eyes glowed blue and so did Ash's. They used their powers together to bring out the raven haired guardian's memories. A large blue sphere appeared above them suddenly and it showed a blurry image. Everyone was in awe as to what they were witnessing but quickly got over it as the image's quality got much better with the blue coloring fading away to reveal normal coloring. Pretty soon they could clearly see what was going on.

 **MEMORY #1**

A young Ash Ketchum, around six years of age, was in his room, having just woken up. He yawned as he stretched before getting dressed and headed downstairs. While making his way down, he heard someone crying and froze as he became scared. After a few seconds, he moved faster down and headed into the kitchen to see who was sobbing so early in the morning. It was his mom who was crying.

" **Mommy, why are you crying?"** asked kid Ash. Delia was sobbing loudly and looked up at her son when she heard him with a tear streaked face.

" **Oh Ash…I don't know how to say this but…Daddy is gone!"**

" **What? What do you mean Mommy? Daddy will never leave! He's hiding as always! We always play hide and seek remember? I'll find him, you'll see!"**

" **Ash, wait!"** cried Delia but kid Ash was already out of the house by the time she said anything. They watched kid Ash run around the town, checking all the usual spots that his daddy would hide in but found nothing. After checking the last place, he sighed while shrugging and went back home.

" **Mommy, Daddy is getting good, I can't find him! I checked all his spots!"** exclaimed kid Ash, panting as he doubled over, leaning against his knees with his hands. He noticed his mommy was on the couch now and still crying. She faced him before quickly getting up and hugging her son.

" **Oh Ashy…sweetie...I don't think you will be able to find him again. He's gone. He went away for good!"**

" **What?"** whispered kid Ash, finally understanding and taking a step back. **"He…he left? Why would he leave? Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong? Is it because he doesn't love me anymore?"**

Kid Ash started to cry thinking it was his fault his daddy left, making the people who were watching the memory fidget around as they were uncomfortable watching such a personal and emotional memory. Delia let out silent tears as the memory of that day flashed through her mind's eye, remembering the whirlwind of emotions she felt that day.

" **No it's not because of you, sweetie. I don't-ASH!"**

Kid Ash had suddenly run out the door, crying like mad, ignoring his mommy's shouts as he ran towards the cliff near Pallet Town overlooking the ocean. He ran and he ran until he couldn't anymore, falling to his hands and knees, near the cliff's edge. He was crying and breathing hard. He started whispering to himself as he panted for air in between his crying.

" **Why'd you…leave…daddy? Why…I thought you…loved…me…"**

Many who were watching the memory had tears in their eyes, including Cynthia but Lance kept his serious gaze, though Steven, Alder and Diantha showed signs of concern. Kid Ash looked up and stared out into the horizon. The sun was setting, striking the water with its rays, making the ocean sparkle. If he wasn't so sad, he would've thought it looked amazing. The young boy felt someone sit down on the ground next to him after a few minutes of watching the sunset. He knew it was his mom without even glancing at her. Kid Ash wiped his noise with the back of his hand as he kept looking straight ahead.

" **Why did Daddy leave?"** asked kid Ash after a long silence.

" **I don't know…I have no idea as to why he'd leave like that. I'm so sorry Ash,"** answered Delia quietly, barely holding back tears. Suddenly kid Ash threw himself at his mommy as he hugged her and started sobbing loudly. **"It's okay sweetie. Mommy's here and I'll never leave you."**

" **You promise?"** asked kid Ash after a moment.

" **I promise. And can you make a promise and keep it for me?"** Ash nodded as he looked up at her, unable to speak. **"Never let anything keep you down. Life is hard and difficult. But we cannot let it control us. We will fall. We will hurt. We will lose people we love. People will walk out of our lives. But we must never let it keep us from living. Can you do that for me? Promise me that you'll always look for the good in life, that you'll never give up and that you'll never let bad things keep you down."**

" **I promise Mommy. I promise to do my best. And I promise that I won't be like him either. I'll never leave you or anyone else without saying why,"** promised kid Ash. The two hugged and stayed like that as the sun completely set, with Delia letting out more tears as she remembered that day. The memory faded away before another took its place.

 **MEMORY #2**

A young honey blonde haired girl, barely nine years old, was crying in the middle of a forest, holding her leg. She had fallen and grazed her leg after being spooked by a Poliwag and it had begun to bleed. She was lost, scared and hurt and didn't know what to do besides crying.

" **Hey don't cry,"** said a dark haired boy as he appeared out of some bushes. The girl stopped crying immediately and eyed the boy. As he got closer she moved backwards a little, scared since she did not know him. **"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help,"** said the boy as he kneeled down next to her. He saw her leg bleeding and took out a blue handkerchief and wrapped it around her wound. She looked at what he did before looking at him.

" **Thank you,"** said the girl quietly, her cheeks turning pink.

" **No problem. I'm glad I could help. I'm Ash Ketchum by the way,"** said the boy standing up, holding out his hand to her. She took it and stood up.

" **I'm Serena,"** replied back the girl, her face becoming redder though Ash didn't comment on it since he didn't notice, being a kid.

" **Cool. Nice to meet you. Let's get out of here,"** said young Ash as he began to walk away but when Serena tried to follow after him, she stumbled a bit.

" **I can't! My leg hurts too much!"** cried young Serena, kneeling down and holding her injured leg.

" **Don't worry, I got you."** Young Ash took young Serena's hand and pulled her up. The young girl's cheeks reddened even more. **"We'll go get you fixed up and then we can play with my friends Gary and Leaf. They're good people even though they can be a little annoying sometimes. OK?"** Serena nodded but then she sniffed a bit, trying to hide that she was still scared. **"Hey."** Serena turned her gaze to Ash who was looking at her. He smiled a bit before speaking. **"Don't worry. I'm here and I won't leave you. Don't give up until it's over,"** he said to her.

He then led her out of the forest while holding her hand and back to their camp grounds. As the memory faded away and the third one came up, Serena smiled at the memory, remembering the first time she met the love of her life.

 **MEMORY #3**

Ash Ketchum had just started his pokémon journey with Pikachu when a flock of Spearow tore after the two after being angered by the trainer and his pokémon. They were shocked to see him in such danger but were also surprised to be able to hear the memory Ash's thoughts.

 _What a terrible first day and it's not even over yet! First I wake up late, I didn't get the pokémon I wanted for my starter, I ended up with a Pikachu who doesn't listen to me, Gary was a complete jerk to me while bragging how he has a bunch of cheer leaders following him as he travels, Leaf broke her promise to travel together on our journey as she left without me and now I have a bunch of Spearow trying to kill me! Why is this happening to me? Why? What did I do to deserve such bad luck?_

Leaf and Gary glanced at each other, feeling horrible for what they did to Ash in the past before facing the memory again. Leaf was especially sullen, remembering that promise. She had broken it because of her impatience to start her journey and felt that he was going to slow her down. Ilene gave another covert curious look at Gary, thinking about the cheerleader remark before facing the sphere again. Ash ran for a while longer before he tripped and fell, dropping Pikachu who hit the ground hard and cried out in pain. He looked up at his starter pokémon who was beyond beat up and whimpering.

 _I'm getting nowhere with this. I can't blame anyone or anything. This is the hand I've been dealt and I have to make it work. I can't keep running and Pikachu is hurt badly. I won't let them hurt him anymore! I have to face them!_

His thoughts moved the people as they watched the tired memory Ash place Pikachu's poke ball next to the electric mouse, telling him to get inside it to be safe. He then struggled to get up before facing the flock of Spearow as a clap of thunder was heard from overhead, making some of the viewers flinch.

" **Spearow! Do you know who I am?"** shouted Ash at the many Spearow who cawed back at him.

" **My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm going to become the greatest Pokémon Master there ever was or ever will be! That means that I can't be beaten by the likes of you! I know you're angry but that doesn't mean you can do as you like! And you will stop hurting my Pikachu as I won't let you! I'm not afraid of you so come and get me if you dare!"** roared Ash, spreading his arms out as thunder clapped over head again.

The flock of Spearow all shot towards the young trainer. Some of the people watching the memory shouted out pointless warnings as they saw the angry pokémon get closer. Ash braced himself but he felt something run up his body and from the corner of his eye he saw a yellow mouse jump into the air from his shoulder in front of him. Pikachu jumped at such a perfect time that he absorbed a lightning bolt that struck at that second.

" **PIKA…CHUUUUUU!"** Pikachu used the lightning strike to fire a supercharged electrical attack that engulfed all the Spearow but also blasted Ash down to the ground, blacking out.

Ash woke up the next morning and saw his Pikachu lying down on the ground next to him, facing him with the Spearow finally gone. He looked very weak. Before he could do or say anything, the sunlight shone down on them as the clouds parted and a soft cry was heard from overhead. Ash and Pikachu looked up at the sky, expecting to see Spearow again but instead saw a massive yet beautiful rainbow colored bird flying overhead. The people watching were stunned at the fact that Ash had seen a legendary pokémon so soon in his journey.

" **A Ho-Oh…seeing one is said to be a blessing from the legendary and that it will bring good fortune to those who see it,"** remarked Oak while everyone else stood in silence, too stunned to speak.

" **Pika…"** cried the yellow mouse weakly as Ash slowly got up and picked up his starter pokémon.

" **I can't believe you did that for me. Thank you Pikachu. Don't worry buddy, I'm going to make sure you feel better, I promise."** Ash tore down the dirt path, feeling his legs screaming for him to stop but he didn't. They watched him run down the path as the memory faded away before another took shape. Pikachu dropped his ears as he remembering that day.

 **MEMORY #4**

Ash, Pikachu, a red headed girl named Misty and a dark skinned boy with squinty eyes named Brock were inside an old building in Lavender Town, looking for a Ghost type pokémon so Ash can use it to battle Sabrina and her Kadabra. As they explored the haunted building, they started hearing noises.

" **What's causing all those noises?"** whispered Misty while looking around wildly, beginning to get afraid.

" **Probably the ghost pokémon,"** answered Brock with a shrug.

" **GHOST?!"** yelped Misty while jumping on top of Ash's back.

" **Misty! You know that's why we're here!"** remarked Ash, struggling to keep his balance.

The real Misty went pink over seeing her past self jump onto Ash, who didn't complain about holding her up and the others chuckled. Memory Misty got off of Ash, blushing in embarrassment over what she just did as Brock told them to quiet down and they continued. Brock passed underneath a large chandelier and when Misty went underneath it as well, the cord keeping it hanging from the ceiling snapped. Misty screamed, frozen in shock but was pushed out of the way at the last second. When she hit the floor, she heard a loud crash and turned around only to have her heart leap to her throat. Ash and Pikachu were under the large chandelier, having pushed her out of harm's way and they weren't moving.

" **ASH!"** screamed Misty and went to him with Brock following her. Some of the viewers, especially Delia, screamed in fright over what they saw.

" **Oh no, please no!"** whimpered Misty. The two struggled a little before getting Ash and Pikachu out from underneath the chandelier. A transparent Ash and Pikachu were then spotted floating above them, watching what was happening before they then noticed three ghost pokémon nearby; Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar, who were laughing.

" **So you think it's hilarious that I got injured badly and practically dead?"** asked ghost Ash, mad. The ghosts explained that it was just a prank. **"Pranks are meant to be funny, not seriously hurt or kill someone,"** snapped ghost Ash. The ghost pokémon frowned before looking away, embarrassed. **"You want to have fun that's fine but don't endanger anyone's life,"** chastised ghost Ash.

" **Pi pika pi pikachu!"** agreed ghost Pikachu, mad at the three, before ghost Ash and Pikachu floated down and went back into their bodies.

" **Ash please wake up!"** cried Misty, holding him in her arms, tears flowing down her cheeks. **"Please!"**

Ash murmured a bit before slowly opening his eyes. He saw a blurry face with red hair. **"Misty?"** groaned out Ash as Pikachu got up and shook his head in Brock's arms.

" **Oh thank Mew you're alright! Don't ever scare me like that again!"** cried Misty, hugging him tightly.

 _Better me than you Misty_ , thought Ash as he returned the hug. Real Misty felt her heart flutter hearing memory Ash's thoughts, that even back then he was willing to risk his life for her. Many of the viewers couldn't believe that even at such a young age he was willing to give his life up for others.

" **C'mon you two, let's get out of here,"** said Brock softly as he led them out of the old tower. Right as they reached the door, Ash turned back around as he felt something nearby. Misty and Brock glanced back to see why he was standing there and were about to ask what's wrong when a transparent Haunter appeared. Misty and Brock were about to scream in fright when Ash silenced them. The Haunter's form became corporeal and the memory faded away to show another.

 **MEMORY #5**

Many different pokémon were fighting across a large stadium arena. The pokémon were fighting against another of its own species, who were cloned, while the legendary pink Mew and its purple clone Mewtwo were fighting against each other high up in the air. The group watching the memory was horrified at the savage fighting between all the pokémon but also awed at seeing the two legendary pokémon locked in a heated battle between the two powerful psychics.

" **Pokémon shouldn't fight. Not like this,"** said Nurse Joy, clasping her hands together to her chest.

" **Won't they ever stop?"** asked Misty as she sunk to her knees.

" **These pokémon won't stop until one of them drops. Mewtwo just cares about showing how powerful his super clones are,"** answered Brock.

" **That's a battle that no one will ever win,"** whined Misty.

" **Somebody's got to take a stand, to not fight. Just like Pikachu,"** said Ash and they looked at Pikachu.

Pikachu was getting attacked by another Pikachu but wasn't fighting back, just taking the hits as he stood there. The other Pikachu was demanding him to fight, taunting him and striking him but Ash's Pikachu just kept refusing. Suddenly Mew and Mewtwo landed in the middle of the stadium after trading blows and were charging up their next attacks. Ash glanced at all the tired and hurt pokémon along the stadium walls and he felt both angry and sad at what he was seeing. He got up and ran towards the two legendary pokémon as Misty and Brock called out to him to stop but he didn't listen.

" **You need to stop! STOP FIGHTING!"** shouted Ash as he ran into the middle of the field right when Mew and Mewtwo sent out their attacks.

Both charged beams of energy struck him at the same time, causing a small explosion. Both the people in the memory and those watching the memory screamed in fright. When the dust finally cleared they all saw Ash's body glow white and float in the air for a second before falling down to the ground and turn to stone. They watched on in silence, horrorstruck as Pikachu ran to him and shook him.

" **Pikapi…"** Pikachu shook Ash, trying to wake his trainer and friend but nothing happened.

" **NOOOOOO!"** shrieked Misty as she fell to her knees, tears in her eyes.

" **MY BABY!"** screamed Delia, completely overtaken by what she was seeing in the memory while all the girls had their hearts leap to their throats. The Champions were wide eyed at what they just saw. Caroline, Grace and Johanna gathered round the hysterical mother to try and calm her down as the memory continued.

" **Fool…trying to stop our battle,"** commented Mewtwo, utterly confused as to what the young boy just did while Mew merely tilted her head.

" **PIKAA...CHUU!"** shouted Pikachu, shocking the stone body of Ash, attempting to wake him up but nothing happened. He tried again and again and again until he ran out of energy but Ash did not wake. Seeing how no matter what he did, Ash wasn't waking up, the yellow mouse realized that he was truly gone and felt sadness fill his heart. **"Pikapi…"**

Pikachu began to cry and so did all the other pokémon around them besides Mew and Mewtwo. Then, something strange happened as all the pokémon's tears suddenly traveled through the air and landed on Ash's stone body. The streams of tears floating from each pokémon to Ash brightened the night sky and even cleared away the clouds from over head, revealing the stars in the sky.

As the tears traveled to the stone body of Ash, it glowed blue, glowing brighter and brighter as more and more tears traveled to him. Misty, Brock, Nurse Joy, a few other trainers, Mewtwo and Mew were stunned at what was happening as they bared witness to the incredible event. As the last tears from the pokémon traveled and landed onto Ash, the petrified body glowed so bright that they had to shield their eyes. After about ten seconds of Ash glowing blue, the stone around Ash disappeared and the blue glow faded away. Ash groaned before slowly lifting his head and saw his Pikachu in front of him. The two stared at one another until Pikachu cried out in happiness before hugging his friend. Misty and Brock ran to the two and hugged Ash, happy that he came back.

" **Why would he sacrifice himself?"** wondered a confused Mewtwo out loud.

" **Because he cares for all pokémon without prejudice,"** explained Mew through her telepathy. Mewtwo sighed and shook his head slightly.

" **So you're saying regardless of how they came to be, he cares for all pokémon, naturally born or through other means like being cloned…I never would have believe it had I not witnessed it for myself…"**

Mewtwo moved forward towards Ash and his friends. When they faced him, the psychic feline apologized for the fighting and informed him that he is going to go travel and think about what he has learned from him as the scene faded away and another appeared.

 **MEMORY # 6**

" **I choose you! Charizard!"** shouted Ash as he tossed out a poke ball and his powerful red dragon Charizard appeared with a roar as he shot a Flamethrower into the sky. After his display of power, Charizard looked at his opponent who was a tough looking Poliwrath who had a gold belt wrapped around his body.

" **Not bad Ash,"** complimented the trainer he was battling but then Charizard fired a Flamethrower at Poliwrath without a command.

" **I didn't say start!"** cried out a startled Ash that his pokémon started the fight with no warning.

Seeing Poliwrath unfazed from his attack, Charizard flew up and shot more flame attacks while ignoring Ash's pleas and commands. The trainer sighed and ordered his Poliwrath to use Ice Beam. The icy energy beam hit the dragon and encased him in ice, making the great red dragon crash down onto the ground. Charizard was frozen solid except for the dragon's tail that had its flame on the tip. It had become dangerously small and weak. Ash began to frantically chip away at the ice with a rock as the other trainer walked away.

" **Let me know when you can finally control that thing and I'd be happy to have a rematch Ash,"** he said as he left.

Ash kept hammering away until the ice finally shattered, freeing his pokémon who cried out, shivering from the intense cold he was feeling all over his body. Ash, Misty and Tracey gathered some wood and lit several fires around Charizard. Ash then began rubbing his pokémon's back to help him recover from the cold but Charizard groaned as he shivered again, making Ash rub harder and faster. Charizard's flame on his tail grew a little larger from all the heat and rubbing after a while.

" **That's the man from the attack! He is involved with them!"** yelled Lance suddenly after recognizing the younger Tracey, making everyone glare at him.

" **Didn't you hear Ash when he fought him?!"** asked Dawn with a furious look.

" **He admitted to them being friends before but then he renounced it! Try to keep up with current events will you?!"** finished Misty with a snarl. Lance sweat dropped before he went silent again as he continued watching the memory.

" **Ash, your hands!"** yelped Misty after a while, making Ash look down at his hands and saw that they were red and blistering.

" **It's okay Misty. Charizard's need is greater than mine,"** replied Ash while smiling a little, about to get back to work.

" **Wait. Rub his back over this then,"** said Misty, throwing a blanket onto Charizard for two reasons; one to warm Charizard and two, so Ash doesn't rub his hands raw.

" **Thanks Mist."** Misty smiled and blushed slightly when he said her nickname before she knelt down and helped Ash rub Charizard's back through the blanket. He continued even as Misty and Tracey fell asleep, long into the night before falling asleep himself, leaning against Charizard's back. He woke up in the morning on the ground and when he looked around he saw Charizard standing near the coast, looking out into the horizon.

" **Charizard?"** asked Ash, getting up and getting closer. Charizard glanced back at Ash before smiling slightly and showed his tail's flame, which was strong and large. **"That's great Charizard!"** shouted Ash as he hugged his pokémon, who returned the hug.

They continued watching the memory as a couple events unfolded. After dealing with the meddlesome Team Rocket trio, Jessie, James and Meowth as they tried stealing Pikachu again, Ash and Charizard faced the man with the Poliwrath once more. With Charizard finally obeying Ash's commands, they were able to beat the powerful water and fighting type with ease. Both dragon and trainer cheered in victory and hugged each other, solidifying their new status as friends and battle partners. The memory faded away to reveal another one.

 **MEMORY #7**

Ash was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out towards the horizon at three large mountains that were on separate islands near each other that were across the ocean. He saw the three legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres fighting against one another in the distance. The weather around him was turning horrible, with terrible winds, heavy rain and loud thunders heard with flashes of lightning piercing the sky. The viewers were awed at seeing the legendary birds and the powerful weather storm.

" **You must go to the last island and get the last treasure from the mountain so the Guardian's Song can soothe them and calm them from their angered states. Only then would we be able to stop the legendary birds' conflict and keep the world from getting out of balance,"** said Slowking. The pokémon talking caused some of the people watching the memory to gasp but most have gotten used to talking pokémon now because of Lucario and Gardevoir.

" **What if I can't do it? What if I fail?"** asked Ash, trying to hide his increasing fear at both the danger in front of him and of him failing to get the job done. No matter how hard he tried, a certain red haired girl noticed it.

" **I know you can do it Ash. I believe in you,"** said Misty, grasping his hand and squeezing it a bit. Ash glanced at her, who blushed, then at their friends Tracey and Melody who were standing a bit away, but nodded before smiling slightly.

" **Thanks guys."** He turned to face the red head once more. **"Misty…You always know what to say to motivate me. Thank you. I choose you! Charizard!"**

Charizard appeared with a loud roar and Ash climbed on top of him with Pikachu jumping onto Ash's shoulder. A large whirlpool appeared in the ocean before it caused a water tornado to form, rising higher and higher into the air. A large creature's shadow was shown swimming up inside it before revealing itself in all its majestic glory. It was the legendary silver and blue colored pokémon Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas!

" **I shall provide cover for you against the three birds Chosen One as you gather the last treasure."**

The Champions glanced at each other when Lugia said 'Chosen One' and several of Ash's friends tilted their heads in confusion as well. Ash, Charizard and Pikachu took off for the last island. The legendary birds stopped their fighting and focused on Lugia and Ash as they drew closer. Ash turned his hat backwards as he committed himself to what he was about to do.

" **Let's finish this,"** said Ash with conviction, making the people watching the memory get goose bumps as they watched him charge in courageously with his pokémon.

Charizard roared as he sped towards the advancing birds, dodging some of their attacks and countering others with Pikachu while Lugia intercepted the others that they couldn't while nearing the middle island. They saw him finally get to the last treasure sitting at the top of the mountain after Lugia gave them an opening to rush past. Charizard landed on the ground in front of the shrine holding the treasure. Ash jumped down from the dragon with Pikachu and ran to the shrine. He grabbed the last treasure, which was a small sphere that glowed at his touch. He was about to run back to Charizard when Zapdos and Articuno appeared out of nowhere and knocked out the red dragon with a team attack of Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. They were about to attack Ash when Lugia came in between them and fired a large meteor like attack, an Aero Blast, that overwhelmed the two legendary birds, sending them flying away after it exploded in front of them.

" **Such power…incredible,"** commented the Unovan Champion Alder, speaking for the first time while the others gasped at the sheer power of the large silver and blue legendary.

" **Hurry Chosen One!"** shot Lugia, landing on the ground so Ash and Pikachu can climb onto him after he returned his Charizard. Lugia took off with Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres tailing them, with the first two having recovered already. Lugia and Ash were almost back to the shrine but then the legendary bird trio was able to connect their signature elemental attacks at once after failing to hit him for so long. Lugia shrieked in pain before dropping from the sky back into the water while Ash and Pikachu were thrown from the blast of the attacks into the water.

 **"ASH!"** cried out several people as they witnessed him fall.

They saw him hit the water hard, wincing as they imagined the pain he would have felt before slowly sinking into the ocean. Right when his head became submerged, a small yet strong hand grabbed his hand and pulled him up to the surface of the water. Misty had jumped into the water when she saw him fall. She swam while carrying Ash, struggling to keep them both afloat with Pikachu right beside them until they finally reached the shore.

" **Ash, wake up! Please!"** cried Misty as she shook him. Ash murmured and coughed up some water before opening his eyes. His vision was a little blurry but there was no mistaking who it was.

" **Thank you Mist."** Misty half smiled before she helped him up. The three of them hurried to the shrine in time to see the bird trio knock each other out in the distance. Ash placed the last treasure, which was a glowing orb, into the last spot before their friend Melody began playing the Guardian's Song on her musical instrument made from a large sea shell. As she played the song, the shrine activated, glowing green. The green glow then expanded, traveling along the ground and water. As the green glow reached the fallen legendary birds on the base of the mountain on one of the islands, they glowed green as well that healed their wounds. They each woke up a moment later and flew back to their respective mountains without any more confrontations.

" **We did it,"** sighed Ash as he looked at Misty, Pikachu, Melody and Tracey. Suddenly, the large water tornado appeared again from the water before Lugia appeared once more also healed from the song.

" **Thank you Chosen One. Because of you, the world is now once more in balance. Many owe their lives to you. On behalf of the legendaries, I thank you,"** stated Lugia before diving back down into the water.

Ash, Misty, Melody, Pikachu and Tracey cheered and hugged as the memory faded away for another.

 **MEMORY #8**

Ash, Brock and Misty were headed back home after traveling through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto together.

" **I guess this is us,"** said Brock sadly as they reached a fork in the road.

Brock and Misty had to go north to head back to their homes in Pewter City and Cerulean City respectively but Ash had to go south to reach Pallet Town. Misty was walking her bike back as they traveled together since she had gotten it back all fixed up from the Nurse Joy at the last Pokémon Center they visited before reaching the fork. Misty and Ash glanced at each other. Brock, knowing how the two felt for one another, said something about checking his stuff so he moved away after saying his goodbye to Ash. Lucy smiled at seeing Brock's thoughtfulness in the memory and grasped Brock's hand who smiled at his girlfriend. Ash and Misty hugged before a slight silence came up between them.

" **Misty, I'm going to miss you,"** said Ash, scratching the back of his head, nervous. Both Ash and Misty blushed.

" **I'm going to miss you too Ash,"** replied Misty, gazing at him. **"Here, I want you to have this as something to remember me by."** Misty took out a pink handkerchief from her bag and gave it to him.

" **I'll keep it with my always,"** replied Ash as he took it causing her to smile as he placed it in his front jeans pocket. **"Misty…"**

" **Yea Ash?"** asked Misty, making eye contact with him. Ash began stuttering as he tried to gather the words and courage needed to say what he's wanted to say for a while now.

 _C'mon, say something damn it! Don't be such a chicken!_ Said a voice that popped up from inside his head out of nowhere.

" **I…ah…I'll never forget you."**

 _Loser! Pathetic! You damn wimp!_

" **I won't forget you either,"** replied Misty with a hopeful smile.

 _Say something to her! Anything!_

" **I'll keep in touch with you okay Misty?"**

 _Not that! You freaking idiot! You coward!_

" **Oh, okay Ash. I'll keep in touch with you too,"** replied a crestfallen Misty as she began to walk away.

" **I promise I'll visit you Mist!"**

Ash's sudden promise and use of her nickname caused Misty to redden but smiled as she waved goodbye before she and Brock left. Ash looked at them for a moment before sprinting away from that spot towards the opposite direction. Pikachu was right at his heels. Ash had tears falling from his face as he argued against the voice in his mind.

 _You damn coward,_ insulted the voice.

 _Doesn't matter since I don't deserve her,_ he replied back to the voice in his mind.

 _You do!_

 _No I don't!_

 _You like her and you know she likes you! All those hints she gave! I know you've noticed them but you acted like you didn't. What's the problem besides being a coward?_

 _I'm not good enough for her alright?_

 _Bullshit! There's something else!_

 _Doesn't matter, it's too late._

 _It's never too late._

Ash continued to cry as he ran, ignoring the voice in his head who kept trying to encourage him to go back but not in a good way. The memory ended and another formed as real Misty had tears fall down her face as she had seen Ash thinking himself not good enough for her when he actually means the world to her. Her three sisters noticed her crying and hugged her, attempting to make her feel better, which worked a little.

 **MEMORY #9**

A raven haired trainer and a pretty brunette with a red bandana were training together in a large clearing.

" **I can't do this!"** yelled the girl, dropping to the ground after messing up her training session.

" **Yes you can May, you just need some practice,"** said Ash. He was helping her train her pokémon in showing off their moves for contests. He didn't have any experience in participating in contests but knew how to teach moves to his pokémon. Her little brother Max was watching them and Brock was busy making lunch.

" **No I can't! I'm not good at all at this contest stuff. And I can't even battle anywhere as well as you!"** admitted May, getting pink circles on her face.

" **Hey, I wasn't this good right off the bat and I'm still nowhere near other trainers. Everyone has their own progress and it's up to you to just keep at it and not give up okay?"** encouraged Ash, earning impressed nods at his little speech from the people watching the memory.

" **I guess…you're right. I'll try,"** said May, getting to her feet. Ash smiled as May looked at him.

" **Good. And I know you'll be one of the best coordinators in the world,"** said Ash as he grinned at her.

" **You really think so?"** she asked quietly, her cheeks flushing pink. Ash nodded with his trademark goofy grin. **"Thank you Ash."** May smiled and hugged him tightly.

" **You're welcome May,"** replied Ash as the memory faded away and another formed as real May smiled at the memory of Ash helping her out when she first started her journey.

 **MEMORY #10**

Ash, Pikachu, May and a small blue legendary pokémon named Manaphy were inside a rapidly flooding temple. Ash looked around wildly trying to look for a way out but instead he found an escape pod. He pushed May, Pikachu and Manaphy inside of it as the water rose to his chest before closing it. He didn't get in himself as it wasn't big enough for him to fit in it with them and he still had a job to do.

" **ASH!"** yelled May who was filled with fear at what was happening and of him not joining them.

" **PIKAPI!"** squeaked Pikachu as he watched the water steadily rise.

Ash dove into the rising water around him and picked up two more gems before swimming up. He swam to the center of the temple where an old stone crown was placed on a pedestal, and placed the two gems into it. May and he had put on the others but he was still missing a piece. He dove back down into the water as the escape pod became submerged. May and Pikachu were screaming for Ash as they watched him look for the last gem. Ash looked around frantically and finally found the last gem, swimming down even further to reach it. His muscles were aching and his eyesight blurring from the lack of oxygen. He grabbed the gem and made to swim back up but the lack of oxygen caught up to him. He slowed down and then stopped, floating in the water, the gem still in his hand.

" **ASH! ASH!"** screamed May, becoming teary eyed while pounding on the escape pod's inner wall. Manaphy grew concerned. He didn't like his mommy crying and shouting. He concentrated and sent his mommy's words to the boy.

 _ASH! ASH! WAKE UP!_

 _May?_

 _PLEASE DON'T DIE ON ME! PLEASE WAKE UP!_

Ash woke up from his semi-unconscious state, shaking his head a bit, his mind and body screaming for oxygen. He swam with every ounce of strength and will he could muster towards the crown. The escape pod suddenly floated away, leaving Ash behind with the sinking temple, the occupants crying over him. Ash reached the crown and placed the last gem onto it before losing consciousness again, floating in the water near the shrine as the crown glowed yellow.

Many of the people watching the memory reacted as they witnessed Ash drowning. Delia shrieked loudly before dropping to her knees, who soon was surrounded by the three mothers to comfort her. Lucy grabbed Brock's arm, Ilene and Iris doing the same to Gary and Cilan respectively, the seven girls screamed and Norman's eyes went wide, seeing Ash sacrifice himself for his daughter. Cynthia's heart beat faster as she let out a loud gasp at the sight. Goodshow grimaced with sad eyes and the other Champions, including Lance, showed shock and sadness.

The escape pod broke the water's surface and May, Pikachu and Manaphy climbed out of the pod with tears on their faces as they sat on top of it.

" **HEY!"** shouted a girl whose voice was familiar to May.

" **Lizabeth! Help us! Ash is still down in the temple!"** shouted May back as she looked in her friend's direction, seeing her and their other friends on a decently sized speed boat.

" **Jack, move the boat closer and get ready to dive to the temple!"** said Lizabeth to the Pokémon Ranger who was steering the boat while Max was standing next to them with a worried look.

Jack moved the boat closer towards them while simultaneously getting his scuba gear on but before they could reach the three, a man in a cloak snatched Manaphy out of Mays' hands since her attention was somewhere else. He had snuck near with his submarine without them noticing.

" **Give him back!"** shouted a tear streaked May furiously but Phantom merely laughed at her.

" **He's mine! He's finally in my grasp! He will guide me to the power of the seas and the world's oceans will be mine to command!"** said the Phantom.

He laughed at May and the others but then stopped as something caught their attention. A golden glow began to appear underneath the water between them all and it grew larger and brighter. A golden sphere with a raven haired trainer in the middle of it slowly floated out of the water and soon it was hovering over the surface of the ocean. The golden sphere faded away to reveal that Ash's eyes were glowing a bright yellow-gold color while he was outlined in a yellow-gold glow as well.

" **ASH! / PIKAPI!"** cried May and Pikachu in shock seeing him outlined in a gold glow, but they were beyond happy seeing him alive. The people watching the memory gasped seeing Ash alive and glowing with a golden aura, yet were wondering how until it was answered by the memory.

" **The crown picked him! It sensed his pure heart and saved him, giving him power over the seas!"** explained Jack, who had helped May and Pikachu get on board from the escape pod.

" **NO! That power should've been mine! Give it to me!"** roared the Phantom with anger.

" **You will not harm the Prince of the Seas!"** growled Ash with a deeper version of his voice that echoed, shocking all in the memory and those viewing it.

He then shot forward through the air, a trail of gold energy behind him, surprising the Phantom long enough to grasp Manaphy out of his arms as he struck down Phantom with his enhanced speed and strength before he moved away. Many water pokémon, including the legendary pokémon Kyogre, appeared from beneath the water. Manaphy cried out and all the water pokémon shot attacks at Phantom and his submarine causing it to explode and Phantom to be blasted away into the sky. Ash and company traveled back to land afterwards. Ash returned Manaphy to May, stepping onto land as he did so, causing the golden glow to vanish from around him. Pikachu jumped into his arms, snuggling into his chest before moving up onto his shoulder. Max ran to Ash and hugged him tightly.

" **Thank goodness you're alright,"** cried Max and Ash simply patted his back before the young boy let him go so his sister can hug him too.

" **I'm so glad you're alright and thank you Ash,"** said May as she hugged him tightly and he returned it.

" **You're welcome May. I'm just lucky that the crown chose me,"** replied Ash, scratching the back of his head as he chuckled when they separated. May punched him in the shoulder for scaring her and Ash sweat dropped as he chuckled nervously and apologized for scaring her. That interaction brought a few chuckles from the memory viewers.

" **Mana!"** Manaphy hugged May tighter. When finished with the hug, Manaphy then jumped out of her arms and moved towards the water before glancing back at her. After a moment of silence, the legendary water pokémon nodded with a smile and entered the sea to travel back to the temple.

" **I'm going to miss him,"** sighed May walking towards the shoreline.

" **I know May but he has to go,"** said Ash, standing next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder.

" **I know."** May grasped his hand on her shoulder while gazing out into the horizon as the memory faded before another took place. May smiled as she remembered her 'son' and how Ash came back to her.

 **MEMORY #11**

Ash, Pikachu, May, Max, Brock, a woman named Kidd and Lucario were inside a large mountain like tree, running from many huge pink blobs that were after them.

" **Keep running, don't stop!"** shouted Ash as they ran through the tunnels until they entered the central area of the Tree of Beginning and ran through a pathway that led them to the heart of the tree. The pink blobs stopped following them and soon they found out why. They found Mew, who was on the ground in front of the mountain like tree's center and was looking very sick and pale.

" **Mew!"** shouted Ash with concern as they neared her.

" **Mew…"** said the small pink legendary pokémon weakly.

" **She's hurt pretty bad,"** commented Brock as he inspected her.

" **What can we do?"** asked Kidd before a small blue glow appeared on the ground near them that caught their attention.

" **Look, a time flower!"** exclaimed Max.

They went near it and when Ash touched it, they saw a vision of Sir Aaron. He came there a long time ago and asked Mew to stop the war using his aura. He channeled his aura to Mew who shot up into the tree, glowing green and spreading the glow over the tree, which then spread out over the land, calming the two advancing armies and making them stop the fighting. Sir Aaron fell to the ground; white streaks of electricity that looked like lightning bolts were shooting around him. He took off his gloves and set them on the floor near him.

" **My task is done. Farewell Lucario and my Queen. I hope one day you find out and that you understand what I needed to do Lucario. I'm sorry for leaving you. Take care."** Sir Aaron then went quiet as he closed his eyes, accepting his fate and his body was encased in a large crystal.

" **So that's what happened to him,"** remarked May sadly.

" **How could I think he would betray me? That he would abandon everyone? I must make things right. I must do the same as my Master,"** said Lucario as he focused his energy to channel aura to Mew, to save her and everyone else. After doing so for a bit, he saw that nothing was happening. **"My aura alone is not strong enough?!"** asked Lucario, confused.

" **Lucario, you said my aura was similar to Sir Aaron's right?"** asked Ash as he picked up Sir Aaron's gloves that were placed on the ground near a large crystal. The small round aura crystals embedded in the gloves responded to Ash as he put them on. **"Well, let's do this together."**

" **Ash don't!"** pleaded May while Kidd gave Ash a look of shock and admiration at his courage.

" **If I don't try, then everyone will die,"** replied Ash simply as he concentrated on bringing out his aura. A minute later, his aura manifested with the help of Sir Aaron's gloves and he began channeling it to Mew. Lucario copied his actions and they were able to strengthen Mew who started to glow green, as she did in the vision. Lucario glanced at Ash and then pushed him away with his body, breaking the connection.

" **Lucario!"** shouted Ash, stunned as he stumbled back.

" **I'll handle it from here Ash."** Lucario roared as he gave his entire aura to Mew who glowed completely green and shot up into the tree, making it glow green as well, healing the tree and everything inside it and around it. Lucario dropped to the ground, white streaks of lightning shooting up around him.

" **It is done. I hope I made Sir Aaron proud,"** said Lucario before becoming encased in a large crystal.

" **Lucario…we will never forget your sacrifice. Thank you,"** said Ash as he and the others kneeled and bowed their heads in respect to the pokémon who sacrificed himself. Ash's Lucario gave a bow in respect to the fallen Lucario's memory as the memory faded away and another took shape.

 **MEMORY #12**

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, a pretty girl named Soledad and a green haired boy named Drew were hanging out in a town and about to say their byes as they had to split up and go in different directions. Ash, Pikachu and Brock had to go back to Kanto while May, Max, Soledad and Drew were heading towards Johto so May, Soledad and Drew could compete in the contests there. After Brock said his byes and Ash said bye to Drew, Soledad and Max, Brock once again made up an excuse to usher them away as May and Ash said their goodbyes. Lance was about to comment on the green haired boy but then he caught May's scowl and decided to keep quiet.

" **Ash, I want to say thank you for everything,"** said May, holding her hands together in front of her.

" **No problem and same here,"** replied Ash. **"I'll miss you May."**

" **I'm gonna miss you too."** May blushed when she said that.

 _Don't mess this up too. Tell her damn it,_ spoke up the voice from inside his head.

" **May…"**

" **Yes?"**

 _That's it! C'mon!_

" **I…I...if you ever need anything, let me know and good luck in your contests."**

 _You fucking coward! Fix it now!_

" **And if anyone bothers you, let me know and I'll come in a flash."**

 _NO! You idiot!_

" **Oh, okay. Thank you Ash,"** replied May, looking sullen, though she hugged him. They separated as the others returned. Brock, Ash and Pikachu walked down the path one way as May, Max, Soledad and Drew went the other. Ash and May glanced back at each other at the same time, causing the two to smile before they waved. **"Keep in touch!"** shouted May.

" **Same to you!"** replied Ash, yelling back. Ash saw May face forward and so did he. After a couple seconds he ran ahead, Brock calling out to him to wait up, Pikachu hanging on his shoulder.

 _You messed up again,_ said the voice.

 _I couldn't stop her,_ replied Ash.

 _Yes you could have._

 _And mess up her dreams? No, I couldn't do that to Misty, I'm not going to do that to her._

 _But you like her._

 _I do but I also can't stop thinking about Misty._

 _Speaking of which, what did she say when you last called her?  
_

 _She said to visit but I can't. I'm not good enough._

 _Are you mental?_

 _I'm not! And they both deserve better than me._

 _You are mental._

Tears fell down his face as he continued to run, not slowing down at all with Brock barely keeping up a few steps behind. The memory fades and another starts as Misty and May glanced at one another before shaking their heads in disbelief at what they just saw.

 **MEMORY 13**

" **STOP!"** screamed Ash as he witnessed a smug looking young man with purple hair beat up his Chimchar with his other pokémon. Dawn and Brock stood beside him and looked at the trainer with hatred and fury.

" **He's too weak anyways since he can't keep up with my training,"** replied the purple haired man coldly and released the beat up Chimchar by crushing his poke ball under his foot before walking away.

" **That's not training, that's abuse! How could you just leave him like that?"** yelled Ash as he kneels down next to the hurt pokémon.

" **I don't have time for weak pokémon. You can have him since you're both weak,"** said the man as he walked away without a care. Ash growled at him but quickly focused his attention on the hurt fire type.

" **Chim…"** cried Chimchar weakly.

" **Hey Chimchar, I'm sorry for what he did. He's not worthy of being your trainer. I can take you to a pokémon center to get you healed up and if you want, you can come with me. I promise to take care of you and to help you get stronger if you do become part of the family,"** offered Ash kindly.

Chimchar fixed his gaze with the raven haired trainer with surprise. He looked into the raven haired trainer's eyes and saw that he was being serious. Chimchar thought about it a little more and then nodded. Ash picked him up and left the area with his friends. They ran to the nearest pokémon center and told the Nurse Joy there what happened. The nurse was appalled and quickly took the Chimchar into emergency care. As she disappeared behind the doors, someone tapped Ash's shoulder and he turned around to see a tall and beautiful blonde girl in front of him.

Brock went into his usual flirtatious mode but was stopped by Dawn, who pulled his ear. Both memory and real Cynthia raised an eyebrow at that before chuckling. The people watching laughed as well at his expense and Brock blushed in embarrassment. Lucy glanced at him with a jealous and angry look and Brock hurriedly apologized to her, adding that he was an idiot back then. She relaxed her gaze a bit but turned back to the memory without a word.

" **Sorry, but I overheard what you said and I wanted to say that that was a good thing you did. Do you know who the trainer was?"** complimented the woman before asking her question.

" **Ah thanks I guess. I would do it again without question. Hopefully that doesn't happen again though. Sorry but I don't know who he was. And, um, who are you?"** asked Ash, blushing a bit in embarrassment because of the praise coming from such an attractive girl. Dawn had a jealous look appear on her face but Ash didn't notice. Joanna nudged her daughter a bit, making Dawn pout.

" **Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Cynthia Shirona and you are?"** asked Cynthia and Dawn's jaw dropped in the memory, knowing who Cynthia Shirona is.

" **I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm going to be a Pokémon Master one day. Nice to meet you Cynthia,"** replied Ash with his trademark goofy smile as they shook hands and his Pikachu pumped his fist into the air in agreement.

Dawn smacked Ash upside the head suddenly, making him cry out in pain before asking what her deal was. She then told him that she was the Champion of Sinnoh and to show her proper respect, making the people watching the memory chuckle a bit. Memory Cynthia smiled at their antics and reddened slightly when he looked at her again but it was different than what she was used to. It was a look of respect and admiration but it also consisted of a respectful challenging one instead of the usual lust filled look that she was accustomed to from many, even young trainers. They viewed her as an object to have but not Ash. His look on her was completely different. It definitely intrigued her.

" **If that's your dream, then I will be looking forward to our battle in the future. See you around Ash,"** replied Cynthia with a smile as she left the center.

" **Keep the Champion's seat warm for me!"** shouted Ash as she left, making Cynthia glance back and smile at him again. She told him she will be waiting for the day they do meet and Ash told her to be prepared for a grand battle.

The memory faded away and another showed as many in the group nodded with respect over the raven haired trainer's actions in the memory and Cynthia smiled as she remembered meeting him for the first time.

 **MEMORY #14**

A blue haired girl was crying and sitting alone on a bench in front of a store. A raven haired trainer sat down next to her after a few seconds.

" **Dawn…"** started Ash but was caught off by the blunette.

" **I suck Ash! My mom would be ashamed of me! She was a top coordinator! I'm her daughter and I lost the first time I competed! I thought I knew what to do and I had practiced so much and I still lost!"** wailed Dawn, completely upset over losing in her first ever appearance in a contest.

Johanna's eyes watered seeing her daughter Dawn become so sad and hugged the real Dawn, who hugged her back. Ash placed his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in close to him while she still cried before speaking.

" **Dawn, you're mother won't ever be ashamed of you and you lost not because of you, but because who you faced had much more experience than you. It's not your fault. I've seen you practice and you know your stuff and your imagination is second to none. I know you will be one of the best coordinators in the world, just like another friend I know,"** said Ash soothingly.

Dawn cried as he spoke but it slowed down as she listened to him before finally stopping. She took a couple breaths before talking again. Her head was still leaning against his chest.

" **Do you really mean that?"** asked Dawn quietly with her eyes closed.

" **Of course I do. I would never lie to you,"** answered Ash. Dawn looked up at him, opening her eyes that were shining because of her tears.

" **Thank you Ash."** Dawn hugged him and he returned the hug as he smiled.

" **You're welcome. Remember I'll be there with you every step of the way and don't give up until it's over,"** said Ash as the memory faded and another formed as Dawn and Johanna smiled at one another.

 **MEMORY #15**

Ash and Dawn were running up a circular staircase holding a device while the sounds of a battle raging on was heard from outside.

" **Hurry Dawn! We don't have much time!"** shouted Ash as they ran with Pikachu right behind them. A loud blast was heard from outside. Something hit the structure they were in, causing them to stumble.

" **AAAHHHH!"** screamed Dawn as she lost balance and fell over the stair's railing.

" **DAWN!"** yelled Ash as he jumped to catch her before he could miss his chance, dropping the device on the stairs and catching her hand, stopping her from falling. Dawn winced as the sudden stop put pressure on her arm and shoulder.

" **Ash, you have to let me go! We don't have much time. You have to finish it,"** said Dawn as she began to tear up. Johanna hugged her daughter tighter, seeing the memory version of her daughter wanting to sacrifice herself.

" **NO!"** defied Ash. **"I'll never let you go Dawn and you better not let go either! Just hold on!"**

Ash struggled a bit before he was able to summon his strength and pull Dawn up. Dawn was shivering from her near death fall but quickly hugged Ash.

" **Thank you Ash, thank you…"** said Dawn as she cried.

" **No problem Dawn, but c'mon, we're not done yet."** Dawn nodded, gathering herself and they continued running up the stairs. They reached their destination and put the device into it. They pushed a button but nothing happened.

" **There's no power!"** exclaimed Dawn.

" **Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"** said Ash.

" **Use Discharge Pachirisu!"** said Dawn as she called out her pokémon.

The two pokémon's electric attacks powered up the device and the machine began to work. A calming melody was blasted out of the large sound system to all nearby the structure. Dawn, Ash, Pikachu and Pachirisu ran onto a nearby balcony and watched as the two legendary deity pokémon, Dialga and Palkia stopped fighting and relaxed. The memory viewers had their jaws drop at the sight of the deity pokémon. Palkia's wound healed itself and the two nodded at each other before Dialga left through a portal. Palkia used his powers to restore the fading city and brought everyone and everything back and in their normal states before he too left via his own portal.

" **We did it! We did it!"** said Dawn happily as she and Ash high fived one another and then hugged.

" **Yes, we did."** Ash looked up while still hugging Dawn and saw Darkrai standing on top of the structure, who gave Ash a curt nod before vanishing. The memory faded and another took shape.

 **MEMORY #16**

Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Brock were at an airport, on their way home. Ash, Pikachu and Brock were heading back to Kanto and Dawn was going back home. Brock once again came up with an excuse and left the two alone.

" **I'm going to miss you Ash,"** said Dawn, getting pink circles on her cheeks.

" **I'm going to miss you too Dawn,"** replied Ash a little embarrassed as the two hugged and separated before gazing at one another.

" **Dawn, thank you for everything and I hope you do well in your contests,"** said Ash.

" **Thanks Ash, I hope you do well in your dream to become a Pokémon Maser,"** said Dawn smiling.

 _Please tell me you finally learned! Tell her,_ said the voice inside his mind.

" **I….ah…I want…"** Started Ash but stopped.

" **You want what Ash?"** asked Dawn giving a curious expression, trying unsuccessfully to hide her hopeful face but Ash didn't notice. Once again, Joanna nudged her daughter who whined for her to stop, making the people near them to chuckle.

 _C'mon, third time's the charm!_

" **I want to say that I'll never forget you,"** finished Ash.

" **Oh…I'll never forget you either Ash."** Dawn went red.

 _Not bad, she's responding so go on._

" **We'll keep in touch alright since that's what close friends do,"** said Ash, unable to say what he really wanted to.

 _Friend? FRIEND? Seriously?_

" **I will most definitely keep in touch,"** said Dawn, trying to give him a boost to say what she thinks he might want to say.

" **Sounds good Dawn."**

 _REALLY?_

" **Hey we got to go! Our plane is on the other side of the airport!"** said Brock as he came back.

" **Oh okay. Bye Ash, bye Brock!"** said Dawn as she hugged Brock then Ash, though she held onto him much longer than when she hugged Brock, who noticed and gave a small smile.

" **Bye Dawn."** Ash separated from the blunette and looked her in the eyes before leaving with Brock. Dawn watched him leave for a couple seconds before Ash glanced back at her. They both smiled and waved their farewells. He faced forward, his eyes watering and so Brock couldn't see, he dashed away from his older friend, Pikachu running behind him with Brock.

 _You sir, are a bon-a-fide idiot,_ remarked the voice in his head.

 _Shut up,_ replied Ash.

 _You know she likes you. You did the same thing again. What the fuck is wrong with you?_

 _I said shut up! I don't know, I just can't alright. Something's holding me back and I don't know what._

 _And?_

 _And I still think about the other two…._

 _This is going to make it three now you know._

 _I know._

 _No retort? Hmm…_

The memory faded and another appeared. Misty and May looked at Dawn who shook her head at them, while still being hugged by her mother.

 **MEMORY # 17**

" **Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"** yelled Ash. Pikachu fired the powerful attack against the pillars that supported the barrier that trapped the small fire and psychic legendary pokémon Victini. Again, the memory watchers were stunned that Ash was helping another legendary pokémon.

" **Victini!"** cried out the small legendary pokémon while struggling against its confinement to get free.

" **We have to leave now! The castle is rising up into the air!"** yelled a man.

" **I can't leave Victini!"** shouted back Ash as Pikachu tried another attack. The man left with his dragon pokémon, flying away on its back before stopping and watching the sword shaped castle and landmass fly up into the sky. The Dragon Force, a green colored aura-like energy, was trailing it. Ash and Pikachu did everything they could think of to save Victini but as they continued climbing into the sky, Ash collapsed from the increasing coldness and dwindling oxygen as they rose into the sky.

" **Pikapi…"** said Pikachu, trying to get him to get up by slowly shaking him as he too began to lose energy.

" **Pika…chu…I'm sorry…buddy…"** replied Ash weakly as he began to get covered up in ice. Victini looked at the young trainer with fear and anger swelling up inside him. He couldn't let him die. Not after being so kind to him and being his friend. The fire and psychic type focused all of his energy into readying his final attack.

" **VIC…TINI!"** screamed the small legendary as he used all of its power to destroy the barrier and the pillars while reviving Ash and Pikachu. The small pokémon disappeared, apparently destroyed by its own act and the castle stopped rising. It began to fall, having lost its power source that was Victini. The two legendary dragon pokémon, Reshiram and Zekrom, flew up and guided the falling landmass into the heart of the Dragon Force, to contain it and prevent it from spreading out and causing destruction.

They next see Ash and Pikachu rejoin his friends Cilan and Iris at the entrance of the sword shaped castle.

" **What happened to Victini?"** asked Iris.

" **He…he sacrificed himself to save me, Pikachu and to stop the castle from rising,"** explained Ash as tears streamed down his cheeks. Iris and Cilan had their eyes water after hearing how their friend was gone. Many of the viewers shed tears at hearing that.

They decided to travel to the ocean in Vicitini's memory. Cilan opened his macaroon basket to hand them out and he tosses one out into the ocean for the 'dead'. But instead of falling into the ocean, the macaroon is caught by an invisible creature who reveals himself and its Victini.

" **VICTINI! You're alive!"** shouted Ash happily. Victini hugs Ash, Cilan and Iris with a happy smile on its face since now he can travel around the world as he is no longer trapped by the pillars. Cilan gives him the basket of macaroons as a farewell gift and they leave shortly after with Victini waving goodbye to them. The memory fades and another formed.

 **MEMORY # 18**

A group of friends were relaxing in a secluded spot near a lake in the Kalos region that had a pokémon rental booth for Rhyhorn racing practitioners. A raven haired trainer glanced at the booth.

" **Serena, you think you can teach me how to be a Rhyhorn rider for the Rhyhorn races that are coming up?"** asked Ash.

" **I don't really like it but I'll show you what I know,"** replied Serena. She helped Ash practice riding Rhyhorn and how to race properly with a rented Rhyhorn. As she did so, she remembered her mother's lessons and her view of the sport began to change and she didn't hate it as much as before.

" **Good job Ash! You're learning quickly!"** exclaimed Serena, impressed.

" **Thanks and it's because I have a great teacher!"** praised Ash, making Serena go pink. Grace glanced at her daughter who was doing her absolute best to not get embarrassed but failed miserably as she was blushing because of the memory.

" **You're welcome and thank you. Let's take a break."** Ash and Serena rejoined Clemont and Bonnie who were sitting at a picnic table and had set up lunch. The four ate their meals while talking and joking around. After finishing her meal, Serena excused herself and walked towards the nearby lake's shore and sat down on the sand, drawing her legs close to her and wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head on her knees.

" **You okay Serena?"** asked a raven haired trainer as he sat down beside her, legs stretched out in front of him and leaning back a bit as his hands were placed behind him, supporting him.

" **I'm fine Ash. It's just…"** she didn't finish as she stared ahead.

" **It isn't about the showcase is it?"** asked Ash. She turned her face to look at him, her expression answering his question. **"It's okay. It was your first time. You'll get better, I'm sure of it."**

" **How can you be so sure?"** asked Serena.

" **Because I've been through so much and never gave up. And if I can keep going, so can others."**

Serena gazed at him, before glancing back at the lake, lost in thought.

" **Thanks Ash."** The memory faded away and another formed as Grace smiled at how Ash supported and encouraged her daughter.

 **MEMORY #19**

Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were fighting several Team Flare members and quickly knocked them out. They ran down the stairs in front of them and continued down, fighting several of the evil team members as they made their way down before reaching a large steel door.

" **Hawlucha, break it down!"** called out Ash as he tossed out a poke ball.

" **Hawlucha!"** cried the winged wrestling bird pokémon as it used Hi Jump Kick against the steel door, making it break open. They all ran inside and what they saw made them stop dead in their tracks.

Xerneas, the legendary pokémon that represents life, and Yveltal, the legendary pokémon that represents destruction, were stuck inside two large containment spheres while a machine absorbed their energies. A tall man with flaming red hair stood in front of them dressed in a black suite, glaring at the trespassers.

" **So I'm impressed you made it this far. But you will never stop me. I must purge the world of all the ugliness before I rebuild everything the way it was supposed to be; beautiful,"** said Lysandre.

" **I won't let you! You have no right to do that!"** roared Ash as he tossed out two more poke balls. Frogadier and Talonflame appeared, taking up battle positions next to Pikachu and Hawlucha. **"I'll handle Lysandre. The rest of you, free the two pokémon!"** ordered Ash to his friends who ran past them as Lysandre called out his pokémon; Pyroar, Gyarados, Mienshao and Honchkrow appeared.

" **Such beautiful bravery in the face of defeat. Such a shame that you are opposing me. We could make the world a more beautiful place, you and I,"** advised Lysandre.

" **We can make the world a better place, but only by working together and helping each other. Not by trying to destroy it and making it only how you see fit!"** spat Ash and the people watching the memory were awed by his conviction.

" **So be it,"** said Lysandre coldly as he pressed his mega ring. His Gyarados was engulfed in a white sphere that exploded after a few seconds revealing his Mega form. Mega Gyarados roared, causing Ash and his pokémon to sweat drop a bit before he ordered his pokémon to attack.

Ash's pokémon and Lysandre's pokémon fought fiercely, each side giving it their all as Clemont worked to disable the containment field while Serena and Bonnie provided cover from stray attacks or last minute reinforcements from Team Flare members. A little while later, Serena called out to Ash, pointing out the energy readings on the large screen nearby were almost full. _It's now or never_ , thought Ash.

" **Serena, Bonnie, Clemont; take cover!"** shouted Ash. His friends didn't need to be told twice. The three hit the deck as Ash gave a final order, hoping it was right. **"PIKACHU! FULL POWER DISCHARGE!"**

" **PIKA…CHUUUUUU!"** Pikachu focused all of his energy and let loose dozens and dozens of electrical bolts that shot out in all directions. The attack was so powerful and so wide ranged that there was almost no place to hide from it. The attack hit all of Lysandre's pokémon and knocked them out as well as hitting the machinery around them, causing some to short circuit and the others to overload.

Pikachu fainted after using all of his power and Ash picked him up as loud warning sounds blared around them. Xerneas and Yveltal were freed from their containment fields and roared as they focused their powers. Xerneas used its powers to shield Ash, his pokémon and his friends and carried them out of the building as Yveltal used its powers to destroy everything around him.

" **NOOOOO! This isn't how it was supposed to be!"** yelled Lysandre as he fell to his knees. **"My beautiful world…"** Lysandre stayed on the floor as everything crumbled around him.

Xerneas fled the area with Ash and his friends as a large explosion occurred behind them. Ash glanced back and saw a huge energy doom made of dark colors swirling around as it got larger for a few seconds before it stopped and faded away. Xerneas stopped running as it reached a field and the protective shields went away. A loud roar was heard from over head and Yveltal glided down to join them.

" **Thank you children for your aid in freeing us and stopping Team Flare,"** said Xerneas as Yveltal nodded.

" **We must go now to balance what has happened but do not worry; there has been enough destruction for a long time,"** added Yveltal. Ash and his friends nodded and said their byes as the two legendary pokémon left. The memory faded and another showed.

 **MEMORY #20**

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were at the docks, as Ash had to go back home. Ash said bye to Clemont and Bonnie and when he turned to Serena, Bonnie led her brother away with an excuse. Serena glanced at Ash who became embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, making her giggle.

" **I guess I have to go home now,"** said Ash.

 _You have got to be kidding me,_ remarked the voice in his head.

" **Yea,"** replied a sullen Serena.

" **Serena, I'm going to miss you a lot,"** said Ash suddenly, making Serena go pink.

" **I'll miss you too."**

 _Are we really going to go through this again?_

" **And I wanted to tell you…"** he trailed off, choking.

" **Tell me what?"** asked Serena, hope filling her.

 _You better tell her!_

" **I…wanted…to tell you…."**

" **Yes?"**

" **I wanted to tell you…good luck with your performances."**

 _Dude! Come on…_

" **Oh. Thank you."** Serena deflated, sad at not hearing what she wanted to hear.

The ship's horn blared, making them jump. Clemont and Bonnie returned, the small girl giving Ash a hug goodbye as her brother shook hands with Ash. Serena gave Ash a hug, holding on to him for too long to be just a regular hug, though Clemont didn't notice and neither did Ash, but Bonnie did who smiled.

" **Take care Ash. And you better keep in touch,"** said Serena as they separated.

" **Thanks and I will. Same to you all,"** said Ash as he smiled at them before turning to run to board the ship. Pikachu had jumped onto his shoulder before he ran down.

 _I can't keep doing this_ , thought Ash as he ran down the pier to the ship, boarding it on time. He looked back and saw the three wave goodbye at him which he returned with his own wave.

 _You said it. Why does this keep happening to you,_ asked the voice in his head.

 _I don't know but no more._

 _No more?_

 _I need to get away from everything._

 _Why?_

 _To figure out why this keeps happening to me._

 _Good idea. Then maybe you'll stop messing up a girl's life. The count is at four now. That we KNOW of._

 _Very funny and I don't mean to! And she deserves someone who'll never fail her. They all do._

 _Even so you still did and you have got to stop thinking that way._

 _Easier said than done._

The memory faded away and another appeared as Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena looked at one another, having finally learned what Ash had gone through in regards to the four of them.

 **MEMORY #21**

Ash was at Mount Silver, practicing his aura abilities after getting a few lessons from Master Riley. He was meditating, sitting at the edge of the mountain with a blue glow that outlined him and his starter while the freezing wind shot around him and Pikachu yet they sat still, not reacting to the cold. The people watching were beyond impressed as how he wasn't affected by the blistering cold of the mountain's blizzard. Besides the howling blizzard around the two, it was silent until they heard his thoughts.

 _Why am I so afraid to tell a girl I like her?_ he thought.

 _You're blowing this out of proportion,_ remarked the voice in his head.

 _No I'm not. And can't I think without you bothering me?_

 _Well somebody's moody._

 _Whatever...Who are you anyway? How are you able to speak with me? Are you a psychic? Where are you? And why are you talking to me?_

 _..._

 _Oh now you shut up. After years of bothering me. Great, thanks for nothing._

 _I was merely thinking on how to respond to you. All I can say is I'm a friend. I can't speak with you all the time as I am a busy person but we've met before during your pokémon journey and I decided to help you from time to time. I can't tell you my name until we meet again. Work rules._

 _I see. Well, I guess that sounds alright. You haven't really done anything wrong except try to help me…though in your own twisted way…So help me out with this. What's keeping me from doing so? I'd throw myself into battles against legendary pokémon and fight against evil organizations without hesitation but I'm too scared to tell a girl I like her. Why? What the hell is the cause? Why do I feel like I'm not good enough? What the hell is the answer?_

 _That is something that even I cannot help you out with. You have to figure this out for yourself,_ replied the voice.

 _Thanks for the help,_ replied Ash sarcastically.

Hearing his thoughts made several tilt their heads. Everyone was curious as to who the voice belonged to. It made things seem very suspicious and made them worry about his problem. But some thought that it could very well be just a friend. Even Lance was having second thoughts about it too. The Kanto Champion was beginning to feel like an idiot for doubting Ash because of seeing everything he's done so far but still held his reservations for the time being until they finished with the memories. Very few knew about the dilemma regarding the girls and Ash, which only the four girls and Joy knew about so they felt sad at hearing it again and knowing the reason why he was like that and he would later figure out.

After a few more minutes of him meditating and thinking, Ash and Pikachu got up and went inside a cabin nearby. A moment later Ash opened the door and saw Mewtwo standing there with a surprised look on his face. Many people gasped and shouted seeing the legendary pokémon again, since last they saw he was trying to destroy everyone and everything in one of the earlier memories.

" **Took you long enough. Want to come inside or do you want to freeze your tail off first?"** joked Ash.

" **I should've known,"** replied Mewtwo as he stepped inside.

" **What brings you here Mewtwo?"** asked Ash as he continued preparing some soup while putting on some clothes that were better suited for the cold weather.

" **I've come to get you. There is something you must help me with,"** said Mewtwo and the memory faded away.

 **MEMORY #22**

Ash was on the video phone at Professor Oak's laboratory and was speaking with his friends. Mewtwo and Riolu were standing in the same room waiting for him to finish. The people watched as he told them he was going away to help out a friend and to keep up their training. They realized that his 'friend' had to be Mewtwo as it now made some sense. Ash's friends saw themselves get angry and sad over Ash's words and they instantly remembered how they felt that day. They watched on as Ash said goodbye, asking them to remember him as he hung up crying.

They then witnessed Professor Oak hand him an updated PokeDex, a Poketch and a bag filled with all of his pokémon's poke balls with his pokémon already inside them. He then traveled to his home and picked up some supplies from his mom. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and the purple feline, Ash, Pikachu and Riolu teleported away to the inside of a well furnished mini-mansion, making the memory viewers gasp in surprise.

" **Okay, so we got some supplies, almost all of my pokémon and that just leaves a few others out in the wild or that are with others and then we go take care of business,"** said Ash and the pokémon around him nodded in agreement.

" **After that, we should start on our mission. I remember the research I did long ago during my darker days and I still remember where we can find some powerful pokémon to add to the group and train for the coming days,"** added Mewtwo.

" **Sounds good buddy. We should follow the plan we made. Remember, during our first year we are to look for powerful pokémon to join the team. Then the next two years is nonstop heavy training both here and around the world. We'll start practicing but just a little during our first year. C'mon, let's get started,"** replied Ash and they disappeared in blue glows as the memory faded and another formed while everyone had confused looks on their faces when he talked about the plan.

 **MEMORY #23**

" **That was a great catch Master,"** stated Riolu. **"That Ponyta has an incredible spirit."**

" **Stop calling me Master, Riolu but yea you're right. She'll be an incredible fighter and…wait…do you feel that sad aura?"** asked Ash as he, Pikachu, Riolu and Mewtwo traveled through a dense forest. They were looking for more pokémon and Ash was wearing a hooded cloak along with a mask to conceal his identity.

" **It's coming from over here,"** answered Riolu, using his aura senses to verify and Mewtwo agreed immediately after as he had sensed it long before. He didn't mention it since he wanted Ash to practice and to see how long it would take for him to sense it. He and Riolu had agreed on it since both their senses were at their peak for the time being and Ash needed the practice and would only say something if he missed it.

The group traveled in the direction that the canine pokémon pointed at and soon found a small white and green pokémon on the floor, covered in bruises, bleeding from some cuts and barely conscious. Ash ran to the pokémon and knelt down beside it, causing the small pokémon to whimper in fright. Misty gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, realizing who it was first before the others did.

" **Hey, don't be scared Kirlia. I'm not here to hurt you. I can help if you let me,"** said Ash kindly but Kirlia shook her head, crying. She attempted to get away by crawling but couldn't. Instead she laid still on the ground since she was so hurt.

" **As much as I would like to find the bastards responsible for this, our time is short. We don't have time for games. Just take her and we'll leave her at a pokémon center,"** stated Mewtwo.

" **I don't want to force any pokémon but maybe you're right. She's hurt extremely bad,"** replied Ash but then looked to the side as he, Riolu and Mewtwo sensed some people approaching.

" **Ah man, I thought you were a pokémon!"** whined a stranger with two friends when the three walked through some bushes. **"I thought using that pokémon as bait would've brought better pokémon out. Oh well."**

" **You did this to your own pokémon?"** asked Ash, angered, as he stood up. Pikachu had sparks fly out of his cheeks and Riolu growled. Mewtwo had made himself invisible but stayed next to them though they could hear his thoughts being sent to Ash and they weren't pretty, making some of the viewers cringe at what they heard him say. Ash very slightly shook his head that the new trainers didn't catch.

" **My OWN pokémon? Yea right. I found that pathetic thing a little while ago and battled it and it didn't even last a minute against my Aggron. We left it there hoping some other pokémon might come by to check on it or to get a free meal,"** admitted the stranger as his two friends laughed.

" **People like you give trainers a bad name. You disgust me. You don't deserve to be friends with pokémon, let alone train them!"** growled Ash as his eyes glowed a blue catching the attention of the three and Kirlia lifted her head slightly to glance at Ash, not believing what she just heard. The people watching felt shivers go down their spines at hearing the coldness in his voice.

" **Who the fuck do you think you are? Let's show this naïve punk what happens to those who mess with us."** The three released their pokémon; Aggron, Snorlax and Hariyama appeared.

 _Ash, want me to handle this? I could crush their minds in less than a second._

 _Thanks Mewtwo but no. Nicely done going invisible._

 _Alright and you did say to not be seen by others._

" **Maybe if you apologize, we may call our pokémon back,"** sniggered the stranger but Ash just growled. **"Alright then it's your funeral! Get them!"**

The three large pokémon advanced at Ash, Pikachu, Riolu and Kirlia.

" **Pikachu…Thunder,"** ordered Ash.

" **PIKA…CHUUU!"** The yellow mouse launched the attack and a large pillar of electrical energy slammed down on the three pokémon at once, making them writhe and cry out in extreme pain.

While the three pokémon were being shocked, Ash and Riolu glanced at each other before nodding. Riolu disappeared from sight before anyone could even realize what happened and a moment later, the three large pokémon dropped to the floor, knocked out with multiple bruises and scorch marks on their bodies. Riolu reappeared, having used a Close Combat and Power Up Punch combination. The aura canine was not even the least bit tired and neither was Pikachu. Both pokémon were snarling, scaring the three strangers.

" **That rodent's from hell!"** shouted one of the two who hadn't spoken before as they were utterly stupefied at what just happened.

" **Please! We're sorry! Don't hurt us!"** cried the third man.

" **Return your pokémon and take them to a pokémon center. If I ever find out you don't treat pokémon properly again, I may not be able to control my pokémon let alone my own rage. NOW LEAVE!"** roared Ash. The three ran away after returning their pokémon, shouting out apologies as Mewtwo reappeared.

" **Well done Ash. I read their minds and they each swore to change their ways,"** remarked Mewtwo.

" **Good."** Ash knelt down beside Kirlia and fixed his gaze on hers. **"Kirlia, I'm sorry for what they did to you. Please allow me to take you to a pokémon center so you can get healed up."**

Kirlia looked at him for a second before shaking her head again. She still was unsure of trusting him as a couple trainers had tricked her before doing the same thing.

" **Ash, we don't have time for this,"** repeated Mewtwo, getting impatient. Ash removed his mask and lowered his hood before responding.

" **Yes we do Mewtwo. It's only been four months since you came to me. We still have time on our side so be a little patient. Kirlia, you need to get treatment. If you come with me, I promise that I will never let anything happen to you. I will protect you from everything and anything. You can train with me or just relax by my side. I won't force you to do anything that you don't want to do."**

" **You can trust him Kirlia. He is a man of his word. And he saved me as well,"** added Riolu, kneeling down to face her and Kirlia's eyes widened at the revelation, thinking hard before she finally nodded.

" **Okay. Mewtwo get us to the nearest center,"** smiled Ash as he gently picked her up after putting his mask on and hood up once more. The five of them vanished from the spot. They reappeared at a pokémon center. The resident Nurse Joy took Kirlia in and after healing her, Ash stayed by Kirlia's side the whole night. In the morning Kirlia joined Ash after he promised her again to always be there for her and to keep her safe. The memory faded away and another formed while many of the viewers smiled over what he did.

 **MEMORY #24**

Ash was seen leaning over a desk table with a bunch of books spread out in front of him along with three computer screens that was turned on in front of him. The screen on the left was showing a Poke Dex like entry on his Charizard with details such as height, weight, pokémon type, fastest running speed, fastest flying speed, abilities, moves known, moves capable of learning, his stats, weaknesses, strengths, resistances, etc. The screen on the right showed a calendar with the days that were past marked with an 'X' and had some notes on certain days such as 'Sinnoh – Mount Coronet' on an upcoming Thursday, 'Hoenn – Mount Pyre' on Friday and several others. There was also a 'time passed' indicator and a 'time remaining' indicator at the bottom of the calendar. The time passed showed eight months and the time remaining showed two different countdowns. One said two years and four months left and the second said four years and four months left. The third and final screen that was in the middle was on a news website that showed world news and with live streaming of important or interesting events.

Ash had a notebook in front of him that was turned to a page that was half way filled. There were other papers as well that were on the desk. They saw that each of the papers had a different title and had different lists. One was a list of all the known technical machines, which were used to teach pokémon new moves that they could learn. Another had a list of a bunch of pokémon that had a title of 'Captured'. They were stunned that he had caught so many since the list was spread out over three columns. Another paper had another list spread into columns of pokémon with a title that read 'Need to Catch'. Another paper with it being completely filled out was titled 'Resistance Exercises'. The last paper that they could make out had a title that read 'Combination Moves'.

The paper he was working on right now though had a title that stated 'Moves to Teach'. He had several pokémon listed on the page he was currently on such as Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Sceptile and Charizard. Under each pokémon's name there was a list of attacks that he wanted them to learn. As he continued working on the paper, the middle screen showing the news website suddenly updated with a new broadcast, catching Ash's attention since the lighting on the screen changed colors. The title of the news report said 'MISSING TRAINER FROM PALLET'. Wondering if it was about him or someone else, he increased the volume to hear it and watched.

" **HELLO EVERYONE, THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW REPORTING LIVE FROM CERULEAN CITY. I'M HERE IN FRONT OF THE FAMOUS CERULEAN GYM, ONE OF THE TOUGHEST GYMS TO GET A BADGE FROM SINCE THE INCREDIBLE MISTY WATERFLOWER HAS TAKEN UP ITS CHARGE A FEW YEARS AGO. BUT THAT'S NOT THE REASON WHY WE'RE HERE. IT'S BEEN EIGHT MONTHS SINCE ANYONE HAS SEEN OR HEARD FROM THE PALLET TOWN TRAINER ASH KETCHUM. MANY HAVE GONE TO SEARCH FOR HIM BUT NOBODY HAS HAD ANY LUCK. WE ARE ABOUT TO ENTER THE GYM AND SPEAK WITH THE GYM LEADER MISTY TO SEE IF SHE HAS ANY NEWS OF HIM SINCE IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT THEY ARE CLOSE FRIENDS AND RUMORED TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER. LET'S GO!" **

Ash felt his heart rate go higher as he clenched his chair's hand rest. He would be seeing Misty on the news channel after so long of not talking or seeing her. He watched as Britney entered the dome shaped gym with her camera man following behind her while she talked. Suddenly, a blue glow appeared next to Ash.

" **Ash, we're ready to go find that Zoroark. Are you ready to go?"** asked Mewtwo.

" **Just a minute. I want to watch this,"** replied Ash and Mewtwo nodded as he turned his attention to the news as well. They started hearing the sounds of a battle going on.

" **LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A BATTLE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. LET'S HURRY AS WE MAY BE ABLE TO SEE AT LEAST THE END OF IT!"** Britney and her camera man hurried along down the hallway and found the battle arena in time to see a torrent of pressurized water hit the challenger's pokémon, knocking it out.

" **Damn it…I thought I had it,"** sighed the challenger as he returned his fainted pokémon, which was a Pidgeotto. The young boy thanked the gym leader for showing that he's not ready yet and ran towards the exit as the red headed girl approached the reporter.

" **Can I help you?"** asked Misty. She was wearing her yellow swimsuit with white shorts over it. Ash had his heart rate beat faster at the sight of her. _Wow, she's even more beautiful than I remember._ Memory Ash's thoughts made Misty blush as some smiled and the girls nudged Misty slightly who shouted at them to stop, making the others laugh at the situation.

" **HELLO MISTY. I'M BRITNEY SNOW, A REPORTER FOR KANTO NEWS. GREAT BATTLE BY THE WAY."**

" **Ah, thanks. So why are you here?"**

" **WELL, THIS MAY BE A TOUCHY SUBJECT BUT WE'RE DOING A PIECE ON ASH KETCHUM AND HOW HE'S BEEN MISSING FOR EIGHT MONTHS NOW."** Misty's face grew sullen and Ash felt his heart drop into his stomach. Mewtwo placed his three digit hand on his shoulder to help calm him and show support. Real Misty suddenly went a little sad as she remembered what happened next as she continued watching the memory. **"YOU JUST CAME BACK FROM A TRIP OF YOUR OWN SO WE WERE WONDERING IF YOU HAD GOTTEN WORD OF HIM OR KNOW WHERE HE IS SINCE IT'S KNOWN THAT YOU TWO ARE VERY CLOSE. BY THE WAY ARE YOU JUST FRIENDS OR ARE YOU TOGETHER? IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN TELL US SUCH AS IF HE'S ALRIGHT OR WHY HE'S DISAPPEARED? DO YOU HAVE ANY INFOR-"**

" **PLEASE STOP!"** shouted Misty suddenly and Britney went quiet immediately. Before either of them could say anything, more voices were heard.

" **Is everything alright Misty?"** asked a female's voice.

They turned around to see a blunette, a brunette and a honey blonde haired girl approaching them. Each of them was wearing a swimsuit with shorts over them. Ash's eyes went wide at the sight of them as a couple thoughts went through his head; _when did Misty, May, Dawn and Serena start hanging out together? And were they always this stunning?_

Once again, the four girls were nudged by their mothers and friends and they shouted at them to stop and that next person who does that is getting slapped. They stopped instantly and several people sweat dropped.

" **Yea, everything's fine,"** sighed Misty as the girls gathered around her. Misty faced Britney again as her friends stood beside her. After a moment of silence that Misty used to think, she spoke again. **"Look, I'm sorry but I don't want to talk about Ash. And no we're not together."** Ash had a sullen look appear on his face and slumped down into his chair. **"I don't want to talk about how he's disappeared and how no one can find him. It's bad enough I can't stop thinking about him without you and other people asking about him. My friends here and I even went looking for him together but found no trace of him. So please stop asking about him okay? Now please leave."** Britney nodded and turned to leave but then Misty stopped her. **"Wait! I need to say something else as well."** Britney nodded and the cameraman focused onto the four girls. Misty glanced at her friends who nodded at her to show their support before she looked into the camera and took a deep breath before speaking. **"Ash, if you're watching this there's something the four of us want you to know. We don't know where you are and we don't know what you're doing…but know that we miss you…we want you to come back home. We know you said you're helping out a friend but it's been eight months. That's the longest amount of time that we haven't heard from you so far. If you're not done helping your friend yet can you at least call so we know that you're alright? Please Ash…"**

Misty couldn't talk anymore as her eyes had filled up with water and she started sobbing and the same thing happened to the girls beside her. Even Britney was about to cry but kept it at bay to finish her reporting.

" **THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. EVEN HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS HAVEN'T SEEN OR HEARD OF HIM. ASH, IF YOU'RE OUT THERE AND YOU'RE SEEING THIS, PLEASE COME BACK. EVERYONE MISSES YOU AND IS WORRIED ABOUT YOU. OR AT LEAST CALL. THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW SIGNING OFF."**

The news website screen went black before it went back to the home page. Ash had tears going down his cheeks as he raised his left hand that had his Poketch on it. He went through the call menu and found Misty's number. Right when he was about to contact her, he was stopped.

" **You know you shouldn't do that Ash."**

" **I know. But it can't hurt can it? Just a quick message at least to let her know I'm fine and that I'm thinking about them every day too. Please Mewtwo,"** pleaded Ash as he looked at him but Mewtwo shook his head.

" **Remember we had known of this from the start. We are to make no contact. I know it's hard but you must continue this way. At least until the tournament starts. That's in less than two and a half years,"** reminded Mewtwo and many of the viewers gasped as they learned that Ash knew that the Spirit Tournament would be happening long before anyone else.

" **Alright! Fine!"** shouted Ash angrily as he looked away before he calmed down. **"I just miss them so much."**

" **I know. But you're strong and you'll be able to push through. Let's go Ash. We have some more pokémon to go catch. But first, we'll get Pikachu, Lucario and Kirlia. You know how she gets scared without you around, even though she's taking a liking to Pikachu and Lucario. Afterwards, we'll come back and we'll work on the move tutor machine we were talking about before. But before we leave…"**

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and a second later, a small blue sphere appeared on the desk and faded away to reveal a photograph. Ash picked it up and saw that it was a group picture of him, his family and all of his friends who had come to his house in Pallet Town after returning from Kalos in the first week since his mom made a surprise get together without telling him; he, Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Richie, Gary, Professor Oak and his Mom were all smiling in the photo. Mewtwo had teleported it from the wall of his room in his home in Pallet. He smiled at the picture, as he looked at each face for a second. Ash folded the photo and put it in his pocket before he turned his tear streaked gaze at Mewtwo. Before the psychic feline knew what was happening, he was being hugged by the raven haired guardian.

" **Thank you buddy."**

" **You're welcome. Let's go. They're waiting for us."**

Ash nodded as they separated, wiping away his tears. He and Mewtwo disappeared in blue glows as the memory faded and another formed.

 **MEMORY #25**

Ash was in the middle of a training session, working on his aura abilities with Lucario at the top of Mount Chimney, the active volcano in the Hoenn region. His large group of many different pokémon was training as well all around the peak of the mountain next to the center where the lava was. There were so many around them that the people watching the memory couldn't count them all. They could see a faint purple mist around the volcano's sides. Mewtwo had set up a barrier around them that made people and pokémon who came too close to them to remember something important and leave. They saw that several of his pokémon had evolved and were in full blown battles with one another.

" **Well done Master,"** said Lucario as Ash sent an Aura Sphere at him who blocked it with his own attack. **"You have perfected the technique required to use an Aura Sphere. Right now it will stun your opponent but it will only continue to get stronger and much more devastating against your enemies the more you use it. Let us practice defensive moves now."** Ash nodded before he put up an Aura Shield as Lucario shot many weaker attacks at him though he held his shield. **"Your Aura Shield technique is still perfect. All you need to do is make it stronger to resist stronger attacks."**

" **Let's focus on that a bit as we kick things up a notch,"** remarked Mewtwo as he joined the two. He shot his own Aura Sphere at Ash, who barely held the shield against the attack. Mewtwo shot a couple more spheres at him, causing the shield to bear some cracks here and there but somehow Ash was able to hold it. When Mewtwo finished, Ash dropped to his hands and knees, the shield disappearing.

" **It's been a while since I left home. Four months of intense training everyday and I can barely keep an Aura Shield up against a few strong attacks,"** admitted Ash as he gasped for air.

" **Nobody becomes great over night or in a short time. You know that better than anyone. But you must push through Ash. When we face our greatest battles, we will not be shown mercy."**

" **Mewtwo is right Master. We must go past our limits so we can be ready to protect everyone when the time comes,"** added Lucario.

Hearing the two pokémon talk about protecting everyone and fighting great battles with no mercy made many people wonder what he was preparing for. Before they could dwell on it, hearing Ash made them focus their attention back onto the memory.

" **I know, I know. You're right. I'll do better."** Ash took a long breath before he got up and Lucario nodded at the psychic feline before both he and Mewtwo readied Aura Spheres to launch at Ash.

Ash took up a defensive position, his eyes glowed blue and he had a blue glow outline him. He readied another Aura Shield and nodded at them to begin the training. Mewtwo and Lucario shot the Aura Spheres at him. Both blue energy spheres exploded against his shield but it held. More was shot at the shield and yet Ash was able to hold.

" **You're getting better Master. But those were only child's play. Time for full powered attacks!"** warned Lucario, making Ash sweat drop and the memory viewers to gulp and get scared for Ash.

Lucario fired a Flash Cannon and Mewtwo launched an Ice Beam at the shield. Both attacks struck the shield and pushed Ash back but he was able to still hold the shield up even though several cracks appeared on the shield. More attacks were launched by both pokémon and struck the shield that caused more cracks to form. Seeing Ash not putting more into it, Lucario told Mewtwo to stand down for the rest of the training session as he had other plans before the aura canine charged forward towards Ash.

" **You must concentrate Master!"** roared Lucario as slammed against the shield before he began striking the shield with physical attacks now such as Metal Claw and Force Palm. The people watching the memory grew even more worried of the intensity of Lucario's training.

" **I am! It's too much! I need a break!"** pleaded Ash but Lucario ignored him.

" **Your enemies will not give you a break! They will not warn you! They will not go easy on you or show you any mercy! YOU MUST PUSH THROUGH!"** shouted Lucario as he launched another Flash Cannon that exploded on the shield, causing Ash to be pushed back more.

" **I'm at my limit! I'm still learning! I CAN'T DO MORE!"** retorted Ash as he felt his energy go down a bit.

Lucario growled in response and started using Power Up Punch and Shadow Claw, making more cracks appear on the shield. All of Ash's pokémon heard the shouting and stopped their training. They gathered around Lucario, Mewtwo and Ash. Many of his pokémon were worried but knew not to get involved. Kirlia had tears in her eyes and wanted to go to Lucario to stop him but was held back by Pikachu. When she glanced at the electric mouse, he shook his head, telling her that he wanted it to stop too but this was necessary. Kirlia kept crying but stood her ground.

" **IS THIS YOUR EXCUSE?! IS THIS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY WHEN YOU FAIL THEM?!"**

A series of Shadow Claws struck the shield, causing it to flicker.

" **I WON'T FAIL THEM! I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN FOR THEM!"**

A Dragon Pulse was launched at the shield, making the cracks larger.

" **AT THIS RATE YOU WILL FAIL! YOU'RE GOING TOO EASY, TOO CAUTIOUSLY! YOU NEED TO BREAK PAST YOUR LIMITS! YOU AREN'T EVEN USING YOUR FULL AURA POWERS! YOU'RE AFRAID TO LET IT COME OUT! BRING IT OUT! BRING IT OUT NOW!"** roared Lucario.

The aura canine took a couple steps back and began powering up an attack. A blue ball of aura energy began swirling in his hands and Ash's eyes grew wide. He knew what it is; an Aura Beam. One of the advanced techniques he could learn later on IF he could become stronger. He summoned some more aura to strengthen his shield and hoped it would be enough.

" **THAT WON'T STOP ME FOR LONG!"** bellowed Lucario as he fired the powerful Aura Beam.

Many viewers screamed in fright at what they were seeing. Ash's training was harsh and Lucario was ruthless. They saw the blue beam of powerful aura energy hit the shield and pushed Ash back. The shield was having more and more cracks appear on it as Lucario kept up the attack.

" **I CAN'T HOLD IT FOR LONG! PLEASE STOP LUCARIO!"**

" **I WILL NOT STOP! NOT UNTIL YOU PUSH IT BACK! NOT UNTIL YOU TAKE ME DOWN!"**

" **I CAN'T! I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH YET!"**

" **IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY TO THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE WHEN YOU FAIL TO PROTECT THEM? TO YOUR MOTHER? TO YOUR FRIENDS? TO YOUR POKÉMON? ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE EXCUSES? ARE YOU GOING TO JUST LET THEM SUFFER PAINFUL DEATHS WHILE YOU JUST STAND THERE AND SAY YOU'RE SORRY?!"**

Ash growled a bit and tried to summon more energy but he was losing focus due to his anger, his frustrations and being afraid to bring forth his power.

" **YOU HAVE THE POWER NEEDED SO SHOW ME OTHERWISE! SHOW ME YOUR POWER! SHOW ME THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF THE TITLE OF AURA GUARDIAN! SHOW ME THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF BECOMING A POKÉMON MASTER! SHOW ME THAT YOU DO CARE AND LOVE YOUR FRIENDS! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR POKÉMON! SHOW ME! SHOW ME NOW!"**

Ash heard Lucario as he was being pushed slowly back towards the edge of the volcano. He thought of his mother and how she was always there waiting for him when he got home. He thought of his friends Brock and Max who he thought of his brothers. He thought of Gary and Richie and how they were his rivals. He thought of Cilan and Iris and their journey together throughout Unova. He thought of Clemont and Bonnie and their journey together throughout Kalos. He thought of all the people he met during his journeys such as Lance, Cynthia, Sabrina, Jack, Harrison, Flannery, Tierno, Trevor, Shauna and many others. He then thought of the girls that he had developed feelings for while they traveled together. He thought of the loyal red head, Misty. He thought of the motherly brunette May. He thought of the always cheerful blunette Dawn. He thought of the passionate honey blonde girl Serena.

He thought of everything that they experienced together. Flashes of their travels together went across his mind's eye. He then thought of them getting hurt and him not being strong enough to protect them. He thought of him losing them to evil. He thought of him letting them down, disappointing them. He thought how he couldn't live with himself if anything ever happened to them.

Suddenly, Ash felt something within him snap. He knew at that moment that he had to get stronger. He had to reach his limit and break past. He had to reach a level far above any before him so he can protect them from what was coming. He knew now what he had to do.

Ash narrowed his eyes and the blue glow in them began to shine brightly as he focused. He searched deep within himself to bring out the power he knows he has. Lucario sensed what his Master was trying to do and pushed harder, concentrating more energy into the Aura Beam. The beam became thicker and began pushing Ash back faster. Right when Ash was pushed to the edge of the volcano, he found the power he has and dug his heels into the ground.

" **LUCARIO!"** roared Ash as he began drawing out his full power. **"I..."** Howling winds began swirling around Ash from out of nowhere. **"WILL…** " The very ground began shaking. First lightly and then stronger and stronger. **"NOT…"** Streaks of blue light began escaping from Ash's body. **"FAIL!"**

A bright blue light erupted from Ash that blinded everyone in the memory and those watching for a split second before they were able to see again. Blue flame-like aura had emerged from his body and was dancing around him wildly and his shield instantly became stronger. The winds died down and so did the earthquake after a few seconds. Ash began pushing against the beam with his shield as he took a step forward. Then another. And another.

" **My god…"** whispered Oak as he watched Ash bring out his power for the first time under such pressure.

" **Incredible,"** commented a stunned Riley at seeing a newbie Aura Guardian have so much power right from the beginning while everyone else was too stunned to say anything.

" **THAT'S IT MASTER! PUSH THROUGH! BREAK YOUR LIMITS! YOU HAVE FOUND THE POWER YOU HAVE! NOW USE IT! REACH ME! DEFEAT ME! PROVE THAT YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SAVE EVERYONE! PROVE IT NOW!"**

Hearing Lucario's challenge made Ash focus all of his being into pushing back the beam. He took a couple more steps forward but then couldn't anymore as Lucario put even more energy into the attack.

" **IS THAT IT?! IS THAT THE EXTENT OF YOUR GREAT POWER?! YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING! IF YOU CANNOT EVEN BEAT ME WHEN I'M NOT EVEN USING HALF OF MY STRENGTH, HOW WILL YOU FARE AGAINST OTHERS?!"**

Hearing that this display of Lucario's power wasn't even half of it made everyone's jaw drop. How could he be so powerful?! As they continued watching they saw that Ash was struggling even though he had brought out his aura.

" **I'm disappointed Master. You have brought out your power but still you are afraid to use it and because of that you cannot win against me. Let me show you what is possible when you embrace it. LET ME SHOW YOU MY FULL POWER!"**

Lucario's eyes glowed blue and his aura flared up around him. He focused his power into the attack and once ready, he added it to the Aura Beam. The blue beam of energy tripled in size and the power of it was unbelievable. It raced across the volcano top and smashed into Ash's Aura Shield, causing dozens of cracks to form instantly as it made him go flying back towards the edge once more. Ash was stunned for a second but his shield held somehow and he quickly lowered his feet to dig into the ground, which made extreme pain shoot through his legs. He stopped again near the very edge. He felt incredible pain on his body but he would not give up.

But how could he continue? He brought out his aura already. What could make him focus his power even more? His mind wondered to the girls again and how much he cared about them and that he couldn't let anything happen to them no matter what. His power skyrocketed suddenly out of nowhere and he finally understood. His power didn't come from anger. It didn't come from trying to be the best. It didn't come from focusing on the mission. No. It came from love. His love for the girls. His love for his pokémon. His love for his friends. That was his power. And it was now time to use that power.

" **IS THAT ALL YOU GOT LUCARIO?!"** shouted Ash and Lucario tilted his head in surprise at hearing Ash talk since he thought that he was struggling to keep the shield up. **"BECAUSE IF THAT'S IT, THEN THIS IS OVER!"**

Ash used his incredible power to strengthen his shield and it expanded against the Aura Beam. The shield kept expanding and expanding, pushing the Aura Beam back. Lucario's eyes grew wide at the sight of his Master's shield expanding greatly and kept going while he walked towards him. Ash started pushing back the beam, walking towards it as his shield stopped expanding after growing to twice his height. He kept pushing and pushing until he was barely twenty feet away from Lucario. Lucario smirked as Ash grinned while they were still pushing against one another.

" **Well done Master. I am glad that you have learned where your power comes from. But there is something you should know; I lied about that being my full power."**

Everyone watching the memory gasped and Ash's eyes widened when Lucario said that. With a mighty roar, Lucario channeled his entire remaining aura into the attack and the Aura Beam grew so large that it completely engulfed Ash's shield, shattering it and blasting Ash back. The raven haired guardian flew across the air with smoke trailing his body before crashing against the ground and his aura faded away. Lucario immediately went to work on healing his Master with Heal Pulse. Mewtwo told the pokémon to get ready to teleport back home to rest once they healed Ash a bit.

" **You think we got carried away? I mean it's only been a couple months since we started training heavily,"** asked Lucario, worried that he may have gone overboard.

" **No. When it starts, we will be shown no mercy and the only way to prepare for that is this type of training. We don't go easy on our selves, on each other until one drops to the floor, as his pokémon have done until now. All of us know what is coming and what is at stake. The time will come when we will be glad we went through this type of training,"** answered Mewtwo.

Lucario sighed and said no more. A moment later, he finished healing Ash of most of his minor wounds and he slowly stood up while complimenting Lucario's strength and strategy. Lucario returned the praise and told Ash that they would have to work harder now. Ash nodded before Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and they all vanished as the memory faded and another formed.

 **MEMORY #26**

A large stadium was seen with a raven haired trainer working out with a series of exercising equipment in at one edge of the arena while dozens of pokémon were running laps around the outer edges of the arena. While they did the laps, they would run up a set of stairs and then run down the next set of stairs, run up the next and on and on, working on their endurance. Ash was currently performing some bench presses while a Machamp was spotting him. Many of the females in the group, both young and old, went extremely red at the sight of Ash's toned but not too muscular body that was covered in sweat, since he was only wearing work out pants. Some of the guys sighed at how the females were swooning over him but didn't comment as they really didn't want to anger them. An angered girl was not something you wanted to deal with at all.

" **97…"** grunted Ash as he pushed up on the heavy weight and Machamp nodded in approval and cried out its name to encourage his trainer to keep going. **"98…99…100."**

CLUNK! Ash had set the bar back onto the small but strong metal holders. He sat up and panted a bit, his six pack abs tightening, making the girls inhale sharply at the sight.

" **Damn, that was tiring."** Ash glanced at his Machamp who smirked at him. **"Yea, yea, I know you can do more but I'm only human alright? Three hundred pounds is a great amount for us,"** explained Ash as his fighting type pokémon chuckled at him.

Everyone besides Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu had their jaws drop once they heard the amount of weight that he had been lifting. Even trained athletes had some trouble benching two hundred pounds a dozen times yet Ash did more weight and did it a hundred times. They couldn't believe it but didn't comment as they watched him get up, take a drink from a water bottle and sat on another machine that involved his legs. Before he started he called out to his pokémon.

" **Alright guys, good job but now launch a special attack into the air every time you reach the top of the stairs!"**

His pokémon didn't even respond back and Ash didn't need them to as he knew they would do it. Not even a minute later and many different types of elemental attacks were shot into the air once his pokémon reached the top of the first set of stairs they reached after he added the new command and continued doing so every time they reached the top of a set of stairs.

" **Impressive,"** commented Diantha and several people glanced at her. **"He's combining physical endurance training with move endurance training," s** he explained and they understood.

They returned their attention back to the memory and saw the pokémon continue their training with the added variation while Ash began working out his legs. They saw that the weight was at five hundred pounds and he was pushing against the machine with a little bit of ease. Once again the viewers were stunned as to how strong he had become. They watched him get to fifty repetitions, which surprisingly didn't take too long before he was stopped by Lucario who had entered the arena.

" **Master, I have some good news."** Ash stood up and gave him his full attention after taking another drink of water. **"Mewtwo was finally able to build the move tutor machine. Any attack that our comrades can learn, whether naturally, by use of technical machine, breeding or by tutoring, the machine can grant the knowledge to perform the move."**

" **Sweet Lucario! That will make things so much easier,"** replied Ash as he pumped his fist into the air and the memory viewers had their eyes widen in shock that a machine like that could even exist.

" **Yes it will but there is a downside. The machine can only grant the knowledge to pokémon who can both learn the move and can handle the move. So if they aren't strong enough or experienced enough yet, the machine will be unable to pass the knowledge to them,"** informed Lucario.

" **Even so Lucario, with this machine, teaching new techniques will be far easier. It'll make the process faster. Of course they would still have to practice using the moves to get a handle on it, make it stronger and easier to use but at least learning how to be able to use the move won't be much of an issue,"** remarked Ash and Lucario nodded.

" **You're right Master. Who would've thought that it would only take two years to make the ultimate move teaching machine and it would be made by a pokémon none the less?"** wondered Lucario out loud while Ash chuckled.

" **Nobody would've thought that and nobody else could have done that. Only I have the intelligence and power to make such a thing."**

Ash and Lucario turned to the psychic feline who said that that had just teleported to their side and scoffed at their friend who glared at them.

" **Yea, yea whatever. You're the best Mewtwo,"** responded Ash sarcastically with a wave of his hand. He was about to continue his leg exercise when he was outlined by a purple outline and lifted into the air. **"Put me back down Mewtwo or you will regret it."**

The memory watchers gasped as they heard him threaten the powerful purple psychic but Mewtwo merely smirked.

" **Is that so? Well then let's go. It's been a while,"** replied Mewtwo. Ash glared at the legendary.

" **We'll go another round Mewtwo but when it's our day to train together. Today is working out and later on hand to hand training with Lucario. You know we stick to the schedule. Now put me down! AND GENTLY THIS TIME!"** yelled Ash, making some of the viewers laugh.

Mewtwo chuckled while Lucario sighed. The purple feline lowered Ash to the ground and let him go when he was only a few inches above it. Ash landed without any problems and before you could say 'Pokémon Master', he launched an Aura Sphere at the psychic feline who lazily brought out a shield to block it. After the attack, Mewtwo scoffed.

" **Did you really think I wouldn't be able to block that attack?"** asked Mewtwo with disappointment on his face.

" **No. But you're it and no powers,"** smiled Ash as he began backing away and Lucario started chuckling.

" **Are you kidding me? We don't have time for this kind of nonsense. Why are you acting so childishly when we have so much-YOU'RE IT LUCARIO!"** shouted Mewtwo after smacking Lucario upside the back of his head and levitated into the air to escape. **"Have fun Ash!"** taunted Mewtwo before teleporting away, knowing how Lucario gets in these types of games.

" **Ah fuck…"** muttered Ash as he saw the almost feral like grin form on Lucario's face. He slowly began to back away. **"Now Lucario, I said he was it not you and…ah…"**

" **Too late Master. You should run. Oh and let's make this interesting."** Ash titled his head but then his eyes widened when Lucario shouted out to the pokémon nearby. **"COMRADES! WE'RE PLAYING TAG AND WE'RE ALL IT! FIRST ONE TO GET MASTER GETS A DAY OFF FROM TRAINING!"**

" **Ashy-boy better start running,"** laughed Gary as he and the others watched the horde of pokémon chase after their trainer. They watched Ash bring out his aura to run away from his pokémon and began laughing at his predicament.

" **SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! I'M GONNA GET YOU BACK FOR THIS LUCARIO!"** roared Ash as he ran out of the stadium and towards the nearby forest, attempting to lose his pokémon on his tail. **"AND YOU TOO MEWTWO!"** he shouted into the sky.

The memory faded away as they watched Ash dodge a couple tackles from his pokémon and another slowly formed while they laughed so hard that they were holding their stomachs.

 **MEMORY #27**

Ash was standing with his arms crossed with Pikachu standing on his shoulder while Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo were standing beside him. He put his hood down since it was a little hot. They were looking over a large ravine where there were hundreds of tall rock pillars, each about ten feet in diameter that rose up into the air about a hundred feet near each other. Ash turned to his group.

" **I think it's perfect. What do you guys think?"**

" **Everyone will be able to train there, whether on top or in it,"** replied Mewtwo.

" **Agreed. We should set up camp here for the night since it will be dark soon and start training at daybreak,"** advised Lucario and the agreed.

They watched the group in the memory set up camp, start a fire and Ash set to work preparing dinner for everyone. When finished, the raven haired trainer called his friends to him and they sat around the fire and each had a bowl of chicken soup while they conversed. Suddenly, Ash placed his half empty bowl down and stood up, his friends copying him as he did so. Ash, Lucario, Gardevoir, Pikachu and Mewtwo each stared into the nearby bush and took up battle stances.

" **We know you're there! Show yourselves or we will attack!"** warned Ash and they waited for a few seconds until three familiar figures came tumbling through the bushes.

" **Damn, that hurt!"** shouted a man.

" **Which one of you is grabbing my ass?!"** shrieked a woman.

" **You landed on my tail!"** cried a pokémon.

Ash and Pikachu glanced at each other before they both burst out laughing and fell to the floor, unable to keep standing. Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo looked at them with curious looks and then at the three in front of them who were trying to untangle themselves from each other. When they heard the laughing, they stopped and instantly righted themselves. One was an athletic looking man who had short blue hair and was wearing black pants with a black shirt. The second one was a curvy woman with long red hair that seemed to defy gravity as it streaked down diagonally and she was wearing a black skirt and black mini blouse that hugged her chest tightly showing it off. The third was a small whitish beige cat pokémon that stood on its hind legs and had a gold charm on its forehead. Many of the viewers gasped as they saw who the tree were.

" **What's so funny twerp?!"** asked the red head as she scowled.

" **Ah, Jessie, I don't think we should…"** started the blue haired man.

" **Stop being so timid James!"** interrupted Meowth.

" **A talking Meowth. Interesting,"** commented Mewtwo making Jessie, James and Meowth stare at the purple feline who chuckled at their stunned expressions and Ash glanced at his friend.

" **Who would've thought it would only take two years and four months for you to fully change from a serious and brooding pokémon to a kinder one who finds things amusing now,"** grinned Ash and Mewtwo glared at him.

" **Keep talking Ash and I'll have you bouncing through those rock pillars in a psychic ball and that will amuse me. You know what, I'm gonna do that now,"** replied Mewtwo with a smirk forming on him.

" **I'll get out eventually buddy and then you'll be sorry,"** replied Ash and Mewtwo scoffed. He was about to reply back when the red headed woman interrupted them.

" **Stop ignoring us!"** shouted Jessie, fuming that they were not paying them any attention. The people watching the memory laughed at her outburst.

" **Alright fine. What do you want? You know that Team Rocket is finished right? So what are you doing still following me? Speaking of which, how did you find me?"** asked Ash.

" **Well, we weren't really following you. Ever since you finished Team Rocket for good after the incident in with Landorus, we've been trying to find a new calling. But it's been hard with no money or any ideas so we've been traveling around trying to find something that ignites the spark in us. We somehow ended up here on this island off the coast of Johto,"** revealed James as he sunk his head.

" **At least when we were chasing Pikachu or on a mission for Giovanni, we had a purpose. Now, we don't know what to do and frankly it's starting to be annoying,"** added Meowth.

" **I see. Well, you could join us for dinner if you'd like. I just made some chicken soup and you're welcome to it,"** offered Ash.

Some of the viewers were surprised that he would do that while the ones who knew him better merely smiled a bit, knowing the type of person he is.

" **Really? Even after all we did to you over the past years?"** asked Jessie and James together in disbelief.

" **Yea, it's alright. You guys were more annoying than being an actual threat. Plus no more Team Rocket means you guys can get away from that. Why did you guys join that awful group in the first place? I always had a feeling that you guys weren't like the other cold bastards in it,"** said Ash as he poured soup into three bowls and handed it to the three former Rockets who thanked him while his pokémon sat back down and continued eating.

" **Well, Jessie was an orphan, James ran away from home and I was an outcast so we had nowhere else to go and no one took us in besides Team Rocket,"** answered Meowth.

Ash nodded solemnly and continued eating. The former Team Rocket members and Ash's group spoke together for a bit and when they finished eating, they exchanged stories well into the night.

" **I think we should go to sleep. But before we do, I need to ask you guys a favor. Don't tell anyone that you've seen me, who I'm with, where I was, absolutely nothing okay? I'm in heavy training for about eight more months and I don't want anyone to know what I've been up to until I make my reappearance,"** requested Ash.

" **You know, I was wondering why you were alone. You usually have a twerpette or two running around with you. Kicked them to the curb have you? Did they cheat on you or something? Find someone better? Looking for someone better?"** asked Jessie with a sly smirk.

" **No I haven't and they're not like that!"** shouted Ash.

Everyone, both in the memory and those watching were stunned at his outburst and the four girls smiled at how he defended them even when they weren't together, were far apart and hadn't seen each other for so long.

" **Okay, sorry, relax twerp,"** replied Jessie as she sweat dropped.

" **I'm sorry too,"** said Ash with a sigh. **"It's just…complicated. Anyway, do you agree?"** he asked again and they promised to not say a word. **"Good. As a thank you…"** Ash went to his backpack and pulled out a small metal box. He opened it, took out something, then put the box back in his backpack and rejoined the group around the fire. **"Here, use this to start new lives. It's not much, but it's some extra money that I don't really need. Start a business selling food, merchandise or something. You guys seem to do well with that until you blow it trying to catch Pikachu. Stay on the good side this time alright?"** he said as he handed them a stack of money.

Jessie, James and Meowth looked at Ash with wide eyes before they slowly reached for the money. They took it, glanced at one another and then pinched each other's cheeks to see if they were dreaming or not. Ash and the pokémon laughed at their actions and so did the people watching the memory. When the trio realized that it wasn't a dream, they stared at Ash before they got up and hugged the raven haired trainer, crying and thanking him. They separated after a moment and promised to keep their mouths shut and that they will be good from then on. Ash smiled at them as they sat back down. He handed them three sleeping bags and bade them goodnight before heading into his tenth with Pikachu and Gardevoir. Lucario and Mewtwo moved towards the three, who glanced at the two coming.

" **Do not taint this agreement,"** warned Lucario. **"Master believes everyone deserves a second chance if they are willing to change. I however do not believe it in certain cases. Your auras do not seem to be marked with evil but even so…do not betray his trust and make me come after you."**

" **We will not. You have our word,"** replied the three together. Lucario and Mewtwo nodded.

" **Why is he alone though?"** asked James.

" **We cannot tell you much, but he is on a journey to become stronger so he can protect those who he loves and cares about. He has gone through many trials, captured many powerful and rare pokémon and has traveled all over the six regions again. He is preparing to make his debut back into the world where he will take the competition by storm and prepare for what is coming,"** explained Lucario.

" **What is coming and how strong is he now?"** asked Jessie, curious.

" **We are not sure of what is coming but it is a threat to the people he cares about,"** replied Mewtwo, taking over for Lucario who didn't know what to say. **"Ash has reached a level far beyond many in the world. He still has a ways to go before he reveals himself. However, I would estimate that he is a little above the Elite Four's level by now. By the time he goes back, I believe he will be stronger than all the Champions combined. He may possibly be even stronger than the last Pokémon Master."**

The trio and the people watching the memory had their jaws drop, unable to believe that he had become that strong in just a little over two years and would become even stronger. The trio recovered and were about to ask more questions when Ash's voice sounded out from the tent.

" **Shut up! Let me go to sleep!"** whined Ash.

" **Pika pikachu!"** yelled Pikachu as well.

Everyone laughed, both in the memory and the ones watching. The trio thanked Mewtwo and Lucario for giving them some information and promised them they will be good from now on and if they needed anything, to let them know. Mewtwo teleported himself to a large tree branch to sleep on and Lucario leaned against the log while sitting on the ground in front of the dying fire. As they all fell asleep, the memory faded away to form another one.

 **MEMORY #28**

" **SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!"**

Ash was cursing up a storm as he hopped from the top of one of the rock pillars to another as he tried to avoid the powerful attacks that were sent against him. He glanced back at him and saw a wicked Thunderbolt chasing after him. His eyes widened and jumped from his spot at the last second onto another rock pillar as the powerful bolt of lightning exploded behind him when it hit the top of the pillar. Many impressed but also worried looks were on the viewers' faces as they watched.

 _Whose idea was it again to stay here for the past four months now? Oh yea, that was Lucario. Damn it, I really am going to have to get him back for all this._

Ash and his pokémon were training in the ravine they had found that had hundreds of rock pillars for months now. Mewtwo had once again set up a protective barrier around the island after the former Rocket trio left to keep everyone away. Each pillar was about ten feet in diameter that rose about a hundred feet into the air nearby one another on a small island off the coast of Johto. Most of his pokémon were training in groups in between the large rock pillars, on the rock pillars, around it or above it. Another elemental attack, an Ice Beam, was shot at Ash who jumped a little too early and ended up not reaching the next rock pillar.

" **FUUCCCKKKK!"** yelled out Ash as he began falling down towards the ground from about a hundred feet in the air.

Everyone screamed in fright and shock seeing him about to fall to his death but then they stopped as they saw what Ash did next. His eyes glowed blue and he manifested two aura swords from out of thin air, grabbed the two sharp weapons and stabbed them into the rocky pillar near him. His descent slowed down as the aura swords dug into its new home. Finally he stopped after about thirty feet of descent like that. He sighed and took a breather.

" **NO TIME TO REST MASTER!"**

Ash snapped his gaze to the right and saw Lucario jumping from one rocky pillar to the next as he climbed up to reach him. Ash sweat dropped before he lifted his legs and planted his feet against the rocky pillar. He bend his legs and then pushed off the pillar with a little bit of aura as he let go of the aura swords, which disappeared. He shot up some through the air towards the closest pillar as he readied another two aura swords to stab into the stone. He kept doing that until he reached the top of one of the rocky pillars and climbed onto it to be on the top of the pillar again.

" **Damn, he's as athletic as some pokémon now,"** commented Brock and several people nodded with impressed gazes on what they saw him do just now.

" **PIKA…CHUUUU!"**

A powerful Thunderbolt was launched at Ash who brought up an Aura Shield at the last second. The connecting attack caused an explosion that also kicked up a bunch of dust around him. When the dust finally settled, they could see Ash looking at the pokémon who were surrounding him. His Charizard, Greninja, Sceptile, Garchomp, Lucario, Pikachu and Gardevoir were each on a separate pillar and each of them were readying an attack to launch at him.

" **You should throw in the towel Master,"** advised Lucario as the blue sphere of energy in his paws began swirling faster and faster.

" **You know me buddy. I can't pass up some fun,"** he replied cheekily as his eyes glowed a bright blue and his aura flared out. He took up a battle stance and eyed each of his attackers.

" **Alright then since you asked for it. FIRE NOW!"** ordered Lucario and each pokémon launched their attacks.

Charizard shot a Flamethrower.

Greninja fired an Ice Beam.

Sceptile threw an Energy Ball.

Garchomp fired a Dragon Pulse.

Lucario threw an Aura Sphere.

Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt.

Gardevoir fired a Moon Blast.

The seven powerful attacks were launched simultaneously and at the last second Ash brought out his Aura Shield again to block the attacks. A large explosion occurred that pushed his pokémon back a bit as the blast covered the area in smoke. The viewers and the pokémon waited a few seconds to see the smoke clear. Before the smoke fully cleared however, seven Aura Spheres were shot from within the smoke and struck each of the pokémon, causing seven smaller explosions to occur at once and brought up some more smoke. After a couple of minutes, all the smoke cleared finally and they saw the seven pokémon and Ash kneeling and panting for breath.

" **Well…that was…fun,"** panted Ash and his pokémon chuckled in between taking in air.

" **Nicely done Master,"** commented Lucario as he slowly stood back up. **"I think you're ready to start learning how to use an Aura Beam."**

Ash grinned but before any of them could say anything else, a purple feline appeared above them from out of nowhere.

" **We have company,"** informed Mewtwo as he lowered himself next to Ash while still levitating in the air. Ash glanced at his friend who nodded toward the north side of the area. Ash and the seven pokémon around him looked in the indicated direction. They could see three large figures obscured by some fog on a nearby cliff. They were in the same area that they had set up camp the night before.

" **Looks like we do. Send message to everyone Mewtwo and then teleport us to them,"** requested Ash as he stood up and Mewtwo nodded.

A moment later, they all teleported to the cliff and saw who their guests were after Mewtwo pushed away the fog with his psychic powers. Ash gasped as he looked up towards the three large pokémon in front of him. The trio of large pokémon was the Legendary Beasts of Johto; Entei, Raikou and Suicune! Ash stepped forward with Pikachu on his shoulder while all of his pokémon stood directly behind him, eyeing the legendary pokémon with respect but also caution as they didn't know the reason they were here. But they each were ready to fight and protect themselves and their trainer should they attack. Mewtwo and the three legendaries gave each other a curt nod of respect. He had purposely made it so only legendary pokémon would be able to pass through his barrier in case they needed to speak with them.

" **Hey Entei, Raikou, Suicune; how have you been and what brings you three here?"** asked Ash as he took a couple steps forward and then stopped in front of the three. Everyone couldn't believe that three legendary pokémon just showed themselves to him and that Ash was talking to the legendaries so casually as if they were long time friends.

" **Hello Chosen One,"** replied back Raikou with telepathy.

" **We are doing well and it looks like you're training is going well too,"** added Suicune.

" **We are here because we have heard how you have been training hard for the coming days and we wanted to see for ourselves. Also, we have a bit of a proposition for you,"** explained Entei.

" **I see. So what is this proposition?"** asked Ash though he and many of his pokémon had an idea of what it could be.

" **That we have come to join you in your mission but only if you can defeat each of us in a one on one battle with someone who belongs to our element,"** proposed Suicune.

" **So that's where he met them and how he caught them,"** muttered Leaf with a small smile and a shake of her head and everyone let out 'ohs' as they figured it out too.

" **Alright, if you guys really want to join and this is how you want it done then you guys got yourselves a deal. But let's make it a fair fight. I will tell you which of my pokémon will fight against you but allow us to rest for the rest of the day today as we just finished some heavy training and won't be able to fight at maximum strength yet. We can have our battles tomorrow morning. Sound good?"** asked Ash.

The three legendaries nodded their heads with respect over how the young Aura Guardian was thinking about the well being of his pokémon. Even the people watching the memory smiled at what he just did. Many would have reacted and done something without thinking at the chance of catching a legendary but not Ash. He took his time and thought about his pokémon first.

" **Awesome! Alright. Let's have some lunch while I think over who I'm going to have battle against you and I'll tell you once we finish eating."**

Ash, his pokémon, Mewtwo, Entei, Raikou and Suicune gathered around the campsite and after Mewtwo teleported some food from their home with his psychic powers and Ash cooked some of it, they sat down to enjoy their meals. There were so many pokémon around that they ended up taking up the entire clearing and it still wasn't enough since they saw some of the pokémon in the trees or some of the smaller pokémon sitting or lying down on top of the larger pokémon.

" **So many pokémon…he really does have an army with him,"** remarked Max and everyone nodded.

" **Alright, I've chosen,"** stated Ash after finishing his meal and stood up. All eyes were on him as he faced the Johto legendaries. **"You said a pokémon of your element on a one on one match with you. These three are just a few of some of my strongest and I believe you will find the challenge very entertaining."**

The three legendaries nodded as their faces lit up a bit. As any other legendary, they were excited about the prospect of finding a worthy opponent who could stand up to their incredible power and go toe to toe with them. They were still pokémon after all and did enjoy a good battle every now and then.

" **Entei, you will face one of my oldest pokémon who's always ready for a worthy opponent to test his strength against. He has gone toe to toe with several other legendary pokémon before. You will battle against Charizard."**

Charizard roared as he stepped forward, spreading his mighty wings. He had a grin form after his roar. He always wanted a rematch against Entei since his defeat by him years ago. Now it was time for his revenge so to speak. Entei nodded his head in approval at the choice.

" **Suicune, you will face one of my most cunning and versatile pokémon who is also very proper for some reason. You will battle against Greninja."**

Greninja vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the legendary water beast and gave his opponent a short bow in respect. Suicune nodded her approval of her opponent.

" **Raikou, you will face one of my pokémon who has always gone the distance and who has always surprised everyone with his courage, power and never give in attitude. You will battle against my starter, Pikachu."**

Pikachu jumped down onto the ground and gave a cheery wave at the electric legendary. Now, any other Pikachu and Raikou would have scoffed. Hell, even if it were a Raichu he would still scoff a bit. But no, he wouldn't disrespect this particular electric mouse. He, along with almost all of the legendary pokémon, have heard the stories about this particular yellow mouse. This particular Pikachu had power that made Zekrom want to absorb it from him. This particular Pikachu had the strength to send Regice flying into a stadium wall with an Iron Tail. This particular Pikachu had the speed and endurance to run circles around other pokémon all day long. Yes, this particular Pikachu was a very worthy opponent indeed. Raikou grinned at his opponent and nodded his head in approval.

" **Great! I hope you all are ready for your grand battle tomorrow and wish you all good luck,"** commented Ash.

The Legendary Beasts of Johto nodded and so did his three chosen Pokémon. They spent the rest of the day relaxing and resting while they talked and joked around with each other before they went to bed as soon as night fall. They woke up in the morning and had breakfast before getting ready for the battles and they soon decided to have them on the top of the rocky pillars.

Ash, the Johto trio, Mewtwo and all of his pokémon were floating a good distance away from the top of the rocky pillars in the air with purple outlines around them, thanks to Mewtwo's incredible powers. Like this they could see the battle perfectly and not get in the way or get in the cross fire. Mewtwo lowered Entei and Charizard onto two of the rocky pillars and as soon as they landed, the purple outlines around the two faded away. The two powerful fire types roared, signaling that they were ready and soon charged at each other as the memory faded and another formed.

 **MEMORY #29**

Ash, Pikachu, Gardevoir, Mewtwo and Lucario were lying down on the roof of a large building, looking up at the stars with many other pokémon sleeping besides them on the roof and on the ground around the building.

" **Man, that was lucky we weren't caught huh guys?"** asked Ash.

" **Why did we even go to the Battle Frontier again last week?"** asked Lucario rhetorically.

" **Supplies and to check on a certain legendary pokémon who called us to meet him there remember?"** reminded Mewtwo and Lucario glared at him with a look that plainly said that he knows, making the psychic pokémon smirk.

" **Who would've thought when invisible we could still be detected. Anabel's powers sure have grown stronger,"** remarked Ash.

" **Anabel? Is that the name of the purple haired girl who looked in our direction even though Mewtwo had turned us invisible?"** asked Lucario and Ash nodded, telling them that she is an empath and a psychic as well.

Lucario and Mewtwo exchanged impressed looks before the group went quiet and observed the stars. A few minutes passed by with the group commenting on the constellations that they found or what they thought made up something else. When they finally quieted down, Lucario broke the silence.

" **It's finally been three years everyone. We will be making our return as soon as we get the invitation. Are you ready to go back Master?"** asked Lucario as he glanced at Ash.

" **Yes. It's been a while Lucario,"** answered Ash as he took out a photograph from his pocket and held it in front of his face. It was the group picture that Mewtwo had teleported from his house and he looked at it every night before going to sleep. The photo had some creases, the edges were starting to crumple and the colors had started fading a little but to Ash, it was still perfect. Tears escaped from his eyes that run down his cheek. Gardevoir looked sullen and stretched out her hand to his arm as she was lying next to him. Ash glanced at her and found her to have tears in her eyes over seeing him so sad.

" **Hey, I'm alright Gardevoir. I just miss them so much. I hope they're doing fine. I want to see them so badly but I don't know if I can. I finally figured out why I kept messing up with the girls a couple months ago though and ever since I did, I stopped hearing that voice from inside my head. But they might hate me and might want nothing to do with me after leaving them for so long,"** confessed Ash. The girls watching the memory were filled with sadness seeing him like that.

" **I doubt that,"** remarked Mewtwo as he sat up, locking eyes with Ash who also sat up. **"You are a very unique human Ash and you showed me that I was wrong and I've seen the light thanks to you. You are a very selfless person and there is nothing but goodness in your heart. Your friends will not have forgotten you and I'm sure they will be happy to see you again. Especially the girls you love so dearly. I have seen your memories and have seen how they are around you."**

" **That may be Mewtwo, but I don't know. Maybe I'll go in disguise at first as they might kill me on site because I disappeared for so long,"** chuckled Ash. They laughed a bit, knowing the situation.

" **Whatever you decide Master, I will stand by your side and help you,"** promised Lucario and the others promised as well.

" **Thanks guys."** Ash looked at the photograph again, softly grazing his finger over the faces of Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. **"I miss you so much,"** whispered Ash. The pokémon around him heard but said nothing. **"I hope you four are happy and I'm so sorry about everything. If you've found someone, they better take care of you and if not…I might get a chance again with one of you if I'm lucky enough…"**

The memory faded away and another formed as the four girls let out silent tears. Leaf, Anabel, Sarah and Cynthia were also saddened as to how much their crush had suffered and how he seemed to be so in love with the four girls, each thinking that their feelings might not ever get returned.

 **MEMORY #30**

A bearded man was training in the forest near the Indigo Plateau Hotel with his Lucario and Gardevoir. They were talking about what's been happening recently, such as running into his old group of friends suddenly, sharing a room with them, how it's so hard to not reveal himself to them. They soon finished their training and began heading back towards the Indigo Hotel. They conversed with one another for a bit when suddenly he sensed something.

" **Did you feel that Lucario? Gardevoir?"** asked the man, the two pokémon nodding at his question. **"We gotta move now!"**

The three of them ran closer to the hotel and Ash was able to sense what was going on as he ran to the edge of the forest and saw the hotel doors.

" **They're angry and scared and…..oh no, it's Misty! Gardevoir teleport to her side now!"** commanded Ash.

Gardevoir vanished as Ash and Lucario entered the hotel soon after, enraged. They saw a man with his hand raised and stretched out towards Misty, who was on the floor trembling in fear and a Scyther had Gary pinned against a wall. Gardevoir was blocking the man from reaching the red head. The memory viewers gasped at the horrible scene in front of them.

" **Don't you dare touch her!"** yelled out Ash.

" **NOW WHAT?!"** screamed a man as he whirled around and Ash saw who it was.

Misty remembered the altercation and felt everything that she experienced during that time as she watched the memory. She shivered as she continued watching, her sister Daisy noticing it and hugged her, though it didn't help much but what she heard next made her relax again with a smile.

 _I'm here Misty. I won't let anything happen to you,_ thought memory Ash.

They watched him and Lucario overpower Scyther and Tracey before throwing him towards the door and watched him run away. They watched Ash try to comfort Misty who ended up shouting at him some things about how would he know what Ash wanted and that he didn't give a damn, not knowing the bearded man was really Ash since he was in disguise. Then they saw Ash reveal himself and saw the four girls tackled him in a group hug and the five were crying and Ash was apologizing to them. When they stood back up, the four girls delivered eight hard slaps against his right cheek, one after the other, making him stumble.

" **Mew, that stings!"** cried out Ash.

The people watching the memory winced at the sight of Ash getting slapped hard several times in a row but the four girls were grinning and so were their parents and sisters. Cynthia thought that that was a little much but at least he took it like a man unlike a certain Champion of Kanto who couldn't deal with one. They focused on the memory in time to hear Ash say that he deserved that and the girls agreed.

" **I'm sorry guys for not revealing myself to you and for being gone for so long."** Ash hung his head, looking at the floor. **"Will you forgive me or are you too angry at me?"**

" **Of course we're angry!"** shot Misty. **"But we're also happy to have you here with us again,"** finished the red head softly.

" **Is that true guys?"** asked Ash as he looked up. As he looked at each person in the group, they nodded. Ash's eyes began to water. **"I'm so sorry for everything."**

" **Hey, it's fine, it's in the past. No need to worry,"** replied Dawn softly as she hugged him again.

" **Just make sure you never do something like that to us again."** added May as she hugged him too.

" **Otherwise you'll get more than just slaps to the face,"** threatened Serena as she joined them as well.

Everybody joined in on the hug, with Ash in the middle apologizing and having a few tears run down his cheeks, trying to pull himself back together. He felt happier than he had ever felt in a long time.

That memory faded away and finally no more was shown after that one and the blue sphere faded away into nothing. The group of people was quiet as they were still in a bit of trance from seeing the memory. Finally, the Champion of Kanto broke the silence.

" **I'm so sorry for doubting you Ash,"** said Lance as he slowly dropped his gaze from where the sphere was to look at Ash. But the thing was that he wasn't standing anymore.

When Anabel, Sabrina and Gardevoir finished the process, they severed their connection with Ash and let go of him as they took a couple stumbling steps back as they were exhausted. Ash however, could no longer stand. Instead, he was on the floor, sitting on his legs and holding his head in his hands, shaking violently. Everyone was confused as to what happened but what Ash said made everyone become greatly concerned yet they didn't know what to do.

" **Help…me…"** whimpered Ash in barely a whisper.

 ** _A/N - Damn, that was a long chapter wasn't it? You guys now have some information about what Ash has been doing during his three years away from everyone. What did you guys think of it? Thoughts? Feelings? Suggestions? And yea, sorry for putting another cliff hanger. :p_**


	30. Chapter 30 - Overwhelmed

**_A/N - Hey guys Silent here with another chapter for you! Thanks to everyone for the support and appreciate the time you take to read, comment, etc. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Guest 1 - No, Mewtwo does not have his clones with him._**

 ** _Guest 2 - I bold the dialogue so it's easier to spot, especially in between paragraphs._**

 **NOTE - I have set up a poll on my profile. Take a minute and answer it. Thanks!**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 30 – OVERWHELMED

" **I can't…take it…help…me…"** whimpered Ash.

Ash had Anabel, Sabrina and Gardevoir use their psychic powers to bring out some of his memories to show to Lance to prove that he is a good person and would never have something to do with the attack on the tournament. They had seen many memories of Ash, some very personal and emotional ones and of him training as he said he had done but something was wrong. Ash was now on the floor holding his head in his hands, his legs curled under him as he sat on them, shaking violently.

" **HELP ME!"** shouted Ash suddenly.

" **Pikapi!"** shouted Pikachu as he ran up to him, confused and scared, not knowing what to do to help his friend out.

" **What's wrong?! What's happened?!"** asked May as she, Misty, Dawn and Serena knelt beside Ash and tried comforting him.

" **What did you two do?!"** growled Lucario, facing Anabel and Sabrina, completely ignoring the fact that Gardevoir was part of the process as well.

" **Nothing! I didn't do anything besides help Gardevoir bring out the memories!"** Anabel replied back immediately, fearing that the angered pokémon wouldn't believe her and also because that she might have hurt Ash without knowing.

" **I only used some of my power to help bring them out as well but I was mostly checking to make sure they weren't being altered,"** responded Sabrina with a concerned expression on her face as a pained thought went through her head; _is this my fault?! Did I cause this to happen?!_

" **MAKE THEM STOP!"** screamed Ash, before he started whimpering even more.

" **Make who stop? What is it? We can't help unless we know! Please, tell us how to help you!"** Misty was losing it as this was one of the few times she had no idea what to do. She hugged Ash but yelped suddenly. **"His heart is beating like mad!"**

" **He's sweating like a pig too! What the hell is happening?!"** whined Serena.

" **He's burning up as well!"** said May as she placed her hand on his forehead.

" **Ash, what's wrong?!"** asked Dawn as she tried to pull his hands down but couldn't.

" **Ash; sweetie, what's wrong? Tell mommy and she'll make it better!"** said Delia as she knelt in front of her son and made to hug him but was suddenly pushed back a little. His eyes had glowed blue and an Aura Shield had appeared around him as his aura was brought out instinctually to try to help him.

" **PLEASE! IT'S TOO MUCH! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"** roared Ash before he started to cry.

" **What the fuck did you cause to happen Lance?!"** growled the Unovan Champion Alder while turning to glare at the Kanto Champion. The older Champion was doing all he could to prevent himself from exploding at Lance.

Cynthia, however let herself go. She was giving a look of rage at Lance while shouting at him and fingering her poke ball that held her Garchomp. He cowered at her furious demeanor as he tried to defend himself, to explain that he wasn't the one bringing out the memories. But he merely opened his mouth and closed it stupidly several times, unable to say anything. Many people started talking over one another, bickering and arguing on what to do and whose fault it is that Ash had somehow went ill after showing his memories.

" **SILENCE!"** shouted Queen Ilene, getting everyone to shut up instantly. Many awed looks were thrown in her direction but she didn't falter as she had experience in such matters. However, a certain young pokémon researcher was giving her another kind of look but she didn't notice. **"Now is not the time for arguing. Master Riley, can you figure out what's happening? Can you push through his shield?"** asked Queen Ilene, fear and worry clearly shown on her face. Riley moved forward and tried to push through the aura shield with his own aura but was unsuccessful.

" **I don't know my Queen. I've never seen something like this. I can't get through,"** replied Riley sadly.

" **Here let me try one of my inventions!"** offered Clemont as he stepped forward holding up something that looked like a miniature cannon after taking it out of his back pack. **"This is my energy taking device! I made it to weaken pokémon by draining their energy to catch them instead of battling them so they won't get hurt. I can siphon some of his aura to make his shield drop!"**

Before anyone could say anything or stop him, Clemont turned on the invention with his trademark phrase 'the future is now!' and used it. It seemed to work as the shield began to fade but then his device suddenly exploded in his hands after a few seconds. He coughed and waved his hand to get rid of the smoke that was covering him. Several people shook their heads at his attempt before glancing back at the suffering guardian on the floor as Misty, May, Dawn and Serena tried to push through the shield but had no luck.

" **LUCARIO! WHY AREN'T YOU HELPING ME?! MAKE THEM STOP!"**

" **MASTER! I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS! LET GO! LET GO WHATEVER IT IS SO I CAN HELP!"**

Lucario attacked the shield and tried to push through but nothing happened. He took a few steps back and then flared out his aura, making the girls scramble out of the way as he concentrated his energy into a swirling blue ball of energy in his hands before an Aura Beam was launched at Ash's shield. Everyone screamed in shock at what he did but the beam did its job and the shield was now gone. The four girls quickly went to Ash and tried to calm him down by hugging him and rubbing his back while ignoring that he was still sweating and burning up as Lucario knelt in front of Ash.

" **Master, what is it?"**

Ash whimpered before he tried to respond, but was unable to speak complete sentences. He was still trembling violently, his eyes glowing blue and holding his head.

" **I felt…it all…all the…emotions…it's too…much…can't…take…it…no…it's…coming…back…no…please…I can't…leave…alone…please…no...more...stop…please…HELP ME!"**

As Ash screamed the last two words, an Aura Shield came out and pushed everyone back once again. Lucario seemed to know what was going on but also had a look of confusion on his face that made many worry about what it could be.

" **What's going on Lucario?!"**

" **Master can't control the emotions from the memories Lady Cynthia. I don't know why though. We've done this before…"**

" **Before?"** asked Sarah in confusion as everyone else looked at the trembling and whimpering raven haired guardian on the floor with sullen looks.

" **END THIS PAIN!"**

" **ASH!"** cried Misty, Dawn, Serena and May together.

They flung themselves at the shield and tried to push through it. Many of Ash's friends quickly joined the four girls and did their very best to push through to reach him and try to help him. Brock, Max, Gary, Leaf, Iris, Cilan, Delia, Riley, Anabel, Gardevoir, Lucario, Pikachu, Joy, Richie, Sarah, Clemont, Bonnie, Sabrina and Cynthia joined in and tried to push through the shield as well but it wouldn't budge. The shield was just too strong for them to push through. Lucario told them to step away as he powered up another Aura Beam and fired it but for some reason it didn't work this time. Lucario was in shock that his powerful attack did absolutely nothing to the shield this time. Ash's cries were starting to affect everyone and they were all feeling hopelessness fill them.

" **WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"**

" **We're trying to help!"** screamed Misty, as she started pounding on the shield with her mallet.

" **WHY AM I ALWAYS ALONE?!"**

" **We're right here Ash!"** yelled May as she punched the shield over and over, hurting her hands a little in the process.

" **I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"**

" **You're stronger than this Ash!"** cried Dawn as she tried slamming into the shield with her shoulder.

" **PLEASE, I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP! JUST LET ME DIE!"**

" **Don't give up!"** shrieked Serena as she pushed against it.

" **SOMEONE HELP ME!"**

Several among the group flung themselves at the shield, attacking like mad and tried desperately to get through but it was no use. Cynthia had even let her Garchomp out and had him attack the shield but it was no use. Even with Misty letting out her Starmie and Brock letting out his Golem and had their pokémon attack the shield with Garchomp, it was futile. No matter what they did, no matter how powerful an attack the pokémon used, the shield just wouldn't go away. The raven haired guardian's trembling and crying became worse and worse with every passing second.

" **FIGHT IT MASTER! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THIS! FIGHT AGAINST IT!"**

" **I CAN'T…I…TOO…MUCH…AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Ash let out a blood curling scream that made everyone stop. They were completely frozen by it, sending shivers down their spines. They had never in their lives heard Ash scream like that and it completely unnerved them. Before they could snap out of their trance, a bright blue glowing sphere appeared above them suddenly and the next second, the legendary psychic feline, Mewtwo appeared.

" **I'm here Ash,"** said Mewtwo softly, his gaze fixed on his only human friend with great concern, floating above them all while almost everyone remained motionless in awe and fear at the legendary pokémon who appeared out of thin air right in front of them.

" **MEWTWO! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"**

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue, causing the people and pokémon around Ash to scatter as dozens of purple bullet sized energy balls appeared out of thin air and were shot at the shield. Seeing the attack from the psychic feline, the people there now knew that it was Mewtwo who had helped out Ash at the stadium attack. The shield took the damage and then it finally disappeared. The psychic feline quickly moved to Ash and knelt down in front of him to look his friend in the face.

" **Mewtwo…it hurts…so much…I can't…control…them…"**

" **I know Ash. I'll take care of it,"** replied Mewtwo, his voice calm and steady.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and as he concentrated, a purple outline appeared around Ash. After several long minutes, Ash's trembling slowed down before finally stopping. He put his hands down, his breathing relaxed, his heart beat returned to normal, his sweating stopped and he no longer was burning up. Mewtwo's and Ash's glow faded away and the psychic feline stood up. The four girls instantly shot to Ash, embracing him as heavy tears dropped while bawling without care. Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia also moved towards them, their concern for Ash greater than their fear of being discovered and stood around the group on the floor. Luckily for them, nobody gave them a second look as Delia, Oak, Brock, Sabrina, Riley, Max and Gary came closer to them as well. Everyone else looked at the five with caring eyes, trying to understand what just happened and why Ash was in such turmoil. Mewtwo looked at the five for a moment, letting out a short sigh, relieved that he was able to help out his only human friend. He slowly moved his gaze to Anabel, Sabrina and Gardevoir, his expression hardening with fury, making the three back up in fear as they realized he was glaring at them.

" **YOU DAMN FOOLS!"** roared Mewtwo, his eyes glowing blue once more. The three were outlined in purple glows before they were picked up and slammed against the wall without mercy with his psychic powers, making them cry out in pain.

" **STOP THIS RIGHT NOW MEWTWO!"** Lucario commanded in anger as he glanced at the three girls, his gaze lingering a little longer on Gardevoir but the psychic feline ignored him.

" **I can't believe this! How could you let this happen?! You call yourselves psychics?!"** snarled Mewtwo as he made them dig into the wall. The three psychic girls cried out shrilly in pain from the sheer force of his power. Lucario attempted to calm the legendary down with words but Mewtwo wasn't listening at all and mostly everyone was cowering away from the furious legendary.

" **What did they do?"** asked Misty angrily as she heard Mewtwo but still kept hugging Ash. Everyone looked at the four girls and Ash before they tore their gaze away from the raven haired guardian and looked at Mewtwo, waiting for a response.

" **These pathetic amateurs didn't separate his emotions from his memories!"** spat Mewtwo while his attention never left the three girls. He turned his head towards his fellow pokémon. **"Gardevoir, you knew better! You knew the consequences of what could happen to someone if you didn't do that! I taught you better than that!"**

" **I thought I could do it and I thought I was doing it! And I was being helped by Anabel and Sabrina!"** confessed Gardevoir, utterly confused and crestfallen. She had sensed that she was separating the feelings from the memories so why was Ash in extreme pain? Tears were filling up her eyes from both the pain and realization that somehow she had messed up. **"I'm so sorry!"** bawled Gardevoir.

" **I didn't know we had to do that!"** admitted Anabel as she cried because of the pain she was feeling and that she had caused her crush's suffering.

" **I'm sorry for what happened. This isn't what I wanted! I would never hurt him intentionally!"** replied Sabrina with a painful and sorrow filled expression on her face, from both Mewtwo's action and what she just witnessed Ash go through.

" **Too late for apologies! You will be punished for your lack of caution!"** replied Mewtwo with anger as he raised his right arm. Lucario was about to fire an attack but someone else beat him to the punch. A Dragon Pulse was shot at Mewtwo but at the last second, Mewtwo used his Psychic attack and redirected the beam of draconian energy to blast out of a nearby window. He then heard someone speak before he could rage again.

" **It's not their fault. Let them go."**

Mewtwo snapped his furious gaze to the person who spoke and was surprised to hear who was speaking; it was Lance and he had his Dragonite out in front of him, eyeing the purple feline.

" **Then whose fault is it?"** asked Mewtwo as he glanced at the dragon pokémon before locking his eyes onto Lance.

" **Mine. I accused Ash of being connected to the stadium attack and wouldn't listen to him so he said he'll show his memories as proof. He requested Gardevoir and Anabel to help bring out the memories together and I had Sabrina do so as well to make sure they didn't try to alter anything."**

" **You dare not only think he had a hand in the attack but are also the cause of his anguish?!"** replied Mewtwo angrily.

The psychic feline's eyes narrowed after hearing this new bit of information. He snarled before he shot at the Champion with unbelievable speed. Dragonite barely moved an inch to intercept the legendary but was effortlessly thrown to the side like a ragdoll by Mewtwo's Ice Punch before the psychic feline practically disappeared from sight. Nobody was able to process what just occurred since it all happened so fast and then Mewtwo reappeared suddenly right in front of the Kanto Champion. He grabbed the Champion by his throat before slamming Lance against the wall with such force that the wall sunk in around the Champion's body.

The three psychic girls were finally let go and dropped to the ground, their bodies aching as they tried to stand again. Lucario helped Gardevoir rise to her feet again, who thanked him quietly before the aura canine focused his gaze on the purple feline and the Kanto Champion. Lance was gasping for air as the thin but strong three digit hand of the psychic feline slowly crushed his throat.

Several attacks were launched all of a sudden at Mewtwo and they hit their mark, causing a bit of smoke to cover Mewtwo and Lance. The walls around the two were partially destroyed by the attacks, making many of the people there gasp. Alder, Diantha and Steven had sent out their lead pokémon and ordered them to attack. Cynthia was torn between helping her fellow Champions to uphold her duty as one and staying by Ash's side. Volcarona, another Gardevoir and Metagross were in front of their respective trainer and in battle stances waiting to see what happened. The smoke slowly cleared only to show a pissed off psychic feline who began having a purple aura appear around him.

" **YOU SHALL PAY FOR INTERFERING WITH HIS JUDGEMENT!"** roared Mewtwo and his eyes glowed a bright blue. Volcarona, Diantha's Gardevoir and Metagross were outlined in purple glows and each began to cry out horrifically in pain as they crumpled to the floor.

" **STOP!"** ordered Alder as he tried to help his pokémon but was ignored.

" **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"** screamed Diantha as she stood frozen and watched her pokémon writhe around while letting out high pitched shrieks.

" **PLEASE LEAVE MY POKÉMON ALONE!"** begged Steven as he tried to console his pokémon.

" **Oh my Arceus…"** whispered Sabrina as her eyes widened at what she was witnessing and feeling. She had never in all her life felt such power from a single being. The others turned to her for an explanation and she automatically supplied it. **"He's attacking their minds, making them feel horrific fear and terrible pain."**

Right when she finished saying that, before the others could react to her explanation, the room suddenly became quiet. The three Champion's pokémon had fainted from the force of the attack and their trainers instantly went to their unconscious pokémon and checked on them. They were relieved to find that they were only knocked out and let out a sigh of relief before returning them. They were about to send out more pokémon but were stopped when Mewtwo spoke to them.

" **No matter how many pokémon you send out to fight me, they will all end up the same way. Even before training with Ash, there were very few who can match my powers but now, there are almost none my equal. Do not anger me further."**

Mewtwo's little speech made the three Champions glance at one another and then at Lance. Lance shook his head the best he could as he was still being held up by the throat but the grip wasn't suffocating him anymore. He didn't want his fellow Champions to get hurt because of his mistakes. Almost everyone else was too scared from seeing Mewtwo's powers to even say anything.

" **Mewtwo, stop this madness,"** ordered Lucario but Mewtwo ignored him again as he turned his angered gaze back to face Lance and let out a snarl.

" **Of all the people to doubt, you chose to doubt the most, if not only, pure hearted soul who ever walked this planet! I thought I was done dealing with petty humans like you but I was wrong! You are not worthy of the title of Champion! You are not worthy of being the leader of people! Nor are you worthy of being his friend! I shall make you feel the agony he has felt!"**

Mewtwo placed his other hand in front of the Champion's face and he began to power up an attack. A small ball of blue energy appeared, growing larger and larger. However, before he could launch it, he was stopped by Lucario who blasted him away from the Champion with a surprise Aura Beam.

" **Lucario?! You dare stop me and save his pathetic life?!"** Mewtwo asked, confused but still furious, readying himself to attack once more. He was not expecting Lucario to get involved at all and it came as a shock to him. The purple feline got into a battle stance and he was about to launch himself at the aura pokémon when Lucario held up his hand and explained why as he merely stood there.

" **Master would not want you to do that, even though he would deserve it,"** replied Lucario calmly, making Mewtwo tilt his head as he listened to the words and began understanding them.

Lucario turned his back on Mewtwo, knowing that the psychic feline would not attack him or anyone else anymore. He glared at Lance who had fallen to the floor and was grimacing in extreme pain. The others were amazed over the aura pokémon's actions that he was able to stop the legendary pokémon by himself, even if it was for a couple seconds when three Champion level pokémon couldn't. At that moment, they realized just how powerful Lucario is and that he has no fear of Mewtwo.

" **You are only alive because Master would not want his friends to commit such an act. You have been saved by him…Again,"** growled Lucario at the Champion, who hung his head in shame. The aura canine then moved towards his Master and knelt in front of him. **"Master?"**

Ash didn't look up and didn't respond. Lucario looked closer and found his eyes to be unfocused and his breathing was slower than usual.

" **Mewtwo, something's wrong,"** stated Lucario suddenly and several people drew in closer to see what the aura pokémon meant by that.

" **What do you mean? What's wrong?"** asked Leaf in a whisper, worried beyond measure.

" **Didn't you help him?"** asked a very concerned Sarah.

" **I did. I built a wall inside his mind to keep his emotions from shattering his mind. How many memories did he go through?"** asked Mewtwo as he moved closer to Ash and the others after completely forgetting about Lance and the other Champions.

" **Thirty memories,"** answered Bonnie immediately. Mewtwo's eyes widened as he heard the young girl's words before raging again.

" **ARCEUS** **Damn it! You idiots! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING AMATEURS! Even a single memory that was relived without separating the emotions from it can damage one's mind** **!"**

" **Wait! What do you mean by that? Are you saying that he didn't just remember the memories? That he actually relived them?"** asked Delia, confused and fearful of what that could mean.

" **That's exactly what I'm saying. When you bring out someone's memories to show others like what these three did, the person relives them and experiences all the emotions tenfold and it takes time to get over it. I have done it before with Ash but I have always separated the emotions so he wouldn't feel them again in their more powerful state. But reliving through thirty memories in such a short period of time and experiencing every single emotion from them more strongly, I am both surprised and glad that Ash didn't die nor had his mind shattered. The only reasons I could think as to why he is still with us is because I have helped him develop some mental defenses and because of his extraordinary willpower."**

The group glanced at one another as they stayed in complete silence, not knowing what to say as they were all trying to process the information that Mewtwo had just given them. Finally, after several minutes of silence with most of them looking at Ash and wondering if he'll be alright, Anabel spoke up though with a small voice.

" **So what's going to happen to him now?"** asked the Salon Maiden timidly.

Mewtwo looked at the purple haired girl, making her back up a little in fear, before he answered.

" **We have to wait for him to deal with his emotions on his own, as I have left a hole in the wall for the feelings to trickle out. At this point, that is the best I can do for now and hopefully that will be enough for him to push through. If things get bad again, I would have to either wall up the emotions again in the same manner, completely lock them away for good or enter his mind and help him deal with it."**

" **Can't you enter his mind now and help him?"** asked Delia, wanting her son to get better as soon as possible, not wanting him to suffer.

" **I could but I'd rather not. Messing with anyone's mind may leave someone damaged beyond help, especially when it comes to dealing with emotions. It is not the same as reading a mind,"** replied Mewtwo. **"He should be alright since I've trained with him on his mental defenses but I'm not sure as he's relived through too many memories. He will need you now more than ever. I must leave now. I need to go check on Ash's pokémon who are still recovering from the stadium attack."** He faced the four girls. **"One of three things will happen; He will either stay in a state like this for a long time until he finishes dealing with all of his feelings or he will wake up after a couple hours but he will be like a robot. If the second comes to pass, do not worry as he will be alright but he will respond and act without emotion, concern, thought or care but it should only be until he finishes dealing with his feelings. The third possibility is that his condition could worsen. If that or something else comes to pass, I will return. "**

The girls nodded at Mewtwo to show that they understood before they each let out words of appreciation to him. The psychic feline nodded at them before he disappeared in a blue glow to go check on the pokémon. As soon as Mewtwo left, Diantha and Alder moved towards Ash but the four girls stood up and blocked their path.

" **Get away from him,"** fumed Misty, holding up her trademark mallet.

" **You've done enough damage!"** said May, her hands clenched into fists.

" **We apologize for what's happened. We just wanted to help in any-"** started Diantha but was caught off by suddenly by the blunette.

" **We don't want your help!"** shouted Dawn with her hands on her hips.

" **Just leave us alone!"** finished Serena shaking as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

All of Ash's friends gathered behind the four girls, glaring at the Champions and so did the parents. Goodshow stayed away to the side, not wanting to get involved as he figured it would be in his and everyone else's best interest to not get involved. The silver haired Champion of Hoenn, Steven, moved forward slowly and tapped his fellow Champions' shoulders and when they turned to look at him, he shook his head and signaled them to leave with his head. Alder and Diantha glanced back at the angry group before sighing and walked towards the door, opened it and left, closing the door behind them. Lance looked at them for a moment and attempted to say something, but unable to let out any type of sound, he too left, his long cloak trailing behind him. Steven sighed and took a step forward as Cynthia stayed rooted to her spot, unable to move. Delia stepped forward as well towards Steven.

" **What do you want?!"** she asked coldly, standing directly in front of the Hoenn Champion, her nostrils flared in anger.

" **Please, I don't mean to make anything worse between us. I just wanted to apologize for what has happened. I was against this and so was Cynthia, but Alder and Diantha were unsure. This is something that none of us wanted. Please understand as Lance had to make certain. It is hard bearing the weight of many on his shoulders-"**

" **Bearing weight on his shoulders?!"** shrieked Delia, interrupting, absolutely furious. **"Don't make me laugh. Have you forgotten what you just witnessed my son do? The incredible things he had done? How many times was the world saved because of just him? How many times has my son risked his life for others? Where were you and the other Champions or the Pokémon Master during all that? Hell, the Pokémon Master hasn't been seen in over ten years! Who knows what the hell that so called greatest trainer is doing? Where were any of you when the world was falling apart so many times or when people needed help? I didn't see you or the other Champions rushing to his aid or helping anyone. No, it was all my Ash. His whole life until this point has been spent helping and protecting others. I now know** _ **HE**_ **has been carrying the weight of the world his whole life while you and the others just stand around and pretend you're important and doing something for the people. The nerve of this one…Just leave,"** finished Delia, seething with anger. She had never let loose like that and frankly, it unnerved the ones who knew her best, like Samuel Oak. The four girls moved to take up positions next to her and glared at Steven.

" **I apologize. I did not mean to downsize your son's actions. He has done more than anyone else and I agree that no one else comes close. Forgive me. I will leave you alone if that is what you wish but if you need anything, please let me know as I will be more than happy to assist. Here is my contact information,"** said Steven, reaching into his suit's front chest pocket and then withdrew his hand, holding out his card for Delia and the girls to take.

May snatched up the card and right before Steven's eyes, ripped it up into small pieces, her eyes blazing with fury and was barely able to control herself as she spoke.

" **We don't need nor want anything from you or the other Champions,"** replied May with her father and mother swelling with pride over their daughter's actions.

" **You heard my daughter Champion. I suggest you take your leave,"** advised Norman curtly.

Steven took one last look at Ash and all of his friends before turning around and heading towards the door. He stopped as he opened the door and glanced back.

" **Ash is lucky to have so many stand by his side who care for him deeply,"** said Steven with a slight smile before walking through the doorway, finally leaving them alone.

Cynthia watched him leave before slowly turning her gaze back to look at the others. The four girls and Delia were staring at her, though not with as much coldness as they did to the other Champions. Even so, she knew that she probably couldn't get through to them right now but she had to try. She didn't want to miss a chance to show how much she cares about Ash. She took a few graceful steps towards the group and stopped when she was standing in front of Delia.

" **Mrs. Ketchum,"** started Cynthia as she looked at her. **"I want to apologize for what happened here and I just want you to know that I didn't want this. I did everything I could to convince Lance that Ash is innocent but when he gets something in his head, he won't listen to anyone until he is proven wrong. I know the type of person that your son is, having fought alongside him and some of his friends here back in Sinnoh when we faced Cyrus to stop him from taking over the world. Your son is a courageous and honorable man and I know that. I'm here for him so please tell me if you need anything. I know you may feel that I don't deserve to ask this, but I have a request for you; please make sure he gets better and I would want to hear from you when he does. I would've liked to stay by his side until he recovered but I have duties to attend to as Champion and I know you don't want me around right now and I don't blame you. Thank you for your time and I wish the best for your son."**

Cynthia kept her gaze on Delia as she extended her hand, who didn't react for a few seconds. Starting to feel a little uneasy, the Champion of Sinnoh was about to lower her arm and leave when Delia let a small smile form on her face and she raised her hand and grasped the blonde Champion's hand. Cynthia let a smile appear on her face as well as they shook hands, relaxing a bit as Delia replied back.

" **I can tell your words were sincere, coming from your heart and not just play like the others. Thank you for caring but I believe we just want to have some time alone with my son. I will however let you know when we have an update,"** finished Delia.

" **Thank you. That's all I ask for,"** said Cynthia. When they finished their handshake, they separated and Cynthia gave her contact information to Delia. After that, Cynthia took one last look at Ash before nodding at the rest before she left. When she was gone and the door had closed, the blunette thought for a few seconds about something before she spoke up.

" **She wasn't lying just so you guys know. Ash and I have crossed paths with her many times in Sinnoh, like you saw in the memory, helping us out and fighting against Cyrus with us. She's a very good person. I like her,"** said Dawn and the others nodded as they understood before Sabrina suddenly said something as she stepped forward.

" **I want to apologize for the role I took that made this unfortunate event come to pass. Please forgive me. This was not what I had wanted to happen, especially to someone who had helped me so much in the past. Please let me know if you need anything,"** said Sabrina.

She glanced at Ash, who was still on the floor and then back at everyone else. Before they could say anything to her, Sabrina apologized to them all once more and then teleported away in a pink glow but not before they noticed her eyes water. Gary frowned at seeing his ex-girlfriend so sad before she teleported away as it brought back old memories that he would much rather forget. Queen Ilene saw Gary's reaction and wondered what happened between him and this Sabrina. Before she could dwell on it thought, Brock's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

" **C'mon guys. Let's get back to the room,"** said Brock, taking charge. **"Gary, help me take Ash."**

" **That is not necessary. Gardevoir, teleport him to his room and put him on his bed,"** said Lucario before Gary and Brock could do anything. Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and she and Ash disappeared but so did Lucario, Pikachu, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. After they teleported, Goodshow finally broke his long silence and looked at the rest of them who were still there.

" **I'm so sorry everyone. I had no idea Lance was questioning the attackers and that he was suspecting Ash. Please forgive me. I didn't think anything like this would happen. Please, let me know if you need anything at all,"** said Goodshow with a bow, which surprised everyone since he was around Oak's age.

" **Thank you Charles, but it's not your fault. I believe we just need to go back to our room and be with my son,"** replied Delia kindly.

" **Very well. Please take care of him and yourselves and if it's not too much trouble, I would like to hear of updates. If need be, I will postpone the tournament until he fully recovers. Just let me know a few hours before hand."** Delia nodded and thanked Goodshow who waited until they all left and then followed after them before closing the door behind him.

Far away from the Indigo Plateau, a tall, lightly tanned man was sipping on some tea while reading the Saffron City daily paper. It was night yet he couldn't sleep. He had just finished reading one of the paper's articles about the stadium attack when he felt his daughter's presence. He smiled a bit and put the newspaper down. He finished his cup of tea before he got up and walked away from the dining room to see his daughter and wish her a good night.

His smile faded away only to be replaced by a frown as he drew closer to his daughter's room. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He hurried to her room and when he finally reached it, he knocked on her door before entering the room without waiting for a reply. What he saw made his eyes widen; his daughter was lying down on her bed face down and she was shivering while the unmistakable sounds of crying was heard.

" **Sabrina, what happened?"** asked the girl's father as he swiftly crossed the room and sat on the side of her bed. **"Did someone hurt you?"** he asked her but the dark haired girl just shook her head as she continued to sob. **"What did they do to-"**

" **Nobody did anything to me!"** interrupted Sabrina suddenly as she lifted her head from her pillow. **"I did something! I did something horrible to someone that helped me in the past and I don't know if he'll get better or not!"** she cried out before burying her face into her pillow again as her father kept his stoic expression after she confessed but began thinking furiously about what she just told him.

 _So nobody hurt her, that's a relief. But she said she hurt someone and that someone had helped her in the past. Who? Who could it be? Whose pain could cause her to be so sad? Not even when she broke up with that poor excuse for a trainer, she wasn't this sad. Hell she didn't even cry over that. She has never cried at all since she was a small child. Who helped her in the past? Well, the only person that I could think of would be…wait…it can't be…_

" **Sabrina, does this have to do with the Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum?"** asked her father.

Sabrina lifted her head again and glanced at him before she nodded slightly with tear filled eyes. Before her father could say anything, the door was opened and a middle aged woman came into the room. Before she could even ask her daughter what's wrong, Sabrina had launched herself to her mother and hugged her tightly as she cried.

" **Dear Mew, what's going on here?"** asked Sabrina's mother as she hugged her daughter and glanced at her husband. **"I've never seen you cry since you were five years old. What happened honey?"**

" **Mom…I did something…terrible,"** cried Sabrina, making her mom rub her back.

" **Sshh…It's alright sweetie. Just tell us what happened and we'll see how we can make things better. So start from the beginning honey okay?"** she asked her daughter as she maneuvered her still hugging daughter to the bed and sat next to her husband with Sabrina who took several deep breathes as she tried to calm herself enough to explain what happened.

" **It…it started when…Lance called me in…saying he needed me…"**

Back at the Indigo Plateau, the group had gone up to their room and everyone went to Ash's master bedroom to check on him. They saw Ash lying on his back on the king size bed, eyes wide open but glossy, staring at the ceiling. The four girls were lying down on the bed as well, snuggled up against him, one on each side of him and two lying on top of him. Quiet sobs sounding out from the corner made them glance in that direction and noticed Gardevoir was sitting on a chair in that corner of the room, her hands covering her face, weeping over what she had caused to happen. Lucario and Pikachu sat beside her, looks of concern on both of their faces. Lucario had placed a paw on Gardevoir's back and Pikachu had lied down on the chair, eyes transfixed on Ash and the four girls. When they heard the room door open, the four girls glanced up to see who it was. When they saw who entered, they merely lowered their heads back down and snuggled closer to the raven haired man that they loved so deeply.

" **Let's leave them be,"** suggested Lucy quietly, ushering everyone out, even the parents, who were wide eyed at what they saw yet they did nothing to break it up. The group of people filed into the grand living room and many took seats on the large couches. Brock, Cilan, Cress and Chili headed into the kitchen to make a meal for everyone, knowing it will help them all as food in the stomach usually helped everyone feel better and think more clearly, especially when they weren't hungry.

" **My poor baby…Why does everything seem to happen to you?"** whimpered Delia as she began to sob into a couch pillow after just letting herself drop onto the couch. Caroline, Grace and Johanna sat down next to her with concern and tried to comfort her though it only made her sob harder.

" **You didn't know about your son's adventures and deeds?"** asked Queen Ilene, still standing for the moment. She was astonished that Delia didn't know of all the incredible and miraculous things they had all just witnessed Ash has done in his life so far.

" **No, I didn't know until now. Whenever he would return from his journeys, he would tell me some stories of his travels but he never mentioned how he was fighting against evil organizations, or legendary pokémon, or saving the world, or thinking himself not good enough for a girl…I didn't know about any of it at all!"** cried Delia, sobbing even louder.

The group stayed quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds being Delia's crying, trying to think of a way to help comfort the sullen woman. Norman took up a position leaning against the nearby wall, crossing his arms with his son Max copying him. The two kept a silent vigil over the group as they slowly began to make conversations.

" **Master Riley is there anything we can do to help?"** asked Queen Ilene as she took a seat near the four mothers. Riley shook his head before replying back.

" **Unfortunately my Queen, there is nothing any of us can do right now except to be patient. As Mewtwo said, it is now a waiting game. If we try something, it may make it worse. I have never seen nor heard of something like this. We can only hope and keep calm,"** advised Riley as he took up a position leaning against a wall opposite of Norman and Max.

Daisy Oak eyed Riley as he spoke, realizing that the man was wise and wasn't bad looking either. Despite the grave situation, she couldn't help but feel something inside of her for the man though she kept it to herself for the time being. There were more important matters right now and she was taken out of her thoughts by someone else speaking.

" **Ash will get better. I have no doubt in my mind. I beat the Elite Four of the Johto region and he wiped the floor with me with just his Pidgeot. There's no way he won't recover from this!"** exclaimed Sarah, looking around at everyone as she finished, as if daring for someone to disagree but nobody did.

" **I hear you. After seeing Ash battle in the tournament, I thought I had the advantage since he's never seen me battle. But during our match, I saw something that I'll never forget."** Leaf sat next to Sarah and took a breather before continuing, everyone's attention on her. **"When I had my Volcarona use Hurricane, I had to brace myself, covering my head and face with my arms. I could barely keep standing. When I took a peek, I saw Ash standing tall on the other side of the field, but he had a smile on his face, like it was a summer breeze to him. He was like a mountain, impossible to go through or challenge. I knew then that I was facing someone who was on a completely different level."**

" **Ash has always been the one to pull off the impossible or miracles, even when we were young, that's a given,"** started Gary. Everyone looked at the young pokémon researcher now before he continued. **"I just didn't know how many times he's risked his life saving everyone. And I was always giving him a hard time since we were kids,"** confessed Gary as he hung his head.

Gary's sister Daisy sat down next to him and rubbed his back, telling her little brother that it was alright and that what matters is that he knows better now. Ilene was impressed and admired the young man's honesty and remorse. Riley eyed Daisy as she tried to soothe her brother's nerves as she had caught his attention.

" **It's alright Gary. We all did some stupid things and acted like a bunch of kids so don't think it was just you,"** commented Leaf, remembering her stupid actions when she was younger and Gary nodded.

" **I always knew my sister Misty had a crush on Ash and I could tell why the first time I met him. But I never knew the true person he was until I saw the attack on the news and all those memories,"** sighed Daisy as her sisters Violet and Lily nodded.

" **Ash has been a great friend to me and I would never have had so many wonderful experiences in my life if I hadn't traveled around with him. I've learned a great deal from him and view him as not just a friend but as my brother,"** said Clemont.

" **Yeah, I see him as my brother too! Plus he taught Clemont how to be brave and never give up!"** teased Bonnie. Some of them chuckled as Clemont went red before telling his sister to be quiet. The others laughed but soon stopped and glanced at Clemont's red face, smiling.

" **I had the pleasure of becoming friends with Ash when he first got here to register for the tournament. I was at first amazed by his modesty and humility and when I learned that he was afraid of being found out that he was here, I helped him out before he revealed himself to everyone. I'm glad I got to know him and through him, I met the love of my life,"** said Joy, as she rested her head against Richie's shoulder, who blushed, the others smiling at the two.

" **But why him?"** asked Delia again, lifting her head off of the pillow to talk to everyone. **"Why is it that everything seems to be on his shoulders? Why does everything seem to happen around him? How many times did we see him die and because of some miracle, came back, or risk his life to take care of others? To protect or save others? I'm not saying he's more important than any other person, but why does my son have to be the one who always sacrifices so much for others or throws himself into the fire to protect others?"**

Many people shifted uncomfortably in their positions, as they remembered the times that Ash had risked it all to help them out or save them from certain doom. The memories only showed a fraction of the many times that he had helped them and others while traveling the known world. As they pondered about that, they each understood Delia's thoughts and didn't hold anything against her.

" **Because your son is special and is a natural protector at heart Delia,"** responded Oak softly, taking advantage of the silence before everyone looked at him. **"Your son is not one to watch from the sidelines and it's a shame that there aren't many like him in the world left. And even before he found out that he was an Aura Guardian, he has gone out of his way to help all those who came across him that needed or asked for help. It is in his nature because of who he is and his lineage. Ash is unique in that he is most likely the last true Aura Guardian. No offense Master Riley."**

" **None taken Professor Oak. I know what you mean by that. That he is probably the last one from the original Guardians chosen by Arceus. That is why his powers are so strong. I thought that the chosen bloodlines had all died out,"** commented Riley as the others thought about what they said.

" **No they hadn't died out,"** remarked Delia and everyone looked at her, making her sigh. **"No more use hiding it. Ash's father was an Aura Guardian as well and Ash inherited it from him."**

Many gasps were heard before the group of people went silent, thinking about what Oak, Delia and Riley just said. Suddenly, Grace moved closer to Delia, reaching out with her hand and grasping Delia's hand. Delia looked at Grace, wondering what she wanted from her.

" **Delia, I must say that when I first met Ash, I thought he was just a good friend of Serena's. I didn't know about my daughter's love for him then. When we found out that he loved her and three other girls, I felt sick and horrible, thinking he did something to them to trick them in being with him. But I'm happy to say that I was wrong, acting like a damn idiot and your son's memories showed me what a fool I was. My daughter loves him and your son loves her and has shown that he will stand against anything and everything to protect her no matter what as well as helping her to achieve her dreams.**

 **I couldn't think of a better man for my Serena."**

Delia smiled as her eyes watered hearing the praise for his son from one of his girlfriends' mothers and placed her free hand on the two they were holding already and so did Grace. Before she could respond, Caroline and Johanna also joined in, placing their hands on top of theirs as well. Delia faced the two as they spoke.

" **I have seen Ash save my daughter Dawn in his memories and I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't there and I don't even want to think about it. He has shown that he is more courageous than an Arcanine and more caring than a Blissey. He also helped her understand that I will always be proud of her no matter what, which I am so grateful for. Your son is perfect for my daughter and I want you to know that I will be supportive of them one hundred percent. I promise,"** said Johanna with a smile.

" **I have never seen anyone sacrifice themselves to save another and seeing your son push May into the escape pod and left himself in the sinking temple, it made me rethink what I thought I knew about him. He has even helped her achieve her dreams of being a top coordinator! He has done more for her than anyone else has ever done, including her own parents! Thank you for having such an incredible son,"** praised Caroline with a soft voice.

" **Mrs. Ketchum,"** started Misty's sister Daisy Waterflower.

Delia and the three mothers turned to face her, giving her their full attention. Daisy went slightly red at the attention she was given, not really used to dealing with older people, especially parents. She glanced at her sisters and the three got up and joined their hands with the mothers who smiled at the three.

" **My sisters and I lost our parents a long time ago when Misty was barely a child. We admit we weren't the best guardians and we didn't really take care of her. But when we met Ash, we knew he was a good person and the memories we have seen prove that he is one of a kind. I don't know what our parents would think about this, but I know for a fact that they would be as proud as we are that Misty was able to find such a noble man to give her heart to and have his in return,"** finished Daisy.

" **Don't forget brave, courageous and selfless!"** chimed in Violet.

" **And handsome too!"** finished Lily, making most of the group chuckle before Delia responded with tears running down her cheeks from all the praise for her son.

" **Thank you all for your kind words. Please, all of you just call me Delia. It fills my heart that you all think of my son so highly. Words alone cannot describe what I'm feeling right now. I can say though, that I am extremely glad and proud that my Ash has found such great people to call his friends. I am also happy but also beyond astonished that he has found not one, but four beautiful and strong girls who have given him their heart and he has returned it with his own. I don't know what to say about that, since I was not expecting this at all. But I do promise to make sure that he never hurts your daughters or your sister,"** promised Delia, her eyes blazing.

" **You don't have to worry about that Delia,"** remarked Leaf with a knowing smile.

" **She's right. Ash is different from others,"** said Anabel.

" **I don't know him as well as others, but I can tell that Ash would rather die than hurt anyone that he cares about,"** added Sarah.

" **I hope it never comes to that,"** replied Delia, sighing.

" **It will not."**

Everyone looked behind them, surprised to find Norman commenting. When he saw that they were giving him his full attention with confused looks on their faces, he explained.

" **He will not do such a thing. No sane person would waltz right up to a furious father half conscious and take their beating without so much as a complaint if they were not serious about the love they had for his daughter. After going through that and witnessing everything your son has done, I have no worry or doubt in my mind. Ash has shown that he will do anything and everything for May and that is what I want in my future son in law. Your son is the perfect man for May and I know that she will be happy, even with sharing him with the other girls. And surprisingly enough, I'm okay with that."**

Everyone's jaw dropped at his speech except for Queen Ilene, Riley, Clemont and Bonnie who were beyond confused. They were lost from the beginning of the mothers' and sisters' declarations since they didn't know what was going on.

" **What does he mean by taking a beating from a father and sharing him?"** asked Queen Ilene, curious as to what Norman meant by that.

" **Oh, that's right you don't know. Well, basically..."**

Sarah and Leaf explained the situation between Ash and the four girls and what had happened between Norman and Ash at the hospital. The four were shocked when they found out and Queen Ilene faced Norman before speaking to him with anger.

" **You attacked him when he was barely recovering after saving everyone at the stadium? What is the matter with you?"** asked the Queen, furious.

" **I was lost in rage and sadness over my daughter's past experiences and the cause of it, something you may experience in the future yourself, Queen Ilene. But that is no excuse. I was blinded by it. Looking back now, I'm ashamed by it. I vow in front of all of you here and right now, that I will do everything in my power to support Ash and the girls."**

" **Thank you Norman,"** remarked Delia. Norman gave her a curt nod and went silent again.

At that moment, Ash's bedroom door opened and Misty, May, Dawn and Serena came out into the living room just as Brock told everyone that dinner was ready. The four girls kept quiet and the group did not bother them at that moment, knowing that they probably weren't in the mood to talk. The large group of people filed into the dining room and sat around the two large tables to eat the delicious meal that Brock, Cilan, Cress and Chili had prepared.

" **Oh my, this is absolutely amazing!"** praised Queen Ilene as she took a bite of roast beef. She turned to look at the four chefs after chewing and swallowing her food. **"Better than my chefs back home!"**

The four chefs thanked her and everyone else for their praises on their cooking with short bows and soon joined them. They ate mostly in silence, with a few short conversations here and there before they finished and sat peacefully for a few moments.

" **Girls,"** started Delia when everyone was quiet again. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena faced her, giving her their full attention. **"Can you please explain to me, your parents and your sisters what exactly is going on between you four and Ash?"**

The four girls sighed and they started explaining everything. They said how they had crushes on him, how he helped them and they him, how they felt he wanted to say something but was too scared, which they saw in the memories, how they had waited for him and not taken up another's offer, how he had come back and confessed to them about his feelings and how he figured out his father leaving him had messed him up, his promise to them and their agreement to go out together to see if they truly want to be together and how everything was going smoothly until the attack.

" **And that pretty much sums up everything,"** finished Misty finally and took a breather.

" **Yup, that's it. Misty and I have already had our dates. Serena was up next but then the attack happened and well, it's been on hold I guess you could say,"** said Dawn as the other three nodded.

" **I see. Well, from what you've just explained and what we've seen in his memories, I don't think you need to worry about if he truly does love each of you and if each of you truly love him since the actions between you five are pretty obvious. You all will be great together,"** said Delia with a smile as she beamed at the four girls and they returned it with smiles of their own. After a moment though, Delia's smile slowly turned into a frown. **"I just can't believe his father leaving messed him up that badly though,"** sighed Delia, becoming sullen.

" **Why did he leave?"** asked Leaf, curious.

" **I'm not sure why. I woke up and found him gone from my bed. I looked around the house and when I came into the kitchen, there was a note from him that said he had to leave and wasn't returning."**

" **I'm so sorry Delia. I never knew until now. Why didn't you tell me?"** asked Oak.

" **Because I didn't want anyone to know and when people asked, I just told him he went on a journey and would be back soon. Made me look like a hopeless idiot years later, but I didn't care of that then, as I was trying to make sure that Ash wouldn't have to deal with it too much since he knew the truth,"** answered Delia.

The group went silent, each person trying to think up of something to say to end the awkward silence and cheer up Delia but before anyone could say anything, a horrific scream was heard.

" **ASH!"** screamed out the four girls and Delia at once.

They immediately jumped from their seats, leading the group of people to Ash's bedroom and they threw open the bedroom door and ran in. They found Ash on the floor holding his head again, his eyes blue. No shield was around this time though as Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu were right next to him, trying without success to help him.

" **Master, it will be alright. You must fight it! Focus!"** advised Lucario, kneeling in front of Ash and looking directly at him.

" **Please, don't give up!"** cried Gardevoir, rubbing his back.

" **Pi pikachu Pikapi!"** said Pikachu, patting Ash's leg gently.

The four girls dropped down next to Ash and held him, though none of them were crying. They had figured out that it would not help them at all and their energy was better suited elsewhere. Delia drew closer and so did Anabel, Sarah and Leaf.

" **Are the emotions back?"** whispered Misty.

Ash nodded, unable to speak.

" **What can we do to help?"** asked May softly.

Ash shook his head and then whimpered.

" **Tell us what you're going through so we can help,"** advised Dawn.

" **Can't…help…"** answered Ash, starting to shake violently. Anabel, Sarah and Leaf yelped and covered their mouths with their hands seeing him like that again.

" **Why not? Please let us try to help you Ash,"** replied Serena.

" **Can't…inside…mind…"**

" **Can you describe it sweetie?"** asked Delia.

" **Too…awful…to…describe…"** replied Ash as he began to sweat hard again and his shaking became worse before suddenly Mewtwo appeared in a blue sphere again.

" **What happened?! What did you do?!"** asked the purple feline the second he teleported there and knelt near his friend.

" **We did nothing. We set him on the bed to rest and stayed by his side for a little bit before we went to eat and then we heard him screaming,"** informed May and Mewtwo understood and said nothing for a moment before he shook his head.

" **Alright I understand. But this is worse than I feared. His emotions and feelings are far more unstable than I had thought previously,"** said Mewtwo as he stood up and faced the group behind him before turning his attention to the four girls that were hugging Ash and Delia who was standing beside them. **"I can enter his mind and see if I can help him deal with the emotions but there is a chance of things going sour or I could lock up his emotions for good but then he will be a robot for the rest of his days."**

Anabel, Leaf and Sarah had their hearts skip a beat as they heard the purple legendary say that Ash could end up being like a robot for the rest of his life. They glanced at each other before joining everyone else who had turned their attention to the five who also glanced at one another. After some silence, Delia finally spoke.

" **I don't want him to suffer. But I don't want him to lose a part of him. I will always love him no matter what he becomes but I just don't know what to do!"** confessed Delia, crying. The four girls just stayed silent, unable to make a decision either until a voice made them all jump.

" **Mom…"** said Ash weakly.

Delia stopped crying instantly and looked wildly at Ash before kneeling in front him as Lucario moved away. The four girls joined Delia, two on either side, not wanting to miss anything as they gazed at the man of their dreams.

" **Sweetie?"** Delia was looking at her son who was staring at the floor, still shaking.

Ash groaned slightly then went quiet. He started breathing rapidly and then he let out a low growl as his shaking lessened and he raised his head to face the girls and his mom. His eyes stopped glowing blue, turning into his brown eyes again and his breathing returned to normal.

" **ASH!"** said the four girls happily and were about to hug him when he spoke.

" **Stop!"** cried out Ash and the four girls stopped dead in their tracks.

" **What's wrong Ash?"** asked Dawn fearfully.

" **I'm controlling it for the time being,"** replied Ash through his gritted teeth. **"Mom, it's okay. I won't let you or anyone else take the blame. Mewtwo, enter my mind and help me with my emotions. Whatever happens to me, it was from my choice, not yours…so…please…just…AAAAHHHHHH!"**

Ash's eyes glowed blue again and his shaking returned even more violently and his breathing became ragged. Mewtwo stepped forward.

" **We must hurry as every second counts. Please step aside. I will enter his mind as he wishes and help him deal with his frenzied emotions,"** stated the purple feline and the five stood up and gave him some space.

" **Mewtwo, please help my son,"** pleaded Delia. Mewtwo placed his three digit hand on her shoulder.

" **I will do everything within my power to help your son. This may take a while."**

Delia nodded and so did the four girls. Mewtwo took up a sitting position in front of Ash. The psychic legendary's eyes glowed blue and Ash was outlined in a purple glow outline. The raven haired trainer stopped shaking and his hands lowered from his head, and his breathing slowed down to normal. Mewtwo's body became outlined in a purple glow as well after a moment.

" **Please be alright Ash."** Misty grasped her necklace with one hand.

" **I know you'll get passed this."** Dawn held onto her necklace with both hands.

" **We can't lose you again."** May clasped her hands together and held them to her chest.

" **Please come back to us in one piece."** Serena took out the handkerchief he had used all those years ago and held it tightly with both hands.

 _Don't leave me Ash. I've just figured out that I love you. Please come back!_ Thought Leaf.

 _I've been thinking about you for years. Please don't give up! I can't watch you die!_ Thought Anabel.

 _I can't lose another person that I love! I've lost too many in my life. I've learned to deal with it but I don't think I can if you go too! Please, help him Mewtwo,_ thought Sarah.

Anabel, Sarah and Leaf said their own wishes inside their minds as they didn't want others to know about their feelings for the raven haired guardian yet. Especially not now, since it wasn't a good time.

" **Let's leave Mewtwo and Ash alone so he can do what needs to be done,"** advised Brock.

He and Lucy ushered everyone out but Delia and the four girls wouldn't leave, wanting to stay by his side but Lucario told them it would be better that they were alone so nothing could bother Mewtwo as he helped Ash. Reluctantly, the five left the room after making Lucario swear that if anything happened to come and get them. The large group gathered in the living room again and in order to keep their minds busy and to pass the time, Gary turned on the TV and they watched a movie. Delia sent a couple messages with her phone as she sat down to watch with them.

During the course of the movie, the four girls got up to check on Ash and Mewtwo at different times and found them still in concentration and went back to the movie. When the movie finished, they started watching another movie and halfway through it, they heard a knock on the door. Gary got up to go see who it could possibly be at such a late hour and when he opened it, he was surprised to see that it was the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.

" **I got the message from Delia. Is he alright?"** asked Cynthia as she stepped inside, not waiting for Gary to respond back to her.

Delia heard the blonde Champion and got up to greet her at the door. She informed Cynthia of what had happened and that they were waiting for Mewtwo to finish helping him deal with his emotions and that she was welcome to wait with them. Cynthia thanked her and followed her into the living room where she greeted the others. Most of the people in the room either kept silent or said halfhearted greetings to her but Dawn, Misty, Serena and May got up and welcomed Cynthia with a hug and handshake each. They invited her to seat with them and so the four girls and Cynthia sat together on the couch, watching the movie with the others in order to kill the time, though their minds were still on Ash.

Anabel, Leaf and Sarah each glanced at Cynthia for a moment when she first came in, thinking of the reason as to why she would come so late at night when it hit them; Cynthia must like Ash as well. The three girls looked at one another and shook their heads before letting out sighs. They turned their attention back to the second movie as they didn't want to get into that discussion since they had something far more important going on at that moment. When the second movie finished, they began watching a third movie since Mewtwo was still not finished helping Ash. Halfway through the third movie, Ash's room door opened and Mewtwo entered the living room. Gary turned off the TV as everyone's attention was on the purple feline.

" **I have some news,"** said Mewtwo.

He looked around the crowd of people who were so quiet you could hear a pin drop onto the floor. When he saw Cynthia, he growled a little, knowing she was one of the Champions. Cynthia gulped in fear but Delia quickly informed the powerful legendary that Cynthia was one of them and that she could be trusted. When Mewtwo glanced at the four girls, they nodded in agreement with Ash's mother. Taking that as assurance, Mewtwo softened his gaze before speaking again.

" **It was a success. I was able to help Ash overcome his emotions and there will be no permanent damage. He will be a little jumpy but after a while that will pass and Ash will be fine. I put him to sleep and he will awaken in the morning."**

The group let out cheers and sighs of relief as the four girls and Delia gathered around Mewtwo, with large smiles on their faces.

" **Thank you Mewtwo for helping and saving my son,"** cried Delia as she hugged the legendary pokémon. Mewtwo was in shock, not used to another human hugging him or praising him besides Ash. Delia let him go and the four girls gave Mewtwo a hug as well, they too thanking him, who went completely red at the girls' actions.

" **You're welcome,"** responded Mewtwo as he recomposed himself when the girls separated. The five made to go to Ash but Mewtwo stopped them. **"Please, leave him be till morning. He needs his rest. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu are watching over him."**

The five stopped and shortly after, nodded. As they moved back to join the group, May stopped when she was next to Mewtwo.

" **What happened inside Ash's mind?"** asked May, causing the legendary to sigh and shake his head. The group of people stopped their conversations and turned their attention onto him.

" **Let's just say that it was no picnic but I assure you that he will be fine,"** replied Mewtwo finally.

" **What do you mean by it was no picnic?"** asked Cynthia abruptly as she leaned forward while sitting. Mewtwo glanced at her, making her sit back in her seat before he answered her.

" **I had to help Ash overcome his strongest emotions that had taken form. That is the problem with memory viewing with emotions as no one is able to just let the emotions flow through. Once remembered, the emotions are dwelled on and compared to other similar feelings that have been experienced since then. And that is what causes them to get so strong that it damages the person's mind and can even result in death."**

" **Taken form? Like they turned into something?"** asked Leaf. The others all gave looks of confusion as they stared at Mewtwo.

" **Yes. In this case it was his negative emotions that he had to face. These particular emotions that he had felt the most often in his life, had taken on their own forms, manifested in a sense. In order for him to get better, he had to face each of them. I helped him to overcome them in order to fully release their hold on him,"** explained Mewtwo.

" **So that's why it took so long? He had to face each of his emotions?"** asked Sarah.

" **Yes and no. Before we could finish dealing with his last emotion, we were sucked into one of his nightmares. We were stuck in that particular nightmare, filled with gruesome and terrible things until we were able to overcome his greatest fear."**

" **His greatest fear? Gruesome and terrible things? What happened in the nightmare?"** asked Delia.

" **I can't really explain as so much happened and its better if I don't even try to as I'm not sure if you should know about it at all since it is something that weights heavily on Ash."**

Delia moved closer to the legendary pokémon and placed her hands together as she held them up in front of her in a pleading way.

" **Mewtwo, you've done so much for my son and I truly appreciate it. But I must know what my son went through so please tell me what happened. I have to know what caused my son to feel such agony. I need to know. Please."**

Seeing Ash's mother give him a pleading look was beginning to affect Mewtwo. The last three years spent with Ash had made Mewtwo care and sympathize in regards to another's feelings and experiences. He sighed before he gave his answer.

" **And to think a few years ago and I wouldn't have cared at all…I will not tell you Delia but I will show you with my own memory. I must warn you and whoever wishes to see it as well, that it is not a pretty sight."**

The group nodded and Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and a memory sphere formed above them.

 _ **A/N - Next up is what Ash fears the most and his friends will get an idea of what he's been preparing for. Stay tuned! As always, review, fav and follow! Thanks and take care! Silent is out! :)**_


	31. Chapter 31 - A Guardian's Worst Fear

**_A/N - What's up FanFiction? This next chapter is one that I'm very proud of as well. It took me several rewrites to get it right. I hope you all like reading it. I finished it a little earlier and decided to post it up in the early afternoon instead of in the evening. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Guest 1 - The Master Ball is going to be used for a very important part in the story so not on Deoxys. Sorry._**

 ** _Guest 2 - The reaction of the group to the Champions may have seemed a bit much but at that time, everyone was on an emotional high and even though Lance deserved everything, the others were just caught in the cross fire since they couldn't control themselves because of being so angry. The other Champions realized that and didn't take it personally and decided to let it go._**

 ** _Guest 3 - Keep reading to find out about Ash's father. ;)_**

 ** _Nightcore - Yes, Mewtwo was furious since Ash is his only human friend and best friend. I don't know how long this story will be exactly but there is still a lot to the story. As far as posting up chapters quicker, I can't promise anything as my schedule is hectic because of work and family stuff. Best I can do is every week on Friday. Hell, I'm thinking about posting every week and a half or two weeks as I'm getting stressed out lately. I need to figure some things out and when I decide I'll let everyone know._**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE - Please take a look at my poll on my my profile page and give your answer to it. I want to know which story I should start working on as my second project. I'm going to wait a little longer before closing the poll. Appreciate the votes in advance! :)**

 **WARNING! - This chapter includes violence, blood, gruesome images and foul language. You have been warned.**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 31 – A GUARDIAN'S WORST FEAR

Mewtwo had helped Ash overcome his emotions and let his friends know that he was going to be alright. Delia thanked Mewtwo for saving her son and the girls thanked him as well. When they asked him what they went through, Mewtwo did not want to tell them, as it was hard to explain and was not a good experience. But when they insisted, the psychic feline agreed but warned them that they will witness gruesome sights. The group nodded and gathered along one side of the living room, giving Mewtwo space to show them, who took up a spot in front of them and took his sitting position again. His eyes glowed blue and a large blue sphere appeared floating in the air in front of the group, showing clear images as the memory sphere showed them what Mewtwo witnessed while inside Ash's mind. The group of people gasped at first and then went quiet, watching intently as a grey room appeared with a lone figure on his hands and knees in the middle of the room.

The lone figure in the middle of the room was Ash, and he was panting and sobbing heavily as four other figures stood around him, each of them glowing a different color. There was a red glowing figure, a green glowing figure, an orange glowing figure and a yellow glowing figure. Each glowing figure had their sight locked onto the raven haired trainer and the people watching Mewtwo's memory also saw that they each were identical to Ash except for their different colored glow. Ash covered his ears with his hands and was shaking his head while he remained in the middle of them as he was trapped.

" **You're pathetic!"** spat red Ash with anger coating each word. **"No wonder you never won a league! You always make mistakes and get too cocky!"**

" **It's not fair!"** whined green Ash. **"Tobias has legendary pokémon! That's the only reason he won against you! The girls left you to go with someone else!"**

" **LEAVE ME ALONE!"** yelled real Ash but his four manifested emotions ignored him and continued on.

" **Nobody cares about you,"** sobbed orange Ash. **"Nobody wants you to succeed. The girls don't love you; they're probably just playing a prank on you. And your dad never loved you since he left. You don't deserve anything. You're worthless."**

" **You're going to die alone!"** yelped yellow Ash. **"The darkness is coming! You can't fight! You're not strong enough to fight it! And your friends left you! Everyone is out to hurt you!"**

" **SHUT UP!"** shouted real Ash as he trembled on the floor. Each time he tried to get away, one of his manifested emotions would block his attempt and strike him back down to the ground

" **Oh my Mew. Is this why he was in so much pain?"** asked Delia out loud as she put a hand up to her mouth, completely overwhelmed by what she was seeing. The others remained quiet, though the uncomfortable memory was already making them all feel horrible for what he had gone through.

" **This is unfortunately only the beginning. It gets much worse,"** remarked Mewtwo. The group of people let out surprised cries to hear him speaking while showing a memory of his. **"I'm the most powerful psychic in the world. There are some things that I can do that others cannot. Please, continue watching as this is merely the start."**

A blue sphere began to form above the real Ash and next second, Mewtwo appeared. He looked around him and saw the four colored Ashes yelling and striking at the cowering real Ash. He growled before he brought out a large purple shield that expanded in all directions that pushed the colored Ashes far back. Mewtwo floated down to the real Ash and knelt in front of him as the four manifested emotions tried to get through the barrier that the psychic feline just made.

" **I'm here Ash. Get up. C'mon, we have work to do,"** said Mewtwo as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Real Ash took several long minutes to compose himself before raising his tired head to see his friend.

" **Am I glad to see you Mewtwo. Thank you buddy. But I don't know what to do or how. I've never gone through this before when we viewed my memories. Why did this happen? Was this supposed to happen because there were too many memories shown?"** asked Ash, dropping and shaking his head a bit.

" **We'll worry about that later Ash but right now we need to focus on what's happening now. I will help you. I have separated your emotions so we can tackle them one by one. I can help you fight them but perhaps it would be better for you to try on your own first since if I get involved it may cause unfixable damage. I will only intervene if absolutely necessary but I will stand by your side though and keep the others at bay as you face each one separately. That will make things a little easier."**

" **Yeah, I don't really want to get messed up even more than I am already. Well, let's get this show on the road,"** said Ash and he stood up. **"Which emotion should I face first?"**

" **It is up to you Ash. We are inside your mind of course and we'll face the one you feel ready to tackle right now. The four we are to face are unfortunately the most powerful of the negative emotions; anger, sadness, jealousy and fear,"** remarked Mewtwo.

" **Why do I have to face those four emotions?"** asked Ash.

" **Because those four are where all other negative emotions come from and for some reason these emotions are what you have been feeling many times in the past,"** explained Mewtwo.

" **I see,"** stated Ash as he thought for a moment. **"Let's face off against sad me first."**

" **Very well, I will allow your manifested sadness to come to us. Are you ready?"** asked Mewtwo and Ash nodded. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and the shield allowed orange Ash to go through it and he moved towards the two, who had a sad face on him and was shaking.

" **You're sad Ash?"** asked real Ash.

" **NO!"** shrieked orange Ash. **"Well yea, but I'm your sadness! I know why we get sad all the time. We always think about how we keep falling short. Nobody cares about us. Our father left us. Our friends left us. Our pokémon are better off away from us than constantly losing battles or getting hurt because of us! We're not worthy of being a trainer and we don't deserve the girls' love."**

" **SHUT UP!"** Real Ash had heard enough and shot an Aura Sphere at sad Ash but it just went through him. Real Ash and Mewtwo were stunned.

" **Yea, just go ahead and hurt me! That's what everyone does! Nobody cares!"** cried sad Ash. Real Ash was starting to feel bad as his manifested sadness was starting to affect him and orange Ash grew a bit and his orange glow brightened.

" **What the hell?!"** remarked Mewtwo, his eyes widening at what he witnessed. **"Why are you growing and why did your orange glow get stronger?! Ash do you know..."** Mewtwo went quiet when he saw real Ash on the floor, crying again and then noticed sad Ash getting bigger. The harder real Ash cried, the bigger sad Ash became and the purple feline figured out what was going on. **"Ash! Stop crying! Don't listen to him! Don't let the sadness in! You have much to be happy about!"**

" **It doesn't matter! He's right! Nobody cares! Everyone I've ever known has left me! First my dad, then Misty, then May, then Dawn and then Serena! Brock left me too and so have Iris and Cilan! Gary and Leaf stopped being my friends when we were young! Leaf broke her promise to travel with me! Gary kept picking on me! I keep losing tournaments even though I tried my best! Nobody liked me and nobody likes me now and nobody cares about me either!"** cried real Ash.

Leaf and Gary glanced at each other, their faces showing guilt and sadness at what they had done to Ash in the past. The four girls started trembling as they tried to keep the tears in, not wanting to cry again. Delia, Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah had crestfallen looks on their faces.

" **DAMN IT ASH! Pull yourself together! Remember what is true! Remember the other things you've accomplished! You saved the world many times! You won the Orange League and Battle Frontier! And your friends didn't leave you; you let them go to follow their own paths to reach their own dreams! They were happy to see you again and they stuck by your side and wanted to help you whenever you were in trouble! Remember how happy they were when you revealed yourself to them!"** reminded Mewtwo, hoping to get through to him as he reminded the young guardian of his past happy times.

It took a few minutes of Mewtwo reminding him of all the things that he had done and experienced to make real Ash stop sobbing finally as he thought about everything he was told. His breathing slowly returned to normal and as he calmed down, orange Ash began to shrink, returning to his normal size. Real Ash shook his head and stood up, his gaze on the floor for a second but then he raised his tear streaked face to look at his manifested sadness.

" **I remember now. I have prevailed over horrible things. I saved legendaries. I fought against bad people. And my friends never left me. We only pursued different paths but stayed friends. They always remembered me and they do care about me!"** shouted real Ash with conviction and sad Ash shrank even more, becoming even smaller than his normal height. **"They helped me fight against those evil organizations! They taught me everything they knew! They traveled with me! All my friends have got my back! They will always stand by my side!"**

As real Ash said each thing, sad Ash shrank smaller and smaller until he was about the size of a Pidgey. When real Ash finished saying that he was happy with his life, sad Ash dropped to his hands and knees, extremely weak. Real Ash lifted his hand up and an Aura Sphere appeared that he let fly towards the weakened manifested emotion and the orange version of himself exploded into a puff of orange smoke. The orange smoke traveled through the air and then merged with real Ash. Real Ash turned orange for a second before fading away and his brown eyes glowed blue for a second afterwards before changing back. Ash dropped to one knee, panting heavily as he took over control of his emotion.

" **Well done Ash! You have overcome your sadness and now have control over it once more! It looks like in order to fight them you have to use the opposite good emotion against them since you used your past happiness to fight against your sadness. But only use it as a last resort if nothing else works. I don't think it'll be wise trying to talk or explain things to one of your emotions when all they want to do is beat you into a pulp. Do you need a break or do you want to continue?"**

" **Yeah, you have a point and it makes sense. Thanks and I think we should continue. Let's take care of Anger next."**

Mewtwo nodded, pleased that Ash was still able to go on. He was actually impressed since he wasn't expecting for him to overcome one of his emotions so quickly. His eyes glowed blue and the shield let in red Ash who charged towards the two and raised his fist to strike at real Ash. Real Ash blocked red Ash's strike and pushed him back.

" **So this is my anger?"** said real Ash as he looked at red Ash with a blank face. Red Ash went for another strike and real Ash blocked it again but then was hit by a kick from nowhere, sending him crashing to the floor. Red Ash grew in size and his red glow became stronger.

" **You are weak! You are pathetic! You are a coward! You broke your promise to Gardevoir, letting her get hurt again and by a bunch of pathetic losers! You let your pokémon down! You let them get hurt in the stadium attack! You are not worthy of being a trainer! You aren't worthy of having the girls love you! You aren't worthy of being an Aura Guardian! You let them get in harm's way! You never won a tournament or league! You make excuses to hide your short comings instead of owning up to them like a real man and trainer! You are a worthless piece of shit!"** roared his manifested anger as he towered over real Ash.

The people watching were overcome with how much pressure Ash puts on himself to become better and succeed. They never knew that he viewed himself as unworthy or weak but they did know how he would always blame himself for what happened to others. The girls were unable to hold back anymore and were crying over what they saw as they kept their gaze on the memory sphere.

" **I'm not the same as before and I did everything I could and that's all that matters!"** replied real Ash from the floor with a bleeding lip.

" **It's not enough! You are a lazy dumbass who never took anything seriously and always relied on others to help you through! You would always cause your friends to get lost! You would always attract danger to them! You never thought that it could be because of you that they're always in danger! You're an idiot and you aren't worthy of anything!"** shot back angry Ash as he charged at real Ash.

Real Ash got up and defended himself against red Ash from his onslaught of punches and kicks. After a series of blocked and evaded strikes, red Ash found an opening and punched real Ash in the face, making him turn his head hard a bit as he spit out some blood. Right when Ash gathered his balance, angry Ash delivered a roundhouse kick to his side this time that sent him staggering away. Real Ash was able to compose himself in time to block red Ash's next strike and countered with a strike to his chest but the outcome wasn't what he expected. Instead of his manifested anger becoming hurt or weaker, he seemed to be energized by the strike. Each time red Ash was hit or delivered a strike against real Ash, red Ash grew larger and stronger. Soon enough, real Ash was attempting to fight against a behemoth red version of himself.

" **This is what anger does to someone if left unchecked. It can grow into something ugly and destroy us if we let it consume us,"** advised Professor Oak sadly to everyone as they watched the memory while many nodded solemnly as they understood his words.

" **Don't let him hit you and don't hit him!"** advised Mewtwo.

" **I know, I figured it out but what do I do?"** asked real Ash as he dodged a large fist that was flying towards his head that the now giant red Ash threw. **"I'll try talking with him like you suggested!"**

Real Ash tried talking to the raging red giant version of himself but got nowhere. Red Ash was past words and kept trying to pound real Ash into the ground. Real Ash dodged several strikes until he messed up and knew he couldn't dodge the next punch so he braced himself for it. The punch hit his stomach but when real Ash didn't react to it by not striking back or even crying out, angry Ash shrunk a little, which both Mewtwo and Ash caught.

" **That's it!"** said the two together as they glanced at each other; the only way to counter anger is to just let it go, to not react to it.

Real Ash took a step forward towards the angry giant red Ash and was hit again by the raging copy as he braced for it. Real Ash didn't respond to that attack either and again red Ash shrunk. Each time angry Ash hit real Ash, who didn't react to the strikes and kept calm even though he was in pain, red Ash kept shrinking until he too was the size of a small Pidgey. When the small red Ash tried to attack real Ash again by kicking him in the leg, real Ash laughed, causing red Ash to explode in a puff of red smoke. The red smoke traveled through the air and merged with real Ash, who glowed red for a second before going away and his eyes glowed blue for a second afterwards. Again, he dropped to one knee as he panted for breath.

" **Excellent Ash! You're anger is now in control as well. That leaves your jealousy and fear."**

" **Let's take a breather for a moment if possible and then we'll tackle jealousy,"** panted Ash, who sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath again.

" **We can do that,"** replied Mewtwo. **"Let's take a moment to relax."**

Ash agreed as he rested on the ground and started taking long slow breaths before checking himself over for any serious wounds. Mewtwo kept the shield up, preventing the last two emotions from bothering them. The people watching the memory were thinking many different things as they witnessed Ash overcoming the first two emotions. They were glad that he was able to overcome two of his emotions quickly but were worried since they were getting harder to overcome. They didn't want to think about what could be coming next but when Ash stood back up a couple minutes later, their minds went blank as they turned their attention to it.

" **Are you ready?"** asked Mewtwo and Ash nodded.

The psychic feline's eyes glowed blue again and now green Ash was let through the shield who immediately charged at real Ash to tackle him, but real Ash dodged the attempt by rolling out of the way. Green Ash quickly got up and spun around as he tried to attack but was blocked. Green Ash feinted an attack and real Ash fell for it, moving to the side but was immediately tackled to the ground.

" **OUF!"** grunted real Ash as he hit the floor. He was then hit repeatedly on his body and face by green Ash while pinning him to the floor as the jealous version of him shouted.

" **You brainless idiot! You let them go!"** shouted green Ash, consumed with jealousy. **"You let Misty go with Brock! How do you know they never did anything together?! You let May go with Drew! You saw how he was with her during your travels, always giving her flowers! You even witnessed Dawn talking to Paul and Kenny! How do you know she stayed faithful to you?! And you saw Serena hanging out with other guys! How could you miss the interest in her eyes?!"**

Jealous Ash went quiet for a moment as Ash cried out in pain every time he was struck. He kept trying to deflect an attack and finally was able to counter a hit after getting struck a dozen times. He was able to roll out of the way but green Ash tore after him, throwing punches madly at him who kept trying to dodge as he attempted to counter attack whenever he saw an opening. Mewtwo wanted to intervene but knew he shouldn't, at least not yet as it wasn't dire yet.

The people watching were shouting out over the brutal beating and the four girls were shouting hysterically that they haven't, wouldn't and would never do anything to betray him. They all went silent when Green Ash continued speaking after tackling Ash to the ground again and started slugging at him nonstop once more.

" **Cynthia complimented Paul's strength! You are not seen as a worthy rival to her but Paul is! She sees him as a strong trainer, not you! Tobias has legendary pokémon! Why him? You saved the world countless times! You helped the legendaries many times over! Yet they aren't helping you! After all you've done, you barely have a few with you! The other legendary pokémon who you risked your life for would rather watch from the sidelines than help you! Gary was always a step ahead of you, always winning while you kept coming up short! Leaf left you, not keeping her promise to travel together! She never liked you, even though you liked her! Even as kids, she'd rather join up with Gary and pull pranks on you and make fun of you than to spend time with you!"** shouted green Ash as he continued to pummel real Ash into the ground, who cried out in pain from each connected strike that he failed to block.

Leaf's eyes widened over what she witnessed jealous Ash admit and so did everyone else when they turned to look Leaf. Misty, May, Serena, Dawn, Anabel, Cynthia and Sarah were shocked to learn that Ash had feelings for Leaf and if they were shocked, Leaf was beyond stunned.

 _He actually had feelings for me? How come he never said anything before? Wait that was a stupid question to ask, even in my head. Of course he didn't say anything before because I was a total bitch to him in the end before I left him and broke the promise. But…is there a chance…or….Is it too late to…_

Leaf's thoughts were cut off when they heard a loud blast that came from the memory and everyone turned their attention back to the sphere. Real Ash had fired an Aura Sphere into green Ash's face, sending him flying back as he howled in pain from the blast before crashing to the ground. Real Ash took a few breathers, taking advantage of the opportunity as he stood up shakily. His manifested jealousy though quickly got back to his feet and straightened out though with some scratches. Green Ash glared at Real Ash who held his shoulder as he slumped over a bit with his legs slightly spread to stay balanced out before he spoke.

" **You're right. I did have feelings for Leaf,"** admitted real Ash, causing everyone to become shocked and some even gasped at the revelation. **"But that was a long time ago. She never had feelings for me like I had for her and that's okay. Who she has feelings for now and who she wants to be with is not for me to decide or anyone else except her. I will support her decision no matter what as I care for her still though and will protect her with my own life like I did before in the stadium. She is my friend and free to choose who she loves!"**

Leaf let out silent tears as she thought about what Ash had said, about how he admitted that he liked her but was alright with her not liking him back. It sounded like he had moved on and forgot about her until they crossed paths at the Spirit Tournament. That sparked a new hope in her.

 _Maybe I do still have a chance. If he liked me before, then maybe now too?_

The others glanced at her for a moment. The four girls noticed her sullen and teary eyed but then they all turned back to the sphere when they heard another blast; another Aura Sphere was launched by real Ash at green Ash who stumbled back in pain. Jealous Ash began moving towards real Ash to attack him.

" **Leaf deserves to have someone who will always be there for her! Cynthia's opinions are for her to decide and I can only accept and move on. I don't care if I have legendary pokémon in my team or not even though I do! And I trust my friends! I know that they got my back!"** roared real Ash as he threw another attack at jealous Ash who had tried to land a strike on him but instead was thrown back by the blast. **"I trust the girls with my life! And I don't own them! They are free to live their own lives, to pursue their own dreams, to choose who they want to love! But I know that they have chosen me, that they love me and will never betray me and will always stand by my side as I will do the same for them!"**

Ash's friends, even Leaf and Gary, had feelings of pride surge through them, hearing the raven haired guardian say that he trusts them all fully. Leaf stopped crying though a couple last tears kept rolling down her cheeks as she thought of what she did back at the hospital, making her feel worse for betraying his trust. The other girls looked at her for a moment before facing the sphere again. Cynthia was stunned hearing Ash speak such words and kept her gaze on the sphere showing the memory.

Real Ash powered up a ball of blue energy in his hands before he fired the Aura Beam that completely engulfed green Ash, who let out a shriek of pain before exploding into green smoke. The green smoke flew towards real Ash and merged with him, causing him to glow green for a second. A second later his eyes glowed blue and real Ash fell to the ground, breathing heavily.

" **Well done! That's three down and one more to go!"** praised Mewtwo, pleased that things were going along smoothly as he knelt down beside his friend and helped him onto his feet.

" **Thanks. But I don't know how much more I can take,"** confessed Ash, trying to get some air back into his lungs and get his legs working again.

" **You can do it. I believe in you,"** encouraged Mewtwo. Ash smiled a little before nodding his head and stood up straight while locking eyes with his friend.

" **Let's finish this. Let's take care of fear,"** said Ash confidently. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and then yellow Ash was allowed to come closer as the shield Mewtwo had put up vanished, as there were no other formed emotions left.

" **I'm not afraid,"** stated real Ash as he stood tall, his hands clenched into fists, facing yellow Ash. Yellow Ash looked around while hunched over, his eyes darting everywhere. He shook a little before he spoke.

" **We can't win against the coming darkness."**

That one sentence made a cold shiver run down Ash's back, shaking him and made him lose his nerve as he took a step back. Mewtwo noticed this and attempted to encourage his friend.

" **Don't listen Ash! You have trained hard for three years! You have a plan! You have done many things in your life that most would say is impossible!"**

" **Doesn't matter,"** said yellow Ash timidly. **"All of that is nothing compared to what's coming. You will lose everything that you love as the thing you dread and fear the worst will come to pass. No chance that you will win."**

" **SHUT UP!"** roared real Ash as he quickly fired an Aura Beam at yellow Ash but the attack did nothing but bounce off of him. Everyone watching the memory cried out in shock that Ash's powerful aura attack did nothing to yellow Ash and even real Ash and Mewtwo were astonished.

" **HA HA HA HA HA HA!"** laughed a dark voice, echoing around them, causing everyone's hair to stand on end when they heard it.

" **No…no…it can't be…not you!"** cried real Ash into the air as he fell to his knees and Mewtwo's eyes widened as he heard the familiar voice. The psychic feline looked around them to find where the voice was coming from.

" **Oh but it is me!"** cackled the voice.

Yellow Ash was suddenly engulfed in a black glow and a large, horrible looking creature appeared, causing the viewers to shriek in fear. It was a large humanoid beast that was disfigured with a darkened red body with completely black eyes that glinted with malicious intent. Yellow Ash was encased in a yellow sphere and was merged with the creature, on its chest. The viewers groaned out in disgust over how gruesome and horrifying the creature looked.

" **What have you done to his fear?!"** demanded Mewtwo as he fired an attack at the creature who merely laughed as he disappeared, evading the strike before reappearing in front of them again.

" **How are you still in my mind?!"** asked real Ash, who was trembling on the floor as he looked at the horrible creature.

" **HA HA HA HA HA! You're subconscious is a nice place to call home and conceal myself Guardian. It is because of me that your Gardevoir thought she was separating your emotions from your memories! What a life you have lived Guardian! Better than the best movies! I must say I'm actually impressed with what you've done. Yet, I wanted to see you in agony since you ruined my fun at the stadium. I decided to trick your pokémon into thinking she was bringing out your memories correctly so you can suffer! I watched your emotions torment you and that was entertaining until your abomination of a friend got himself involved. I was hoping to see your mind shatter but no, that didn't happen. So I decided to add a little bit of spice and make you suffer myself using your own fear against you,"** laughed the creature.

" **You will not harm him!"** roared Mewtwo, as he fired another attack but this one was deflected away.

" **You cannot harm me clone since I control his fear! And welcome to your worst nightmare Guardian! One that you will never wake from!"** cackled the creature.

The creature vanished with yellow Ash still stuck on the creature and the grey room's walls crumbled away to reveal a horrifying sight. But before anyone could get a good look at it, Mewtwo's memory sphere disappeared and he stood up abruptly.

" **Wait, what happened next?"** cried May.

" **Why didn't you continue?"** asked Serena.

" **I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't have showed you any of this but what's done is done. But I can't show the rest,"** admitted Mewtwo and all he received were glares from each person. **"It is too horrifying; even I had problems seeing it before we were able to overcome it in the end."**

" **Please Mewtwo."** The psychic feline snapped his gaze to the red haired girl, Misty. She had asked softly and was pleading. **"It may be terrible, but we must know. I love him and so do the other girls and his friends and family love and care for him too. We want to know what his worst fear is so that we can help him if he needs it. You know he will never tell us himself."**

" **We would really appreciate you doing that for us,"** added Delia from the side with a hopeful look on her face as she looked at him.

Mewtwo stared at Delia for a moment before glancing at Misty, May, Dawn and Serena who nodded when he looked at them. He then glanced at the others in the living room who all gave him looks that clearly said that they wanted to know as well. The psychic feline sighed.

" **Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you. You're probably not going to like it."**

The memory sphere came back up and they continued watching. They saw the four walls of the grey room crumble down and revealed a horrifying sight. When each person saw it, they all gasped, some even crying out in shock.

Ash and Mewtwo were standing in the middle of a war zone. Several buildings were on fire while many others were destroyed or had crumbled down walls. Light posts and street signs had been broken in half or fallen on the floor. There were many different shaped holes and craters in the ground all over the place. Several cars were on fire, some even over turned and a few had crashed into buildings.

" **NO! Did we let this…no…This can't…how can this happen?!"** cried Ash as grasped his hair and pulled like a mad man, completely lost at what to do but then Mewtwo grabbed him and shook him.

" **Snap out of it! This isn't real! We are in your mind Ash but we must be prepared! Don't let your guard down!"** growled Mewtwo.

Ash pulled himself together and he nodded at his friend before the two slowly made their way down the street, looking at all the terrible things in front of them. As they walked further down the road witnessing all the damages done around them, they saw red shiny marks all over the place, from small puddles to streaks that seemed like it was dragged on the floor to being splattered around. Ash felt completely disgusted and felt shivers go down his spines. Mewtwo and Ash knelt down and studied the red marks closest to them.

" **Blood."** Mewtwo's statement made Ash whimper and everyone reacted in different ways to the revelation in the memory.

" **But whose?"** asked Ash quietly after composing himself as they got up and continued down the road. A moment later, Ash wished he never asked that question as they turned a corner into another street.

" **Oh my Arceus…"** whispered Ash.

There were bodies everywhere. Bodies of both humans and pokémon littered the area. The people watching the memory yelped in shock and let out sounds of disgust as they witnessed the carnage. As the raven haired guardian and the purple psychic feline slowly made their way through the massacre, they saw that the bodies of humans, both young and old and pokémon were completely decimated. Some of the bodies were those of friends and other people and pokémon that he knew. The terrible sights made the young guardian vomit after a few minutes after he witnessed the gruesome conditions the dead were in. They were cut up, others were shredded into pieces, being hung or impaled on something and some were even beaten to death guessing from all the black, blue and bloody bruises they saw on them while still others met other terrible fates. The memory viewers felt sick themselves and many had the urge to vomit, which they did after running to the nearby bathrooms before returning looking pale while others looked away or closed their eyes.

" **Oh my Mew! Why is this your worst fear? Why would you even be worried about such a thing?"** cried Delia. Nobody answered her for they didn't know what to say to comfort her. They continued watching in silence for a few minutes when suddenly they heard Ash cry out.

" **NOOOOOOO!"**

They saw Ash sprint down the road a bit before crashing down onto the ground in front of a large red dragon pokémon on the floor.

" **What did they do to him?!"** whispered Leaf in fear as most of the girls covered their mouths in horror taking in the terrible sight.

Charizard was dead on the floor. Both of his large wings had holes and tears in them but one of his wings was completely ripped off from his back and was on the floor next him. One of his horns on his head was broken off and used to stab his eye and was still there stuck in his eye hole. There were several large and nasty deep cuts into his belly that caused his insides to fall out and spread out onto the ground. A large puddle of dried blood surrounded the corpse of the red dragon.

" **Why did they do this?! What could have caused this?! Who would do such a thing?!"** cried Ash, as he placed his hand on the dragon's cold snout as heavy tears went down his face. Mewtwo appeared beside him and placed his hand on Ash's shoulder.

" **We must continue Ash and find our way out. We must-"**

" **Look at Charizard! LOOK DAMN IT! I've failed Mewtwo! I let this happen!"** cried Ash as he stood up and pushed off Mewtwo's hand, who gave a surprised look at his human friend. Before he could say anything, Ash tore down the street, running away from the psychic feline. Mewtwo let him be for a moment as he stared at the fallen dragon. Mewtwo felt great sadness and rage before he then levitated off the floor and followed after the young guardian. As he followed after the raven haired trainer by sensing where he was going with his psychic powers, he bared witness to many more gruesome sights regarding his friends as he pursued after Ash.

He saw Greninja hung from a light post from his own tongue, but it was the many stab wounds and arrows that were impaled all over his body that had killed him.

He saw Venusaur skewered and left to burn over molten lava, the large tree like flower on its back black and withered with his body charred from the intense heat.

He saw Lucario's body in the middle of the road with his hands and feet cut off, pools of dried blood on the ground around the stubbed limbs.

He saw Blastoise in a crater with his large shell smashed in, and his cannons were bent.

He saw Ninetales nailed to a building's wall from its tails, its fur gone showing skin and its mouth open.

He saw the carcass of Garchomp on the floor, his head chopped off and several feet away from its body, dried blood all over the ground surrounding the headless corpse.

He saw Infernape leaning against an overturned car with a hole clear through its chest, his heart on the floor near him along with many dried blood marks all around him, on the car and on the ground.

He saw Pidgeot with half of her feathers plucked, her wings bent and broken in odd angles with a sharp long blade that impaled her chest and out through her back as she laid on the ground.

He saw Sceptile's tail cut off and a couple of the yellow bulbs on his back shattered with his body hanging on the ledge of a broken window of a small shop.

He saw Tyrantrum lying on his side with his lower jaw broken in half at an odd angle with many gashes all over his body.

As Mewtwo passed each horrifying and gruesome slaughter of his comrades, his emotions were building and his fury was growing. He passed more of his friends, his family, who were long gone, imagining the cruel ways they were killed. The people watching Mewtwo's memory were disgusted, shocked and absolutely horrified of what they were witnessing.

" **I don't know if I can watch anymore,"** confessed Iris, hugging Cilan as she buried her face into his chest.

" **I don't think I can either but we must,"** said Cilan and Iris knew he was right. She reluctantly withdrew her head to keep watching but the two stayed in their embraced position.

" **This is so bad,"** whimpered Bonnie, peeking through her fingers as she had covered her hands.

" **Don't watch Bonnie! You'll get nightmares yourself!"** Clemont warned his sister but made no attempt to move her away.

Mewtwo was just about to shout in fury after passing Zoroark's body that was under a large boulder when he spotted Ash on his hands and knees in front of two pokémon who were tied up and strung up from their arms, hanging from the light posts. When Mewtwo came closer, he saw who the two figures were. Lopunny and Gardevoir were hanging from ropes that were tied to their wrists at one end with the other end tied to the light posts. They were bloodied, bruised all over and had many deep cuts on them.

" **They were tortured to death,"** stated Mewtwo in a whisper as his brow furrowed as his eyes glowed blue, consumed with rage.

" **Gardevoir!"** whimpered Misty.

" **Lopunny!"** yelped Sarah.

" **What appalling sights!"** yelped Ilene, shivering in her spot.

Gary, without thinking, tried to calm her nerves by grasping her shoulder. Ilene glanced at Gary over his action, but said nothing when he looked at her as she felt a bit better before his focus was on the sphere again. When Riley caught the Queen's eye, she shook her head slightly, signaling that she was alright. After a moment, Gary withdrew his hand and both of them kept watching.

" **Mew…why would his nightmare be about something like this?"** asked Cynthia but nobody answered her as they heard Ash.

" **NOOOOO! Why…why is this happening? It wasn't supposed to be like this. We had a plan Mewtwo. We were supposed to prevent this from happening. How…How could we have failed?!"** sobbed Ash until a sudden cry drew his attention before Mewtwo could answer.

" **PIKA!"**

Ash snapped his head to the right and saw a yellow mouse fighting against a large dark creature in the distance, dodging its attacks and returning his own attacks with bursts of electricity shot from the small pokémon at the one he was fighting against.

" **PIKACHU!"** yelled Ash as he got up and dashed towards his starter. **"I'M COMING BUDDY!"** he called out but after he took just a few steps, it was too late as Pikachu was engulfed by a dark beam of energy.

" **CHUU!"** cried out Pikachu as the beam of dark energy washed over him. The electric mouse felt the attack completely and painfully drain him of life before he dropped to the floor, dead.

" **PIKACHU!"** yelled Ash as he dropped to the floor as he came to an abrupt stop next to his starter pokémon and picked him up, cradling him in his arms. **"Pikachu…wake up buddy…please…you can't die on me too…"** cried Ash, shaking the yellow mouse a bit.

Everyone had tears in their eyes, watching the horrible nightmare but after seeing Pikachu die right in front of them made several people bawl loudly and scream out curse words as every single one of them knew him the best and were closest with him out of all of Ash's pokémon.

" **He will not wake,"** said a horrible voice. Ash looked up with teary eyes and saw the disfigured creature in front of him, with yellow Ash in his chest and a large sadistic grin on his face. The creature was as large as a five story building now, having used Ash's fear to manifest death and destruction in the young guardian's mind to torture him while strengthening himself.

" **You did this!"** spat Ash through clenched teeth as his anger filled him.

" **Yes I did. I'm surprised the rat was the last to go down. I thought it would be your Charizard or Lucario but they were too eager to avenge your fallen friends and that was their downfall,"** cackled the creature.

" **You shall pay for this!"** roared Mewtwo as he shot his Psystrike at the creature. Hundreds of psychic bullets shot through the air and hit the creature, bringing out a large dust cloud. After the purple feline finished his attack, the dust faded away to show the creature still standing with barely a few scratches. **"Impossible!"** exclaimed Mewtwo in disbelief.

" **You are starting to annoy me clone. Be gone."**

The creature smacked Mewtwo with his large hand with surprising speed for its large size that caught the legendary off guard since he was so stunned that one of his most powerful attacks barely did anything. Mewtwo was sent flying into the wall of a nearby building before falling down to the ground, barely conscious. He grunted, feeling extreme pain from all over his body after he hit the ground. He tried to get back up but quickly dropped back down while he panted heavily, trying to regain some strength. He had never been hit that hard in all his life. They were all shocked seeing Mewtwo go down for the count after just one strike from the horrible creature.

" **I'm surprised he's still alive,"** commented the creature lazily. He turned his attention back to Ash. **"As I was saying, I think I'll stuff the rat to be made into a trophy for me."**

Even though he was afraid, the sight of his starter pokémon dead in his arms caused his anger to overpower his fear and squash it for the moment. Ash's eyes glowed blue and he snarled in response.

" **I won't let you! You caused this and I will make you pay!"** shouted Ash, standing up after placing Pikachu gently on the ground.

" **No, it's your fault!"**

A small voice was heard behind Ash, startling him. He whipped around to see his younger self but with four girls standing next to his younger version, who were in bad shape; they had bruises, cuts and scratches on them and their clothes were tattered and torn, revealing parts of their skin and body. The creature laughed, seeing his plan in motion to cause the guardian some serious agony. Real Ash stepped back a little as he took in the sight of his younger self and the four girls, his eyes losing their blue glow.

" **Misty? May? Dawn? Serena? What happened to you?"** whispered real Ash.

" **You! That's what happened!"** shouted kid Ash as he pointed at real Ash. **"You left them to fend for themselves just like daddy did! You showed your true colors by abandoning them just like him!"**

" **NO! That's not true! I would never leave them! I was in training and then I came back. I told them-"** started real Ash but was interrupted.

" **Training?!"** shouted Misty shrilly. **"It doesn't matter what you were doing! You left me! You weren't here to protect me! Where were you when Tracey attacked me and took advantage of me?! You let him do that by not being there for me!"**

" **You promised you'll never let me go! But you lied! You let me fall to my death! I shouted for you to save me but you never did!"** cried Dawn.

" **Lysandre and his evil group kidnapped me! They tortured me and raped me! I kept praying for you to come find me but you never did!"** screamed Serena.

" **You left us behind as Phantom killed all of our friends and pokémon and took over the world's oceans! You saved yourself and we paid the price!"** yelled May causing real Ash to fall to his knees, before he started hitting the ground with his fist as he began to cry.

" **NOOOO! That couldn't have happened! I stopped all that…didn't I…This isn't what I wanted! This isn't what was supposed to happen. We had a plan. I was training to prevent all that! This isn't right! This can't be happening! It can't! I still had time! I did everything I could to help and protect everyone…"**

" **You're just like father!"** shouted kid Ash and real Ash looked at his younger self through red and puffy eyes. **"He abandoned us just like you abandoned everyone else! You let this happen! You let the girls get tortured and raped! You let your pokémon suffer horrible deaths! You let all your friends get killed! You let all the pokémon in the world get abused! You let the bad guys win! You let them cover the world in evil! It's all because of you!"**

Real Ash cried harder at the revelation that all this was his fault as kid Ash vanished. Everyone was at a complete loss for words at what they were witnessing. As they continued watching, they saw movement coming from behind Ash. Black streams of energy went past him and connected to the four girls who let out shrieks and cries before they were covered in black spheres, silencing them. Before Ash could even react to what just happened, the black spheres exploded, revealing the girls who had transformed into corrupted versions of themselves. Their torn clothes vanished, leaving them naked but the dark glow outlining them obscured their bodies. The real four girls went red seeing themselves so revealed and everyone seeing them naked but let out sighs of relief when the view became distorted. But they noticed their skin darkened with noticeable red spots everywhere and they were changed into much more beautiful yet frightening versions of themselves. When the transformation was complete, the four memory girls glared at real Ash with black eyes, glinting with evil.

" **What…what happened to you?"** asked Ash in a horrified whisper.

" **We have been allowed to be our true selves,"** replied May.

" **We know who we truly belong to,"** added Serena.

" **You were never good enough for us,"** mocked Dawn.

" **I can't believe I waited for you when he can give us whatever we desire,"** finished Misty.

The four girls moved towards the creature and when real Ash tried to stop them, the four girls attacked, delivering lightning fast strikes against him, causing him to fall down in pain.

" **Please…why are you…doing this? I love you!"** cried Ash in between groans of pain as he reached for them with a shaky hand but the four girls laughed and the creature grinned sadistically.

" **I told you Guardian that I will come for all you hold dear. I have kept my word. I have slaughtered your pokémon as you've seen with your own eyes. I have slaughtered your friends and family as well."**

The creature had his pale black eyes glow with a shiny glint and many bodies appeared out of thin air and dropped to the ground around Ash, surrounding him. The raven haired guardian looked around with widened eyes, horrorstruck at what he was seeing, which consisted of many familiar bodies around him. He crawled to the body of a spiky haired man that was near him, gasping as he realized who it was.

" **No…don't…Brock? No…please wake up!"** Ash shook the body of his friend but it was no use. **"NO! Why? You were like a brother to me."**

Brock was beyond sad, crying heavily. He didn't like seeing his brother in such agony. Lucy hugged him from the side as she too cried seeing her boyfriend dead in the memory. Ash glanced around and saw Max's body, Cilan's body, Iris's body and several others. He lowered the body of his friend and moved to each of those bodies, hoping that one of them was still alive but each time he checked, he was met with disappointment and he sobbed harder over their corpses. Many people from the group were shocked to see themselves dead in the memory and some were so overcome that they made incoherent noises.

When he checked Gary's body and found him to be dead too, he shook his head in sadness and let out more tears before he noticed another body to his side. He moved towards it and found it was the body of Anabel and next to her was Leaf, Cynthia and Sarah. He drew in multiple quick breathes at once at the sight of their lifeless bodies and gently picked up Leaf and Anabel to him and held them close to him.

" **Leaf…Anabel…"** started Ash but he couldn't continue. He glanced at Cynthia and Sarah and let out a mangled cry. **"Cynthia…Sarah...why…I'm so sorry…for failing you…so sorry…"**

The people watching the memory were crying at the horrible sight. Leaf, Anabel and Sarah had dropped to their knees, bawling loudly at seeing themselves dead and realizing how much Ash cared for them. Cynthia remained standing but her face was covered in tears and her heart was beating wildly at the sight while her stomach was twisted into knots. They along with the others wanted it to end, they didn't want to see anymore and Mewtwo knew it but they had to see. They had to continue and he wouldn't let them stop, not now. They had asked to see it and now they needed to know of the anguish that his only human friend went through.

Ash cradled Leaf and Anabel in his arms before gently placing them back down onto the ground before moving to hug Cynthia and Sarah as well. As he did so the four corrupted girls and the monster laughed at him, happy at seeing him suffering, enjoying the sight of him in such a state. After Ash lowered them back down, he noticed another body nearby, making him take in a sharp breath.

" **Mom?"** whispered Ash. He moved towards the body and saw that it was indeed his mother's lifeless body. He gasped after realizing who it was and then he held his dead mother's head in his arms. **"Mom?!"** asked Ash again, shaking his mom a little. His dried out eyes filled up once more and soon hot and rapid tears fell down his cheeks again and dropped onto his mom's cold body. **"MOM!"** screamed Ash, crying loudly.

" **ASH!"** cried Delia before she stumbled backwards as she lost feeling in her legs and fell to the ground. Many people shot to her, including the eight girls, the mothers and Misty's sisters, helping her to get back to her feet, trying to console the now hysterical woman. Everyone was crying heavily now, seeing the torturous and gruesome actions of the creature causing Ash so much suffering and distress.

" **I slaughtered your mother as well. Shame, she could have been fun and so could have the other girls but having these four beautiful girls you care so deeply for is much better. I have taken their love away from you as I said I would. I have beaten your pokémon. And now I have broken you! You have seen my powers! You have seen my strength! I told you that you cannot win! You have lost everything!"**

The creature and the corrupted girls laughed at Ash, at his misery, at his fear, who cowered, curling up over his dead mom's body while crying loudly.

" **ASH DON"T LISTEN!"** roared Mewtwo from the ground, causing Ash to glance in his direction with a wet face. **"YOU ARE STRONGER THAN THIS! DO NOT LET FEAR CONTROL YOU! THIS IS YOUR MIND THAT WE ARE IN! YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN YOUR OWN MIND! AND YOU ARE CHOSEN BY ARCEUS FOR A REASON!"**

Mewtwo's revelation made Ash's friends glance at one another, confused and surprised.

" **Silence abomination!"** ordered the creature and shot a dark ball of energy at the psychic who had just barely stood up. He shouted in pain when the attack made contact before falling back down onto the ground, groaning.

" **MEWTWO!"** cried Ash as he saw the purple feline fall back down.

Ash looked at Mewtwo for a moment who didn't move before he looked at the carnage around him, seeing his friends, his mom and his pokémon killed without mercy. His heart ached for each and every one of them, grief over whelming him yet his fear did not let him take action. He hugged his dead mother's head close to him.

" **I'm so sorry Mom. I'm so sorry everyone,"** apologized Ash as he continued his sobbing. **"Why? Why does everything that I love get taken away from me? I'm so sorry…"**

" **Too late for apologies Guardian. You have failed! You have lost! And now you will live out the rest of your pathetic life here trapped in your worst nightmare!"** sneered the creature.

Ash's crying slowly stopped as his grief was so consuming that his fear faded away only to be replaced with anger. His rage built up inside him and it consumed him. He gently lowered his mom onto the floor before standing up, clenching his fists. His eyes turned blue and his aura flared out.

" **YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"** roared Ash as he shot dozens of Aura Spheres from his hands against the creature who was struck by each one, causing smoke to cover the monstrous beast from the blasts. When the smoke cleared, it showed the creature unfazed.

" **Impossible!"** yelped Ash, fear gripping him once more as he stumbled back a bit from the shock.

" **You haven't learned! You cannot hurt me Guardian! You are too weak! And especially since I control your fear! No matter how angry you become, you cannot hurt me as you still fear me and doubt yourself!"** laughed the creature. **"Here, perhaps you can fight and have a better chance against the girls you love so dearly!"** suggested the creature and the four corrupted girls advanced towards Ash whose aura faded away.

" **Don't listen to him! Please stop! I don't want to fight you!"** pleaded Ash.

But they didn't listen and began to fight against Ash, who desperately tried to evade and block the attacks, not even attempting to hit them back yet several strikes still hit him, causing him to cry out in pain. The four real girls covered their mouths in shock, seeing their corrupted versions hurting the man they loved. A powerful sucker punch was delivered by May when Ash was distracted and landed against his jaw, sending the guardian to the ground, dazed. The four girls didn't let up and continued to strike the vulnerable guardian with punches and kicks as he shouted for them to stop.

" **Oh my Mew…"** whispered Anabel as she held her hands up to her face, unable to believe what she was seeing. Leaf and Sarah had shouted out for them to stop in vain while Cynthia couldn't even make a sound. Many from the group let out startled cries from the intense trashing that Ash was taking.

" **That's enough for now girls,"** said the creature and the four girls stopped immediately and moved backwards towards the creature. **"We don't want to kill our only source of amusement for the time being."** The creature laughed and so did the corrupted girls. Ash was bleeding and battered, curled up into a ball on the ground. The creature had an evil smirk appear on his disfigured face but then a blue glow caught his attention as Mewtwo vanished from his spot. At first he became alarmed but then grinned again.

" **Ah, this is perfect! You're beaten by the very girls you love, you're consumed by fear, you've lost everything and everyone and now your last ally has left you as well! I don't see the abomination anywhere! You are stuck in this nightmare inside your very own mind for all of eternity! HAHAHAHA!"**

The creature and the four corrupted girls laughed at Ash again, who merely sobbed and groaned on the ground. A bright white light erupted suddenly from above and blinded everyone.

" **What the…"** started the creature, covering his eyes with his hands. **"What caused this-AAAHHHH!"** cried out the creature in pain as a loud explosion occurred after something struck him. The creature turned to face the source of the attack and his eyes narrowed. **"YOU AGAIN!"**

Mewtwo had reappeared and had fired a Thunder against the creature. His eyes glowed blue and snarled before he summoned hundreds of psychic bullets once more and shot them at the creature. The creature defended himself as the bullets hit him. After the last bullet hit, the creature lowered his arms covered with countless scratches, about to launch a counter attack but found Mewtwo to be flying towards him while covered in a large blue sphere. The creature had his eyes widen and he fired a bunch of dark spheres at the psychic who dodged many but some did make contact but the psychic feline kept maintaining his course, ignoring the pain he was feeling.

 _I must separate Ash's fear from him. It is the only way._

Mewtwo roared in anger and increased his speed to a blur of blue energy and before the creature could respond with another attack, Mewtwo slammed into the monster with unbelievable force, punching a hole straight through him while pushing yellow Ash out of the dark monster.

" **AAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"** roared the creature in pain, stumbling a bit until he leaned against a half broken down building nearby. It took a moment for him to recover enough to not be phased by the attack. He looked down at his wound and his eyes widened, realizing what the clone had done; he had separated the Guardian's fear from him. He snarled before turning around to strike the abomination but he stopped, frozen when he saw yellow Ash explode into yellow smoke.

" **NOOOOOOOOOO!"** screamed the creature, trying to attack them but Mewtwo brought up a shield to protect them, barely able to keep it up as he was so exhausted and injured. Yellow smoke flew through the air and merged with real Ash on the ground, who glowed yellow for a second before vanishing and his eyes glowed blue. The creature's wound healed over and he shrunk a little in size, though it was still monstrously big. Ash stayed on the ground for a few seconds before he was able to stand up and turned to his friend. He moved towards the legendary and placed a glowing blue hand on his shoulder, pulsing healing aura onto him. Mewtwo's injuries and exhaustion went away and Ash withdrew his hand.

" **Thanks Mewtwo."**

" **You're welcome Ash. Are you ready?"**

" **Yes. It's time. Let's finish this,"** replied Ash, his aura emerging out from him and Mewtwo noticed Ash's eyes glowed a much brighter blue than he had ever seen before.

" **I agree. Let's get rid of this monster,"** remarked Mewtwo and the shield went down. He and Ash stepped towards the creature and the four corrupted girls.

" **You may have conquered your fear, but you will never escape this nightmare!"** taunted the creature. **"Attack him!"**

The four corrupted girls jumped at Ash but he brought out an Aura Shield and the four slammed against it. They continued their furious assault though, striking the shield with everything they had. The raven haired guardian frowned, not knowing how to stop them without hurting them. Suddenly he got an idea as he thought of what the creature did to them. He concentrated and then let out four streams of aura energy from him that connected with each corrupted girl and when the connection was made, the girls let out high pitched screams.

" **What are you doing?! STOP!"** yelled the creature in shock as he witnessed the four girls slowly turn back to themselves. He attempted to strike them but was prevented from doing so as Mewtwo brought out a protective shield around them. When the four girls were finally transformed back to themselves, fully clothed somehow, the aura connections faded away and they smiled at Ash.

" **Thank you Ash,"** said Misty.

" **You freed us,"** replied Dawn.

" **Better dead than alive as what we were,"** added Serena.

" **We will always love you Ash. Remember that,"** finished May.

The four girls smiled at the raven haired guardian before they each fell to their knees and then to the ground, letting out sighs before life left them. Ash's aura died down and his eyes turned back to brown as he sank to his hands and knees. He moved to the four girls and picked up the four at once and hugged them. He hugged them tightly as rapid tears fell down his face and stayed like that for a moment as Mewtwo stood in a defensive position over them with the shield still held. Ash looked up into the sky, while letting out a heart shattering scream filled with misery and rage into the sky. Everyone watching felt their hearts skip a beat and felt goose bumps all over them at the scene.

" **You killed them Guardian. I must say I wasn't expecting that. Perhaps you do have some darkness in you,"** taunted the creature, trying to regain dominance with his mind games.

Ash lowered his gaze onto the building sized creature, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the horrible creature with such a furious expression on his face that it even made Mewtwo flinch at the sight of it. He gently lowered the girls back onto the ground before letting out a snarl as he stood back up. Mewtwo lowered the shield as he sensed his friend getting ready to fight back.

" **I would rather die than to hurt them. I didn't kill them. I freed them from your evil!"** shot Ash as he concentrated his power while bringing his hands to his side. His eyes glowed blue and his aura blazed up around him, dancing madly as a blue sphere of energy formed in between his hands that slowly grew bigger and bigger.

" **That won't hurt me! You cannot defeat me!"** shouted the creature as he powered up his own attack.

Ash fired the Aura Beam and the creature fired his own beam of dark energy. The two beams of energy collided against one another and a power struggle ensued for a moment before the beams exploded and brought out some smoke between the two. Before the creature could attack again, another beam of blue energy shot out from within the smoke and it struck the creature, making him stumble back in agony. The creature looked down and saw a large bruised spot on his chest.

" **How?!"** cried the creature as the smoke cleared and showed Ash powering up another one as Mewtwo gathered energy. Ash may have healed him but he wasn't back at full strength and needed a little bit of time to recover.

" **YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU UGLY SON OF A BITCH! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!"** roared Ash has he fired another Aura Beam and it made contact, causing another mark on the creature.

The creature grunted in pain and then launched several dark beams of energy at the guardian but Ash dodged them all except for the last one. He couldn't evade it in time and so brought out an Aura Shield as well at the last second while he continued to fire Aura Beams at him, striking the creature and weakening him as he defended himself. The viewers were both stunned and relieved to see him fighting back. Mewtwo looked on, astonished from what he was witnessing.

 _Even though we are inside his mind, his power shouldn't be this enormous. And he's able to both defend and attack at the same time. He was never able to do that before. Where is he getting his power from?_

Mewtwo's thoughts made many watching the memory think about that as well, especially Riley as he had never seen, heard or read about an Aura Guardian being able to both defend and attack at the same time. Before he could think on that some more, his and everyone's attention was brought back to the memory sphere when Ash stopped firing and lowered his hands, taking a breather. His aura died down a bit as he started panting, but kept the glow around him and in his eyes. He looked at the creature that had sustained heavy damage from his attacks and was groaning in pain. The creature took a step back without realizing it before speaking again.

" **You will never make me leave your mind. And even if you do manage that, I have yet to awaken and when I do my powers will be far stronger! You will not be able to protect them or save them! Darkness and corruption will rule over the world!"** said the creature.

" **You talk too much,"** remarked Ash simply as he glanced at Mewtwo who nodded, signaling that he was ready to finish things.

His aura intensified, his eyes glowed a brighter blue and his aura flared out powerfully once more. Much more than Mewtwo had ever witnessed before, surprising him. A small blue sphere appeared in his hands but grew larger and larger. The swirling blue energy sphere that was held in between his hands began cackling with white streaks of electricity flowing around it as he powered it up by his side. Ash was concentrating as much energy as he could into the attack. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue as well and he started focusing his power into his attack too as a white sphere of energy glowed in between his hands as he kept it to his side as well. Ash glanced at Mewtwo again and the psychic feline returned the gaze. Both of them then faced the weakened creature who had widened its eyes at the sight of the two powering up.

" **You will never succeed you bastard. You may have caused me agony, but you will never get the chance to do it to someone else! We will not let you hurt anyone, especially the people that we love and care about. You will not cover the world in darkness. You may awaken one day, but we will be ready. And we will face you. AND WE WILL DESTROY YOU, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!"** roared Ash as he fired his concentrated Aura Beam and Mewtwo fired his concentrated Hyper Beam at the same time.

The Aura Beam was larger than they had ever seen Ash fire and Mewtwo's Hyper Beam was the same size as the Guardian's. Both beams struck the creature that had brought up his arms to defend himself but still howled in pain from the force of the attacks. Ash and Mewtwo constantly channeled more energy into their attacks and the beams kept growing in size. Soon the beams were as large as the creature and began pushing him back. The buildings around them began disintegrating from the sheer force of the beams and the ground was shaking as well.

" **Incredible. Ash and Mewtwo are equals and their power is unbelievable,"** commented Oak. The others were too awestruck to comment back or remark to that statement as they too realized that his statement was true, bearing witness to the memory.

" **You may erase me from your mind Guardian, but I swear when I awaken, I will destroy everything and everyone that you love and care about while making you watch!"** promised the creature with a snarl.

" **GO TO HELL!"** roared Ash in response. He channeled all the aura he could put into his beam and Mewtwo copied his actions and did the same with his attack. Their beams became so large that it completely engulfed the evil being. The two energy beams slowly disintegrated the creature, erasing him from Ash's mind completely as it let out a final shrill cry of pain. Ash and Mewtwo finished their attacks and the beams disappeared into the distance before a large blue and white explosion was faintly seen. Ash's aura faded away and his eyes turned back to brown as he stumbled, about to fall down but Mewtwo caught him and held him up, though with a bit of difficulty as the psychic feline was feeling exhausted too.

" **Finally. It's over,"** whispered Ash as he and Mewtwo supported each other to stay on their feet.

" **That was impressive Ash. Your mind is yours alone once more. I do not sense anything even slightly resembling the creature. And your emotions are under control. I am proud of you, Chosen One."**

Ash stood back up with the help of Mewtwo and looked up at his friend and saw him smiling, making him smile too.

" **Thanks buddy."** Ash straightened up and so did Mewtwo. **"Do me a favor. Don't call me Chosen One."** Mewtwo chuckled as he nodded his head. **"Time to leave this place."** The war zone disappeared and they were now standing near a cliff's edge looking out into the ocean all of a sudden.

" **I will exit your mind now Ash. I will have you rest now and we will see each other in the morning. Everything will be fine and don't worry about what the future may bring as we will be ready to take it head on,"** said Mewtwo.

The raven haired guardian's right hand glowed blue as he raised it up and looked at his hand, covered in the blue glow. He clenched his hand into a fist as the blue aura swirled around it.

" **I'm not worried anymore Mewtwo. I have my friends, my pokémon, my family, the girls and of course you by my side. I cannot and will not lose,"** replied Ash as Mewtwo smiled. The raven haired guardian looked over the cliff into the horizon and lowered his hand, the blue glow fading away from his hand and whispered a promise. **"I will never give up and I will never leave anyone. The darkness will not triumph. I promise that I will not let that happen, even if it requires my life to make sure the world and all I love is safe."**

The memory sphere faded away and Mewtwo stood back up soon after. He noticed that the group of people all had dried smudges on their faces from all the crying and some even had horrified expressions still on as well.

" **I did warn you it will not be easy to look at,"** sighed Mewtwo, looking away. A soft hand grasping his made him glance at the person, and found it was Misty.

" **Thank you Mewtwo for showing me what my love fears the most,"** said Misty. Before Mewtwo could say anything, Dawn came forward as well and placed her hand on theirs.

" **You have shown me what Ash has been training to fight against,"** added Dawn.

" **Much gratitude for showing how much he loves and cares for us,"** said Serena as she joined in as well.

" **I know what his mission is now. To protect us all from such evil,"** finished May, copying them.

" **My son is lucky to be able to call you his friend and ally,"** said Delia as she too moved forward and the girls made space for her. **"You helped my son overcome his emotions and to fight off this evil creature that had invaded his mind. Thank you Mewtwo. You are a saint in my book. You are always welcome in my home and you are a part of the family."**

Delia finished by giving Mewtwo a hug and friendly kiss against his cheek. Mewtwo reddened slightly but nodded his head. He glanced at the four girls and nodded at them too before turning his attention to everyone else.

" **I must take my leave now to check on my comrades. Ash will awaken in the morning and I will return then to visit him and all of you. Goodnight everyone."**

Mewtwo disappeared in a flash of blue and everyone looked at one another before deciding they should go to sleep since it was late at night, way past midnight. Cynthia thanked Delia for updating her and even though Delia offered her to stay the night, Cynthia politely refused, saying she had business to attend to as a Champion in the early morning and did not want to bother them. Cynthia bade them a good night and left right after. Clemont and Riley ended up sharing a room and Ilene and Bonnie took a room for themselves as well. Leaf, Anabel and Sarah wanted to go with the four girls and Delia when they checked in on Ash before going to sleep but thought it better that they don't as they didn't want to accidently start something then. The five entered Ash's room and found him sleeping peacefully with Pikachu curled up next to him on the bed as well as Gardevoir asleep on the bed next to him. Lucario was up, watching over them and noticed the five as they peeked inside.

" **No need to worry. I will keep watch and let you know if anything happens,"** promised Lucario with a bow. The four girls and Delia hugged Lucario and whispered their thanks. The five moved towards Ash and Delia kissed his forehead.

" **Goodnight my sweetie,"** said Delia before she moved away and the four girls each gave Ash a soft kiss on the lips as they wished him a goodnight.

" **Goodnight my Pokémon Master,"** said Misty softly.

" **Sweet dreams my Guardian,"** whispered Dawn.

" **We will see you in the morning my Protector,"** added Serena.

" **And we will help you get ready for your next match my Knight,"** finished May.

The five looked at Ash for a moment before leaving the room and when they reached the door, glanced back at the raven haired guardian before they closed the door. Lucario walked over to the window and took up a seat on the wide ledge, with one leg hanging down, the other bent to his chest as he stared out the window for a moment. He then turned to face the resting guardian.

 _I promised to help you with everything and anything Master and I still do. I will not let you lose the ones you love and care for so dearly. You deserve to be happy and to have love in your life because if anyone deserves it and has earned it, it is you. I swear on my life and honor that I will do all I can for you and them._

As Lucario watched over his Master while he slept, three girls were changing into their pajamas in their room and after brushing their teeth, the three got into bed. Right before the blonde girl out of the three was about to turn off the lights, she spoke to the brunette who had already lied down to sleep.

" **Leaf…"** Sarah waited until she looked at her, then glanced at Anabel who had propped herself up to listen before facing Leaf again. **"Anabel and I won't say anything to him or the four girls but you need to come clean to him especially after what we found out. It's not fair to him or to anyone else,"** stated the blonde girl before turning off the lights and lying down on her bed, leaving Leaf alone to her thoughts as Anabel lowered her head back down onto her pillow.

" **You're right Sarah. I will. I just hope he can forgive me for what I did,"** replied back Leaf after a few minutes of silence between the three in the dark.

Neither Sarah nor Anabel commented back but Leaf knew that they heard her. The three girls tightened their grip on their blankets as they thought of what they saw from Ash's and Mewtwo's memories. Each of them was thinking how much he had gone through in his life and they still couldn't believe it. Luckily though for them, even with so many things going through their minds, they were so exhausted both mentally and physically from the day's events that they soon fell asleep with dreams about the raven haired guardian that each of them had come to fall in love with and wished to be with.

 ** _A/N - Thanks for reading! As always, fav, follow and review! Thanks in advance and Silent is out! :)_**


	32. Chapter 32 - Surprises and A Battle

**IMPORTANT NOTE - Please take a look at my poll on my my profile page and give your answer to it. I want to know which story I should start working on as my second project. I'm going to wait a little longer before closing the poll. Appreciate the votes in advance! :)**

* * *

 _ **A/N - Hello everyone! Hope all of you had an awesome Halloween weekend and sorry for causing some of you to have nightmares from the previous chapter! That wasn't my intention and I had no idea I had posted it up on Halloween of all days... lol Anyways, here you guys and gals go! Hope you like it!**_

 ** _Special shout out to irmadbro who mentioned the Kamehameha and Harry Potter reference! Just to let everyone know, I had no idea I did that until I did a proofread and decided to keep it and see who would catch it. Nice job buddy! :)_**

 ** _Michael - Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I cannot say as it will spoil the story but keep reading and you'll find out sooner or later. ;)_**

 ** _Nightcore - I really appreciate it that dude! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and can't get enough. I hope I can keep it up._**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 32 – SURPRISES AND A BATTLE

A crystal glass half way filled with an alcoholic beverage was thrown across the room with rage and it smashed against the wall, sending shards of glass flying in every direction. The liquid splattered on the wall and slowly made its way down.

" **ALL OF THEM?!"**

The tall man was shaking with fury after finding out what happened at the tournament after returning from his little vacation at a private island. His assistant had just informed him that all of the enhanced subjects, both human and pokémon, were defeated, the pokémon disintegrated into dust, the stadium was still standing, the tournament was still continuing, the human subjects were in jail and that they were unable to deal permanent damage.

" **HOW THE FUCK IS THAT POSSIBLE?! TELL FREEMAN TO GET HIS ASS IN HERE NOW!"** roared the tall man.

His assistant ran out of the spacious office as fast as she could in her three inch black high heels, her long red hair bobbing along in her wake. She reached her desk and pressed the PA button on her desk phone.

" **Paging Mr. Freeman to the boss's office immediately. I repeat, paging Mr. Freeman to the boss's office immediately,"** she said.

She ended the page and hurriedly returned to her boss's office to take up her previous position, which was standing next to his desk, her hands clasped together and held in front of her. She was a very attractive woman, with an hour glass figure, in her mid twenties and was wearing business style clothes consisting of a tight black skirt reaching her knees and a white buttoned up blouse. The tall man was pacing up and down his office, in his black pinstriped business suite with his hands behind his back and his head hung, staring at the floor as he paced, which was covered with an expensive Arcanine throw rug. A skinny scientist entered the office, wearing a white lab coat that was buttoned up all the way over his black pants and black shirt, his glasses hanging at the edge of his long nose and breathing hard. He had run from his laboratory to the office, knowing not to make his boss wait too long.

" **I'm here sir,"** said Freeman in a small voice as he entered the room and walked a little towards his boss though stayed at an arm's distance from him. The tall man stopped pacing and eyed Freeman for a second who trembled as his boss was tall and well built.

" **Freeman, what the hell happened?! The subjects were enhanced to peak levels were they not?!"**

" **Of course sir! I administered the injections myself sir!"** responded Freeman immediately as he stood up straight.

" **Then why were they defeated so easily and they barely caused any damage?! They were supposed to get rid of all the trainers they possibly could before the Champions got through to them! And what in the hell made the pokémon disintegrate into dust?! They cost a damn fortune to capture, feed and force to evolve!"**

" **We tested a few of the pokémon here that were injected with the enhancers and we found that for some reason the pokémon no longer need to sleep after being injected but when they are forced into an unconscious state, they cannot control the power inside them anymore and it roasts them alive from the inside out. The subjects faced the Champions Lance, Cynthia and Steven when they attacked the stadium. Alder and Diantha were distracted with the explosion that the group set up before they attacked. The Champions put up tough resistance, knocking out some of the pokémon but since they only had one pokémon with them, their lead pokémon, they weren't able to last long against our enhanced subjects. But…"** Freeman trailed off, afraid of continuing.

" **BUT WHAT?!"** roared his boss.

" **They were aided by an Aura Guardian by the name of Ash Ketchum sir. Apparently that's what the news and the president of the Pokémon League are saying. If he wasn't there, the stadium, the Champions, the people in the stands, both trainers and spectators, would have perished."**

" **There's another Aura Guardian besides Riley?!"** asked the boss quietly, his eyes bulging from this news but soon got over his shock. **"And his name is Ketchum? Why does that name sound so familiar? Bah, it doesn't matter, he was only one man and even if he did have a full roster of six pokémon with him, they were still greatly outnumbered!"**

" **That is true sir but this Aura Guardian is unlike any other we have seen or studied. He's even more powerful than the last Guardian we ran into and took care of all those years ago and makes Riley look like a joke. He was able to summon more than six pokémon to his side because of his aura and he has control over the Legendary Beasts of Johto. The entire display of his powers was broadcasted throughout the world and everyone knows by now who he is and what he's capable of."**

" **He summoned pokémon with his aura and he has Entei, Raikou and Suicune on his side?!"** asked the boss in surprise. **"Bring the video of the stadium attack. I want to see this Guardian's power for myself,"** ordered the boss and the scientist Freeman bowed before scurrying out of the room to get the video. The tall man moved his hands over his hair, growling as he did so.

" **You should relax Giovanni. This was a test after all, was it not?"** asked his assistant and he glared at her but his assistant held her gaze. She was the only one of his employees who did not fear him and he respected her for that. Giovanni let out a sigh before walking around his large black executive desk and sat in his black leather executive chair. His assistant moved behind him and started messaging his shoulders and neck.

" **Ah that's just what I needed. What would I do without you Natasha?"** asked Giovanni huskily.

" **Probably fuck one of the new girls who have just signed up. Then again, you still do,"** replied Natasha in a monotone voice. Giovanni chuckled at her answer.

" **And when are you going to join the party?"** he growled slightly.

" **You know me. All work and no play. I don't mix business with pleasure. That is why you hired me and let me get away with calling you out on your tantrums,"** chastised Natasha.

Giovanni was about to comment back when Freeman entered the room after knocking and held up the DVD that had the recording on it. Giovanni barely nodded and Freeman placed the disc in the player and turned on the TV and played it. The video started from the moment that Ash and Leaf finished the battle and Giovanni, Natasha and Freeman watched the video together in silence. When Giovanni saw who Ash Ketchum was, his eyes widened in realization; _I know that punk!_

Several gasps were made throughout the viewing as they saw his displays of power and all of his powerful pokémon that included the Legendary Beasts of Johto. When the video ended after Ash and his friends teleported away from the stadium, Freeman turned off the disc player and the TV before facing Giovanni and waited for his comments. Natasha's eyes were wide at what she witnessed the young man do and had stopped messaging her boss's shoulders halfway through the video. Giovanni didn't notice until after the video ended since he was preoccupied with absorbing what was shown to him. He glanced up to see his assistant frozen in shock and her face covered with amazement.

" **I've seen that expression before. You're impressed aren't you Natasha?"** questioned Giovanni.

Natasha broke out of her trance and moved to her usual spot of standing by his desk and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

" **It's not every day you see one man singlehandedly defeat a small battalion. And a handsome one at that,"** replied Natasha with a smirk on her face. Giovanni noticed and scowled before facing Freeman.

" **I'll deal with this Ketchum. I've run into him before. Freeman, continue working on the enhancers and I want them twice as strong. I want an update on the weapon and the report on the entity."**

" **Sir, I must say with much regret that we have reached the limit on how strong we can make the subjects until we reach the entity. If we try to enhance them further, they deteriorate at an alarming rate. We need to study the entity itself to find what is limiting the growth potential. It will take us three years to reach it and contain it. As for the weapon, it is complete and we are conducting test experiments as we speak. It should be ready to operate by the end of the tournament."**

Giovanni growled and his neck's vein throbbed though he controlled his temper as he spoke.

" **Freeman, this is what's going to happen; I'm going to give you half the time. You have one and half years to reach the entity and capture it and study it to perfect the enhancers. The weapon must be ready by the end of the tournament. Our first official shots will be on the tournament itself and I want the weapon strengthened even further. We must launch our attack without mercy or hesitation with full power. Especially if this Ketchum will be there as he is our biggest threat. More so than the Champions. Launch the weapon a couple days before, get it into position and make sure we are not discovered as we do so. Do not fail me Freeman, or do I need to remind you about what happened to my last top scientist Morrison?"**

" **Yes sir, I'll get right on it and no sir, I remember,"** replied Freeman. He shivered right after as something brushed past him. He looked down and saw a large, white lioness looking pokémon with a jewel on its head. It lazily walked towards Giovanni before sitting up on its rear legs. Giovanni began petting his most loyal and favorite pokémon on the head.

" **Good Freeman. My Persian hasn't had fun in a while. Do not make me have her play with you since she ends up killing most of her playmates,"** he said coldly. Freeman nodded and left the room quickly. Giovanni looked up at Natasha who noticed him moving and eyed him.

" **Yes Giovanni?"**

" **I have an assignment for you."**

" **I was waiting for you to say that. It's been a while since I had some field work,"** she replied with a grin on her face.

" **Then it's settled. Find this Ash Ketchum and get close to him. Find out everything about him. And I mean everything. We may be able to use something for our own benefit. But do not kill him. He will be a celebrity now and his every move will be covered with eyes. We cannot afford being discovered at this point. He will perish on the closing ceremony soon enough along with everyone else. I will give one day's warning in advance of the attack but if you finish sooner, report back when you have all the information you can get out of him."**

" **Consider it done. But you know I could kill him without getting caught after getting what we need from him. This isn't the first time I've done something like this Giovanni,"** she said as she made to leave but her forearm was grabbed with a vice like grip that actually hurt her. She looked back at her boss with fear filling her eyes. She was never hurt by him before and he never gave that cold, angry look at her either.

" **I said do not kill him Natasha and nobody else. We cannot be found now. Do not fail me,"** warned Giovanni with an icy stare.

Natasha couldn't speak but nodded after a moment. Giovanni let go of her and motioned for her to leave, which she immediately did, walking out of his office at a brisk pace. Giovanni stared at her retreating figure before he let out a grumble while petting Persian's head.

" **She better not mess this up. I don't want to have to get rid of her. At least not before I have some fun with her,"** finished Giovanni with an evil grin. He pushed a button on his telephone system before speaking into it. **"Domino…I have two missions for you…find Hunter J...and the other one is..."**

Back at the Indigo Plateau Hotel, Ash's large group of friends and family was fast asleep even as the sun rose and its light shined through the slightly open curtains. As the light from the sun started filling up her room and came across her face, Leaf started to murmur a bit before the heat and light made her wake up. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times in a vain attempt to clear her eyes but ended up having to rub them with the back of her hands to do so. When she finished, she sat up and looked around at her roommates who the sun hadn't woken up, even though its rays were shining on their faces. Leaf's lips curled up into a small smile as she observed her roommates' positions.

Anabel and Sarah each were on their own twin bed and the way they ended up being in was amusing to Leaf. Sarah had her head hanging from the edge of the bed while she hugged her pillow in her arms, her mouth slightly open and had some drool slipping out from the corner of her mouth with her blonde hair hitting the floor. Anabel was still fully on top of her bed but she had spread out her arms and legs so her hands and feet were dangling in the air while she muttered incoherently in her sleep, her short purple hair all over the place.

Leaf suppressed a giggle as she got up and walked towards their room door while still in her pajamas. She wanted to go check on Ash before everyone else got up and to speak with him if possible about what she had seen in Mewtwo's memory sphere, his own memory and to confess about what she did back at the hospital. She silently reached Ash's room, checking around her as she went; making sure no one else was up and softly knocked on the door twice. She waited for an answer but when silence was all that greeted her, she opened the door and entered.

" **Ash? Are you awake?"** asked Leaf as she poked her head in first before her body followed. It took her a moment before realizing something that made her feel uneasy; Ash wasn't there. His bed was empty, the cover thrown haphazardly to one side and the bathroom door was open, the light not on. Even his pokémon weren't there as she saw no sign of Lucario, Gardevoir or Pikachu.

" **ASH?"** Leaf half shouted as she looked around his room, the bedroom door left open, hoping to find him. She checked under the bed, the bathroom, in the closet, the balcony and a couple other places but found no trace of her childhood friend. She was about to let out a yell in fear and frustration when she noticed several items on the dresser that shined as the sun's rays hit them from the window. She moved closer to them and saw that they were four Luxury Balls and one Ultra Ball with tags attached to them as well as a folded piece of paper. Leaf picked up the folded paper, opened it and scanned it quickly. She let out a slight sigh of relief and then glanced at the poke balls on the dresser.

After some quick thinking, she went out of the room and stood in the middle of the living room. She put her two fingers into her mouth, positioned them over her tongue and blew air out as hard as she could. Her loud whistle shot throughout the silent penthouse, echoing against the walls. Not even a minute later, the agitated cries of everyone as they woke up and shuffled out of their rooms was heard while Leaf smirked, knowing her plan had worked. Some had annoyed expressions while others looked concerned.

" **What's the big idea Leaf?"** asked Anabel as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

" **Yea, where's the fire?"** asked Misty as she yawned and stretched.

" **Is everything okay?"** asked Riley, the only one not in his pajamas, already dressed in his Guardian's outfit. Many glanced at him and some had a suspicion that he had slept in it.

" **Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to say that-"**

" **ASH IS GONE!"** finished Delia for the brunette, shouting it as she ran into the living room to join the others. Everyone shared confused and panicked expressions but before it could actually became hectic, Leaf caught their attention again with another whistle.

" **Can you all just relax?"** asked Leaf, half amused, half annoyed. Before anyone could answer her rhetorical question, she continued. **"He's alright. He left this letter for us."** Leaf stretched out her hand that held the letter to Delia who took it and read it out loud so everyone could hear it as Leaf slipped away from them unnoticed:

Mom, Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and all of my friends,

I'm fine and please don't worry about me. I woke up in the early morning when Mewtwo came to check on me and I asked him to take me with him to check on my pokémon who are recovering from the stadium attack. I will most likely be with them all day until my match at 5pm.

I wanted to say I'm sorry for leaving without word or warning but I didn't want to wake any of you. Also, I wanted to apologize for my memories that were shown to you all if they have caused any kind of discomfort to anyone. Also for what Mewtwo showed you of what he and I went through inside my mind as he told me he had shown you all. Again, I apologize for the gruesome images.

Everything is alright. But, I am not going to take any chances from now on. I know you all can take care of yourselves but just for my peace of mind I have left some protection for you guys. You will find poke balls near this letter that hold five of my pokémon who are ready to await your five's orders. They are powerful, swift and clever. I believe that you will like the one I picked out for you Mom. He looks intimidating and is a great battler, but he is a softie on the inside.

I will see you guys after my match. Thank you for understanding and if there is any emergency at all, just shout out Mewtwo's name and we will teleport to you instantly. But please only do so in an emergency as anything else will cause him to get angry and annoyed. I can handle him but I really don't want to deal with that. Damn, he's glaring at me as I wrote that…Anyways; I will see you again later on today. Bye.

Love

Ash Ketchum

Delia finished reading the letter out loud with a chuckle and stared at it for a moment before looking up at everyone. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May let out sighs of relief, knowing that he was alright and would be back.

" **Where are the poke balls he was talking about?"** asked Max as he glanced around the living room. **"I don't see any."**

" **That's because they were in his room,"** answered Leaf as she rejoined the group. She had the five poke balls in her pajama shirt as she used the bottom part of it like a bowl to carry them. **"They each have a tag with one of your names on it,"** continued Leaf as she grabbed one of the Luxury Balls that had a tag with Serena's name on it and tossed it to her. She then tossed one to Misty, another to May and the fourth one to Dawn. The last poke ball, an Ultra Ball, she handed to Delia.

" **I wonder who he left for us,"** thought Misty out loud as she removed the tag from the poke ball.

" **Well, open them and let's see!"** said Bonnie as Max agreed, excitement evident on both their faces.

The four girls let out the pokémon inside their balls and four flashes of light later, four small pokémon bounded up and down around them with happy looks on their faces. Each of the four girls let out a squeak of pleasant surprise before kneeling down on the floor to hug the pokémon that Ash left for them. The four pokémon were Vaporeon for Misty, Jolteon for May, Flareon for Serena and Espeon for Dawn. After almost smothering the pokémon with their bear hugs, the four girls let the Eevee evolutions go and watched them as they played with others in their group, earning chuckles from them all.

" **What pokémon did Ash leave for you Delia?"** asked Oak as he turned her way.

" **Oh, I almost forgot,"** replied Delia as she opened her poke ball and a flash of light later, a tall turtle like pokémon appeared that stood on two legs, had long powerful arms with a spiky shell on its back. It was cream and green colored and let out a small roar as it appeared. The four Eevee evolutions glanced at the pokémon for a split second before realizing who it was and bounded towards him without concern. Chesnaught knelt down and started playing with the four happily.

" **I see what he means of him being a big softie,"** chuckled Delia as they all took in the sight of the large grass and fighting pokémon playing with the four smaller pokémon.

" **Wow, I didn't know he had a Chesnaught!"** remarked Serena as she looked at the pokémon. **"They're great battlers and very protective too!"**

" **Who would've thought Ash was so generous,"** remarked Gary.

" **What do you mean bro?"** asked his sister Daisy.

" **Well, the Eevee evolutions are hard to come by and pretty powerful. Plus, Chesnaught are rare pokémon, exclusive to the Kalos region and are usually only available as starter pokémon. Since we saw him with a Greninja at the attack, having a Chesnaught as well is impressive. And he just gave these five away,"** explained Gary.

" **Makes sense,"** nodded his sister and so did several others.

" **Ok so Ash is with his pokémon. Does anyone know where they are?"** asked Anabel.

" **Now that you ask, he never did tell us where his pokémon stayed and where he's been when he was gone except for what we saw in the memories,"** replied Cilan.

" **So mysterious! I can see why you love him Misty! Always surprises you huh?"** teased Lily, making Cress glance at her as he smiled a bit.

" **Don't tell me you're jealous sis?"** asked Misty with a smirk and Lily crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her little sister. Misty giggled as Vaporeon came close to her and started rubbing against her legs as she called out to her. Misty glanced down at her new pokémon and smiled. She bent down and picked her up and hugged her. **"Ah, you're so cute Vaporeon!"**

" **Vape vape!"** Vaporeon licked Misty's cheek and cuddled against her. Misty laughed and the other girls called for their own new pokémon who shot to them. As the girls hugged their new pokémon, Delia smiled and turned to Chesnaught who stood back up and faced her.

" **Hi Chesnaught. Ash is my son. Did he tell you about me?"** she asked the turtle pokémon who nodded in response. **"Great! I hope you are happy to be by my side. If you ever want to go back to Ash, I have no problem with that so just let me know okay?"**

Chesnaught understood her and nodded before stretching out his hand to her and waited for her to shake on it. Delia reached out and shook his hand with no hesitation, which made the grass and fighting turtle smile. Delia returned Chesnaught and kept his ultra ball with her. The girls made the same promise with their own pokémon and the small pokémon nodded in agreement. The four girls returned their new pokémon and faced the others with large smiles on their faces.

" **I think it's time we get breakfast started,"** commented Brock who turned to go to the kitchen. Cilan, Cress, Chili, Delia, Caroline, Grace and Johanna followed the pokémon doctor and the others went to wash up and change out of their pajamas. After about half an hour, almost everyone besides the cooks and Queen Ilene was gathered around the two dinner tables, waiting for breakfast.

The moment the meal was brought out by the cooks, Queen Ilene appeared though she wasn't wearing her royal clothes. Instead, she was wearing a pair of plain blue jeans and a black slightly loose shirt and her blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail. When she sat down, everyone stared at her, causing her cheeks to flush with color.

" **Ah, Queen Ilene, is that you?"** asked Lucy.

" **Yes it is. Please, just call me Ilene. I'm treating this as a vacation and would like to be normal for at least the time I'm here,"** replied Ilene.

" **Who would've guessed that a girl actually doesn't want to be treated as royalty,"** remarked Gary with a sly smile.

" **I do like other things more than being a queen. Being a Queen is more about taking care of my kingdom, keeping it safe and prosperous. Though there are some perks that go with it but I'd like to have some down time every now and then. Plus, I like to think I'm more than just a pretty face with a crown Gary,"** replied Ilene with a friendly wink at him.

" **Ah…I…ah…I…"**

" **Holy Mew! I've never seen him stutter before!"** replied Misty, alternating looking at Gary and then at Ilene making both of them get embarrassed with reddened faces and look down at their food.

" **I don't think any of us have ever seen Gary stutter before,"** replied his sister Daisy. **"So what's the cause little bro? Finally found a girl that can make you forget how to talk properly?"** quipped Daisy as she ruffled his hair, making Gary scowl at her before returning to his food. Ilene's lips curled into a slight smile as she thought about the young researcher though nobody noticed, except for Riley who didn't say anything. Though he did eye Daisy Oak a bit after she teased her brother. They continued eating their breakfast in relative silence until they had their fair share.

" **So who feels like taking a dip in the pool after breakfast?"** asked Misty after finishing her meal.

" **Ah, the mermaid misses her natural habitat and wants to return!"** joked Gary, trying to throw off some of the embarrassment he still felt to someone else. It worked slightly as several people laughed, including Ilene but the red head paid no mind to it.

" **True. I do miss the water. So who's up for it?"** she asked again with no trace of shame.

" **Sure, why not. You know we're game,"** replied her sister Violet as she pointed out herself and their two other sisters Daisy and Lily. Cress and Chili gave one another quick grins at hearing that before turning away to not get noticed.

" **What do you think Norman? It is getting pretty hot already and it's barely 10am. We haven't gone for a swim in a while,"** said Caroline. Norman's reply was a grunt with a shrug, which she took for a yes. **"Oh, but I didn't pack any swimming clothes…"**

" **It's alright Mrs. Maple, we should have some spares lying around and if not or you don't want to borrow, we can always get some at the store nearby,"** commented Sarah.

" **Oh thank you Sarah but I'll just go buy one. And let's all just drop the formalities alright everyone?"**

Everyone agreed with Caroline's suggestion and after breakfast, they all headed back to their rooms and changed into their swim wear. Misty's sisters borrowed from her, as luckily she traveled around with several swim clothes and had grown up so her clothes would fit on them. Bonnie had brought her swim wear as she thought they might be able to have some fun while they visited. Lucy had brought her own as well since Ash told her to be prepared for anything. Gary's sister Daisy borrowed from Sarah. Anabel had brought her own just in case. Delia, Caroline, Grace, Johanna and Ilene opted to go buy some swim wear from the nearby store and told the others that they wouldn't be long.

Riley wanted to escort Ilene but she told him to relax and that Delia had Chesnaught with her so they would be fine. He had decided to just wear his shorts. Cress and Chili didn't bring any spare clothes with them, or anything at all for that matter, except for their pokémon since they just hopped onto a helicopter in the middle of the night so they borrowed from Cilan who had a few extra shorts. Norman, Clemont and Professor Oak decided on shorts as well, who each had their own.

Leaf, Sarah and Anabel were changing into their swim wear when a knock was heard on their room door. Leaf opened it and saw that Lucy was there, already changed into her purple and black two piece bikini. She wasn't shy at all about walking around in her swim wear, showing off her athletic and curvy figure. She looked great and even Leaf gave the Pike Queen a quick wolf whistle while Lucy grinned in return with a wink.

" **Hey Lucy. Looking good. What's up?"**

" **Not too bad yourself Leaf. I wanted to talk to Anabel for a second. Is she here?"**

" **I'm right here Lucy,"** called out Anabel as she stepped out of the attached bathroom, wearing her purple one piece bikini and wrapped a large towel around her. Lucy motioned Anabel to walk with her and the Salon Maiden followed the Pike Queen to an empty room and after they entered it, Lucy closed the door and turned to face Anabel.

" **So, spill it,"** shot Lucy, not wasting time. **"What are you going to do? Are you going to tell Ash or not?"** Anabel was surprised by the blunt forwardness of her best friend. She took a deep breath and looked her in the eye before responding.

" **I don't know. I have no idea what to do. I've been thinking about him for years but after seeing his memories and his nightmare, I don't think I can confess to him. Not that it would matter anyway because even if I did, seeing and realizing how much he loves the four girls, he wouldn't care about me. And what about Leaf? You heard that he used to have feelings for her in Mewtwo's memory. If he did take in another girl, it would most definitely be her, not me. I mean look at her! She's beautiful and talented!"** cried Anabel. The purple haired girl sat down on the empty bed and hid her face in her hands, trying to keep herself from crying.

Lucy had a look of pity show on her face for a second but immediately replaced it with a concerned one. She shook her head and sighed. She picked up her friend, making her stand on her feet and moved her hands away before locking eyes with Anabel while placing both hands on her shoulders softly.

" **Listen to me Anabel. Don't forget how he commented on how strong you've become in his memory and how sad he was in his nightmare with how you…well you know… She may be that but so are you and don't forget you are a Frontier Brain. And you don't know that. Leaf may like someone else. And even if she does like Ash-"**

" **She does! She loves him and she kissed him!"**

" **WHAT?! When did this happen?!"** asked a shocked Lucy. Anabel cursed at herself for letting that slip before explaining what had happened.

" **Back at the hospital after he took Norman's thrashing like it was nothing. Sarah and I went together to see him and caught her confessing many things as he slept. How much she admires and respects him, how she's fallen in love with him and when she finished, she gave him a kiss."**

" **She said she's in love with him? Are you serious? Do the others know and what did you two do when you found out?"**

" **No, the others don't know and Sarah wanted to know what she was thinking and doing but I slapped her after she noticed us in the room."** Anabel let a prideful grin show and Lucy's eyes widened.

" **You did? Damn. I'm impressed Anabel. Then what happened?"**

" **Well, the three of us kind of argued a bit and we all found out that we each have feelings for him and we think that Cynthia likes him too."**

" **WHAT THE FUCK?!"** screamed Lucy.

" **SHUT UP!"** shouted Anabel.

Both girls went quiet, waiting to see if someone heard them. Lucy even opened the door a crack to peek through and see if anyone was around. Luckily no one heard them and no one was around so Lucy closed the door and turned back to Anabel. Or so she thought. Right as she closed the door, a certain blue haired girl walked quietly by on her way to the pool. When she passed the door that led to the room where the two Frontier Brains were taking and heard their voices from the other side, she paused to listen, curiosity rooting her to the spot.

" **So let me get this straight. Ash loves Misty, May, Dawn and Serena and they love him back. You, Sarah and Leaf all have feelings for him too, with Ash having had feelings for Leaf in the past. And Ash and the four girls don't know about what the three of you are feeling. And you think that Cynthia likes him too. Why do you three think that? What kind of soap opera drama did I put myself in?"** asked Lucy as she held her head as she started to get a headache.

The blue haired girl's eyes widened at what she heard. Her heart beat faster and her breathing became ragged but she kept still as she continued listening.

" **You're telling me,"** pouted Anabel as she crossed her arms. **"Now you know the position I'm in. I can't tell him at all. And Leaf, Sarah and I think that Cynthia likes Ash too because why else does she want to know his condition so badly and coming over late last night? It's more than just being a friend, I know it!"**

Several long, quiet and awkward minutes passed by while Lucy paced up and down in front of Anabel, clutching her hair madly while Anabel watched her do so. The blue haired girl strained her ears, trying to pick up any sound. Finally, the Pike Queen stopped pacing and faced the Salon Maiden.

" **Alright,"** said Lucy as she took a deep breath before lowering her hands. **"Let's take one step at a time. This is beyond messy but in order for you to be able to move on with or without Ash, you need to forget about the other girls who have crushes on him and tell him how you feel. If he reciprocates, then all the girls would have to just deal with it like they are now. If not, then at least you know that you tried and you won't live your life going 'what if' every now and then. Now, let's go to the pool, have some fun and you'll have your chance to tell Ash sooner or later."**

" **I guess you're right...Thank you Lucy,"** replied Anabel as she hugged her best friend who returned it.

" **You're welcome Anabel. I'm here for you."**

The blue haired girl figured they were done talking and quickly but silently moved away towards the pool. Shortly after, the two left the room and went to the pool to find everyone already gathered there. Some were playing and splashing about in the large pool, which was spacious enough to hold fifty people comfortably.

" **Hey Lucy! About time you got here!"** called out Brock to his girlfriend while lounging around in the shallow end.

" **I was making you wait to see me in my bikini, knowing how much you wanted to see me in it,"** winked Lucy before pushing Anabel in the pool. She stuck out her tongue at Anabel when the purple haired girl poked her head out of the water and glared at Lucy. Lucy then smirked at Brock seeing her boyfriend's face go crimson before diving into the water.

As Lucy and Brock fooled around a bit together off to one side in the pool, though they kept their actions to family friendly, Anabel jointed the others at the other end of the pool. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Daisy Waterflower, Ilene, Violet, Lily, Cress, Chili, Richie and Clemont were tossing around a few beach balls to each other, laughing and splashing water onto each other as they did so. Norman and Gary had gotten out of the pool a couple minutes ago and were now playing a game of billiards that the gym leader started with the traditional break of the balls. Max and Bonnie were teamed up together playing foosball against Cilan and Iris. The two younger trainers were winning, much to Iris's chagrin, letting her frustration out on Cilan. Delia, Johanna, Grace and Caroline were lying down on the beach chairs in their newly bought swim wear, soaking up the sun's rays as they tanned their bodies. Professor Oak was reading the newspaper as he relaxed in the jacuzzi and smoked a cigar. Riley and Gary's sister Daisy Oak were leaning over the ledge of the rails looking out into the distance and talking together.

After some time passed, Chili and Violet moved away from the main swimming group, talking to each other. Cress and Lily soon followed their example and did the same a small distance away. Ilene hit one of the beach balls towards Leaf and afterwards, glanced towards Gary's direction. She watched him get ready to make his next move playing billiards when someone called out her name.

" **Ilene!"** shouted Clemont.

Ilene turned her head towards the others in the pool in time to receive the beach ball right in the face. Even though it didn't hurt her since it was so light and made of thin plastic, she still felt it and Ilene was stunned more because of her embarrassing situation than of the barely noticeable pain.

" **I'm so sorry Ilene!"** cried Clemont as he swam hurriedly to her. **"I thought you were paying attention. Are you alright?"**

" **Yes I'm fine Clemont and it's alright, it's not your fault. I should've kept my mind on the game,"** replied Ilene with a kind smile.

She glanced at Gary again who was looking at her with slight concern on his face. It made her blush a little as she turned away. Daisy Oak noticed Ilene's reaction to her brother glancing at her, making her smile knowingly. Riley appeared at the edge of the pool near the steps leading out of the pool, kneeling down. Daisy Oak was a bit peeved that he left her but quickly reminded herself that he had to be by the queen's side in times of need, even for something as trivial as this.

" **Are you alright my Queen? Do you want to get out or need anything?"** asked Riley. Ilene puffed out her cheeks as she crossed her arms over her chest.

" **Riley, call me Ilene while we are here. While we are here, this is our vacation. Unless I ask for you, go do as you please and I'm fine. I can handle a little beach ball,"** remarked Ilene, annoyed.

" **As you wish Ilene,"** replied Riley with a small bow before moving back towards Daisy Oak.

" **Someone's whipped,"** joked Daisy Oak when Riley reached her, smiling at him.

" **Haha, very funny Daisy. You're just like your brother,"** commented Riley. Daisy Oak raised her eyebrows and punched his arm playfully. Riley gave a fake pout while she giggled before they quickly continued their previous conversation.

After another half hour or so have playing around in the pool, the swimmers branched out in smaller groups, some even leaving the pool completely. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May went together to one corner of the pool away from the others.

" **Hey guys, I have something to tell you,"** said Dawn quietly when they stopped swimming, having reached the corner.

" **What is it?"** asked Misty, as she and the others floated around in the water.

" **Well, it's kind of important and I don't want us overheard. Can we go someplace to talk in private?"**

" **Sure, no problem,"** said Serena. The four girls got out of the pool, dried themselves with towels, then wrapped themselves with it and walked towards their room. May was the last one to enter so she closed and locked the door before sitting down on a chair.

" **So what's so important Dawn?"** asked May.

" **Well, I was walking to the pool before and I heard voices from one of the rooms and it sounded pretty important so I kind of eavesdropped on them and heard some interesting things."**

" **So much for privacy. What interesting things and who was talking?"** asked an intrigued Misty.

" **Well, from what I heard and understood, Anabel and Lucy were talking. And Anabel told that she, Leaf and Sarah all have crushes on Ash-"**

" **WHAT?!"** yelped Misty, Serena and May together.

" **Yea, they have a crush on him,"** repeated Dawn. **"And Anabel continued on saying that the three of them think Cynthia has a crush on Ash as well. She also said that she can't confess to him anymore because of us four and Lucy told her she would have to risk it to find out if he does have feelings for her or not and move on."**

Misty, May and Serena were angered, letting out growls but they controlled themselves and each of them took a minute to take deep breathes to calm down and think about what they just found out. The honey blonde haired girl was the first to speak up.

" **As mad as I am, it is solid advice. Only way past it is to actually go through with it but I understand her fear. Sarah was kind of obvious though. We have noticed her looking at Ash every now and then. She did confess at the lake that she wanted what we had but then she tried to cover it up hurriedly,"** remarked Serena.

" **True. And Anabel did give out some hints at the Battle Frontier when Ash competed there, though Ash was oblivious as always as far as I could tell,"** remembered May with a slight smile, thinking of the old days they used to travel together.

" **You may be right, but didn't Ash tell us that he acted dense to keep us from getting uncomfortable and also because he was afraid?"** reminded Misty. **"What if he did the same to Anabel?"**

" **I don't know. Remember him and the photograph memory? It was only us four that he thought about. But he did mention Anabel in his memories and get sad for her and Sarah in his nightmare…"** Serena trailed off, not wanting to finish.

" **Okay so Sarah and Anabel we kind of knew about and Ash hasn't shown any feelings towards them as far as we know,"** clarified Dawn. **"What about Leaf and Cynthia? He did mention Leaf in his memories and he did admit he had feelings for her before in his nightmare. And Cynthia was mentioned in his memories and nightmare as well. And I did get the feeling that Cynthia may like Ash because of her actions. Ash does hold Cynthia in high regards too…"**

" **I don't know,"** admitted Misty. **"We have noticed them all showing some emotions over the memories and nightmare. But does it mean something more? And what are we going to do about the four of them? Will we continue on pretending we don't know? Do we confront them?"**

" **Well, everything is going alright and I don't see the point of starting a fight yet,"** advised Dawn. **"I mean, having a crush is one thing and actually acting on it is another. Plus I like Cynthia and the other three seem alright; I don't think they'll try to do something."**

" **Okay, sounds fair enough,"** replied May. **"I'm just worried they may try something behind our backs or that they do tell Ash and he does like them back. I mean, what do we do if that's the case?"**

" **I know what you mean,"** replied Serena. They stayed in silence until she broke it once more after several minutes. **"Here's how I see it. If that does happen that they tell him how they feel and if he does have even the slightest feelings for them back, I think we should let them give it a shot."**

" **WHAT?!"** screamed out May, while Dawn raised her eyebrows as Misty had her face contorted in thought but Serena didn't back down.

" **Well, think about it; we're okay sharing Ash between us right because we love him and he loves us. And we all know that he isn't going to pick one over the other, even from the beginning and neither of us is going to just let him go. And since we saw his memories and nightmare, it's even more proof of that. So what do we really have to lose? It's not like he'll ever leave us or any one of us leave him."**

The three girls glanced at one another before facing the honey blonde girl again, who took it as her queue to continue.

" **What if they truly love and care for him just like we do? What if he does too? Maybe he doesn't have feelings for them now and that'll be it. Maybe he develops feelings later on and that would be okay too. If we get jealous or try to stop it, wouldn't we be hypocrites? If we're okay sharing Ash between us, what are a few more girls if they're pure hearted in their love and really care for him and he really has feelings for them in return?"**

Serena's words were heard by Misty, May and Dawn and it took a little while for them understand what she was saying. The three glanced at one another and then at Serena before letting out sighs and then Misty replied.

" **You have a point Serena but we'll see how things go. We'll wait until something happens that points to something between them and we'll talk with him first before something develops between them. We love Ash, he loves us and we'll never betray each other. That's all that matters. C'mon, let's go back and rejoin the others. We'll behave the same with the four unless they give off bad vibes or try to do something behind our backs. One thing for sure that we need to agree on is if any of them try something behind our backs, abuse our trust or betray us regarding all this, then they will never be allowed into the group."**

The four girls agreed and went back to the pool and joined in on the fun with the others. Shortly after, most of them decided to play pool volleyball. Misty, Dawn, May and Serena were such a great team together that they won against the four mothers, Misty's three sisters and Ilene and even against Gary, Richie, Brock and Cilan. They were crowned the champions of the game after winning their fourth and final game in a row against Lucy, Anabel, Leaf and Sarah, though they did play a bit more aggressively against them because of the new details they learned.

A couple hours later, they decided to have lunch so Brock and the three brothers, Chili, Cress and Cilan went to work preparing their meal as the others went back to their rooms to wash up and change their clothes. By the time the four chefs finished preparing the food and placed it on the two dining tables, everyone had gathered and they sat in silence and ate. They were too tired after their pool time and they all just wanted to enjoy the taste of the great food.

" **It's almost time for Ash's match,"** said Delia after putting her spoon into her empty bowl. **"We have about an hour to clean up and get ready to go."**

The others nodded and the four girls glanced at one another with huge smiles on their faces. They had missed the raven haired guardian so much in that one day without him. Leaf, Anabel and Sarah also shared glances, though only Lucy noticed and the Pike Queen sweat dropped. She had no idea what was going to happen and it both frightened her and made her anxious as she wanted to see what could occur between them all. After about fifteen minutes, they finished cleaning the table and stacked the washed dishes to dry themselves before heading out of the suite towards the elevator.

Once they reached the bottom floor, Richie went up to Joy who had just clocked out of her shift and joined the group. Joy was saddened when she learned that they had a pool party without her but Richie promised that they would have another one soon and would make sure that she could attend. Joy felt a little happier as she wrapped her arm around his. They made their way towards the stadium as the couples held hands, the girls gossiped and the parents kept a watchful eye over them all. Ilene and Gary unknowingly ended up walking next to each other and when they noticed, gave each other a small smile before they started talking. They went past the security guards who were now stationed at all entrances and exits at the stadium with Machokes as they went down the tunnel to find seats. They found a large empty area to sit near each other. The announcer spoke as soon as the last person in their group sat down.

" **THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR WAITING SO PATIENTLY FOR THE LAST MATCH OF THE DAY TO BEGIN. WE HAVE WITNESSED SOME PASSIONATE BATTLES TODAY AS EACH TRAINER POURED THEIR HEART AND SOUL INTO THEIR BATTLES, SHOWING THAT WE CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING AS LONG AS WE HAVE HOPE AND GO FOR IT. WE'VE SEEN SOME AMAZING THINGS TODAY BUT WE'RE SURE WE HAVEN'T SEEN OUR FILL YET. AM I RIGHT?"**

The crowd roared in agreement, wanting to see the next battle start already and soon followed their roar with a chant.

" **What are they saying?"** asked Oak, straining his ears to concentrate.

" **Are you hearing what I'm hearing?"** asked an astonished Delia to the others.

" **BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRT!"**

" **No way!"** exclaimed Max. He glanced at Bonnie who looked at him, both sporting ridiculous grins on their faces. They began chanting too and so did a few others in their group while the rest had huge smiles on their faces.

" **IT'S 5PM AND LOOKS LIKE THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN! LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! THE LAST MATCH OF THE DAY WILL BE BETWEEN PAUL REBOLLEDO AND ASH KETCHUM!"**

Paul walked onto the field from one of the tunnels to a loud roar from the crowd and moved towards the referee and stopped a foot away from the official, waiting for his opponent. Inside the VIP room, Charles and the five Champions were watching and waiting for Ash to appear.

" **Looks like Ash has captured the heart of the crowd,"** mused Alder, making Diantha and Steven chuckle as Cynthia let a warm smile form on her face though Lance stayed quiet. He was still feeling ashamed over not trusting him.

" **BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRT!"**

" **Where is he?"** asked a concerned Leaf, earning quick amused glances from the four girls while the crowed continued chanting for Ash.

As if to answer her question and draw the attention of everyone in the stadium, a large blue glowing sphere appeared out of thin air a few feet away from the referee and caused the entire stadium to go into an eerie silence at once. A second later, the raven haired guardian appeared with Pikachu on his shoulder with Lucario and Gardevoir standing behind him as the blue glow faded away. The people in the stands were deathly quiet watching the event and even Paul was surprised at how he entered. But soon enough, the people in the stands got over their shock and started screaming and shouting their loudest yet while continuing their chanting.

" **I LOVE YOU ASH!"** screamed out many girls from all over the stadium.

" **BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRIT!"**

" **YOU'RE MY HERO!"** yelled out many others.

" **TAKE HIM OUT GUARDIAN!"** shouted others.

" **Wow, look at these people go crazy for him,"** remarked Lucy with a gasp.

" **Can't blame them babe. Not every day they see a true hero,"** chuckled Brock.

Back on the field, Ash and Paul shook hands after Ash took the microphone from the referee and waved at the people in the stands.

" **I hope you're fit to battle after the attack. I don't want to beat you when you're not at your full strength,"** taunted Paul though with slight respect. Even if he didn't like Ash at all, he had earned some respect after what he did to protect everyone.

" **Thanks for the concern but no need to worry."** Dawn smiled as he said her phrase and giggled at May and Misty's gentle nudges. **"I hope you're ready."**

" **I am and I hope you are too."**

The two let go and moved to their respective sides. Ash glanced at his friends who shouted out cheers to him, making him smile. He gave them a thumbs up sign as Pikachu, Gardevoir and Lucario waved at them with smiles on their faces. The referee went over the rules and once they said they were ready, the referee began the match. Both Paul and Ash tossed out two poke balls each into the air as the chanting died down so they could watch the match in peace.

" **AND THE FINAL MATCH OF THE DAY HAS BEGUN AFTER THAT INCREDIBLE ENTRANCE MADE BY THE AURA GUARDIAN THAT GOT THE CROWD PUMPED! PAUL HAS SENT OUT MAGMORTAR AND ELECTIVIRE WHILE ASH HAS CHOSEN RAPIDASH AND ZEBSTRIKA! ITS FIRE AND ELECTRIC VERSUS FIRE AND ELECTRIC! WHICH TEAM HOLDS THE STRONGER ELEMENTAL PAIR?"**

" **This should be interesting,"** remarked Ilene. **"All four pokémon seem very strong."**

" **Different watching in real life than back at home huh Ilene?"** asked Gary with a slight smirk and Ilene blushed slightly but didn't take her eyes of the field.

" **Rapidash and Zebstrika are so beautiful!"** exclaimed May.

" **They sure are. They're coats are really shiny,"** remarked Brock.

" **I wonder if he'll let us borrow them for contests?"** wondered Dawn. Misty and Serena shook their heads as they smiled a little at their obsession before turning their attention back to the battle.

" **I thought you said you're ready Ketchum?"** asked Paul with disappointment in his voice. **"I wanted a real fight, against your strongest. I've seen your other pokémon at the stadium attack on the news. After seeing those insanely strong pokémon of yours, what are these two horses going to do?"**

" **My pokémon that fought to protect everyone in the stadium attack are still recovering from that. They probably could still battle but I'd rather not risk it when I have more pokémon ready to go. And Rapidash and Zebstrika will be more than enough to beat you."**

" **Spoken like a true pokémon trainer and caring guy,"** remarked Anabel quietly with a smile to herself but some from her group still heard her and smiled as they understood her.

" **Still recovering?"** Paul scoffed. **"I guess I was wrong to think you and your pokémon are strong. I should've known better. They are weak for taking so long to recover. I could've won against those mutated freaks without losing a single pokémon! You just got lucky with your fire pokémons' rage. Prepare to be humiliated!"**

" **That wasn't nice,"** remarked Cynthia in the VIP room. She was starting to regret ever complimenting Paul on his strength in the past. She felt a little guilty about that and what she saw in Ash's nightmare. She pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind to continue watching the match.

" **That's not very sportsmanlike at all. What a sour vibe he sends out,"** frowned Cilan.

" **Yup! And it looks like he just hit the wrong button,"** said Iris with a grin.

Ash frowned before he reached up and turned his hat backwards. He crossed his arms after while Pikachu kept standing on his shoulder with sparks shooting out of his cheeks. Lucario and Gardevoir let out growls as they glared at the arrogant trainer.

" **Paul is in deep shit now. I hope he's ready to eat his words,"** sniggered Leaf and Sarah laughed.

The newer people in the group were a bit confused but Misty quickly explained the hat turning and they understood. Paul and Ash eyed their opponents for a moment, sizing them up. Magmortar and Electivire smirked at Rapidash and Zebstrika, who both neighed and stomped the ground with their right front legs, their hooves digging into the ground. Paul made the first move.

" **Let's get this started! I won't hold back anything! Flamethrower at Zebstrika and Thunderbolt on Rapidash!"** Electivire fired an electrical bolt at Rapidash as Magmortar raised his cannon like right arm and a torrent of red and orange flames shot out at Zebstrika.

" **Absorb it."**

That was all Ash said and everyone was intrigued as to what he meant by that. Zebstrika and Rapidash moved so fast that many only saw red and black blurs. The two horses switched spots and took the attack that was meant for their ally at the last second. Rapidash took the Flamethrower and instead of getting damaged, absorbed the scorching flames into her body that made her glow red at the same time that Zebstrika had the lightning bolt strike his horn and absorb the current of energy who glowed yellow. Both pokémon's glow faded away quickly and they let out loud battle cries as they used their opponent's attacks to give them a power boost. Paul scowled as his two pokémon had their eyes widen in shock.

" **WHAT STRATEGY! ASH HAD HIS RAPIDASH AND ZEBSTRIKA SWITCH SPOTS AND USE THEIR ABILITIES OF FLASH FIRE AND LIGHTNINGROD TO ABSORB THE INCOMING ATTACKS TO GIVE THEM A POWER BOOST! WHAT WILL PAUL DO NOW AGAINST TWO SUPERCHARGED HORSES?!"**

" **Good job guys!"** said Ash and his two horse pokémon neighed loudly. **"Now it's our turn. Show them a real Flamethrower and Thunderbolt!"** Both Rapidash and Zebstrika fired their attacks and Paul growled.

" **Quick, use Protect!"** ordered Paul hurriedly but it was too late.

The two horse pokémon shot their boosted attacks with such speed that his Magmortar and Electivire had no time to react whatsoever. Magmortar writhed about as the powerful electrical attack hit him and Electivire roared in pain as the scorching flames washed over him.

" **That must have hurt,"** winced Ilene.

" **No doubt. Those attacks alone are powerful but when used by a pokémon that had received a boost, they go to a whole different level,"** remarked Gary.

" **Damn it! Use Rock Slide both of you!"** ordered Paul. Both his pokémon summoned dozens of small boulders that materialized out of nowhere and had them speed through the air to strike the two horses.

" **Use Agility to evade and get close,"** said Ash.

" **Keep at it to slow them down and if they do get close, use Brick Break on them!"** shouted Paul.

Rapidash and Zebstrika sprinted forward, increasing their speed as they dodged the many boulders thrown at them and gradually grew closer to Magmortar and Electivire. When they got close enough, Ash was about to order their next move when Paul switched things up.

" **Fire Blast and Thunder!"** Electivire and Magmortar targeted Rapidash and Zebstrika respectively and since they were so close to their targets, they couldn't dodge and were both struck by the powerful attacks, sending them flying back. Ash stayed calm even though he was feeling their pain.

" **Are you guys alright?"** asked Ash. Both horses stood up and let out battle cries again. **"Good. Let's pick up the pace guys. Agility again!"** Both horses shot forward again, increasing their speed even more.

 _Really? Again? Wait, he has to know it won't work twice. He's planning something. Let's see what._

" **Counter with Rock Slide once more!"** Again, Paul's two pokémon launched boulders towards the approaching horses.

" **Double Team and keep going,"** said Ash.

The two horses split into a dozen copies each and the twenty four horses kept going forward. It looked like a stampede was happening in the field. The entire stadium let out shouts of surprise and even Paul was shocked. He ordered his two pokémon to keep up with their attack. Boulder after boulder was launched at the galloping horses but they either missed or hit a copy.

" **Great job you two. Now, use Agility once more to get in close and run circles around your target."**

They both neighed as their copies went away as they used Agility once more and they shot forward so rapidly that the two horses were merely blurs, as using agility several times in a single battle had raised their speed to incredible levels. Soon, Rapidash was running around Electivire in circles, gaining in speed so much that it looked like there were dozens of her and Zebstrika did the same to Magmortar. Both of Paul's pokémon were scared at what to do and Paul was thinking hard.

 _Damn, I can't have them use Earthquake or any other move that can hit multiple pokémon as it may hit one of them as well. Shit!_

" **Don't just stand there! Use Thunderbolt and Flamethrower!"** shouted Paul angrily. His two pokémon fired their attacks while turning but missed their targets as the horses were going too fast after using multiple Agilities. **"Keep going until you hit them!"** ordered Paul.

" **Not going to work Paul! Heat Wave and Discharge while you're at it!"**

" **WHAT?!"** shouted Paul, stunned and so was everyone else in the stadium as they heard the order. Rapidash and Zebstrika both engulfed themselves with flames and electricity respectively and kept running around in circles. Because of their enhanced speed and covering themselves with flames and electricity, it seemed that a circular wall of electricity was surrounding Magmortar and a circular wall of flames surrounded Electivire. Both of Paul's pokémon were being hit from loose flames and electric bolts. Even though the attacks were weak, they were being struck from all angles and by way too many to just shrug off. They were completely trapped and were being injured with every passing second.

Seeing his pokémon trapped and attacked from all over the place, Paul grit his teeth.

" **ASH HAS MADE IT SO PAUL'S POKEMON ARE COMPLETELY TRAPPED! WHAT A CUNNING PLAN AND WHAT WILL PAUL DO NOW?"**

" **Screw it…Earthquake!"** Both Magmortar and Electivire jumped up and right before they slammed the ground, Ash spoke his next command.

" **Bounce into the air!"** Both Rapidash and Zebstrika jumped high into the air immediately, avoiding the tremors that struck the two allied pokémon on the ground. They were directly above them, floating in the air for a bit but their fiery and electrical walls remained, trapping their opponents.

" **Now finish it with Flare Blitz and Wild Charge!"** Both horses let out battle cries as they covered themselves in powerful spheres of their type and shot down towards the trapped pokémon.

" **Use Hyper Beam!"** snapped Paul. His Magmortar and Electivire fired their energy attacks at the incoming fire and electric spheres from above, colliding against each other. However, due to gravity, their enhanced speed, their boosted power from absorbing their attacks from before and from the sheer strength of the two horses themselves, Rapidash and Zebstrika pushed through the powerful beams with relative ease and smashed into the two pokémon below them, causing two explosions to occur at the same time, sending out smoke into the field.

Everyone in the stadium waited for the smoke to pass to see the result and it finally did after a moment. It revealed the two horses standing in front of Ash with triumphant looks on their faces, though they were panting a bit from the recoil damage they received from their own attacks and that they just used multiple powerful moves right after one another. Magmortar and Electivire were on the ground out cold in the middle of two craters.

" **Magmortar and Electivire are unable to battle. Paul, send out your last two pokémon!"** said the referee.

" **Very impressive,"** commented Norman. **"Ash used his pokémon's abilities to enhance themselves, lowered their opponents' stamina by tiring them out with evasive maneuvers, trapped them with a move that also damaged them over time, made them strike their own ally and then finished them off with relative ease."**

" **Are you just seeing him battle now Dad?"** asked Max, surprised.

" **Well, not really. I haven't been watching the tournament until halfway through as usual since I was training in the gym until your mother told me it was the halfway point. I only saw part of his battle against Leaf and then the stadium attack happened,"** replied Norman.

" **So what do you think Dad? Ash has become wickedly strong hasn't he?"** asked May, a hint of pride in her voice. Norman turned to her while giving a genuine smile.

" **Yes, he has. From what your mother's told me, sweeping his opponents and defeating the stadium invaders...I'm impressed. Good thing too as I don't want no weak trainer for my daughter."**

May blushed at his comment and the other girls nudged her teasingly until she shouted at them to stop, making their large group of friends laugh. Cynthia cheered out in the VIP room at the result but quickly composed herself, feeling the other Champions' eyes on her and kept her back to them.

Paul scowled and returned his two fainted pokémon, cursing under his breath before tossing out two other poke balls into the air and two large pokémon appeared with loud roars. One was a green turtle with spikes and a tree on his back and the other looked like a large scorpion. Ash thanked his two horses and returned them and sent out two other pokémon of his own; one was a small red turtle and the other was a large eagle pokémon with white feathers on the top of its head.

" **PAUL HAS SENT OUT HIS TORTERRA AND DRAPION AND ASH HAS SWITCHED OUT HIS HORSES FOR HIS OWN TURTLE TORKOAL AND THE VALIANT POKEMON BRAVIARY! THE SIZE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FOUR ARE INCREDIBLE BUT WE ALL KNOW SIZE ISN'T EVERYTING!"**

" **Torterra, use Stone Edge on Braviary and Drapion take care of that turtle with Cross Poison!"** ordered Paul quickly, wanting to get in a quick attack before Ash could do something. Torterra roared and stomped his right foot on the ground as Drapion sprinted forward with his front claws glowing purple.

" **Defend with Steel Wing and Iron Defense."** Both his pokémon responded quickly without hesitation. Braviary didn't move besides covering himself with his large wings that had taken a metallic sheen and Torkoal had his body turn a metallic sheen too as he withdrew into his shell. The ground underneath Braviary erupted and shot up dozens of sharp rocks at the large eagle that bounced off his metalized wings, doing minimal damage. Drapion slashed at Torkoal with his purple glowing claws and just bounced off of the turtle with a loud clang.

" **Good, now use Smokescreen and Fly."** Braviary spread his mighty wings with a loud screech and shot up into the air with such power that he left a small crater in his wake from the sheer force of it. Torkoal puffed out white smoke from his nostrils and from the top center of his shell to cover their side of the field with it, obscuring Paul's and his pokémon's vision of the turtle's location.

" **Damn it!"** Paul wasn't use to Ash battling like this. His old style of rushing in without a second's thought was long gone. He had to come up with something to counter him.

" **Drapion use Sludge Bombs all over the place and Torterra watch out for either the bird's or the turtle's attacks and use Seed Bomb when you see them!"** Drapion fired toxic balls of sludge as Torterra readied many large green and brown seeds to launch as he peered around the field and in the air.

" **Good strategy but not good enough. Sunny Day and Hone Claws,"** shouted Ash from the white smoke. The sun seemed to grow hotter and stronger as another loud screech was heard from the air yet no one knew from where exactly. Paul grew worried as he didn't see either of Ash's pokémon.

 _Damn, I can't see his pokémon and what the hell is he planning?_

" **Drapion, stop and ready an Aqua Tail and use it on Torkoal when you see him. Torterra, fire those bombs into the smoke and then use Razor Leaf to part away the smoke!"** Drapion stopped his previous attack and summoned water around his tail and readied itself to lung forward quickly. Torterra launched the Seed Bomb haphazardly into the smoke yet no cry was heard, only the sounds of several explosions from the attack. The large turtle then sent out dozens of sharp leaves that cut through the smoke with such speed that they pushed it away, revealing the small red turtle.

" **Send it into the air!"** roared Paul and his Drapion lunged at Torkoal, swinging his water covered tail into the red turtle and sending him flying into the air.

" **TOOOOOORRRR!"** cried out Torkoal as he was sent skyward, flailing his limbs comically about as if trying to take control, making many in the stands laugh at the small red turtle's expense.

" **Finish it off with Dark Pulse!"** Drapion fired a beam of dark purple and black energy at the red turtle hitting it. Torkoal let out a cry of pain after receiving the attack and he was pushed up a little more into the air by it before gravity took hold and made him plummet towards the hard ground.

Several of Ash's friends screamed out in total fear and even Cynthia let out a gasp from inside the VIP room. But before Torkoal could smash into the ground, a blue blur came from nowhere and caught him.

" **Damn! Fucking bird,"** muttered Paul under his breath as he watched Braviary hover in the air while casually flapping his wings after gently lowering Torkoal back onto the ground. Many around the stadium let out relieved sighs once they saw the red turtle safely back on the ground.

" **Well done Braviary. Torkoal how you doing buddy?"** asked Ash.

" **KOAL!"** Torkoal roared out, white smoke escaping from his nostrils. He was hurt but was also angry at getting hit and being embarrassed.

" **Easy Torkoal. We'll get some payback. Braviary, charge up Sky Attack while Torkoal keeps them both busy with Lava Plume!"**

" **TOORRR!"** The red turtle summoned up an inferno of scarlet flames that rocketed to the two pokémon as Braviary gathered energy for his powerful attack, slowly glowing redder as he continued.

" **Protect!"** shouted Paul hurriedly. Both his Drapion and Torterra were covered in pale white shields as the flames gathered around them. They passed harmlessly over the two, curving around the shields.

Braviary screeched loudly when he finished gathering the required energy and flew up a little higher into the air, glowing completely red. Torkoal finished his attack and waited patiently for his next order.

" **Good. Let's finish this! Use Sky Attack on Drapion and use Overheat on Torterra!"** ordered Ash.

" **Fight back with Frenzy Plant on Braviary and use Poison Jab on Torkoal!"** countered Paul.

As Braviary shot down at the large scorpion covered in a red glow and Torkoal shot a large torrent of flames at Torterra, Drapion moved towards the red turtle with his claws glowing purple and Torterra had about a dozen thick roots shoot out from the ground at the dive bombing eagle. As if playing in slow motion, everyone watched as the four pokémon got struck at roughly the same time. Braviary was hit by the sturdy roots right before he slammed into Drapion at the moment the large scorpion swiped at Torkoal with his claws right as the red turtle's fiery attack engulfed Torterra. All four pokémon cried out in pain as dust rose up from the ground and covered the field as their attacks made contact simultaneously. As the dust settled back down, everyone saw two of the four pokémon on the floor.

" **Torterra and Drapion are unable to battle. Victory goes to Ash Ketchum!"**

The crowd roared and cheered for Ash, who returned his hat to its previous position as the two trainers returned their pokémon and met back up in the middle of the field. They shook hands with Paul doing so reluctantly after returning their microphones.

" **Good battle. One more thing though…Don't ever insult my pokémon again Paul or I won't hold back at all."**

Paul widened his eyes before he scowled at the fact that Ash was holding back but left without a word spoken. Ash glanced back at his friends in his stands. He waved at them and then turned to Gardevoir and whispered something in her ear before she teleported to be beside Misty.

" **Hey Gardevoir!"** said Misty as she hugged the pokémon and the others gave out greetings to her.

" **Hi Misty. Ash said he'll join you guys back at the hotel. He has some unfinished business to attend to and he told me to stick with you guys for now,"** said Gardevoir.

" **But he said he'll join us after his match!"** whined Dawn.

" **What's going on Gardevoir?"** asked Delia, both curious and worried.

" **I cannot say as I promised not to say anything. But I can tell you that everything is okay,"** replied Gardevoir with a smile.

" **Hey, where'd he go?"** asked Sarah as she turned back to the field. They all did and saw that the raven haired guardian had vanished.

" **C'mon, let's go back to the hotel,"** said Johanna.

As the group moved through the main stadium exit tunnel, talking as they did so, they spotted a tall and beautiful blonde woman at the end, leaning against the tunnel wall with her arms crossed. She turned her head as she heard their footsteps and realizing who they were, moved towards them.

" **Hello Cynthia,"** said Delia as Cynthia reached them. Delia noticed a look of concern on Cynthia's face. **"Is everything alright?"** she asked the Champion.

" **I'm not sure,"** sighed Cynthia. **"But I wanted to ask you something; did Ash mention anything about investigating the stadium attack?"**

" **No he did not since he wasn't with us all day. He had gone to check on his pokémon in the early morning. Why?"** asked Delia.

" **I see,"** replied Cynthia. **"Well, because Ash appeared out of nowhere in the VIP room after his match and requested that Lance allow him to question the attackers. I thought you might want to know and I could take you to where they will be."**

The group glanced at one another before Delia thanked Cynthia for the information and agreed to follow the Champion. Cynthia led the way while everyone was thinking about what Ash wanted to know and what he would do to get the answers he was looking for. Each girl that was in love with Ash thought the same thing as they traveled to him; _I hope he doesn't do something rash._

 ** _A/N - Ash is on Giovanni's radar! Natasha has a mission! And the girls found out! What's going to happen? Stay tuned to find out! As always, review, fav and follow! Enjoy the weekend and Silent is out!_**


	33. Chapter 33 - Questions and Frustrations

**IMPORTANT NOTE - Please take a look at my poll on my my profile page and give your answer to it. I want to know which story I should start working on as my second project. I'm going to wait a little longer before closing the poll. Appreciate the votes in advance! :)**

* * *

 _ **A/N - Hey guys, Silent here. I want to say right off the bat that I'm sorry for being away and not leaving a message as to why. Some things happened that required my attention. As a result, I was forced to leave work and have been job hunting for a while now since and it didn't help either that some personal stuff happened as well. It was too much to handle at once and so I had to leave "The Blue Spirit" on the back burner for a bit while I got back on my feet. I'm still looking for a job and my main focus is on that while I try to finish taking care of the things that just popped up in my life. But I'm not going to leave my story unfinished. I will continue working on this but I can no longer promise a weekly update. At least not until I find a stable job and get things back on track. To all those who understand, thank you and those who don't or can't, what can I say except I'm sorry. As much as I love and enjoy writing and working on this story, I cannot put my life on hold to finish this. But I will continue and finish it as if there is one thing you should know about me is that I don't quit on things I started so no need to worry about me not continuing.**_

 _ **Great - Thank you for the compliments and praise buddy. I agree with your opinion because many harem stories just put them all together, especially with girls that he doesn't really have a connection with, for absolutely no reason and everyone is like 'oh okay cool' in the story and that always annoyed me. But then again it is hard to get an actual logical or believable harem story going and few have done that well from what I read and I hope my story is one of those. Just so you know, I've said it before, and I'll say it again; everything I do is for a reason so don't worry. You'll see why I did things as the story progresses. Yea, the first few chapters are weak compared to the others but then again, it's because I've never written before on a project like this outside of school several years ago. I think my writing has gotten better (I hope) and I will rewrite those when I get a chance. I will say good eye on some of the things you mentioned but I won't say what you got right or wrong to hold some surprises. Thanks again for reading and glad you're enjoying it. P.S. I know, and you'll get those two dates. ;)**_

 _ **Erazor Djinn - Thanks! I'm glad you like it and I hope I can continue putting out quality content. :)**_

 _ **Anon - The new chapter is alive and well so here you go.**_

 _ **Guest - I'm happy that you enjoyed the battle scene. I try to make the battles entertaining as much as possible. About the love pentagon/octagon, let's just say nothing is set in stone yet and I have big plans for all the girls. And yes, Giovanni is behind it but not everything has been revealed yet. Keep reading to find out.**_

 _ **Michael - Hey man thanks and no problem. Yes, there are other couples forming like you mentioned and the pairings I have decided on, some might be new/unique while others are the same but regardless I feel that they make sense. About the time question, yes Arceus told Ash he has five years before the darkness emerges but three years have passed already so that leaves him with two years left. And Giovanni speeding up the project goes in line with the two years left.** **Also, Natasha's mission is going to cause some things to happen but can't say more on that.** **About the girls finding out, I don't want to say anything that may ruin it for new readers or others. Send me a private message and I'll explain it more if you want me to. If not, reread the last chapter and you may understand what I was trying to explain better.**_

 _ **Alright, now lets get back to the story! Hope you enjoy it!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 33 – QUESTIONS AND FRUSTRATIONS

Ash had just beaten Paul in his sixth round match up in the Spirit Tournament in a double battle. After the match, he had Gardevoir inform his friends that he will meet up with them a little later and they were disappointed about that. When they were about to exit the stadium, they ran into the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, who was waiting for them. When they talked with her, she let them know that Ash had gone with her fellow Champion Lance to question the stadium attackers and offered to take them to where the two will be and they accepted.

Cynthia turned and led the way with the rest of them following her. The four girls exchanged worried looks as they walked while Gardevoir stayed quiet, traveling besides the red head. Gary and Ilene were lost in thought but for different reasons as others made small talk here and there. Oak, Norman and the four mothers made some small talk with Cynthia as they walked.

In a building not too far away from the stadium, Lance was leading Ash, Pikachu and Lucario down a flight of well light stairs. As they reached the lower level, Lance turned to the right and walked about fifty feet before reaching two doors on the left. He opened the right most door and gestured Ash and his pokémon to go inside and he followed them in after and turned on the lights.

" **Where are they?"** asked Ash as he noticed the room was empty except for several foldable chairs.

" **One of them is right in the room next to this one,"** answered Lance as he pointed towards the one way mirror on the wall. They could see someone sitting on a chair in front of the table through it. **"I brought you here first to tell you that I will be watching you as you talk with him and I request that your pokémon stay here so as to not cause any problems."**

" **Very well. Lucario, Pikachu; stay here. I'll be fine."** His pokémon obeyed and before Ash left the room Lance called out to him. **"What is it Lance?"** asked Ash flatly as he glanced back at the Champion.

" **I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not trusting you and for causing the agony you suffered through. That was not my intent. But what happened to you?"** asked Lance with concern.

" **I wish I could say don't worry about it but I can't right now. After all we've been through together, from the Lake of Rage incident, to fighting Team Aqua and Team Magma and what you saw me risk in the stadium, you still doubted me over a crazed man's words."**

Lance flinched as if Ash had struck him. Hell, he'd rather have the young man hit him instead of making this guilt fill him. Ash left the room and slammed the door shut behind him. He entered the room next to the room he was just in and immediately spotted the lone person with his head hanging and was handcuffed to the table. The lone person did not move or acknowledge that somebody entered the room, even when Ash sat down in front of him. Lance was viewing the whole thing through the one way mirror and so were Pikachu and Lucario who were both eyeing the handcuffed man with obvious dislike.

" **What happened to you Tracey?"** asked Ash after a moment of silence. He got no response from his ex-friend who was still wearing his attacking uniform dressed in all black. **"Why did you try to force Misty?"** No response. **"Why did you bother the girls at the arcade?"** No response. **"Why did you attack the stadium?"** No response. **"Why did you tell them to ask me about the attack?"** Tracey raised his head and let an evil smirk form on his face.

" **Now that is the right question to get the fun started but you should know why by now Guardian,"** taunted Tracey. Ash narrowed his eyes as his brow furrowed.

" **What are you talking about?"** asked Ash but Tracey only continued to smile evilly at him. **"ANSWER ME!"** he shouted.

" **You need to control your anger better Guardian before you let it grow and overwhelm you!"** sneered Tracey. The way Tracey said that made Ash feel uneasy as something just clicked in his head.

" **Wait. Something's wrong. Something's different than when you attacked the stadium."**

" **And everyone says that you're dense yet you figured it out. Still took a while though. About time you realized what's going on."** Tracey had his eyes turn pitch black before glowing. Lance's eyes widened as he took in a sharp breath and Pikachu hissed while Lucario growled.

" **YOU?!"** exclaimed Ash, startled, as he jumped from his chair, sending it flying backwards.

" **Yes. Me,"** replied the corrupted Tracey calmly though his evil smile was still plastered all over his face.

" **How are you here?! What did you do to him?! Leave his mind and body now!"**

" **Oh you know, I just decided to hitch a ride and here I am. It's a little cramped where I am and wanted to stretch my legs so to speak. I did nothing else. I cannot just 'leave' and will not even if I could."**

" **TAUROS CRAP! DO AS I SAY!"** roared Ash.

" **Or what will you do? You won't do anything and can't do anything."**

" **That's what you think,"** growled Ash as his eyes glowed blue and his blue aura outlined around him. He raised his hand, palm forward, at the corrupted Tracey who kept his smirk, unfazed by the Aura Guardian unleashing his powers.

" **What's going on?!"** asked a concerned female's voice.

" **Ash is trying to get some answers and…"** started Lance but then stopped abruptly, realizing that no one else should be in the room. When he glanced around, he noticed that Cynthia and all of Ash's friends and family were in the room. He was so absorbed in what was going on in the other room that he didn't notice them enter his room. Somehow, they all fit inside the small area, barely enough space for them all. He glared at the blonde Champion. **"Cynthia…"**

" **Later Lance,"** interrupted Cynthia and Lance narrowed his eyes at her before facing the one way mirror again.

A stream of blue aura energy traveled from Ash's hand to the corrupted Tracey. The moment Ash's aura stream connected with him, Tracey let out a scream as Ash tried to erase the corruption from him and restore Tracey to his old self. The raven haired guardian was feeling some strain on his body from the connection but kept it up. A couple moments passed as he did so, with Ash thinking he was making some progress until the scream turned into loud laughter.

" **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! "** Ash stopped what he was doing and his glow died down as his eyes returned to normal. He was panting but also gave a look of surprise at the corrupted version of Tracey who stopped his laughing and eyed the Guardian. **"You truly think you can save him. You are a damn fool. We aren't in a dream anymore. Tracey as you knew him has been dead for a couple days now. You are too late and even if you weren't, you aren't strong enough to have brought him back. You will never be strong enough to undue my corruption."**

" **Tracey's dead?"** asked a stunned Ash as a sullen look appeared on his face. Even though Tracey acted horribly recently, he still used to be his friend and it saddened him that he had lost his way and traveled on a dark path.

Oak's face was overcome with sadness, having worked with the young man for so long. Daisy Oak even let out a sob, as she remembered her old boyfriend when they used to be happy together. Riley placed a hand on her shoulder to help her calm down. But it only helped slightly as the pretty blonde girl began weeping before she suddenly buried her face into Riley's chest as she hugged him. She couldn't believe how things had turned out. But the other thing that surprised her was that even though she was feeling horrible at finding out he was dead with his body being used by this thing, she felt comforted and safe from Riley's embrace who was gently rubbing her back as he tried to calm her down. The others glanced at each other in the other room, sharing surprised and sullen looks.

" **Yes, he is. And so are the others. They are all nothing but empty vessels who have been enhanced and brainwashed by my powers to follow another's orders."**

" **Rudy, Kenny, Drew, Tracey…all dead and gone?"** asked Ash to no one as he hung his head and took a step back. His friends' saddened looks only intensified as they heard this new bit of information. Ash raised his head, anger etched into his face. **"What did you do to them? On whose orders? When did this happen?"**

" **You sure are a curious Guardian, I'll give you that. So here's my answer for your questions; don't know, don't care and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."**

" **Maybe, maybe not. But I know one person who even you cannot hide the information from."** Ash went quiet for a moment as he sent out a mental message. A blue glowing sphere formed in the room and Mewtwo appeared in front of them who instantly narrowed his eyes at the corrupted Tracey.

" **Ah, the abomination shows himself,"** insulted Tracey. **"Tell me clone; how does it feel that only one person can look at you normally and not think of you as a monster?"**

Mewtwo growled and his eyes glowed blue. The corrupted person in front of them suddenly started screaming out in pain as if his body was burning up. Many people cried out in fear at the sudden torture but before any of them could do anything, Mewtwo stopped and his victim started panting heavily as sweat trickled down from the top of his head.

" **I wouldn't insult him again if I were you,"** remarked Ash coldly. **"And Mewtwo is no monster. He is my friend and the most powerful Psychic who has ever lived. The only monster I see is you,"** replied Ash with venom in his voice.

" **Yes, I am a monster,"** agreed the corrupted Tracy after catching his breath. **"But not the kind of monster you think I am. Oh, if you only you knew."** He raised his head and looked at the two in front of him. **"But then again, that's part of the fun isn't it? Not knowing until the final second? I will tell you everything Guardian. I promise. But I will only tell you right before I strangle you with my bear hands when I'm finally free.**

" **So what's stopping you?"** asked Ash. **"I'm right here."**

" **True but I have two reasons. First is I'm leaving that for when I'm in my true form. Not in this rented piece of meat. Second is I want you to cower before my full power when we finally meet."**

" **You are truly demented,"** commented Ash but the corrupted Tracey smirked and nodded his head as if he was just complimented. **"Mewtwo, if you will please."** Mewtwo nodded and the psychic feline's eyes glowed blue for a moment and then faded away.

" **Ash, you're not going to like this,"** said Mewtwo suddenly.

" **What did you learn?"**

" **That's the problem,"** started Mewtwo as he faced Ash before finishing; **"Nothing."**

" **Nothing? What do you mean by that?"** He didn't understand and neither did anyone else in the other room as the corrupted person laughed loudly.

" **I got nothing...because there is nothing. His entire mind is blank except for a dark void and I can only sense pure evil coming from it. I can sense no memories, no thoughts, no feelings and…no soul. There is no sign of Tracey at all in the body,"** finished Mewtwo sadly.

Ash took in a sharp breath and glanced at the corrupted Tracey who let a nasty grin appear on his face. The others couldn't believe what they just heard, horrified that a real life body snatcher was in front of them.

" **Hard hearing the truth isn't it Guardian?"** cackled the corrupted Tracey, causing Ash to growl at him.

" **Who or what are you?"** asked Ash.

" **Hard to explain that…But I'll dumb it down for you. I am the darkness. I bring forth chaos. I am every single being's worst nightmare made into form. I have no name but you can call me Ragnarok, for I will be the end of your world!"**

" **Ragnarok?"** Mewtwo and Ash glanced at one another as they communicated mentally quickly before looking back at Ragnarok. **"So now we have a name. Alright then. Let's get back to what we were talking about before. Who ordered the stadium attack?"**

" **Wouldn't you like to know,"** laughed Ragnarok.

Ash sighed before turning to Mewtwo. **"Mewtwo, thank you but I'll handle the rest from here. Let me know if anything changes back home and also, tell our friend we need to speak to him. Tonight."** Mewtwo nodded and teleported away. Ash moved towards the shackled prisoner and sat back down after picking up the over turned chair. **"Who is calling the shots?"**

" **You know, I like this little talk we're having. It's been much more entertaining than with that egotistical Champion thinking he knows all and can control all. At least you understand that you don't have all the answers. What an arrogant moron,"** laughed Ragnarok making Lance heated up for two reasons; first reason was he knew everyone was staring at the back of his head and second reason was that he was getting angry at being insulted and humiliated.

" **What is the objective?"** asked Ash, ignoring the comments.

" **Don't know really. I don't even care to know. I'm not in the inner circle as you can say. But I'll take a guess. I can say from seeing Tracey's memories before they were wiped that you're mother's attractive for her age. What is she pushing? 40? Maybe the man wants to kidnap her for some fun,"** jeered Ragnarok with a shrug. He was completely bluffing and just wanted to mess with the young Guardian's mind again. Delia's face flushed with color as she became embarrassed and frightened over what the corrupted Tracey just said. Caroline, Joanna and Grace went to her to comfort her and show her their support.

" **What is the objective?!"** repeated Ash louder. He was getting angry but controlled his rage for the moment, though his eyes were narrowed. He knew what this Ragnarok was trying to do and he was doing his absolute best to keep from giving it to him.

" **Alright, fine that wasn't it. Hmmm…Wait, let me think…world domination? Probably…Take over the league? That's a given…None of that matters once I'm free though…Ah, I know what it is cause it's what Tracey and I wanted to do ever since she grew up and laid eyes on her; to fuck Misty's brains out!"** cackled Ragnarok.

Ash flew off his chair and tackled Ragnarok with such force that the hand cuffs broke away from the table and both of them landed on the floor. The people in the other room shouted in surprise and fear as they watched Ash hit him with his fists several times across the face before he picked up Ragnarok and slammed him onto the wall before he struck him again several times. Some people made to move towards the door but Lucario stopped them by blocking their path to the door.

" **NO! DO NOT GET INVOLVED! THIS MAY BE HARSH FOR YOU TO SEE BUT IT MUST BE DONE!"**

They glared at Lucario but returned back to their previous positions. Lucario kept guarding the door and Gardevoir joined him and held his hand as she tried to calm him by showing she stood by his side. Lucario turned his head to view her better and grasped her hand tighter in appreciation. Both of them went slightly pink at the action. Pikachu jumped up onto Misty's shoulders and nuzzled against her cheek to soothe her. She calmed down a bit, feeling his warm cheek against her own. She scratched him underneath his chin and he cooed a bit in response.

" **How dare you! Watch what you say Ragnarok or whatever your name is or next time I won't hold back!"** threatened Ash after his last punch, his eyes glowing blue. The corrupted Tracey was sporting a black eye and a cut lip from the hits. **"Now answer my question! Who ordered the stadium attack?!"**

" **Touchy are we? Hmm…Oh, I get it,"** he replied softly, avoiding the question again. An ugly smirk grew on his face. **"She must've been a great fuck. Can I get a turn?"**

" **YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"** roared Ash as he flung him across the room and he crash landed hard on the ground.

Misty went red and clasped her hands to her mouth, completely embarrassed that the intimacy shared between her and Ash was revealed to everyone. Pikachu patted her head softly. Delia, Caroline, Grace and Joanna had their jaws drop at hearing that before turning their attention onto the red head. Daisy, Violet and Lily looked at their younger sister with wide eyes. Most of the others just looked at her with surprised gazes but May, Dawn and Serena moved to their friend to help soothe her. Even Leaf and Sarah went to her but Anabel and Cynthia just stared at the red head and Lucy noticed. Luckily for Misty, the sound of breaking wood caught everyone's attention and they all turned their gaze back to the room to see Ragnarok grunting in pain as he was lying on top of the broken table on the ground. Ash picked him back up and slammed him into the wall again. Blood was coming out from some scratches and cuts that the corrupted man received from the guardian.

" **I warned you,"** said Ash quietly with a cold voice that scared his friends along with glowing blue eyes. **"No more games. What is the plan and who's calling the shots?"** Ash shook Ragnarok and the corrupted vessel merely gave a chuckle.

" **I don't know and I don't care. I'm just enjoying the ride for now. And you can't do anything to me. But I'll tell you one little thing Guardian; with each passing moment, I am getting closer to being freed. I will take all that you love and care about. Your pokémon's lives, your friends lives, but when I take your girls from you, I won't kill them. Instead I'll turn them against you like I did in your nightmare and then I'll have them become my own personal slaves and…"**

Ragnarok couldn't finish since Ash's fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him crashing to the floor. Ash picked him up and slammed him into the wall again though this time it was with such force that the wall sunk in around the body a bit as he had used his aura to enhance his strength.

" **I'm done with you. I should destroy you since you won't answer my questions and this is no longer actually Tracey but a pale imitation of him,"** threatened Ash as his free hand glowed blue and raised it, a small blue sphere of aura energy appearing in front of it. The people watching had their eyes widen, fearing that he may actually go through with killing the corrupted Tracey.

" **Even if this is just an empty vessel and your old friend is long gone, I don't think you have the balls to do it. But I'll tell you one more thing Guardian since I've been having so much fun seeing you lose control. You will lose everything. You cannot win. And do you know why?"**

" **No I don't. Why don't you enlighten me,"** replied Ash sarcastically.

" **Because you don't know the full story, you're being used. Ask the one who gave you this mission,"** said Ragnarok and this curve ball completely baffled Ash, making the Aura Sphere vanish.

" **What? Why? What are you talking about? He wouldn't betray me or not tell me things."**

" **Is that so?"** inquired Ragnarok. **"Then how come he didn't warn you about our attack? All those gifted children of his and his own grand power; surely he must have seen it coming? Or is he not all that? And if he is, why didn't he warn you?"**

Ash let go of Ragnarok who landed on his feet and stayed standing surprisingly even after the severe beating, though it was with some difficulty. The raven haired guardian took a few steps back as some sort of realization dawned on him. Lance and Cynthia's eyes widened and many of his friends had stunned expressions on their faces at seeing him back away from the corrupted Tracey.

" **Figured out something have you?"** taunted Ragnarok.

" **No, he wouldn't. He promised me…"** Ash trailed off as he started moving his gaze around the room as he thought about what Ragnarok said. He looked back at Ragnarok and saw his smirk. **"NO! He would not! Stop trying to mess with my head!"** roared Ash has he punched him hard with an aura infused fist.

Ragnarok went flying into the wall and he cried out in pain. Ash swiftly moved forward as his right hand's fingers curled into a claw shape and it glowed blue. He knelt down beside the corrupted body of Tracey that Ragnarok had taken over, grabbing the top of his shirt and raising him off the ground a bit. He raised his hand in front of him and a small condensed Aura Sphere appeared in front of his palm. While the men didn't move, all the girls, young and old clapped their hands to their mouths, their eyes filled in fear at what Ash was about to do and each of them thought the same thing; _please don't do it!_

" **Go ahead Guardian. You heard Mewtwo. Nothing left in this worthless body. Go ahead. End the body that kept going when the soul has already left."**

Ragnarok let an evil smile show on his face through the pain and laughed at Ash who scowled in response before the glowing ball of aura energy shot forward. The girls screamed and covered their eyes. After a moment they opened them and expected to see a gruesome image, but there was none. Instead of hitting the corrupted vessel, the raven haired guardian hit the wall next to Ragnarok's head and made a large hole. He glared at Ragnarok before speaking.

" **I don't need to prove anything to you. I will find a way to get you to leave his body and he will be given a proper burial. Same goes for the others. Until then, enjoy being in a straitjacket and living out the rest of your days in a small padded cell you crazy son of a bitch."**

Ash let go of Tracey's corrupted body as he stood back up and Ragnarok dropped to the floor with a thud. The raven haired guardian left the room as two league officials came in right after with a straitjacket to put on Ragnarok. He walked back towards the room that Lance was in and opened the door as he spoke.

" **I'm done Lance. There is nothing-"** Ash stopped talking as he noticed everyone in the room. **"What are all of you doing here?"** The only response he got was that the four girls shot to him and hugged him so tightly that he thought his lungs collapsed. **"Can't…breathe…"** He was starting to turn blue in the face until they finally let go. He took a few heaving breathes as he leaned against the wall before able to finally straighten up. **"Thanks for letting me live. So what are you doing here?"** he asked them as he stood up fully.

" **Cynthia brought us here,"** responded Serena.

" **Cause we missed you Ash,"** said Misty.

" **She told us what you were trying to do,"** added May.

" **And thank you for not going dark side on us,"** remarked Dawn, slightly joking, the other girls agreeing with her.

" **No need to worry about that. I wouldn't do such a thing unless absolutely necessary."** The girls smiled at him and he returned the smile before facing Cynthia. **"But I should've known. I thought I said nobody should know Cynthia. Then again, you always liked doing things your own way haven't you?"** commented Ash while shaking his head. The blonde Champion of Sinnoh merely shrugged with a smile, slightly blushing and glanced at Lance before facing Ash again.

" **Alright enough."** Lance stepped forward and stopped in front of Ash. **"I have a feeling that you found out something when you talked to Tracey or that thing that was once Tracey. What did you learn?"**

" **I can't tell you yet,"** said Ash calmly. Lance looked like he was going to explode.

" **WHY THE HELL NOT?"** shouted Lance.

" **Because I have to double check some things. When I'm sure I will tell you."** Lance glared at Ash as the raven haired guardian turned to his friends. **"I'm sorry if I worried you guys but I had to see if I could get some answers and find out what this was all about."**

" **We understand but you can tell us,"** replied Misty. **"You know that you can trust us."**

" **I know I can. I just don't want you guys to worry about it. You've already seen my memories and my worst fear."** The four girls blushed slightly at first, thinking of the memories but then sullen expressions took over as they thought of his worst fear. Ash noticed this and pulled the four girls into a large group hug, speaking softly to them; **"I don't want you to worry about things that you don't have to. I want to keep all that away from you for as long as possible."**

Their friends looked at the five silently for a moment, only exchanging glances at each other. Lance gave the five a curious look. He remembered Ash's memories but didn't know if they were together or not at the moment. He glanced at Cynthia from the corner of his eye to see how she would handle seeing something like this as he knew how she felt about him and saw her eyes were fixed onto the young man. Anabel caught Lucy's attention because the purple haired girl was crestfallen, seeing how much attention he gave the four. Lucy pulled her friend to her and hugged her, keeping her hidden from sight. Sarah and Leaf were both gazing at the five with envious looks. Ash and the four girls separated and Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulders.

" **Pikapi!"** Pikachu started nuzzling against his cheeks.

" **Hey there buddy."** Ash scratched his starter pokémon's head and he cooed in happiness. At that moment, he received a mental message from Mewtwo; _he agreed to the meeting._

" **We know you just want to protect us Ash, but keeping us in the dark won't help,"** said Misty as she wiped away the dried water marks on her cheeks. Ash sighed as he shook his head again.

" **You're probably right but right now isn't the time. I have a feeling it will be soon so please just be a little more patient. Is that alright with you?"** asked Ash.

The four girls looked at one another before facing him and they nodded together. They hugged him again, giving him quick pecks on the cheek, two on each side, before separating again. Jealous looks were shown at the sight by Cynthia, Leaf, Sarah and Anabel for a split second before they recomposed themselves. Luckily for them, nobody caught it.

" **Thank you for understanding. I have to go see a friend but I will see you all soon. I know I said that several times today already, but things just keep coming up. Please forgive me. Gardevoir and Lucario will stay with you until I return."**

And with that, Ash and Pikachu disappeared as they were teleported out of there in a blue glow. After doing that so many times in front of them, no one was surprised or shocked by it anymore. Misty turned to Gardevoir immediately after he left.

" **Who is he going to see?"**

" **I can't say Misty."** Gardevoir looked down on the ground. She felt two soft yet strong hands grasp her shoulders. She raised her head and looked into the cerulean blue eyes of the red head.

" **I know when there's something wrong and there is something wrong right now. I've known him for a long time. Please tell me."**

" **I can't tell you,"** replied Gardevoir again. Misty hung her head in defeat. **"But I can show you."** Misty raised her head to see her sporting a small smile on her face and Misty copied it as did the other girls.

" **NO! Gardevoir, we agreed not to say anything!"** reminded Lucario angrily.

" **I know. And we're not. He didn't say anything about showing them now did he?"** replied Gardevoir with a smirk. Lucario's jaw dropped, unable to form a response to the devious work around.

" **How will you show us?"** asked Dawn.

" **I will take you to where he is meeting our friend but you must be quiet and keep your emotions under control, no matter what you see or hear. It will help us stay concealed and not be noticed."**

" **Ah, is this going to be a dangerous trip?"** asked Bonnie getting a little scared.

" **Not if you listen to me and keep quiet,"** said Gardevoir. **"Are you all ready?"** Everyone in the large group nodded but Lance and Cynthia didn't move or respond. **"I'll take you two as well with us but you must promise to behave. All of you must. The slightest thing could mean dire consequences for Ash."**

" **What do you mean by that?"** asked Delia, obviously worried about her son being in a dangerous situation, not that he hasn't been involved in several before and could handle it but she still worried.

" **What dire consequences?"** Leaf was trembling at the possible scenarios forming in her head.

" **Let's just say his friend is the one who gave him the mission. Now get ready. I will teleport us all right now."** Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and they all vanished from the room.

Gardevoir teleported herself, Lance, Cynthia, Lucario and the rest of Ash's friends to the VIP room in the stadium. It was around 8pm and the sun had set already with the moon and stars taking over. Cynthia turned on the lights but was smart enough to keep them at low power, just enough so they don't bump into the furniture or each other.

" **Why are we here in the VIP room of the stadium?"** asked Lance.

" **That's why,"** replied Gardevoir as she pointed at the field. They gathered near the outside tinted windows and peered through. They saw their friend, his yellow mouse and the purple psychic feline standing in the middle of the field. It looked like they were waiting for someone to come.

" **Why are Ash, Pikachu and Mewtwo just standing there?"** asked Norman. As if to answer his question, three large portals appeared in the field and the three reality dragons flew through them, landing on the field gracefully regardless of their sheer size. Everyone had their jaws drop at the sight of the deity pokémon except for the two pokémon.

" **They gave him the mission?! I thought you meant it was a person?!"** asked Joanna, getting her composure back. Gardevoir shook her head in response. **"Then who?"**

" **You'll see soon enough,"** replied Gardevoir.

" **What are they talking about? Is there a way for us to hear them?"** asked Grace.

" **Yes there is."** Cynthia went to the wall and turned a knob, adjusting the volume before pressing the button next to it. At once, the VIP room's speakers sounded out though not too loudly as the audio recording equipment in the stadium turned on and picked up their voices. They caught the conversation that was already going on in the field. They all listened intently, not daring to make a sound, fearing that they may miss something.

" **Look, it's nice to see you three again, but I wanted to speak with Arceus. Mewtwo told me that he said he was coming so where is he?"** asked Ash as politely as he could but it was obvious that he was anxious and inpatient to speak with the Original One.

" **Father will be here soon. He is busy, just like all of us. He requested for us to come and let you know of that before he arrived. He also said that we should know of what is going on as well,"** replied Dialga.

" **I see. Great…How long do I have to wait?"** replied back Ash with annoyance.

" **Do not let your inpatient attitude make you forget who you are speaking with!"** shot Palkia a little angrily as Ash rubbed the back of his head.

" **Shit, Ash better cool it,"** muttered Gary and several others nodded with him.

" **Alright, I'm sorry. It's just been a hectic with everything that's happened so far,"** explained Ash.

" **It is understandable Chosen One, but you must not forget how things are,"** reminded Giratina kindly.

" **Okay I will. So how have you guys been? Have you been preparing as well? Any new visions or possible outcomes?"** asked Ash as he tried to keep the conversation civil and to not let silence take over.

Vision? Outcomes? Many in the VIP room glanced at one another, hoping someone could explain what they meant but then they remembered Gardevoir and Lucario were there and they all turned their heads to the two pokémon, who were standing quite close together. Before they could even ask the two pokémon, they shook their heads and pointed towards the field. As they returned their attention to the field, a large white glowing sphere appeared in the middle of the field and a moment later, Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon emerged from it. His white glow slowly faded away and he floated down onto the ground, the three dragons making way for their father to move in the middle of them. The sight of Arceus made everyone in the VIP room take in sharp breathes.

" **Ash, Pikachu and Mewtwo; it is good to see you again,"** greeted Arceus. **"You have grown even more powerful than I imagined since last I saw you. I am quite impressed and pleased,"** he complimented. Mewtwo replied with a curt nod and Ash smiled though slightly, saying his greetings to the Original One. Pikachu waved and shouted out his own greetings, earning a smile from the Alpha Pokémon.

" **I can't believe what I'm seeing!"** exclaimed Delia, blinking her eyes multiple times.

" **You and everyone else here Delia,"** remarked Oak, his breathing uneven. They were trying to comprehend how Ash was speaking to these deities, these gods, as if they were just his friends. They could see no worry or fear at all in him. And what astounded them more was that the Alpha Pokémon was treating Ash as his equal.

" **So, you called this meeting Ash. What is on your mind? I'm actually quite surprised to hear from you, after not even a single peep was heard by you since we made that plan three years ago when I had given you your mission,"** said Arceus.

" **Arceus gave him the mission?!"** said several in the VIP room at once.

" **Quiet!"** hissed Lance, silencing them quickly.

" **Yes. I have something to ask Arceus. But first, I'm sure you've witnessed or found out what's happened these past few days right?"** asked Ash.

" **Of course. I am aware of most things as soon as they happen. I could even tell you about something that's happening right now that's quite interesting."** Arceus glanced at the VIP room making the people inside sweat drop before he turned back to Ash, Pikachu and Mewtwo. **"That is not that important right now though. But why are you asking me this?"**

" **So much for not being noticed,"** commented Gary before he went silent to listen.

" **Okay. Well, I knew that but I wanted to make sure before I ask you something else that I've been wondering about that recently crossed my mind; why didn't you tell us about the stadium attack?"**

" **What?"** asked Arceus, obviously thrown off guard. He wasn't expecting that question.

" **Why didn't you tell us about the stadium attack?"** repeated Ash. **"You could have warned us before it happened. We could have dealt with it before it become such a huge mess and endanger so many."**

Arceus was quiet for a moment before he answered. **"Because it was one of your tests."**

" **What?!"** asked Ash. Now it was his turn to be thrown off guard. He couldn't believe that was the answer he just heard. Pikachu tilted his head and Mewtwo's eyes narrowed in realization. His friends in the room glanced at one another, mouthing the word 'tests' to each other in confusion.

" **A test,"** repeated Mewtwo. **"You knew that attack would happen and you did nothing to warn us. You wanted to see how we would handle such a situation without prior knowledge of it."**

Arceus nodded in agreement before he spoke. **"There was another reason for you to join the tournament when I told you about it three years ago Ash. I knew the attack would happen and because of our agreed plan, I knew it would be the best chance to truly test how strong you had become."**

Ash lowered his gaze a bit as realization hit him. Many thoughts rushed through his mind. He looked up at Arceus after a moment of silence and his expression was one filled with anger. **"You lied to us!"** shouted Ash. **"You said you would keep us updated and stay in communication with us and that you would help us! I barely beat them back! You betrayed us all for a test?!"**

" **I did not lie nor did I betray you, Ash. I have told you all you needed to know in the beginning and this was a test that you needed to go through and one that I knew you would pass."**

" **If you knew I would've passed, then why bother with the secrecy?"** shot Ash. That silenced Arceus and everyone else around. Even the ones in the VIP room went deathly quiet as they hadn't seen him become so angry. **"What was the damn point then Arceus?!"** snapped Ash.

" **ASH! Watch yourself! Remember who you-"** started Giratina angrily but was silenced at Ash's outburst.

" **I ALMOST LOST EVERYTHING I CARE ABOUT!"** roared Ash at Arceus, ignoring their surprised looks. Even Mewtwo and Pikachu were stunned by him. **"MY POKEMON ARE STILL RECOVERING FROM THE ATTACK! I ALMOST LOST THE ONES I LOVE! I ALMOST LOST MY FRIENDS! I ALMOST DIED! WHERE THE FUCK WAS THE HELP THAT YOU PROMISED ME? DO YOU EVEN CARE? IS THIS ALL JUST A DAMN GAME TO YOU?!"**

Ash was about to continue when he was silenced by Arceus' deafening roar. Ash, Pikachu, Mewtwo, along with the reality dragons covered their ears the best they could and so did everyone in the VIP room, yet it hardly muffled the ear-splitting sound.

" **Damn it Ash! Why'd you make him angry?!"** muttered Gary in pain and the others cried out in agreement while pressing their hands against their ears.

" **GUARDIAN!"** shouted Arceus, his booming voice sounding like thunder as dark clouds formed out of nowhere from the Alpha Pokémon's power. **"DO NOT THINK IT IS ONLY YOU WHO STANDS TO LOSE SOMETHING IN THIS!"**

" **THEN WHY THE HELL IS IT ONLY ME WHO'S RISKING EVERYTHING?! I'M THE ONLY ONE BEARING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD, JUST LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN BEFORE!"** countered Ash, surprising the Alpha Pokémon who was stupefied at his reply. The reality dragons were shocked to see their father not making a sound and Ash took advantage of that and continued his rant. **"MY POKEMON ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GETTING HURT! MY FRIENDS ARE THE ONES WHO ARE IN HARMS WAY! I'M THE ONE WITH THE INJURIES! I AM THE ONE WHO HAS TO DEAL WITH THE DAMAGES OF IT ALL! I'M THE ONE WHO'S CONSTANTLY WORRYING ABOUT EVERY STEP I TAKE, WHETHER IT'S THE RIGHT ONE OR NOT! I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING! I'M THE ONE WHO HAS ALL THE NIGHTMARES! I HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE CONSEQUENCES! ALL YOU GUYS DO IS JUST SIT AROUND AND WATCH!"**

Arceus went quiet, unable to reply back to the fuming Aura Guardian. Mewtwo was looking at his friend with a curious look. Inside the VIP room, everyone was shocked at his outburst but quickly understood where he's coming from after seeing his memories and nightmare.

" **Then perhaps we should get rid of the distractions you hold so dear to you so that you only worry about the mission!"** responded Palkia without thinking after a moment of silence between them all. A large blue sphere was hurled towards the deity of space and exploded on the ground near his feet. Palkia let out a roar of anger and surprise as he stepped back from the blast before fixing his gaze onto the raven haired guardian and started growling at Ash.

" **Did he just attack Palkia?!"** asked Leaf in both fear and awe.

" **More like a warning shot but still that was completely stupid! Idiot!"** replied Misty under her breath. She was filled with emotion seeing Ash stick up for them but was angry that he would be so reckless.

" **Don't ever threaten them again Palkia! Friend or not, you cross that line and there will be hell to pay! Not even Arceus will be able to protect you!"** warned Ash, his eyes glowing blue, while holding up another Aura Sphere in his hand. Pikachu hissed as he let out sparks from his cheeks, ready to back up his trainer and friend without hesitation. Even Mewtwo took up a battle stance. Giratina became intrigued to Mewtwo's willingness to fight and Arceus didn't react, keeping silent and still as he observed the increasingly tense situation while thinking.

" **You will defy us, risking your life to side with a human? One from the very species who you held in such contempt and disregard just a few years ago?"** asked Giratina in bewilderment.

" **He is no ordinary human. He is my first true friend and has taught me much. I will gladly give me life for him as I know he will do the same for me, his pokémon and his friends. This is why I respect him and consider him my friend and family. And nobody messes with that. Not even you!"** explained Mewtwo. Ash glanced at Mewtwo with a look of respect. They caught one another's eye before facing the three dragons once more.

" **Then perhaps we should teach you both a lesson in respect!"** spat Dialga. He and his two brothers got into battle stances as did Mewtwo, Ash and Pikachu with the guardian's aura flaring out.

" **Is he really going to fight against them?"** whispered an amazed Cynthia. She knew Ash had guts but this was absurd. Lance glanced at her but didn't respond and nobody else answered her, as they were paralyzed with fear and nervousness.

" **ENOUGH!"** yelled Arceus, his voice thundering over all and silencing them as they withdrew from their fighting positions and the aura from the guardian faded away. He gave a calculating look at the young guardian before continuing. **"You love them that much that you would walk into oblivion without hesitation?"** asked Arceus.

" **Yes I would and you should know that by now. Especially if it concerns the ones I love so dearly. They are my heart. It would cease to beat without them. I cannot lose them. The attack on the stadium and my nightmare was proof of that. I will do everything and anything necessary to make sure they are protected. I will fight even you if you threatened them Arceus."**

Misty, Dawn, Serena and May each melted at Ash's words, their hearts beating like mad. Each of them was hugged by their mother, though in Misty's case, her sisters hugged her and they each let out joyful sobs. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel looked at each other before looking at the four girls. Lance glanced at Cynthia to see her reaction but all he saw was a stoic expression on her face. Cynthia looked at the four for a moment but when she turned her head back to the watch what was going on in the field, she noticed the other three girls' expressions as they too looked at the four girls. Cynthia had a thought enter her mind that made her heart drop into her stomach; _they like him too?!_

" **I see,"** replied Arceus. **"Guardian, no one has ever had the gall to speak with me in that way and I respect the reason why you did so. I will allow this to slide, this momentary outburst of yours because of what's happened and since we made a plan and we must stick to it. Anything important that you need to know I will tell you.** "

" **Why should I trust you?"** asked Ash, making Arceus frown immediately. **"You told me five years before the darkness shows. Only three years has passed and people and pokémon are showing up already corrupted. You told me the tournament would be an enjoyable time but you hid the fact that there would be an attack. And there is more that you're hiding but you won't tell me. So I ask again; why should I trust you? Why should I continue with the mission since it's not what we agreed upon? Why did you not tell me about Ragnarok?"**

" **Ragnarok?"** asked Arceus, surprised to hear the name from Ash. Many things went through the Alpha Pokémon's mind as he stayed silent. **"Are you sure?"** asked Arceus after a moment.

" **I am. I questioned Tracey, or rather the corrupted body of Tracey that is now being controlled by it. He said he has no name, that he is the darkness but to call him Ragnarok for he is the end of all."**

" **This is not good,"** replied Arceus as he walked past them towards the other side of the field. The three dragons looked at their Father in silence, worry evident on their faces. For such a large being, his golden hooves made no indentation in the ground. He seemed to be walking on air.

" **You know who or what Ragnarok is,"** commented Mewtwo seeing how the Original One reacted after hearing the name. Arceus glanced at the psychic feline before locking eyes with Ash.

" **No more Arceus,"** said Ash, making the Alpha Pokémon sigh. **"No more lies, no more secrets, no more hidden agendas and no more tests. If we want to be able to trust each other, to defeat what is coming, we must not hide anything from each other."**

" **Ash, you don't understand. This is far more upsetting than what I've told you. It makes the vision I have seen much worse. I had hoped that it would not come to something like this but it seems to be the case. You are not yet ready my Guardian. It is much too soon to let you know,"** replied Arceus sadly, looking away.

Ash glanced at Mewtwo, who turned to face him. After a moment, Mewtwo nodded, encouraging the young guardian to speak his mind. Ash faced the Original One once more.

" **Three years Arceus!"** started Ash. Arceus turned his now stoic gaze back to the young guardian. **"Three years I have been away from home, away from my friends, away from my mother. My pokémon have left their family and friends as well. We have given up our freedom to work on this. We have done everything we agreed upon so far. I have befriended and caught many powerful pokémon who agreed to join me. We have trained nonstop preparing for the war that is to come. Mewtwo, my pokémon and I have bleed for this mission. We have cried. We have pushed past our limits far above normal levels. We have suffered through horrible sicknesses, broken bones and endured through extremely hazardous conditions all over the world. We have been plagued with thoughts about our family and friends back home. We have sacrificed much to reach new heights in our abilities and strength. We more than deserve to know everything after what we went through. Especially when we got a taste of what's to come and that we will be the ones in the front lines protecting everyone and everything."**

When Ash finished his speech, he noticed Arceus's face change to sorrow. He felt bad momentarily for making him sad but knew it had to be said. The people in the VIP room were moved by his speech and some of them felt their respect for the raven haired trainer grow leaps and bounds.

" **Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum,"** said Arceus finally. **"I commend you, Mewtwo and all of your allies for everything that you have done, the sacrifices you've made and the new heights you have reached. But you are not ready to know the full story yet. You will know in time."**

" **When Arceus? When I'm covered up to my neck in darkness?!"** asked Ash with sarcasm. **"I need to know now! The fact that I have pokémon who are still recovering from their injuries since you decided not to warn us about the attack, should be reason enough to give us that information!"**

" **You're pokémon being in such condition is your own fault,"** replied Arceus sadly without pause.

" **What?!"** Ash was stunned. **"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ATTACKED THE STADIUM!"**

" **Pika! Pi pika pi chu!"** agreed Pikachu angrily.

" **How dare you suggest it was his fault!"** shouted Mewtwo. The people in the VIP room were outraged that Arceus put the blame of his pokémon being hurt on Ash. Arceus however was not swayed.

" **You were the one who was fighting back were you not?"** asked Arceus calmly. **"You did well in the beginning, calling back your pokémon who were tired and bringing out others who were fresh and ready to go. You should've done that again. You had more than enough pokémon to rotate them out but you did not. You didn't call them back as you were too focused on defeating your enemy. You caused your pokémon's anguish and pain by not paying attention to them. You refused Mewtwo's help beyond blocking some attacks and softening up your enemies. He could've teleported the innocents away from the conflict so they wouldn't get in the cross fire. He could've helped even the odds, even while outnumbered."**

" **That didn't cross my mind…"** started Ash as he felt down that he didn't think of that. **"But I thought we could handle it and I didn't want to show all my cards at once,"** explained Ash, though the Alpha pokémon's words had struck a chord within him, making him feel uneasy.

" **That's understandable and it may be necessary to not reveal all your tricks at once in the future but even so; you could've done many things differently that could have kept you and you're pokémon from going all out. I'll let you figure the rest out. But, you still should've rotated your pokémon. You so badly wanted to fulfill your role in the mission that you overlooked the obvious. You let your pokémon push past their limits in a dangerous way when it was not needed. You are the cause of their injuries and you didn't even know it. This is why you are not yet ready for the full details Ash. You still have a lot to learn."**

" **My pokémon were hurt…because of me?"** repeated Ash quietly. He hung his head as the revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. Mewtwo and Pikachu glanced at him with worried expressions.

" **Yes, because of you…but do not feel too badly Guardian,"** continued Arceus. Ash raised his head, his eyes filling with sadness to look at the Alpha pokémon but then looked away in shame. **"You are still young. You have no experience of war. You don't know yet when to push past limits and when to heed them. You are not ready yet. This is why I did not tell you of the attack. You had to be tested. You had to face the unknown. You have faced powerful legendaries in the past, horrible events in the past, terrible organizations in the past, but you haven't faced anything yet like this. You are not yet prepared for what is coming and this is why you must be tested. You haven't taken a life yet either. You may need to in the future and do so multiple times to protect the innocent and the ones you love. You had a chance recently before this meeting and you didn't take it, even though you should have. Will you be able to do that when necessary?"** Ash glanced back at Arceus with a startled look on his face. He didn't know if he could right now and his friends eavesdropping in the VIP room glanced at one another, now thinking about the same thing themselves. **"Do you understand now my Guardian? There is more to this than you think. You aren't ready. But you will be though in time. You just have to trust me. I haven't led you astray and I will not ever. This was an important lesson to you in both battle control and being able to deal with being responsible for the pain and sacrifices that will most likely come in the future to you and others."**

" **If after three years I'm still not ready, why do you still believe in me? How can I beat back the darkness that is coming?"** Ash's confidence in himself was going away. Pikachu jumped to his shoulder, patting his head as he tried to comfort his best friend. Mewtwo stood next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

" **Because you are different than everyone else as you are a pure hearted person. You make miracles happen, the impossible happen, you help anyone and everyone who you come across that needs help even before you found out that you are the last true Aura Guardian. That is why you are my Chosen One. Not because of your abilities. Not because of your strength. Not because of your heritage. You are my Chosen One because of your pure heart and your determination to do what is right. You have great friends and pokémon who trust you, love you and will stand by your side. Do not forget that either."**

Ash slightly nodded as he heard Arceus's words but kept thinking about how he was the cause of his pokémon's injuries, how he had messed up again and how he was still not ready. Arceus knew what was troubling his Chosen One and decided to lift his spirits a bit with some information.

" **I have some good news in wake of the recent events. You can relax for the time being as the corrupted pokémon and people who attacked were part of a test by the ones who will unknowingly unleash Ragnarok and his darkness upon the world in two years. That has not changed. The darkness hasn't emerged yet otherwise we would have had this discussion in my dimension so you still have time."** Ash, Mewtwo and Pikachu nodded to acknowledge that they heard him and Arceus continued after he looked at them for a moment. **"Now, I will tell you of anything that I come across that will drastically alter the vision I have foreseen but other than that, I cannot tell you of everything that might happen. You must be prepared for anything and everything on your own as that is what will happen in the future when I and my more powerful children will not be able to help much because of the darkness. Even now we cannot risk going after the people who will be responsible for the darkness since we aren't able to see who causes it to emerge since the darkness is protecting them and even if we did know, we cannot risk it in case we get affected in the attempt."**

Ash was quiet as he listened to Arceus and he nodded in understanding when he finished. Arceus glanced at the three dragons signaling them to leave. The three dragons disappeared into three portals that appeared behind them. Arceus turned back to face Ash. Sensing how the young man was feeling so badly, he decided to try and lift his spirits.

" **I am still proud of you Ash Ketchum. You are my knight, the last of an ancient line of Aura Guardians and the last true one. You are the bearer of light that will pierce evil's heart and vanquish it for good. You are capable of almost anything as long as you don't give up hope and believe in yourself. I know you will do whatever it takes to prevail."**

" **Arceus?"** Ash looked up when he heard silence and saw Arceus's attention on him. **"Are Tracey, Kenny, Drew and Rudy really dead? And could I have reversed the process if I was there to help them? Could I purge the darkness from them now so they can have proper burials when I get stronger? And is the corruption the reason why they were so cruel before the tournament started and during the stadium attack? How did it change them?"**

" **Don't do that to yourself. You must understand right now that you will not be able to save everyone. There will be loss of life and sacrifices and you must understand that now. As for the four you mentioned, I will not go into detail but the short answer is yes, the darkness had corrupted them before and during the attack. I will tell you the details of how at another time as it would be too long to explain right now. And no, you would not have been able to reverse the process. You are not strong enough yet and doing so even if you had the strength, even reaching your full potential as an Aura Guardian, there is a chance it could still rob you of your own life. Unfortunately, we must treat each corrupted we encounter as a lost soul and take them down permanently."**

Ash gulped as he understood and so did everyone else in the VIP room. **"I will try but I will also try to help them before I must end their suffering in that way. But, promise me something in return Arceus,"** requested Ash suddenly.

" **Depending on what it is, I may do so. What do you want me to promise?"** asked Arceus, curious as Ash locked his gaze with the Alpha Pokémon.

" **Promise me that if I were to fail, to fall, that you will protect the people I love and care about. Promise me that no harm will come to them from anything and everything at least. Promise me that you will take care of them and take them away from the darkness if I'm unable to vanquish this Ragnarok and his darkness."**

" **I promise Aura Guardian."** With that final statement, Arceus nodded at Ash, Mewtwo and Pikachu, who returned a nod of their own before Arceus disappeared in a white glow. Mewtwo and Pikachu turned their attention to Ash immediately. He had started to sob as soon as Arceus left, having held it in while they spoke with him.

" **It's alright Ash,"** said Mewtwo. He was about to continue but Ash cut him off.

" **NO ITS NOT!"** countered Ash. **"It's my fault my pokémon are hurt and I didn't even realize it until now! I let Ragnarok mess with my head again! I doubted Arceus! I kept secrets and lied to my friends! I let them get in harm's way! I thought I was ready, I thought I was prepared! I couldn't finish off Ragnarok and release his hold on Tracey! We barely overcame the attack! I'm not strong enough even though I've pushed past my limits! Three years of being away from everyone and everything and I'm no better than when I just started my journey! It's just too much Mewtwo! All of the responsibility on us! This burden placed on our shoulders! I don't think I can carry it anymore as I don't know what to do anymore!"**

He clutched his hair and shouted out. Ash's frustration over everything made him grow angry with himself and no matter what Mewtwo or Pikachu said or did to try to make him see differently, they couldn't get through to him. The people in the VIP room were at a loss of what to do until four girls spoke up.

" **We need to go to him!"** they said at once and looked at Gardevoir, who got the hint and nodded. But before she could teleport them, a blue glow from the field caught their attention, turning their heads in that direction to see the cause and they were scared of the sight.

Ash's aura was flaring around him, but it was different than what they were used to seeing. He had an angry expression on his face and his eyes were glowing bright blue. A dome of blue aura energy swirling around him rapidly had appeared, which was something they hadn't seen before. It wasn't an Aura Shield as it wasn't transparent and it began expanding outwards. Mewtwo and Pikachu stepped away from it, not knowing what it would do to them and not wanting to take a chance. Suddenly, the very ground began to move before it shook violently as howling winds roared around the raven haired guardian. The dark clouds that gathered because of Arceus were now rumbling as blue lightning streaked across them as loud thunder was heard from them.

" **WHAT'S GOING ON?!"** screamed Bonnie in fright, trying to keep her balance. She hugged the closest person to her, which was Max, who went red with embarrassment but didn't push her away.

" **Master's frustration at himself has consumed him!"** replied Lucario with great worry as he knew what it was. **"This isn't good! We must go to him and stop him before this goes too far! Gardevoir, teleport us to the field now!"**

Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue immediately and the next second they all vanished from the VIP room and reappeared in the field. They all raised their hands to shield their faces from the incredible winds that were circling around Ash and tried to keep their balance as the very ground beneath them shook hard. Flashes of blue light every once in a while made them shield their eyes. They were amazed and scared that an Aura Guardian could have so much power that they could cause such reactions from the world itself. Even Riley was at a loss for words and Ilene noticed as she was about to ask him what they could do. They slowly moved towards him, calling out to him. Mewtwo and Pikachu heard them over the roaring winds and only one of them was surprised to see them there.

" **MASTER!"** shouted Lucario over the loud winds. **"MASTER, YOU MUST CALM DOWN!"** Lucario led the way, bending down a bit to get closer to the ground to overcome the strong winds and to keep his balance from the massive tremors shaking the ground. The others followed his lead and they came upon the energy dome with difficulty and they stopped.

" **WHY'D YOU STOP LUCARIO?"** shouted Sarah, trying to be heard.

" **I'M NOT SURE IF WE CAN PASS THROUGH WITHOUT HARM!"** answered Lucario.

" **THAT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW!"** yelled Misty as she stepped forward with Serena, May and Dawn right beside her.

" **NO! STOP!"** shouted Lucario, their parents, friends and sisters but the four girls didn't listen.

They each held out a hand in front of them as they neared the blue aura dome and without hesitation, applied pressure to push through. Their hands went through the shield and then their bodies. They felt no pain or any kind of resistance and that surprised them. They gave each other an encouraging look and continued forward. The closer they got to Ash, the more powerful the aura winds became that circled around the raven haired guardian as the ground continued to shake, making them focus to keep their balance. They were slowed down greatly as they attempted to overcome it all. They were a good distance away from the frustrated and angered man in the middle of the dome who held their hearts. They conserved their strength since the howling was too loud to shout over it, instead using it to push on through.

Seeing the four girls go through the dome with no problem beside the strong winds, everyone else attempted to push through. Lucario, Gardevoir, Mewtwo and even Pikachu were unable to move through the dome as it pushed them back. Utterly confused, they watched the others try to get through. None of the parents were able to. The Champion Lance wasn't able to. Master Riley wasn't able to. None of the guys were able to. Most of the other girls weren't able to either. Yet Cynthia, Anabel, Leaf and Sarah were able to push through the blue dome shield as well, following after Misty, May, Dawn and Serena but three of them ended up getting stuck after traveling about ten feet through, with only Leaf able to carry on after the four. It was as if an invisible barrier prevented the three of them from continuing more. They and along with everyone else could do nothing but watch as Leaf caught up with the four girls as they continued towards Ash.

Lucario was astonished at what he was seeing but then quickly understood what was happening when he remembered the Lore of Aura that Mew had passed on to him through the transfer of knowledge back at the Tree of Beginning three years ago. He couldn't believe it as what he saw answered some questions but also brought up new ones. He realized that he would have to have a long conversation about this with his Master afterwards if they were able to stop this. He pushed his wonderings aside and looked on as the brunette tried to reach the four in front of her.

Leaf was amazed that she was able to push through the dome when the others couldn't. Yet, she didn't let the shock keep her from moving forward, so she hurried after the four in front of her while shielding her face with her arms from the sharp winds and followed after Misty, Dawn, Serena and May. The four were about ten feet away from Leaf and about the same distance away from Ash who was now letting out rapid Aura Pulses that hindered their approach, slowing them down even more but fortunately didn't harm them. Leaf summoned up whatever strength she had left and moved even more quickly towards the group. She moved behind the girls to help cover more distance quickly as she drafted them to dodge the winds and waves of aura pulsing out to catch up to them.

It worked and when Misty, May, Dawn and Serena were about five feet from Ash, Leaf caught up to them, moving to be beside Dawn on the left. The four girls noticed movement from the corner of their eyes and glanced towards their left. Seeing Leaf there they were surprised at first but quickly let small smiles form on their faces as Leaf glanced at them. At that moment, the four girls understood just how much she cares for Ash and motioned to her for the five of them to move forward together. Leaf smiled back in response and nodded, moving with the four.

As the now group of five girls pushed on, the howling winds and pulsing aura was slowing their progress down to a crawl though they would not give up for they would do anything for the raven haired man in front of them. When they finally reached Ash in the center, they were surprised but also glad to find that in the center it was calm, like the eye of a hurricane and the winds weren't howling.

" **ASH!"** called out the five girls to the guardian who was still lost in his angered trance. They gathered around him and saw his face etched in fury. **"ASH!"** they called out again as they moved closer.

" **You don't need to be angry at yourself,"** said May as she hugged his right arm.

" **We know you always try your best,"** added Dawn as she hugged his left arm.

" **We appreciate everything you do for us,"** said Serena as she hugged his back.

" **We love you no matter what,"** finished Misty as she hugged his front.

The four girls glanced back and saw that Leaf stood a foot away, not moving but her eyes were on Ash, filled with concern and dare they think it, love. When Leaf dropped her gaze to them, they didn't react for some seconds. Finally, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena smiled at her and the red headed gym leader made some space for the brunette and gestured to her to come join them. Leaf smiled back at them before she joined in on the group hug.

" **Please stop this Ash. We're here for you,"** said Leaf softly.

The five girls stayed like that; trying to use their hugs to convey their feelings to the man they loved, that everything will be alright. The others looked on helplessly, hoping that things would turn out alright. After what felt like a long time, it seemed to finally work as the howling aura winds that were circling around them began to die down slowly and a short while after, it finally ended. The ground stopped shaking, the dark clouds broke apart and the blue energy dome started to fade away before it completely vanished. The blue outline went away from Ash's body and his eyes stopped glowing blue, going back to his brown eyes. As soon as that happened, he collapsed onto Misty and Leaf with a groan.

" **It's okay. You'll be okay,"** whispered Misty as she and Leaf caught him and tried to keep him upright.

Ash groaned again before he lost consciousness and fainted from using up too much energy. The other girls helped Misty and Leaf gently lower him to the ground, with his head resting on Misty's lap. The others quickly came to their side and stood around them with paled but concerned faces. Seeing Ash on the ground unconscious made them worry. Delia quickly knelt down on the ground beside her son and placed her hand on her son's forehead.

" **Will he be alright?"** asked Delia, her face marked with concern before she removed her hand as she felt that he wasn't burning up as she feared he would be.

" **Yes. I believe he just used up too much energy at once,"** replied Riley. **"But I have no idea what that was. In all of my years of studying and learning about aura, I've never heard of such a thing."**

" **I do,"** said Lucario. **"That was one of the defenses that an Aura Guardian can use to keep everyone away when they are feeling vulnerable, at their lowest. It uses up almost all of their energy."**

" **Really? Then how come the girls were able to get through?"** asked Norman, puzzled. Everyone looked at Lucario, waiting for him to answer, who sighed.

" **I don't know. It's supposed to be impenetrable,"** lied Lucario. He didn't want to say the reason why some were able to go through and others weren't before he spoke with his Master.

Before anyone could say anything else, Ash murmured and stirred slightly. He opened his eyes slowly, drawing everyone's attention to him. The first thing he saw was the beautiful red head's cerulean blue eyes, making him feel a little better.

" **Mist,"** whispered Ash in a barely audible voice.

" **Ash!"** cried Misty as she hugged him with him barely able to return the hug since he was so drained.

" **I'm sorry,"** he whispered to her as she hugged him tightly. Ash then turned his sad gaze to the other girls sitting beside him when the red head straightened back up. **"I'm sorry."**

Dawn, Serena and May flung themselves on top of the raven haired man on the ground and they each hugged him tightly while the other four girls just gazed at him. When the three got back up, he then grasped Leaf's arm and pulled her to him on the ground. She let out a squeak in surprise and gave her a hug as well, with her quickly returning it. The four girls smiled at the sight, feeling surprised that they were not jealous at all, though Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah were another story.

" **Thank you Leaf for helping to calm me down,"** said Ash.

" **No need for thanks Ashy as I would do it again,"** replied Leaf quietly with reddened cheeks. When they separated, Ash let a small smile form on his face at her before he noticed the others around him. Even though everyone was smiling a bit, their faces had worried expressions on too.

" **Are you guys alright?"** asked Ash as he looked around at everybody, but nobody answered him. **"Okay, what happened? You're all starting to freak me out."**

" **It's nothing Master,"** said Lucario, taking control. **"Do you remember anything?"**

" **I don't remember much actually, sorry. I just remember losing control and then being hugged. Wait, did I hurt anyone?"** he asked suddenly afraid he might have done something wrong.

" **No, you didn't hurt anyone,"** replied May softly and Ash let out a sigh of relief.

" **That's good. So you're all okay?"** he asked while looking around at everyone from the ground who just nodded. The girls helped Ash sit up before helping him stand up, who in turn helped Misty get up onto her feet. Ash then turned to everyone else.

" **I'm sorry everyone,** " he repeated. He went silent for a moment, thinking about something before continuing. **"I think it's time. Time to tell you everything."**

" **But we already know,"** replied Iris.

" **Yeah, we saw your nightmare,"** reminded Richie.

" **And we kind of eavesdropped on you and Arceus,"** admitted Lucy, churning her hands around, worried he might get angry.

" **So that's what Arceus meant…Well, that may be but you only heard parts of it. I will tell you everything from the beginning and what I know. But not here. Let's go back to the hotel."** Ash turned to the two Champions. **"Lance, Cynthia; I don't want to say this more than once. Come with us and tell the other Champions and Goodshow as well to join us."**

Lance and Cynthia agreed and they contacted the others with their Poketch. Ash began walking back towards the hotel, Mewtwo at his side and Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder and nuzzled him against the cheek, earning himself scratches behind his ear. The girls wanted to walk with him, but Lucario held them up, saying that he needs some time to himself to gather his thoughts and they reluctantly agreed. Everyone followed after the guardian in silence, thinking over everything they had just witnessed earlier on and what they could possibly find out in just a little while.

As Ash and company made their way back to the penthouse suite on the top most floor of the Indigo Hotel, Arceus and his three sons, the reality dragons, turned away from the viewing sphere that Arceus had brought up. They had watched the girls get to Ash and calm him down before they left the area. The Original One moved to his cushioned throne and sat on it while Dialga, Palkia and Giratina followed after their father before stopping at the base of the stairs that led to his throne. The viewing sphere disappeared and then the Dragon of Time spoke.

" **The Guardian has so much power that it's frankly unnerving,"** stated Dialga with a slight shudder.

" **It's incredible. His power is much greater than other Aura Guardians. Even Sir Aaron and his father didn't have this much power and they were the strongest of all the Aura Guardians even from all the bloodlines. The two of them were equal to five guardians each in total power. And Ash hasn't even realized his full potential yet,"** remarked Giratina before he glanced at Palkia. **"You're lucky brother that he didn't actually strike you with his attack."**

" **What is that supposed to mean?!"** replied Palkia, outraged at what his brother was implying. **"You dare compare a human to me?! Even an Aura Guardian?! I am the Lord of Space! You two are my only equals with Father being the only one above us all!"**

" **You are wrong my son,"** said Arceus, making the three dragons snap their attention onto him. **"There are two beings whose powers rival my own,"** revealed Arceus and his sons gasped.

" **What?! Who? How?"** asked Dialga, his eyes widened in shock with Palkia and Giratina stunned into silence.

" **One of which is Ragnarok and the other you will come to know in time,"** answered Arceus and their eyes widened.

" **If Ragnarok is as powerful as you, then how can he and Mewtwo hope to stop him?"** asked Giratina. Arceus looked at his three sons for a long moment before he sighed and he told them.

" **The prophecy,"** he replied back simply and the three dragons had disbelief spread on their faces.

" **Surely you're not banking everything on that Father?!"** asked Dialga with concern.

" **I am not as I have a backup plan just in case. But with everything going the way it is, I have no doubt that it will come true,"** revealed Arceus and the three reality dragons' jaws drop at the fact that it would be coming true. Dialga recomposed himself faster than his two brothers.

" **Father, you said you'll tell him of important things. But you haven't mentioned the true test. Why not? Surely he has earned the right to know?"** asked Giratina and Arceus shook his head before answering.

" **That is when the prophecy will come true unless we warn or aid him,"** explained Arceus.

" **But I haven't seen that outcome Father,"** remarked Dialga.

" **I know my son,"** commented Arceus. **"But I have. It will come to pass. And Giratina is right Palkia,"** said Arceus suddenly and Palkia tilted his head in confusion. **"You may be in charge of Space, but if Ash had hit you, it would've been painful. Once he reaches his full potential as an Aura Guardian, it would be ten times worse. He is my Chosen One after all. In short, do not anger him again."** The Alpha Pokémon's revelation made his sons gasp at hearing that the young Aura Guardian could actually hurt them who were basically deities. Giratina turned his gaze to look at his brother.

" **And you threatened his loves ones. Good going Palkia. You should probably watch how you act around him since you're probably on his radar now,"** advised Giratina and Palkia sweat dropped while Dialga shook his head at his brother's predicament. Arceus lied down on his throne and his sons understood. The three reality dragons left via portals and Arceus closed his eyes to rest as a million things went through his mind.

" **The prophecy will come true,"** he said to himself. **"It has to...I don't want to purge the world…and start over…"**

 ** _A/N - Looks like Ash is ready to finally tell everyone, Arceus is still hiding things from the Guardian and looks like there is a prophecy that only the Original One and the Reality Dragons know of. What could it be? Stay tuned to find out. I'll try to post up the next chapter soon. As always, review, fav and follow! Thanks and take care everyone!_**


	34. Chapter 34 - Revelations

**IMPORTANT NOTE 1 - Please take a look at my poll on my my profile page and give your answer to it. I want to know which story I should start working on as my second project. I'm going to wait a little longer before closing the poll. Appreciate the votes in advance! :)**

* * *

 ** _A/N - Hey guys, Silent here with a new chapter ready to go for you! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and for the support! It motivated me to get this done quicker than usual and hope you like_** _ **it. You will find out some important things in this chapter and secrets will be brought out into the to all who read my story. But a special shout out to all thos**_ ** _e who almost always leave reviews; thanks guys, your support and love for the story are very appreciated._**

 ** _Erazor Djinn - Thanks buddy and you'll find out soon enough! ;)_**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE 2 - I have posted up a new chapter sooner than I usually do. If you haven't read the previous chapter yet, "Questions and Frustrations", please read that first and leave a review if you would be so kind. Thanks and enjoy!**

I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 34 – REVELATIONS

As Ash and company made their way back to their penthouse suite on the top floor of the Indigo Plateau Hotel, the raven haired guardian was thinking hard of how he would explain everything to everyone. Speaking with Arceus had opened his eyes and made him realize that things are much worse than what he had been led to believe and he knew now that he couldn't hide anything anymore from the people that he loved above all else. He had decided to let the Champions and Goodshow know too because he felt that they could keep a secret and if anything happened to him, then hopefully they could manage with Mewtwo and beat back the darkness, however slim the chance may be.

When they finally reached the hotel and went up to the master suite, they followed Ash into the huge dining room and they all sat down around the two large dining tables while Ash stood standing with Pikachu on his shoulder. Mewtwo, Lucario and Gardevoir stood next to him. Before Ash could say anything, a couple knocks were heard on the door and Lance got up, muttering that the other Champions and Goodshow had arrived. When the four entered the dining room with puzzled expressions on their faces, Ash spoke to them all.

" **Thanks for coming as there is something important that you should all know and I'd rather say this just the one time,"** said Ash as they sat down.

" **Understandable Ash but why so late at night and what's with the urgency?"** asked Goodshow.

" **I would also like to know that. What is it that's so important that we had to be here right now? I was just about to get my beauty sleep. This couldn't wait till morning?"** asked Diantha with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

" **Show some respect and shut it!"** snapped Cynthia at once. Her rude reaction to her fellow Champion caused several to raise their eyebrows in surprise. Ash gave Cynthia an appreciative look, one that she caught and made her inwardly smile but kept her gaze icy at Diantha.

" **Should I pretend I didn't hear that Cynthia?"** asked Diantha without emotion, keeping calm. **"Or should I end you with a single sentence?"**

Cynthia's eyes widened as she felt a shiver go down her spine. Lance, Alder and Steven were dumbstruck that Diantha would actually threaten to do that. The others however were completely baffled by the lack of respect between the two Champions.

" **Ah, what's going on?"** asked Ash, a little hesitant to find out the answer after seeing Diantha smirk.

" **Oh nothing really, except that our Sinnoh Champion here has a very interesting secret. I believe you would all just be thrilled to-"**

" **Stop!"** shot Ash, his eyes glowing blue as he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward to glare at the Kalos Champion. Pikachu jumped off of him onto the table in surprise. **"If she trusted you with her secret, whatever it is, then you will be quiet about it no matter what. As for this secret, if she doesn't want it to be known, we will respect her wishes and not bother her about it. Understood?"**

Ash's unusually stern gaze and comments at the Kalos Champion made many falter, not used to it. Mewtwo and Lucario nodded with respect over what the guardian just did. Cynthia was a little stunned by it though her respect and admiration for him grew over what he just did for her. Diantha was so shocked that she didn't respond back, leaving her mouth open.

" **I'll take your silence as a yes,"** said Ash as he stood up straight once more and relaxed, his eyes turning back to brown. He took a deep breath before he spoke again. **"As I was saying...There is something very important that you all should know and it is the reason why I've been gone for the past three years."**

The Champions, even Diantha, Goodshow, the girls, the parents and everyone else sat up straighter and gave their full attention.

" **This all started more or less three years,"** started Ash. **"After leaving the Kalos region, I went back home to visit my mom before I went to train at Mount Silver to think over some things that were troubling me, which you all found out about recently."** Ash went slightly red at this, since he was thinking about his memories that they saw but quickly pushed on, not wanting to dwell on it. **"I spent my time there training, thinking and developing my aura abilities a little. After about two months, as you know, I was visited by a friend."** At this moment, Ash tilted his head towards Mewtwo to indicate it was him who showed up. **"Mewtwo came to me and let me know that Arceus wanted to meet with me. I agreed and we then traveled to the Hall of Origin, Arceus's home. It is there that Arceus let me know of something incredibly terrible."** Ash looked away to the side as he sighed before facing the group in front of him once more. **"I was told by Arceus that he had seen a vision."**

" **A vision?"** asked Delia.

" **Yes Mom. A vision,"** repeated Ash. **"He had seen a very horrible thing. The world was covered in darkness. All were corrupted, didn't' matter whether it was human or pokémon. Everything was affected, everything was consumed by the darkness and all were lost in it. Lost in their anger, their hate, their lust and aggression. The world was drenched in evil."**

As he finished saying that, several had their expressions twisted in shock and fear. Joy grabbed Richie's arm, as did Lucy to Brock, Iris to Cilan and Ilene did to Gary, who glanced at her in surprise. The Queen immediately withdrew her arm and muttered a quick apology as her face turned red. Gary just smiled back before replying back that he didn't mind, making him redden slightly as well but the blonde queen went crimson.

" **And that's not even the worst thing** ," continued Ash when everyone calmed down.

" **What is the worst thing?"** asked Johanna in a low voice.

" **I said all would be affected. That includes the legendary pokémon…even the reality dragons Palkia, Dialga and Giratina…and the Original One himself Arceus."**

At this new detail, everyone gasped at that but Bonnie and Max let out screams in fright, being the youngest in the room, making those next to them jump, startled.

" **How can that be?"** asked Lance after the noise died down. **"They are gods, deities in their own right. They have powers beyond that of several legendary pokémon combined. And nothing can equal the power of Arceus."**

" **Yes and no,"** replied Ash slowly. **"They can be affected by the darkness…unless they stay within their own dimensions. The darkness cannot reach them there but if they were to come to our world and try to help, they would surely be affected by it."**

" **So let me get this straight,"** said Steven. **"A terrible darkness is coming, that can and will corrupt all, pokémon and human alike, and even the Alpha Pokémon Arceus can't stop it?"**

" **Correct,"** said Mewtwo, earning glances from them before turning back to Ash.

" **So what does that mean? And why would he send for you?"** asked Alder with great concern.

" **I'm getting to that,"** replied Ash before he continued. **"After telling me about the darkness, he then told me that there was still hope, however small it may be."** His audience's once bleak expressions suddenly brightened at hearing that all was not yet lost. **"Near the end of his vision, he saw two figures fighting the darkness, keeping it at bay on top of a large mountain."**

Ash stopped talking and looked at Mewtwo. The legendary psychic pokémon gave a curt nod at Ash who returned it. This quick behavior between the two made the group realize who the ones in the vision are.

" **You and Mewtwo are the ones fighting against the darkness in the vision."** Anabel whispered her realization with widened eyes but everyone heard it since the room was dead quiet.

" **Yes. Arceus had seen the two of us fighting against the darkness,"** replied Ash.

" **But how? Why you? And didn't you say the darkness would affect all?"** asked Sarah, clearly confused.

" **True, I did. But we believe it is because I am the last true Aura Guardian and that it is because of my aura that keeps me from becoming corrupted. We do not yet know why it won't affect Mewtwo. It could be because of my bond with him, that my aura protects him. It could be that he is a different kind of pokémon. It could be because of his unusually powerful will. It could be a million reasons. We are unsure about that."**

" **Alright, that might explain it but I have a feeling there is more left to be said,"** remarked Diantha.

" **You are right. After telling me that Mewtwo and I are the ones who fight against the coming darkness, he told me a bit more. He said that the darkness would emerge in five years time and would quickly cover the world. He asked me if I would take up the cause of fighting against it and I said I would. Arceus, Mewtwo and I then made a plan to prepare for the darkness, for war. I was supposed to capture many powerful pokémon with fighting spirits and then train nonstop until three years later, where I would compete in this tournament. This tournament was to be used as a test to see what my strengths and weaknesses are. I didn't think it would be a test of war as well."**

After that, Ash took a couple minutes to take a breather and the others took this time to think over what he had just told them about. Finally, Ash finished his break and continued.

" **And so, after saying farewell to my friends, I set out to follow the plan. I had to leave everyone to prepare. I had to catch and befriend powerful pokémon to help in the coming war. I had to practice using my aura abilities. My pokémon and I trained harder than we ever did before with the help of Mewtwo, Arceus and the reality dragons. Arceus provided a private island in the middle of the ocean equipped with everything we needed to train, though we still traveled around for training and it is protected by Arceus, hidden from all except me, my pokémon, Mewtwo and those I take with me there. The protection will last until the darkness emerges, when Arceus will be forced to leave. That's what I've been up to the past three years. I've been preparing for the darkness that will come in now two years time. That is why I was gone for so long and unable to contact anyone since Arceus told me not to, so that I could be able to focus on my training. Now you all know the reason why I vanished."**

When Ash finished, he saw the stunned and frigthtened looks on everyone and he hated himself for it. He leaned over the table again and hung his head, letting out a long sigh. He hated being the bearer of bad news. He didn't like telling them but the altercation with the Alpha pokémon, the attack on the stadium and Misty having stated that he could cause them more harm with being so secretive made him realize that he couldn't keep it hidden anymore. Nobody made a sound or moved for several minutes. They were all processing what they just learned from the raven haired guardian.

 _I can't believe this. This is why he's been gone for so long, why he disappeared. He's been preparing to battle a great evil and what have I done? Just mope around. I will stop my childish ways and I will train and prepare to fight by his side! I will not let him face it alone,_ decided Anabel in her mind.

 _Damn. How could he have kept something like this for so long? No wonder he's so strong. He's been preparing for what is essentially a world war. I need to get stronger. I need to get better so I can help him. I will aid him in his fight against the darkness! I was unable to help the people I loved in the past but I'll be damned if I don't do anything this time!_ Sarah sat up straighter as she finished her thoughts and looked at her crush.

 _Ash…to bear such a burden…and I'm worried whether you could one day love me back...how selfish can I be? You have been saving the world and everyone in it all your life with only a few knowing of it…I could have been there with you and experienced it all with you…I won't miss this chance…I need to do better…I need to show you that I'm more than just a flirt. I swear to you that I will stand and fight alongside you._ Leaf ended her thoughts with her promise as she gazed at him from her seat.

 _To think such a young man has the worries of an elder…but then again I've witnessed you fighting against evil before…we fought side by side and I will do so again. You will not be alone in this Ash. No matter what…I will be right there with you on the front lines,_ vowed Cynthia.

Misty, Dawn, Serena and May weren't thinking about anything but Ash. They had known, or more accurately, guessed that only something extremely important could have caused him to leave them and be gone for so long. And now they finally know the exact reason why and they were right. They hadn't blamed him or been angry with him about disappearing anymore but they still felt ashamed about it.

The silence that was there as everyone thought about what he said was suddenly broken when someone got up from their chair and moved quickly to the young man. Before he knew what was going on, Ash was wrapped up in a bear hug.

" **To have such weight on your shoulders at such a young age and not crumble from it but instead strive to overcome it…"** cried Delia as she continued to hug him tightly. **"I'm so proud of you my son!"**

" **Thanks Mom."** Ash hugged his mother back for a moment before they separated. They smiled at one another before Ash faced the group and saw that many looked like they were about to cry. **"Hey, c'mon, you're gonna make me go now too,"** whined Ash, making them laughed. **"That's better."**

" **So what now?"** asked Misty. **"What are we supposed to do? What are you supposed to do?"**

" **Right now, what I have to do is follow the plan I made with Arceus. I will finish the tournament to see where I stand and adjust accordingly. After the tournament, I will continue preparing for the darkness so I am going to be extremely busy once more as I am going to have to go back into heavy training and look for more pokémon. There are a few other things that I would need to do but I won't go into detail since it's not that important as of now. What you all are supposed to do is up to each of you."**

" **What do you mean?"** asked Dawn.

" **This burden has been placed on my and Mewtwo's shoulders. I cannot tell you to join me, to train for the war. I cannot tell you to leave your lives behind. I cannot tell you to sacrifice anything for this. I cannot tell you to go through the hardships that I have gone through. What I can tell you is for you all to be happy as you live your lives as usual and I want you all to not have to worry about the darkness as I will take care of it."**

The room went quiet at this. They were outraged that he would even say such a thing. Lucario, Gardevoir, Mewtwo and Pikachu however knew that it was coming and he wouldn't want them to get involved for he feared them getting hurt.

" **So that's it?"** asked Serena angrily. **"You tell us about this horrible mission that you're on, which involves something so evil that it can wipe out the world and you tell us to not worry about it while you kill yourself trying to protect us?!"**

" **You don't understand Serena!"** snapped Ash but instantly regretted it. **"I'm sorry,"** he said quickly, seeing her hurt expression. **"I didn't mean to snap at you. But you must understand,"** said Ash but now it was said softly and pleading like. **"I've known nothing but suffering these past three years. It has been nothing but hell for me, my pokémon and my allies. We have nothing to look forward to in the next few years besides fighting the darkness. These upcoming years we are stuck in this mission and if we're lucky we can triumph over it with our lives and maybe have some sort of a future afterwards."** Several people grew sad at his words and gave him sullen looks but he continued on. He had to have them understand that what they have shouldn't be taken for granted. **"But you're not tied up in this yet. None of you are. You can continue living your lives the way you've been living them. You can still enjoy the time you have left if for some reason things don't go well in the end, you have at least experienced some good times. These past days here at the tournament have been the happiest days of my life barring the few bad stuff, spending them with you and the others and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I don't want you all to miss more good times like that and instead go through the crap I would have to. It will be much better for you than going through what I have and will."** Ash finished and watched them for a moment before he turned around, having his back face the group and hung his head. A soft voice behind him made him turn his head slightly towards it a moment later.

" **Ash…"** It was Misty who spoke. She, May, Dawn and Serena had gotten up and moved behind him as the red head made him turn fully around to face them. She took a breath before talking. **"You say you've been in hell these past three years,"** started Misty as she raised her hands and placed them on his shoulders while looking into his eyes. **"But you need to know that you weren't the only one. I have suffered as well. Serena, May and Dawn too. Do you know how many times just us four went crazy? I'm pretty sure that most everyone else here has in some way or form, suffered through something too and do you know why?"** Ash stayed silent, not knowing where she was going with this. Misty raised her hands to cup his face with her hands. Feeling her soft hands made against his face made him relax a bit. **"It's because we all were worried about you and were hoping for you to come back one day. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be friends. You are what made us come together. As I said before, you are the glue that holds us together. Without you, there would be no us, no group of friends and some of us might never have reached our goals. You helped us, now let us help you. Not to even the score but because we care about you. Wherever you go, whatever you do, we will be standing right beside you, going through whatever life throws at us with you and I'm sure many others will want to do the same."** Misty's words made Ash's bottom lip quiver as his eyes watered. Before Misty knew what was happening, Ash pulled her into a heartfelt embrace and hugged her so tightly that she was momentarily stunned but quickly returned the hug. **"I love you Ash and I know you will beat the darkness,"** said Misty as they continued hugging. **"You're too stubborn to lose."** Her comment made the two and the others laugh a bit and the three girls joined in on the group hug, telling him how much they love him too.

" **Thank you Mist. And I love each of you too,"** said Ash with a smile as they separated and he looked at the four in front of him who smiled.

" **So what's the plan?"** asked Serena.

" **There is no plan right now except to finish the tournament and have a good time while we're here. However, that doesn't mean we won't train a bit and keep our eyes and ears open. After the tournament, we will start preparing and there will be no breaks after so you all better have fun while we're here. I hope you're all ready for the grueling training that comes after."**

" **You can bet your ass we are. We're tough!"** remarked May with a grin as she slammed her fists together, though lightly, earning chuckles from several in the group and Ash smiled before he turned his attention to the Champions, Ilene and Goodshow.

" **Goodshow. Champions. Queen Ilene. Now you know the full story. This was my mission and now it's all of ours; to get stronger and fight the darkness when it emerges. We will prepare for what's coming but not a word to anyone else. Not yet. We don't want to start a mass panic and if word reaches the ones who will be behind the darkness, they could release it earlier or something else might happen before we are ready. Do I have your word to keep this a secret between those in this room only?"**

" **You have my word Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum. You have the support of the Kingdom of Rota,"** replied Ilene without pause as she stood up and Riley agreed with a bow and his own word.

" **The Pokémon League will be behind you one hundred percent. Anything that you may need at all, just let me know,"** replied Goodshow without hesitation, standing up.

" **Ash,"** started Lance as he got up and everyone looked at him. **"I am an idiot for not trusting you and I apologize for my past actions. I should have never doubted you and I swear I will never doubt you again. You have my support till the end,"** stated Lance with a bow.

" **I will be honored to have the privilege of fighting with you once again,"** said Cynthia as she stood up and looked Ash in the eyes with a warm smile, who nodded to show his appreciation. He also noticed something else in her gaze that he was all too familiar with but decided to wait till later to address it.

Alder, Diantha and Steven also stood up to pledge their support and each swore to keep the secret. Everyone else soon got up one by one and followed their example, promising to keep quiet and to help. When Leaf, Anabel and Sarah promised to help too, Ash smiled at them in appreciation. This action made them blush slightly, noticing that they were giving him a familiar gaze as well.

 _What the…Why are Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia giving me those looks?_ Thought Ash until Professor Oak's words snapped him out of his thoughts.

" **It seems we are all in this together. This is good. We are only as strong as we are united, weak as we are divided. But for now, if we are finished, I think some good food will help us all feel better. May I ask the great chefs here to whip us up a good meal?"** asked Oak.

" **I think that's a good idea and I don't see the problem with that,"** replied Brock as he looked at his fellow brother chefs. **"You guys ready to make a grand meal?"**

" **You betcha Brocko,"** Chili answered with a grin as he got up to go to the kitchen with Cress right behind him. Violet and Lily followed the two brothers with their eyes as they went. Cilan got up after Iris gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Brock got up to join his fellow brother chefs after Lucy gave him a quick kiss too.

" **Champions, Goodshow; you're welcome to join us,"** said Delia as she, Grace, Caroline and Johanna got up to go to the kitchen and help them out.

" **You are too kind Delia. We will take up your hospitality for a little while longer. Thank you,"** replied Alder with a bow. Delia replied with just a wave of her hand as she disappeared into the kitchen.

The large group of people waited for their meal to get ready in the dining room, living room and patio balcony, while having conversations. Even though Ash insisted that Mewtwo stay and join them, the psychic feline told Ash that he would rather go back to the island. After Mewtwo left, Lucario and Gardevoir moved to the large balcony to speak with one another. Pikachu had decided to take a nap and he went to take it on one of the large couches in the living room. Ash wandered around the suite, seeing what everyone else was up to until food was ready.

Max and Bonnie were asking questions to Alder nonstop about what it's like to be a Champion and what he's done in his life. The older Champion just found it entertaining and amusing that they had so much energy, even assuring Norman and Clemont that they were not bothering him. Riley and Daisy Oak were speaking with one another once more in the balcony while Ilene, Lily, Violet and Daisy Waterflower were having a conversation about what it's like to be an actual Queen versus what the fantasy was. Lance, Steven, Cynthia and Diantha were speaking with one another a little away from everyone else in the dining room. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May were speaking with Leaf, Anabel and Sarah about their travels with Ash to help them relax and not get too frightened of what the vision held. After he finished his walk around, the raven haired guardian took a seat next to his starter slowly and gently, so as to not wake up Pikachu. He then closed his eyes as he leaned against the couch to take a quick nap as he waited for the food to be ready.

Outside in the balcony, Riley and Daisy Oak were speaking with one another as they leaned against the railings and looked out into the horizon. They were speaking about what they just learned from Ash, what they were going to do in regards to it. When they finished talking about that, Daisy asked him a question that was on her mind for quite some time, making Riley go silent.

" **So what are you looking for Riley?"** asked Daisy Oak as she turned to face him.

" **What do you mean Daisy?"** asked Riley, with a reddened look after a moment.

" **You know what I mean. I've been hurt before by someone that I trusted and loved. I thought we were great together but he couldn't get over his past, allowing it to consume him and it led to him betraying me. I'm not going to waste any more time with people who are going to just use me. So I ask again; what is it that you are looking for or want between us?"** clarified Daisy and Riley looked into her eyes before answering her.

" **Daisy, let me start off by saying that you are very different from other girls. You are beautiful, clever and not afraid to speak your mind. I'm comfortable around you and feel as if you and I can relate over many things and yet still have enough differences to keep things interesting between us. We've only talked together a couple times and just that was enough for me to see that you are special. I cannot promise that I'll be around all the time because of my duties to Queen Ilene and the Kingdom of Rota, but I can promise that you don't have to worry about being betrayed by me or me leaving you if we do get together. And that is what I want; to be with you,"** admitted Riley.

Daisy listened to him as he spoke, not breaking eye contact with the Aura Guardian, trying to see any type of reaction that could signal he was lying. She couldn't and she felt happy inside, more than she had in a long time. When he finished, Riley went quiet, waiting for her to respond back. Daisy smiled and pecked him on the cheek, making Riley blush but also smile.

" **I'll give it a chance then, since you seem like a good guy,"** replied Daisy with a smile. **"But be warned; my little brother will be overprotective of me now because of what happened. He and a close friend will kick your ass if you try something. Got it mister?"**

" **Would that close friend perhaps be Ash?"** asked Riley with a smirk.

" **Yes he is buddy boy, so tread carefully,"** warned Daisy with a wink before grinning at him. She then punched him on the shoulder. Riley just chuckled at that and grasped her hand after, making Daisy gasp and blush slightly.

" **Thank you for giving us a chance,"** he said before pulling her into a hug, surprising her but Daisy quickly reciprocated it. They stayed like that for a moment before separating and looked at the dark horizon, while standing very close to one another as Daisy Oak leaned her head against Riley's shoulder.

" **They look good together,"** commented the white and green fairy pokémon.

" **Agreed,"** replied the aura canine pokémon.

The two of them were lounging on the chairs next to the pool in the balcony. They were looking at the stars above them in the sky in silence. That was something that they did often back on the island in the past until Riley and Daisy Oak hugging drew their attention. Gardevoir felt the feelings between them grow stronger and Lucario sensed their auras bonding together. It made them both smile and Lucario thought hard about something.

" **Gardevoir…"**

" **Yes Lucario?"** asked Gardevoir, turning her head towards him.

" **What do you think of me?"** asked Lucario as he looked at her. The two of them went pink at the question and Gardevoir looked away instantly. **"I see…Apologies. I-"**

" **No, it's not that!"** interrupted Gardevoir quickly, turning to look at him again. **"It's just…I wasn't expecting you to ask me something like that. And…I think you already know."** Gardevoir finished as her white face turned completely red.

" **Oh,"** responded Lucario as he too turned red. He looked into her eyes and grasped her petite hand, making her tense up a bit for a split second but quickly relaxed. **"I know now and now you know as well."**

" **Lopunny and Gallade aren't going to be happy about this,"** said Gardevoir with a small smile and Lucario chuckled.

" **No, I suppose not. But you can't control who your heart yearns for,"** replied Lucario wisely and Gardevoir agreed. The two smiled at each other before getting up and hugging. They sat down together on a single lounge chair after. Gardevoir snuggled against his side and Lucario wrapped an arm around her as the two looked up into the night sky.

Back inside the suite, almost everyone else was still speaking about what they learned about that day and what they needed to do after the tournament was over in order to prepare. The mothers and brother chefs were still hustling around in the kitchen to prepare a great meal for everyone as they attempted to one up the other in a friendly competition. The four Champions finished speaking with one another and separated, going to different groups. Cynthia noticed Ash was on the couch, able to tell from the back of his head and smiled. She took a step towards him to ask him a few things, not knowing he was taking a nap when Lance called for her. When she glanced at him, he tilted his head towards an empty room and she hesitantly agreed. Taking one last look at the back of the raven haired man's head on the couch, Cynthia walked to the room and entered it, closing the door behind her.

" **What's up Lance?"** asked Cynthia as soon as the door closed, facing the Kanto Champion who stood in the middle of the room with his eyes on her.

" **Cynthia…I thought I told you to not tell anyone. Even Ash said not to and you still did. Why?"** he asked her but Cynthia wasn't having it.

" **Lance, why don't you just tell me the real reason why you wanted to talk to me in here privately,"** replied Cynthia, seeing through his act. Lance sighed, running a hand through his red spiky hair.

" **Alright…You know why. He's a good man and I admit it. And I apologize for doubting him. I should've known better. You tried to make me see that. I want to apologize to you for all the comments and snide remarks about him, you, your thoughts and feelings about him. You deserve better than that, especially from a fellow Champion and friend. But I still believe he's not right for you,"** said Lance.

" **Thank you for admitting you were wrong, for owning up to it and I accept the apology. But why are you saying that? What's it to you Lance? I thought we had this conversation already. I wasn't interested then, I'm not interested now and I won't be so why are we doing this again?"** she asked, annoyed that they were having this conversation again.

" **But why Cynthia? You and I have more in common than you and him. We're both Champions, we've both saved the world, we're both the same level in battling strength, you're beautiful, smart and I like to think I'm handsome and clever myself. You're even older than him. He has four girls with him already too. I don't think it'll happen between you two but I believe we would be great together,"** reasoned Lance.

" **I know of our similarities Lance and I appreciate the compliments but it's just not the way it works. If I wasn't Champion, would you still be interested in me? If I didn't look this way, would you still want me?"** asked Cynthia, waiting for a response but Lance didn't reply. **"You want someone who's your equal. That's not wrong in the slightest. We may have a lot in common but that's not the only thing to look for. You know what I've been through and I had sworn to not bother with it and focus on become stronger and on my research. But he's the only one who changed that when we crossed paths multiple times. You know the how and why. And so what if I'm a bit older or he already has four girlfriends? Who knows what will happen in the future and I won't quit until I find out. Even if it's something that doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to, I still won't be interested. I've made my choice so please, let us move on and not bring this up again."**

Cynthia finished and looked at Lance. He looked into her eyes before sighing and nodded with a grimace on his face. He walked past her and reached for the door with her watching his every move. When he grabbed the door handle he turned back to her.

" **I hope you find everything you're looking for Cynthia. Just be prepared if he does not return the feelings. I promise not to bring this up again and I hope we can continue working together as friends and fellow Champions with no ill will towards one another. But I must also request that you stay unbiased and neutral when it comes to making decisions regarding the duties we have to take care of that may include Ash now because of his mission from Arceus."**

" **Thank you Lance and that's what I want too. I promise to stay neutral and unbiased when it comes down to making decisions regarding our duties as Champions. But you must promise to also listen to others,"** replied Cynthia.

Lance nodded and stepped out. Cynthia stood in the room alone for a couple minutes, taking in deep breathes before she stepped out herself. Needing some fresh air and a change of scenery, she headed out towards the balcony. As she stepped outside, she noticed Riley and Daisy together against the railings and saw Lucario with Gardevoir fallen asleep on the lounge chair, cuddled against one another. The two sights brought a smile to her face but also felt a bit envious of the two couples as she moved to the corner of the balcony's railings and began thinking about everything.

Ash woke up from his nap and listened in on the conversations around him from his seat. The girls were still talking about their past adventures, four of the Champions were sitting nearby discussing other things in quiet voices and some others were just talking and joking around. After about five minutes, he happened to glance around to get an update on everyone else and he noticed that Riley and Daisy had left the balcony and were speaking with the others in the dining room. Cynthia had taken up refuge in the large balcony alone, leaning against the railing and staring off into the distance.

Ash wanted to know why she had separated from the others and also thought that this might be the best time to talk to her about what he noticed in the dining room. He got up and moved towards the Sinnoh Champion in the balcony. As he drew closer to her, he couldn't help but sense a sullen feeling in her aura. He raised his hand when he got close to her.

" **Hey Cynthia,"** he said as he tapped her shoulder from behind.

Cynthia jumped a bit since she was deep in thought and was startled. She turned around about to yell, not noticing who it was even from his voice, thinking it was Lance again who made her jump. But when she saw it was Ash, she stopped herself in time, though it left her mouth slightly open.

" **Sorry,"** said Ash as he rubbed the back of his head and Cynthia closed her mouth.

" **It's alright,"** replied Cynthia. " **Just don't do that again. Scared the crap out of me,"** she muttered and Ash chuckled a bit.

" **Sorry. I noticed you were all alone and I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you're alright,"** said Ash. Cynthia raised her eyebrows in response.

" **Check up on me?"** She shook her head in amusement. **"You're the one with so much on your mind and you're checking on me. Now that's funny."** She laughed a bit as Ash smiled. **"I'm fine thank you. I'm just thinking about everything you said."** As Cynthia spoke, she and Ash both leaned against the railings to stare out into the distance while they stood next to each other with some space between them.

" **Well yea,"** replied Ash. **"I do have a lot on my mind, though I'll be fine but you're here alone outside. Granted, it's a great view to look at, even at night but I think it's more enjoyable when you share it with someone. Loneliness is a killer especially when you have a lot of thoughts on your mind."**

Cynthia turned her head to look at him, surprised at his words. She noticed his face was filled with sadness and she could tell that the past few years had aged him from the inside. She remembered Ash being oblivious to everything around him besides Pokémon and battles, a happy go lucky kid who only thought positively. But now, he had matured and knew that things weren't always so great.

 _He sure has changed_ , she thought. _He's still the same but grown. More mature and more aware of what the world truly holds. I barely got a glimpse of his eyes and they used to hold such passion and enthusiasm. They still do but they now also hold worry. I've never seen that in his eyes before. Has his solitude for three years changed him that much?_

" **Hey, are you alright?"** asked Ash softly, since she went very quiet. His question snapped her out of her thoughts.

" **Oh y-yea. Just thinking about some things,"** she replied back. **"And thanks by the way."** Ash looked at her. **"For telling Diantha and everyone else to respect my wishes to keep my secret a secret."** She went red saying that and though Ash noticed it, he didn't comment on it. But he decided now would be a good time to ask her something that was on his mind.

" **No need for thanks but you're welcome."** Cynthia smiled and so did Ash. **"Cynthia, can I ask you something?"**

" **A-ah, sure. What is it?"** She was thrown off guard by his sudden question and looked at him.

" **Why did you give me that look back in the dining room?"** asked Ash. He thought he knew what it was but he had to make sure. When Cynthia went crimson and looked away, he knew he was right.

" **W-what do you m-mean Ash?"** whispered Cynthia, not facing him.

" **You know what I'm talking about Cynthia,"** replied Ash calmly as he kept looking at her. Slowly, Cynthia turned her reddened gaze to face him and their eyes made contact. This was the first time that Ash actually noticed her grey eyes from so close and it stunned him, making him take in a sharp breath. He had not seen anything of the like just as Cynthia was immobilized by his caring and passionate brown eyes. She had always pictured his eyes first when she thought of him.

" **I think you figured it out already,"** answered Cynthia quietly.

She turned her head away again, not wanting him to see how embarrassed she was. Even though she was a few years older than Ash, she hadn't been in a serious relationship. Of course she had gone out on some dates with a few guys before but each one was the same. At first they were great, trying to impress her, take care of her and show her around. But soon they were listening to others, about her wearing the pants in the relationship, they were all too intimidated by her title and decided to treat her without respect in order to regain their dominance over her. As soon as that happened, she would call things off and move on.

Going through that a few times had made her a bit weary around the opposite sex and since she hadn't run into anyone who might be different, she decided to just focus on becoming stronger. She wasn't used to someone being respectful of her and mindful of her wishes but when she ran into Ash, she couldn't help but feel things for him since that was the type of man he was, even at such a young age. He was respectful, enthusiastic, showed potential, cared about others and passionate about pokémon. Of course she didn't say or do anything back then because he was barely in his mid teenage years, she was already an adult in the law's eyes and she wasn't sure of her feelings back then.

Now however, they were both adults, she knew how she felt and he had figured it out. She was quiet, waiting patiently for him to say something, her head still turned away from him. After what seemed like too long of time to her even though it was just a couple of minutes, he finally spoke.

" **Yea, I did figure it out."** The blonde Champion looked at him when she heard his voice, which was filled with sorrow and saw his face was also crestfallen. It both confused her and angered her.

" **Why are you sad after finding out I have feelings for you? Is it that horrible of a thing to hear?! Am I not attractive enough for you? Am I too old for you? Am I not worthy of the great Aura Guardian?"** she asked angrily, remembering all the times she was hurt before in the past as the images of it flashed across her mind's eye.

" **That's not it,"** replied Ash softly, keeping eye contact.

" **Then what is it!?"** demanded Cynthia, her eyes blazing.

Ash sighed as he looked down. After a moment he faced her, locking eyes with her, making Cynthia's heart beat faster even though she was angered. He was about to answer her when they heard a shout.

" **Food's ready!"** yelled out Leaf to them as she walked into the balcony, making Lucario and Gardevoir wake up startled from their sleeping positions. **"Is something wrong?"** asked Leaf as she noticed the angered look on the Champion and the sullen one on the Aura Guardian. The two pokémon glanced at the two as well, sensing their emotions and aura were all jumbled up.

" **No, everything is alright Leaf. We'll join you shortly,"** replied Cynthia calmly. Leaf nodded, deciding not to get involved this time and left. Cynthia turned to Ash and gave him a hard look as she thought something; _I can't wait anymore. I need to know._ **"I want an answer before I leave tonight."**

Not waiting for a response, Cynthia left Ash on the balcony, with a determined yet graceful walk. Ash watched her leave with great sadness on his face. Lucario and Gardevoir went up to him and stood on either side of him. He glanced at his loyal pokémon and forced a smile on his face.

" **You don't have to do that with us. We can sense the sorrow. What happened?"** asked Gardevoir while rubbing his back and he shook his head.

" **Master, let's go join the others for the meal. They are no doubt waiting for you. After the meal, there is something I must tell you…and your mates,"** said Lucario.

Ash looked at the aura pokémon before nodding and the trio went inside and joined the others around the two tables in the dining room. Ash woke up Pikachu so he can join them. Soon, the only sounds they heard were people eating and utensils hitting plates and bowls as they all enjoyed the incredible cooking of the eight chefs. Brock, Cilan, Cress, Chili, Delia, Caroline, Johanna and Grace were told over and over of their incredible skill. Ilene and Charles both commended their cooking and told them that they could be chefs in their own personal restaurants but they polity declined the offer, saying they like being able to do as they please when they cook. Once the meals were finished, they all stayed in their seats to relax a bit as they made some small talk. Feeling like he had finally relaxed and needed some time to think about some stuff and to speak with Lucario, Ash stood up, an action that caught everyone's attention.

" **Thanks for dinner guys, it was great,"** praised Ash. **"Please excuse me."**

Ash moved out of the dining room to his bedroom with Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir following after him. He entered it after closing the door and had Gardevoir send a mental message to the four girls to join him in the room. A few minutes later, as he was pacing up and down in his room while pondering, his bedroom door was opened and Misty, Dawn, Serena and May walked in with concerned looks.

" **Ash, why'd you call us? Is everything alright?"** asked May who stopped him. He looked into her blue eyes and shook his head.

" **I don't think so May. Lucario said he has something to tell us and there is something I have to tell you too,"** replied Ash. The five of them, Pikachu and Gardevoir faced the aura pokémon who nodded and gestured to the king size bed for them to sit and they did.

" **Master, what I'm going to tell you now, I haven't had a chance to explain to you yet but since you went through it today, it is the best time to tell you,"** said Lucario.

" **Are you talking about what happened to me at the field?"** asked Ash and Lucario nodded.

" **Yes Master. That aura dome that appeared when you were lost in anger and frustration is actually called the Guardian's Shield. It is one of the ultimate defensive moves for an Aura Guardian. It only comes out when the Guardian is under great stress and feels he is vulnerable and scared. None can get through it…"**

" **If it's supposed to be impassable, how were we able to get through?"** interrupted Dawn.

" **I'm getting to that Lady Dawn. It is impenetrable to all. Except for those who have true love on their side,"** revealed Lucario.

" **True love?"** asked Ash and the five looked at one another a bit confused but their attention went back to Lucario who started speaking again.

 **"Yes Master. Remember when Lady Mew bestowed the knowledge of Aura onto me? She also imparted the Lore of the Guardians along with the Lore of Aura to me. The Guardian's Shield is impenetrable to all except for those who truly love the Guardian and the Guardian loves in return. It was made that way as an exit strategy so to speak in case the Guardian went overboard in his defense. It was made that only those who truly cared and loved the Guardian and the Guardian loved and cared for them in return, would be able to overcome the defenses as they would do so in order to help the Guardian."** They understood what Lucario said and Ash began apologizing about that but the four girls and his pokémon quickly accepted and told him to not worry about it before Lucario continued. **"When that happened to you today, everyone tried to push through the dome to reach you. Nobody could…except for a handful. They were Ladies Misty, May, Dawn and Serena."** Ash turned to the four and thanked them for what they did and the four girls replied saying it was their pleasure to help him. Lucario hesitated but knew he must continue. But then Ash thought of something.

 **"But Lucario, how come my mom wasn't able to get through? I love and care for her and I'm pretty sure she loves and cares about me too. Or doesn't she?"** asked Ash becoming sullen suddenly and the girls rubbed his back to comfort him.

 **"No, of course she loves and cares about you Master,"** chuckled Lucario. **"The love I'm talking about isn't between family members or friends…but the love between mates,"** clarified Lucario and the raven haired guardian and the girls understood. The girls then glanced at each other, knowing what was coming but kept quiet. Lucario sighed before continuing. **"Master…they weren't the only ones as there were four others as well but only one of those four was able to reach the center where you were along with them and you know who I'm talking about,"** revealed the aura canine and Ash's jaw dropped. Silence followed for a moment before Ash began to laugh.

" **This has all got to be a joke. Yea, good one Lucario. You almost had me,"** chuckled Ash. When nobody else joined him, he slowly stopped. **"Ah, why aren't you guys laughing too?"**

" **Because it's true Ash,"** replied May as she looked at him.

" **What?! What do you mean?!"** asked Ash as he got up from the bed and looked at them all.

" **I wouldn't lie to you or joke about something like this, Master. When you were in the Guardian's Shield, the four girls pushed through to reach you. Shortly after they entered the shield, the others tried but were unsuccessful. However, Ladies Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia were able to enter and push through a bit before three of them were prevented from going any further after taking some steps. Those three were Ladies Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia. The fourth, Lady Leaf, was able to follow after Ladies Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. The five of them reached you in the center and were able to calm you down to stop the Guardian's Shield,"** revealed Lucario.

" **So…so is that why Leaf was able to be there at the end along with Misty, Dawn, May and Serena? I only remember going crazy and then the hug at the end…Wait, does that mean what I think it means?"** asked Ash as he fixed his gaze on Lucario.

" **It means two different things Master and please, all of you don't interrupt me as I explain it. It means that Ladies Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia have feelings for you, perhaps even love you and it seems you have some feelings for them in return as well. And the second thing, in Lady Leaf's case, it seems you have given her your heart already like you have done with Ladies Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. If you hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to reach you, no matter how much she loved you. There needs to be feelings on both sides at least to be able to even get a foot in the shield. That is why the other three weren't able to go all the way to reach you as you haven't developed stronger feelings for them…yet,"** explained Lucario.

When Lucario finished explaining, the others were dumbstruck. Lucario was waiting in silence to see how the five would handle this new bit of information but was ready to jump in if it turned ugly. The four girls were lost in thought before being snapped out of it a moment later.

" **NO!"** shouted Ash suddenly, getting up and making the others jump. **"This doesn't make sense! I mean, I liked Leaf when we were young before I started my journey but she didn't wait and left me! You saw my memories! And I'm pretty sure she never liked me before. And even if it is true, and she does love me now, somehow, for some reason, how can I still love her? I haven't seen her for years and we haven't done anything together! Why? And how could I have feelings for the other three? They are great girls sure, but still. This can't be. I won't betray you four! I love you! Only you! I will not mess up the love between us again! I will not let this become tarnished and lose being with you!"**

He clutched his hair and shook his head, looking like he went mad. Before he was able to do anything else, the four girls shot up and pulled him down to the floor with them. They made him sit on the floor with the four beside him.

" **It's alright Ash. It's alright,"** said the four over and over softly to calm him down. The five stayed like that for a few minutes before Ash finally calmed down a little.

" **We know Ash, we know,"** said Misty softly, seeing that he relaxed a bit. **"We know you'll never betray us. You acting like this proves that. But you cannot deny that you have feelings for them. Just like we cannot deny that we love you."**

" **But I can't!"** shot Ash. **"I can't have feelings for the others! And I can't love her and she can't love me! I haven't thought about her since my journey started and we just randomly met at this tournament after such a long time. How could I love someone or have feelings for someone without even knowing I feel that way? How could I?"**

" **The heart is a strange thing Ash,"** whispered Dawn as she kept her hold on him. **"You're feelings for her could have been buried deep within you and you could have forgotten about them."**

" **She's right Ash,"** added May. **"Having her around may have brought them back but maybe you just haven't noticed them yet."**

" **Ah…this…no…I just don't want to betray you four! This can't be happening to me! This can't be true! I don't want to be some kind of…of…I don't even know! First I scare you with the Guardian's Shield and then tell you about the darkness that is coming…and now I find out that I still love Leaf after all these years? And I caught the hearts of three others and I have feelings for them?! What kind of an asshole monster am I that I didn't even realize all this?!"** sobbed Ash as he looked down again.

" **Stop that right now Ash!"** snapped Misty angrily. She cupped his sullen face with her hands and made him look at her. **"You're not a monster. You're not betraying us. You're not an asshole. You care, you love and you protect. You are the noblest man I've ever met and I bet in the world. You are a gentleman and an Aura Guardian. You are the love of my life, the love of May's life, the love of Dawn's life and the love of Serena's life. If it's true about the others, we will go through it together."**

" **But how can this be?"** asked Ash, his eyes locked onto hers. **"I haven't traveled around the world with them. I haven't saved people or fought against bad people with them, except maybe with Cynthia but still, that was only once. Leaf broke the promise between us to travel together when we start our pokémon adventure. How can I still love her? How can she love me? How can my heart love another at all? And the other three? How could I even have any feelings for them? You…"** Ash raised his hand and caressed Misty's right cheek, who enjoyed the feeling greatly, resting her head against his strong yet gentle hand. **"Misty…you, May, Dawn, Serena..."** As he said each girl's name, he looked at them and caressed their cheek too, each loving the feeling. **"I know I love each of you with all of my heart, not just a part of it. I have given my entire heart to each of you. You each are perfect. We have gone through so much together. Each of you has helped me become the man I am now. Each of you was there for me when I needed you. So tell me, how can this be possible? How could I have given another my heart as well when we haven't done anything together? And why would the others give me theirs in return? How can they have feelings for me and how could I have feelings for them too? It just doesn't make sense. Why? Why do they like me? And why do I like them?"** Ash lowered his hands and looked at the four girls with saddened eyes. The girls were quiet for a while before Serena broke the silence.

" **Because you are special Ash. And they like you because of who you are and it's not your fault. You're incredible and you just pull people to you like a magnet. You're different from everyone and that's what makes people want to be around you or like you. It's not hard to see why they have feelings for you. And honestly, they're not bad girls,"** explained Serena kindly, ending it with a little joke to ease the tension as Ash listened to her.

" **Ash,"** started Misty and Ash turned to look into her cerulean blue eyes. **"We may never know the true answer but Serena is probably right. And do you remember what I told you when we had our date together? I love you no matter what. I don't care if I have to share you with other girls or not, but as long as your with me in my life, I don't care about anything else. Because I know you love me, respect me, you're honest with me, care about me and want the best for me. And that's all I want from the man I love and don't care about anything else,"** finished Misty.

" **Mist, I…"** Ash couldn't speak. He was beyond astonished. Here he was thinking they would hate him and despise him for making four other girls have feelings for him. That he had feelings for them in return and somehow he was in love with one of them too, though he didn't know how or why. Yet he was wrong as they didn't care. **"You truly don't care if I do somehow love Leaf? If she loves me? If she joins the group? If I have feelings for the others and they me?"** he asked her.

" **No I don't. For I know something important. We all do,"** said Misty as she pointed at herself, Dawn, May and Serena. **"We've learned that no matter how many girls love you or you love back…you'll love each of us fully with all your heart, not just a part of it and you'll treat each of us equally great. That's the only reason why this even worked out between the five of us in the first place."**

When Misty said that, he looked at her. He then looked at Dawn, May and Serena who nodded with a smile when he glanced at them. He didn't know what to do or say so he hung his head and thought hard. The girls gave him time to think over what he just heard. A little while later, Ash looked up at them.

" **Misty, May, Dawn, Serena…I don't know what someone should say after something like this so I'm just going to go with my heart,"** said Ash and the girls smiled and nodded. **"When I first told you about my father messing me up, my feelings and how I knew about your feelings for me, we had agreed to take turns dating to see who has a stronger bond and if we really wanted this between us. It seems that plan is outdated since I already knew from the beginning and I'm sure you all already knew too, even though only two dates have happened so far."** The girls smiled even wider as their eyes filled up with water. They knew what he was going to say and they were thinking the same thing earlier but they wanted to hear him say it. **"I told you I couldn't choose one over the other before and I still can't and I never will. I knew this before but I wanted each of you to see if this is what you wanted too. The attack on the stadium, my memories and my nightmare has proven that I love each of you with all my heart and not only want, but need you in my life. I will never stop loving and caring for each of you. That I know is true and pure no matter what happens. I am ready to let everyone and anyone know who I love and who I am with. I don't care what happens in the future, but as long as you four are with me, I know that I can handle whatever life throws at me. And I can only hope that you four each feel the same about me."**

Ash hung his head again as silent tears escaped from his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. The girls exchanged soft glances at one another before smiling. Misty moved forward with her hand outstretched and raised Ash's head so they could look into one another's eyes. Misty leaned in and pressed her lips onto Ash's. Her soft kiss relaxed him before she pulled away. Before Ash could say anything, Dawn's lips were on his, making him feel amazing. She soon pulled away and Serena moved in. This time Ash was ready and he cupped one side of her face as they kissed and when she withdrew for May to take her place, he did the same to her but put his other hand in her hair. After May finished and separated, Ash looked like a new man.

" **Thank you girls for helping me stand after I fall…again. I love you now and forever,"** said Ash.

" **I love you too Ash,"** said the four together, making Ash smile.

" **I still can't believe this. I really don't think I deserve any of you,"** he said softly. May smacked him upside his head, making him yelp out in pain.

" **Enough wallowing in self pity Ketchum!"** snapped the brunette.

" **Otherwise I'll mallet you into the ground!"** warned Misty as she took out her mallet from nowhere.

" **Okay, alright!"** said Ash quickly shielding himself with his hands. **"How do you do that Mist?!"** asked Ash in amazement when they calmed down and Misty returned her mallet to her secret place.

" **You'll never know,"** said Misty with a smile on her face and they all chuckled.

" **So what do I do now?"** asked Ash.

" **Nothing. The right moment will present itself for Leaf, Anabel and Sarah. Just do what you always do. And do the same with Cynthia,"** said Serena and Ash nodded but then gasped.

" **I just remembered something I have to tell you."**

" **What is it?"** asked Dawn. Ash looked at her before looking at May, Misty and Serena.

" **After I told you everything back in the dining room, when everyone got up to vow to help, I noticed something. Cynthia, Leaf, Anabel and Sarah all gave me the same look you four did as we traveled together. That look that I pretended to not see, I noticed them giving it to me just now. At first I didn't understand why, but now I know. And there's one more thing…"**

" **What's the one more thing?"** asked Misty.

" **When everyone was waiting for the food, I took a nap on the couch but when I woke up, I noticed Cynthia in the balcony alone. I went to ask her if she was alright and after some small talk, I asked her why she gave me that look."**

" **You asked her that?"** asked a surprised May. **"Why?"** Ash looked at her.

" **I had to May. I couldn't make the same mistake as before and I needed to be sure. When she confirmed that she liked me and asked me what I thought of her, I was about to tell her that I couldn't return the feelings because I would never betray you four. But then Leaf interrupted us by saying food was ready at that moment. Before I could continue, Cynthia told me that she wants an answer before she leaves tonight and left me to go to the dining room."**

" **Wow. Never heard of anyone thinking about rejecting Cynthia before,"** whispered Dawn, absolutely amazed that he was going to reject one of the most beautiful and talented girls in the world for them. **"And you were going to do that for us?"**

" **Of course I was,"** replied Ash, making the four girls' hearts flutter. **"Like I said before, she wasn't there with me throughout my journeys. But I don't know what to do now after what Lucario said about the Guardian's Shield, true love, my feelings and what you said. I'm so confused. I don't want to break anyone's heart but I don't want to be an asshole by stringing someone along and I don't want to hurt you four ever. Please, tell me what I should do?"**

The girls were stunned that he was asking them to make a life choice for him, one that could affect not just them, but four others as well. The four girls glanced at one another before facing Ash, who had a hopeless look plastered on his face. He really was lost and didn't know what to do. The four girls sighed and nodded at one another.

" **Ash,"** started Serena, making him look at her. **"There's something you should know. We kind of knew that Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia had crushes on you but we didn't know just how badly they liked you until now. And did you really not notice how they felt about you until now?"**

" **Well thanks for keeping me updated,"** said Ash sarcastically and the girls giggled a little in response. " **I know I said I noticed your hints and looks in the past but that's because I liked you too. I haven't really paid attention to other girls' behavior as we traveled in the past as my attention was almost always on you four. So I really didn't notice other girls and didn't really know if any other girl liked me or not,"** admitted Ash.

" **So that's why,"** remarked May, understanding what happened in the past finally. **"Anyways, when we found out about that, we spoke together and at the end of it, we agreed that if something happened that showed that they truly do care about you and that if you have feelings for them too, even if it was just a little bit, that you should give it a shot. They were willing to risk their lives to help you and were able to get in the shield so that is something that showed proof of how they feel. So if Cynthia is asking you how you feel about her, just be honest with her. If you feel that it may be something, give it a chance."**

" **Are you serious?"** asked Ash in disbelief.

" **What have we been talking about for a while now Ash?!"** asked Dawn, slightly annoyed.

" **I know, I know but it's not every day that something happens like this. And I don't want to mess up anything between us,"** said Ash.

" **We know Ash. But don't worry, you won't and we trust you and love you. We know you'll never betray us. But we do ask one thing though,"** said Misty.

" **Of course. Anything,"** replied Ash instantly.

" **If you do want to give it a shot between you, Cynthia, Leaf, Anabel and Sarah, that's fine. Just let us know in advance. And before anything else happens, we need to finish up the dates and we need to tell our families that the five of us are officially together before they get involved. And we get along now but we need to make sure we still click after with them if they join. If they can't deal with the group thing, the rules and if they try something behind our backs, they're out. Sound fair to you?"** asked Dawn.

" **Of course Dawn,"** replied Ash with his trademark goofy smile.

That made the four girls tackle him on the spot to the ground and the five hugged each other tightly, not wanting to let go. Ash gave each of the four girls a passionate kiss that made each of them feel as if they were in heaven and the raven haired guardian felt like he could defeat the Pokémon Master with ease. Well that's if he could find him. They separated and helped each other up, smiling at one another.

" **I can't believe this is happening,"** said Ash and the four girls giggled. **"Well, I guess we should go join the others and I'll let Cynthia know before she leaves once I figure some stuff out. Thank you all for understanding, being open and for helping me. I don't know where I would be without you guys. And before we head back out, Serena, you're up next aren't you for the dates?"**

" **Hey, you're right,"** replied Serena with a grin, happy that it was her turn.

" **Good. Tomorrow is our day together then and after my date with May the next day or day after, we'll let everyone know that we are together officially. It'll be something to keep our families minds off of the bad stuff too."**

The girls smiled and nodded in agreement before the five enjoyed a brief group hug they separated, the four girls left the room to allow him time to think and the three pokémon sat around the room. It took some time for Ash to figure out how he felt about Cynthia and left his room. When he entered the living room, he saw that the Champions and Goodshow were standing near the door speaking with his and the girls' parents. Most everyone had gathered round to say their goodbyes. When they saw Ash move towards them, they ended their conversation and Goodshow stepped to him.

" **I just wanted to say thank you for taking up such a noble cause and don't worry about the future for now. Not that you need it, but good luck with the tournament. You're next match will be updated soon and we'll send you a message personally on your Poketch. Let me get your number please."**

Ash thanked him and they exchanged numbers. After that, Goodshow bade them all goodnight and left, with the Champions following after they too, bade everyone a good night. Cynthia didn't leave but stood by the door, her attention on Ash. He moved towards her and gestured to join him in the hallway. As the two did that, some of the group gathered around the TV and watched a movie that Gary had put on while some went to bed as it was beginning to get late. After closing the door, Ash and Cynthia looked at one another, standing in front of the elevator doors.

" **Well?"** asked Cynthia as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her foot. For being so angry, she was still able to pull off a very hot look. Ash was momentarily stunned by her attractive pose and when he came out of his trance, he rubbed the back of his head before he spoke.

" **I'm going to be honest with you Cynthia; when you asked me why I was sad at the balcony, it was because I thought I was going to end up breaking your heart because I couldn't give you what you wanted."** Hearing that made Cynthia's lips quiver and her heart beat wildly but she didn't let herself react any further than that. **"But then Leaf interrupted us and allowed me to find out some things that I'll explain to you later when the moment is right. Those things helped me realize how I feel about you after I thought long and hard about this. You're a beautiful girl Cynthia. You're wise and caring. You're a strong battler and you have a good head on your shoulders. I think you're a great person and from past experiences together, you're someone I could trust with my life."**

As he said all that, he kept eye contact. His brown eyes and her grey ones were peering straight into each other, making the Sinnoh Champion feel many different things go through her as she listened to his words. She didn't miss how he was stunned by her pose, but she still kept up her tough exterior. But not for long as she couldn't help it; his softly spoken words, his eyes gazing at her, the way he complimented not just her looks, but the type of person she is, it was too much. Her tough exterior crumbled as she lowered her arms to her sides and stopped tapping her foot. She took a step towards him when he finished but still had her guard up. Her past experiences were still bugging her.

" **So what does that mean?"** she asked him.

" **It means that you are an incredible girl to get to know more personally. And I would want to have that chance if you'll give it to me. But only if you agree to a couple things."**

" **Agree to a couple things?"** she asked with her eyes narrowing.

" **Yes. As you know, I love the four girls Cynthia. I have for a long time. I will never betray them in any shape or form and I will never leave them. So if you do want this, if you do have feelings for me, if you do want to see where things can go between us, you would have to share me with them as they do with each other…and who knows what will happen in the future. And nothing can start with us until after I finish my date days with Serena and May and we tell their families that the five of us are officially together."** Ash stopped for a moment to see if Cynthia was still following. Her full attention was on him so he decided to continue. **"Until that happens, if you can be patient enough for that, then we can give it a shot. I also don't keep secrets from them, not anymore and I won't ever lie to them again. Regarding that, I can also promise the same to you; no lies, no secrets, treated equally and fairly between the girls. And you're free to leave if and when you want the moment you find this isn't what you want or your feelings aren't what you believed them to be. This is what I can offer you for the time being. And I promise I will do the same. If that seems reasonable to you, if that's something that you would want, then great. If not, I'm sorry if I caused you any hurt or pain and for not being able to make your hope come true as I will not leave them ever,"** finished Ash, taking a deep breath after since he talked so much.

Cynthia couldn't believe it. She wasn't expecting anything like this and she had never experienced something like this. Here he was, telling her exactly how things would be if she did wanted to pursue it. He wasn't hiding, playing games or anything of the sort. And he wasn't bowing down to her, catering to her every whim like others have done and would've. Instead he was standing for himself and telling her how things are going to be. That what she saw, was what she was going to get. The other thing was that she knew how almost everyone pictured her as a trophy to be had, that they would give up anything and everything to have her. But not him as he was treating her as just another person. She kept thinking that he was different and unique from the first time she met him and this just proved that. She felt drawn to him before but now she knew that she wanted and needed him. She had finally found her Mr. Right and she was not going to let him slip from her hands over her ego. If the girls could share him, then she could do it too. She closed the distance between the two and gazed into his caring brown eyes before she spoke.

" **I agree to all that but only if you answer my question truthfully,"** replied Cynthia. She took a deep breath before asking her question. **"Do you truly have feelings for me?"**

" **As I said before, I won't lie to you. I just recently realized them after the event in the field. I will let you know the full details of how I was led to figure them out in the future, but for now, the short answer is yes; I do have feelings for you. I'm sorry for being dense and not realizing it sooner,"** answered Ash with a smile. Cynthia looked into his eyes before she commented back after seeing that he was being genuine.

" **That's all I wanted to know,"** said Cynthia with a smile as her eyes watered.

She hugged him tightly, throwing her arms around his neck and he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her back. She didn't know why and she didn't care to know, but she felt that they were supposed to be together and she felt complete with him. She rested her head against his shoulder since they were almost the same height, both of them taller than most of the others with him slightly taller than her. She felt his toned body, feeling much comfort and warmth from it as she let joyful tears escape from her eyes. Ash felt himself heat up from feeling her curvy yet lean body pressed against his. After a moment, she lifted her head and looked at him, wanting to say something but couldn't. Ash wiped away her tears from her cheeks and Cynthia felt herself blush from his gentle touch. He then leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her lips that sent electricity through them both before separating.

" **I hope that kiss can keep you patient enough,"** said Ash while chuckling a bit. Cynthia smiled at him before hugging him again.

" **I will wait as long as it takes, knowing that you want it too,"** admitted Cynthia in a whisper.

They separated after a moment, gazing into one another's eyes once more, which told each other everything they wanted to say before they bade each other goodnight as Cynthia entered the elevator. As she headed downstairs, she felt breathless and weak kneed, as if she had just run a marathon. She leaned against the elevator wall and closed her eyes, taking deep breathes.

" **Finally…something good has happened for once. Things are starting to look up,"** she whispered to herself, the corners of her mouth curling up into a large smile.

Ash stood in the hallway for a moment before heading back inside the suite. Some of his friends glanced at him from the living room and his mom spoke up.

" **What was that all about?"** Delia asked her son, noticing that it was a good while they were outside.

" **Don't worry about it Mom. She's just worried about what's coming in the future,"** replied Ash as he gave her a small smile. The four girls voiced their agreement over what he said so others would not ask questions and Ash smiled at them and tilted his head towards his room to the four who understood. **"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go sleep. I'm tired out already."**

" **Okay sweetie, that's no problem. Have a goodnight,"** replied Delia as she kissed his forehead.

" **Thanks Mom. Goodnight everyone."**

After he wished them all a goodnight, he went to his room, meeting up with Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu who were speaking with one another. A couple minutes later, Misty, Dawn, Serena and May entered the room. They sat on the bed and the four girls and the three pokémon looked at Ash, waiting for him to tell what happened.

" **I told Cynthia that I do have feelings for her and she agreed to our special circumstance and will wait until after we do the dates. And she was crying a bit in the end and I didn't want her to be so sad so I gave her a quick goodnight kiss to cheer her up and that was it. I hope that was alright,"** said Ash as he covered himself up as best he could while standing.

The four girls giggled silently at his action and got up to go to him. They reached him and gently lowered his hands before they each gave him a quick peck on the cheek, telling him that it's okay and they were appreciative of him being honest with them. He smiled at them before letting them know that he was going to take a shower. The four girls left his room after bidding him goodnight. Lucario and Gardevoir requested to go back to the island and he returned them while Pikachu hopped into his own bed as he stepped into his master bathroom to shower. He took a little longer than usual since he enjoyed the water against his skin, since it was a good while from his last shower and thought about what he just found out about Cynthia, Anabel, Sarah and Leaf.

 _I can't believe that they have feelings for me. And I can't believe that the girls are okay with it. How is this even happening? Why do they all have such strong feelings for me? I'd probably end up killing myself trying to figure that out, probably better to just let it go. I wonder how things are going to become. Shit, I wonder how the parents and the others are going to feel and react about this when we tell them. That is something I'm not looking forward to at all. Probably another Norman Maple beating being taken but I can handle that. I don't know if I can handle the mothers or Misty's sisters though. That's a completely different story. But I guess I do like them. I mean, how else would they be able to get through the shield? My aura can't lie or falter in things like that. Hmmm…why would I have feelings for them? They are great girls. They're each attractive, smart, good trainers, have good personalities and are good friends. I guess I just never noticed that before since I was too focused on Misty, Dawn, Serena and May._

He pondered about his feelings for Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah as he rinsed out the shampoo from his hair. When he started to use body wash, he started to think about Leaf.

 _Cynthia was a big surprise but the biggest surprise is Leaf. After all that happened between us, I can't believe she loves me and I still love her somehow. We were close when we were younger but she started to drift away the closer we got to getting our starter pokémon. She would hang out more often with Gary and they would team up and pick on me and prank me. She even broke her promise with me. It was a long time ago sure but it still hurt. But now she loves me…Why? Could it be because I helped her out and then saved her life? Could it be because we spent some time together in a friendly way after so many years apart? Could it be because I've grown and she sees me differently now? And why do I still have feelings for her? Could it be like the girls said? That they were buried too deep and I didn't realize it until recently? I did get mad when she was almost killed. She is my friend after all. And she is beautiful. She's independent. She goes after what she wants. Is that why my feelings returned for her and I still love her?_

Ash continued thinking about his very unusual situation as he finished up showering and got out. He wrapped a towel around his waist after drying his body and grabbed a smaller towel to dry his hair. As he dried his hair, he stepped out of his bathroom and walked towards his bed where he had placed his clothes to wear before getting in the shower.

" **Man, why does everything have to be so complicated?"** asked Ash out loud to no one in particular.

" **What's so complicated Ash?"** asked a sweet voice.

Ash jumped in surprise and that almost made his towel around his waist fall down but he caught it quickly and held it up. He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed that Serena was in the room with her pink night gown, which he now noticed was also semi transparent.

" **S-Serena?! What are you doing here?!"** asked Ash as he barely kept his towel up. Serena was red faced as she giggled so hard she had trouble breathing.

" **I came to s-say g-goodnight. I-I'm s-sorry Ash!"** giggled Serena, trying to stop but couldn't. Ash was getting embarrassed as his face flushed but he quickly got an idea to turn the tables on her.

" **Would you mind turning around while I put on some clothes or would you like a sneak peek?"** asked Ash with a smirk. It worked. Serena squeaked instantly and turned around, turning even redder. Chuckling to himself, Ash quickly put on his boxers and sweat pants while Serena had her back to him.

" **You're such a pervert Ketchum!"** cried Serena as she crossed her arms over her chest while she kept her back to him.

" **That's what Dawn said…though she did say she liked it,"** admitted Ash with a laugh.

Serena's eyes widened at hearing that but he didn't see. She was thinking what he could've done to make the flirtatious blunette call him that when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and drew her in to feel a sturdy and warm body press against her own.

" **ASH!"** Serena half shouted as she went crimson over what he did.

" **What? Should I not do this? You don't like this?"** asked Ash as he whispered softly into her ear.

Hearing him speak like that made Serena's heart flutter and turned her legs into jelly. She relaxed and leaned against him for some support and placed her hands on top of his. She turned her head slightly towards his face.

" **I don't like it…I love it,"** answered Serena in barely a whisper as she placed her lips against his.

As they kissed, they sunk into it and it soon erupted with such passion that Serena turned her body around and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. She pushed him towards the wall and then pressed him against it. She felt in control, dominant and she loved it. After a couple minutes of passionate kissing, Ash slid his hands down the sides of her body over her night gown, feeling her every curve, making her shiver in delight over his messaging. He then wrapped his arms around her lower back. He lifted her up like that, making her stop and squeal in surprise. He grinned at her reaction and carried her to the bed where he gently lowered her onto it.

" **I did say we'd continue later,"** reminded Ash and Serena grinned before they kissed again.

Serena felt his hands go up and down the side of her body and the feeling of his hands on her made her heat up. She loved the way he was making her feel and she began moving her hands on his back. She felt his strong back and when she stroked his spine, Ash shivered and hissed into her mouth, which made Serena feel even hotter. She grew bold and wanted to show she wasn't afraid to try new things so she plunged her tongue into his mouth. Feeling her tongue wrestle with his in his mouth, made Ash forget her teasing and go right back into it. They continued their passionate embrace and their hands were going all over each other. All of a sudden, Serena stopped and pulled away.

" **I'm so sorry Serena, I shouldn't have pushed you so far,"** apologized Ash when he saw her scared look.

" **It's not that Ash,"** replied Serena as she shook her head and held up her hand to signal him to wait.

She looked at Ash closely and now noticed it. The long scar that went diagonally from the right top of his chest to his stomach's left side, the bullet hole scar on his side and when she moved to look at his back, the shorter diagonal scar on his back going from his right shoulder blade to his spine. Serena softly brushed her finger against the scar on his back and the raven haired guardian felt himself shiver from her soft touch. The honey blonde haired girl's eyes began to water as she remembered him getting hurt to save her. She moved back to be in front of him and she brushed her hand over his chest scar as well. Her tears were now flowing freely from her eyes.

 _I can't believe I forgot about this. It must've hurt so badly but he's acting as if it's not even there. And I know why; he doesn't want others to worry about him!_

All this time, Ash stayed quiet and didn't move. He knew what she was doing and what she was focusing on. He knew that when the girls saw the scars that they would get concerned, saddened and would need time to adjust and get over it. After a few minutes, Serena looked at Ash, her wet eyes gazing into his as her lips were curled downwards into a frown.

" **You felt my scar on my back when we were making out didn't you?"** asked Ash softly.

" **Oh Ash!"** Serena cried out as she hugged him. She sobbed into his chest while he wrapped her up in his arms and placed his chin on top of her head. **"I'm so sorry!"**

" **Hey now, I told you it's not your fault. None of it is. Besides, I healed up all fine,"** said Ash.

" **I still feel responsible for it! When I felt the scar on your back, it reminded me of how you got hurt because of me!"**

" **Serena, look at me."** Ash waited for her to raise her head to look at him. It took a few minutes but she finally did. He looked into her eyes as he spoke. **"Serena, do you want to know what I remember when I happen to see my scars because of a mirror or reflection?"** She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. **"I remember being able to save you, that I was able to protect you. I don't care about the scars. I've gotten hurt a bunch of times. I'll probably get hurt in the future too. But I know I'll bounce back from them each time. The only things I won't be able to bounce back from would be if something happens to the ones I care about. So don't worry about it and remember it's not your fault."**

Ash gave her a smile before he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss and Serena sunk into it. He could feel her wet face with his lips from her crying and it gave him a slight salty taste but he didn't mind. She had felt so horrible when she felt the scar the first time and when she looked at them more closely, she felt her heart drop to her stomach as she thought of how much pain he must have been through. But what he said made her relax a bit and when he kissed her, she felt much better as she felt his love for her through his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he caressed her right cheek with one hand and ran his other through her hair.

Serena felt so good that when he gently pushed her to lie on the bed, she complied and he moved to be on top of her. Their tongues soon entered the fray and as they got a taste of each other again, their hands once again moved all over them. One of Ash's hands was in her hair and the other was rubbing her side all the way down to her bent leg and back up again. Serena loved his massaging and she had one hand on his chest, rubbing it in a circular motion while the other was going through his hair.

A couple minutes passed as they did this and they needed to breathe so they reluctantly separated. Ash and Serena moaned as they stopped and slowly opened their eyes to gaze passionately at one another. Serena tilted her head towards the pillows and Ash took it as a sign that they should stop and go to sleep. He smiled and nodded before moving off of her. He lied down on his back and Serena cuddled up against him, placing her head on his chest and moving her leg to be on top of his lower body after she brought up the blanket to cover them. She placed her arm over his chest and caressed his chest scar.

" **Does it hurt?"** she asked softly.

" **Not anymore,"** he answered.

" **How did it heal so quickly?"**

" **Lucario used Heal Pulse and a few of my other pokémon used their recovery moves to help as well."**

" **I see. And you're truly alright?"** she asked again though with a whisper.

" **Serena."** She looked up at him. **"I promise I'm fine. I won't lie to you ever. Will you promise to not worry about it anymore?"**

She smiled and nodded before giving him a kiss to seal the promise. Afterwards, she placed her head back onto his chest and placed her hand on top of his scar.

" **Goodnight my Protector,"** said Serena.

" **Goodnight my** **Divine Angel,"** said Ash.

Hearing her pet name for the first time made Serena gasp and look up at him. He smiled at her stunned look and she slowly got over her shock and smiled at him. She gave him a kiss once more filled with her love that sent a jolt through his body before she took up her position again. Ash hugged her tight for a moment before relaxing his grip on her under the covers and Serena hummed in appreciation over the tight hug.

The two soon fell asleep holding onto one another. After about twenty minutes, the door to the master bedroom was opened and a dark bluish purple haired woman in her thirties poked her head in the room as she whispered.

" **Serena? Are you here?"** whispered Grace.

She wanted to tell her daughter goodnight but when she went to her bedroom Serena wasn't there. She figured she might be here and so came to check. She didn't get a response so she stepped in and looked around. She immediately saw her daughter in bed with the raven haired guardian. She was about to scream when she saw that the young man didn't have a shirt on but then she saw her daughter's pink night gown over her shoulders since the covers had slipped down from their movements. She stopped herself in time and sighed. She observed the two when she got closer and saw that Serena was smiling in her sleep with her head and hand on his chest, over his scar and Ash had an arm around her with a happy look of his own on his face.

 _I guess they really are happy together. And they are adults now. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. The good thing is I know that he loves her and will protect her no matter what and that she loves him more than anything. That's all I want. I just hope they use protection as I don't think they're ready yet. Though I wouldn't mind becoming a grandmother I guess…_

Grace smiled a bit before she raised the covers onto them, making sure Serena's face wasn't covered and kissed her daughter's forehead. She heard a slight hum from her daughter that made her smile. She then looked at Ash. She lowered herself and whispered into his ear.

" **Please keep my daughter happy and safe,"** pleaded Grace before turning to leave. She then heard a quiet but strong voice reply back to her.

" **I promise."** She turned around and saw Ash awake and smiling at her. The way he was looking at her made Grace realize that she has nothing to worry about and that he would do whatever was necessary to protect her daughter and make sure she was happy.

" **Thank you…my future son in law,"** smiled Grace. She left the room to let them sleep peacefully.

Ash watched Grace leave before he lowered his view back at the beautiful honey blonde head that was on his chest. He thought about what Arceus said, if he was ready to take life to protect others. He then thought about the vision and the stadium attack.

" **I will protect you Serena. I will protect you and everyone else. If it comes down to it, I will even take life to make sure you are all safe. I will gladly taint my soul if it meant that the rest of you stay alive and safe. And if it costs my life to make sure of that, I will gladly make the exchange. I swear this and promise you have nothing to fear."** After Ash made his promise, he continued gazing at Serena. He kept his eyes on her until he too slowly drifted off to sleep.

 _ **A/N - Ash has finally told the full details on his mission and looks like everyone is on board. Some new couples are formed and secrets have been brought to light. The dates are back on and Ash had his eyes opened. The next chapter will introduce some new things and give some back story on certain people. As always, review please and if you haven't already, please favorite and follow! Thanks and take care!**_


	35. Chapter 35 - The Angel and Her Protector

**_A/N - What's up everyone? Here's another chapter for you all and I hope you all enjoy it! But first, here's an update on some things;_**

 ** _1\. The poll I have up will be left up for one more week before I close it. So let me know your choices if you haven't voted yet. You have until next Friday._**

 ** _2\. I'm astonished that I have accumulated over 44,500 views, have 196 reviews, 145 followers, 146 favorites and part of 5 communities. I can't believe how popular and how much everyone likes my story. It makes me believe that one day I may be able to reach my dream and actually publish a real book. Thanks for that!_**

 ** _3\. I wanted to let you know that the story will start having more drama, more mature themes (violence, language, sexual themes), will become a little darker and much more. I am getting it prepared for the things to come and there is much I have planned for. With this being the 35th chapter in, the tournament barely reaching its end and so much more left to be said, this story will not be finishing anytime soon. For those who love long good stories and those who were worrying that it may end soon, no need to worry. I will continue doing my absolute best to keep the quality of the story high as I continue on this._**

 ** _4\. Thanks to everyone's support, for your reviews and messages. I read over all my reviews over the past couple days and saw that I haven't heard from some people who used to share their thoughts/opinions. I would love to hear from you guys if you're still reading and even if you're not, as I miss ya guys/gals._**

 ** _Erazor Djinn - Thanks buddy for the review and compliments! You'll find out about the date between Serena and Ash in this chapter and the next tournament battle soon._**

 ** _Great - Wow, that means a lot to me that I caught your reading heart. Yes, Ragnarok is going to become a major character and he is going to make life hell for the Guardian. Lance has had a rough time at the tournament yes, and there are some things left to be said/done. Cynthia does have that vibe of being a jealous type, but I think she also has the reserved/guarded vibe too. It works well with how I pictured her past to be. The dating/relationship rules, the other girls finding out besides the main four...don't want to comment on that so not to spill anything. Ash having feelings for Leaf still...no he wasn't aware because of what was mentioned in the last chapter and like you repeated; it was buried too deep. His aura made the connection but his mind hadn't. About the five girl limit...all I can say is keep reading and you'll see what I have planned. This is going to cause some things to happen. Thanks for liking the chapters and hope to hear from you again!_**

 ** _Okay, with that done, time for the next chapter of "The Blue Spirit"!_**

 **WARNING! - There will be a LEMON near the end of this chapter. I won't say it again in the story as I feel it will take you out of the flow but there will be a build up to it and you'll notice it. Enjoy and remember to review, favorite and follow!**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 35 – THE ANGEL AND HER PROTECTOR

A large transport helicopter was flying over the Kanto Region, heading towards an unknown spot before going to their final destination, which was the Indigo Plateau. There was a single passenger along with the pilot, totaling two people. The pilot, who was wearing his uniform consisting of dark blue dress pants and white collared shirt, was making some chit chat with the red headed woman next to him, who was dressed in a black business suit and a white buttoned up blouse underneath the jacket with casual black dress shoes.

" **So looks like the boss is having you go on a mission again huh? It's been a while Tasha,"** said the pilot as her grinned at her.

" **That's right. And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that John?"** replied back the red headed woman as she glared at him with cold eyes.

" **About a million times. I told you that I won't stop calling you that until you admit that I'm the greatest pilot in the world…and that you like me Tasha,"** answered John as he turned his head to look at her.

He was so mesmerized by the sight of her, that he didn't notice the death glare she was giving him. He knew that no other woman could come close to her. She was perfect and not only to him, but to all. Her hour glass figure, her intelligence, her hair, the sound of her voice, the way she held herself…he and every other man that's ever come across her, hell even some women too, were stupefied by her. He knew that no man would be able to resist her, that whoever saw her, was hers. And he knew he was one of them. He also knew that she didn't care and would use that for her advantage. But he also knew how to push her buttons, having worked with her for so long.

" **My name is Natasha. Not Tasha. Understand John? You keep this up and I swear one of these days I'm going to kill you,"** replied Natasha without breaking from her cold stare at John, but he merely grinned back at her.

" **As long as you do it with your bare hands, I'll die happily. Maybe give me a night of pure bliss before that and I would gladly welcome it with open arms,"** said John as he faced forward again, his eyes losing focus as he daydreamed about it.

" **You truly are pathetic John,"** muttered Natasha to herself.

She sighed before she shook her head. She hated this type of attention she was given. She had worked hard to get where she was now; a top executive in a very powerful organization and even though everyone who she worked with knew she had earned it, they still saw her as an object because of her incredibly stunning looks. She even knew of the large pooled bet of who would be first to get her into bed that was made between the many members of the organization, including some of the other top executives. She hated it but didn't tell her boss about it, even though he probably knew about it since he was never out of the loop. Also because she used that to her benefit. She would use the people who made the bet to get them to do favors for her, letting them believe that she would return the favor one day, but she never did.

She glanced at her watch and the GPS navigation that was in the middle of the cockpit of the helicopter. They would be reaching their final destination by the end of the day as she had one other stop to make first. She smiled as she pulled out a book from her bag and opened it to where she had it saved and continued reading. John glanced at her before speaking once more.

" **Tasha,"** he started but waited until she looked at him with a glare before continuing. **"Since it's been a while that you've been on a mission, I have to tell you something. The group you're going to meet up with, that we're going to pick up first...I'm sure you know about them but I just wanted to say it as well; be careful around them. They may be the best, but are also the most ruthless and sadistic bastards we've ever worked with. Never let your guard down. I know you can take care of yourself but I just had to warn you."**

" **Thank you John but I got it covered,"** replied Natasha. **"And stop calling me Tasha!"** she yelled but he merely smiled and faced forward as she went back to her book.

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, at the very top where the master suite was located, a honey blonde haired girl and a raven haired young man were sleeping, cuddled together on a king sized bed in the master bedroom. They looked very happy together, with the girl's head resting on his chest, her arm wrapped over his stomach, hand over his scar and her leg placed over his lower body. The girl let out a small, content hum in her sleep, no doubt over a dream she was seeing that made her feel good. The man however, continued sleeping without being disturbed, his arm wrapped over the girl's body.

As usual, since she woke up earlier than them, a brunette girl poked her head through the master bedroom's doors after opening it just enough to do so, before waking up the sleeping couple for breakfast. Leaf eyed the two in the bed and felt glad for Ash that he was happy. She knew he deserved to be happy after witnessing everything he did in his memories and how Arceus had placed such a heavy burden on his shoulders but was jealous of Serena. She wished she was in Serena's place right now, cuddled up against him, feeling his body against hers. Her face reddened and she felt herself becoming hot all of a sudden, a result of thinking about being with him. She closed the door silently and took deep breathes, thanking Arceus that no one else was around to see her in such a state. When she finally calmed down, she knocked on the door loudly while shouting out to them.

" **Ash! Serena! Wake up for breakfast! And you don't have much time as it's nearly ready!"**

Ash and Serena woke up instantly from Leaf's shouting and they both chuckled a bit though for different reasons. For him, it was something he had gotten used to and felt it was somehow right to be woken up from her shouting. For her, it was the fact that it was still Leaf who was doing the waking up. When they stopped their laughing, the two looked at each other, a smile still on their faces.

" **Good morning my Divine Angel,"** said Ash.

" **Good morning my Protector,"** replied Serena.

They leaned in for a morning kiss before they separated. Serena got up first and stretched as Ash watched her do so. When she returned her gaze at him, she saw that his full attention was on her and it made her blush furiously, making him grin at her. He sat up and gave a passionate kiss, making her heart beat madly and her mind to go a thousand miles a minute. When their need for air overwhelmed their desires, they separated, looking into each other's eyes for a moment before getting up and heading towards the bathroom to wash up. As they washed up and brushed their teeth, they played around a bit, with her nudging him with her elbow and him splashing a bit of water from the faucet onto her face.

" **Hey! I'm going to get you back for that Ash!"** said Serena as she wiped off the water with her hands.

" **I'll be looking forward to it Serena. But you do know using a towel is easier right?"** asked Ash as he grabbed a towel and raised it.

" **Yes, of course I do! What, you think I'm-"** Serena never finished her sentence because Ash had gently applied the towel against her cheek and wiped off the water. She felt like she was going to faint because he had never done something like that for her before. As he finished drying her face, he let a charming smile appear on his face that made her breath quicken.

" **I know you do. I just wanted to do that for you,"** said Ash.

Seeing her still frozen, he chuckled and moved back to the bedroom to change and to pull out some clothes for her. Serena watched him take out the extra clothes for her and he began to get dressed. Before even she knew what she was doing, she moved to him. Ash spun around in time for her to tackle him to the floor and she smashed her lips against his, kissing him furiously, not wanting to ever stop. With him feeling the same, their passion erupted and their hands went all over. Unfortunately for them both, they didn't stop until they were interrupted when someone opened the door.

" **Serena honey, breakfast is ready. Aren't you…"**

Grace stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of her daughter Serena on top of Ash on the floor, both of them only half dressed. He barely had pants on but was unzipped and she was still in her night gown. Her hands were in his hair and he had one of his in hers as well but his other hand was on her rear, in mid squeeze. Both of them stopped as she barged in and turned their heads towards her with crimson red faces. An awkward and embarrassing silence was felt between the three before Grace snapped out of her shock and quickly left while telling them to get dressed and join them for breakfast.

" **She is never going to let me forget this,"** sighed Serena.

" **I bet. And I wasn't expecting anything like that from you,"** said Ash with a grin.

" **Shut up. You know you liked it,"** said Serena, slightly annoyed and a bit embarrassed over what she did but was smiling.

" **You know I did,"** he replied back as he squeezed her rear again, making her squeal. He then gave her a soft kiss, making her moan into his mouth before they separated. **"C'mon, let's get ready before someone else comes for us."**

They both laughed at that and got off the floor. They quickly dressed, with Serena wearing Ash's blue sweat pants and grey sweater and he wore a blue shirt along with his black pants. She tightened the sweat pants and let the sweater hang loosely over her shoulders. Ash glanced at Pikachu and saw he was still fast asleep in his own bed. He shook his head in disbelief before the duo walked to the door. They grasped each other's hands as they walked out and headed into the dining room.

At the sight of the two coming to join them and holding hands, they didn't get any cheers or whistles like when it was Misty and Dawn's turn. However, they were looking at the two with smirks on their faces. Ash and Serena instantly figured out that Grace had mentioned walking in on them on a passionate moment. They both blushed and sat down next to each other before grabbing some food. Before anyone could say another, Ash's Poketch let out a beep. He read the message he was sent and smiled.

" **So looks like my next battle is tomorrow at 1pm against a Giselle Yuto…why is that name so familiar? Anyways, yes it happened and no we're not talking about it. With that out of the way, what do you guys want to do before Serena and I go out for our date later tonight?"** asked Ash as he looked around. The others nodded in acknowledgement that they were to not mention what they were caught doing but many of them gave them devious looks before they started talking.

" **Giselle Yuto?"** repeated Max. **"I heard about her. She beat Trip."** Ash and several other people in their group who knew who Trip was had their eyes widen.

" **Damn. Not bad…but why do I keep thinking I know her from somewhere?"** asked Ash.

" **Eh, you'll probably remember who she is later Ashy-boy,"** said Gary. **"Anyway, we could get out of the hotel, go somewhere as a group and have some fun. We could go to the lake again."**

" **No, we already have a pool here so there's no point going to the lake,"** said Daisy Waterflower.

" **She's right. Let's go to the arcade!"** suggested Bonnie with a large smile on her face, making Max glance at her and May noticed. She smiled but didn't say anything yet, waiting for the time to truly get back at him for all the times he embarrassed her in front of Ash. _Just you wait Max._

" **I guess we could. But only if we can't come up with something else as I'm not in the mood to go to the arcade today,"** said Joy. She had spent the night with Richie in his room and was glad that Goodshow had given her the day off.

" **What do you think we should do Ash?"** asked Anabel and he stroked his chin as if in deep thought, earning some chuckles from the others.

" **Well, if nobody has any ideas, I was thinking we could go Rhyhorn Racing. We do have a professional with us and her daughter here whose pretty good herself,"** said Ash. Serena and Grace both turned pink.

" **Quit teasing us Ash,"** said Serena as she slapped his shoulder.

" **Hey, you taught me remember? You are good and your mom did a good job teaching you,"** he replied, making the two blush even more. **"So who's up for it?"**

" **That's a good idea. I wouldn't mind trying that,"** said Sarah enthusiastically. She had never traveled out of Johto besides to the Indigo Plateau and had watched the sport on TV.

" **But isn't it only in the Kalos Region where they hold that? How are we going to get there now and come back in time for your match?"** asked Leaf.

" **Mewtwo,"** said Ash simply and everyone understood.

" **Wait! Is that how you've been teleporting yourself and us around?"** asked May, finally realizing the secret to his teleporting.

" **That's right May. So much for keeping it a mystery,"** he said with a chuckle and they laughed. **"He and I developed a mental link together during our training and it's been very useful. We can communicate over any distance to each other. I can also communicate with any of my pokémon mentally as well with aura, though only if they're nearby until I learn how to make it stronger."**

" **That's impressive Ash. Can he really teleport us all at once and can you communicate mentally with humans too?"** asked Oak, very intrigued.

" **Yes he can Professor. Mewtwo can do things almost no other pokémon can do besides the reality dragons and Arceus himself. He's very powerful. As for communicating with humans mentally, Lucario did mention I might be able to do so with my aura but I haven't had any practice yet because I was with just my pokémon these past few years. So, you guys up to go? We can have a picnic too."**

Everyone was impressed that he could speak mentally with his pokémon and had the potential to do it with humans too. After they were able to get over that, they agreed on Ash's suggestion and once they finished up breakfast, they cleaned up and went to get ready. When Ash was alone in his room, he sent a mental message to Mewtwo.

 _Hey buddy. How you doing? Can I ask a huge favor please?_

 _Hello Ash. Depends. What is it?_

 _Could you teleport all of us to the Kalos region's Rhyhorn Racing field and then back later on?_

 _All of you? You never like simplicity do you? You owe me big on this one Ash._

 _Are you saying it's going to be hard for you?_

 _Of course not! But I want a battle between us at our full strength in return for this. It's been a while since I had a challenge and I'm getting bored. Maybe I'll even consider competing in the tournament._

 _Alright then. Thanks buddy. But you do know that the only way to compete is if you were 'officially' my pokémon. I can't use pokémon that aren't mine and I know you wouldn't want that._

 _You're right and I know. Maybe I'll change my mind._

 _Huh. Alright, let me know if you do. And thanks again._

He quickly got ready and woke up Pikachu who gave a grunt to show he was getting up. Ash chuckled at his starter's antics.

" **If you get up buddy, I'll give you some ketchup before we leave."**

Instantly the yellow mouse was up and jumped onto his usual spot on Ash's shoulder who couldn't stop smiling. Pikachu nuzzled against his cheek and he scratched the mouse behind his ears, letting out content 'chaa' as they exited the room. He waited for the others in the large living room, sitting next to Pikachu who was enjoying a bottle of ketchup on the couch. Grace was first to be ready and entered the living room. When she saw Ash sitting alone and going through something on his Poketch, she moved towards him as she called out to him.

" **Hey Ash. Looks like you're ready. That's a surprise,"** she teased as she sat down.

" **Yea. I wasn't always so quick to become ready but the past three years have changed me greatly Mrs. Yvonne,"** he replied and closed the application he was using before facing Grace with a small smile. He was worried she might chew him out for what she saw earlier.

" **Please, just call me Grace. I feel old when someone says that to me."** They both chuckled a bit and he promised to not call her that anymore. **"Ash, I wanted to say I'm sorry for walking in on you and Serena. I should've knocked."**

" **What?!"** Ash was stunned. He wasn't expecting her to apologize to him. **"Ah, it's alright. I thought you would be mad. Why are you apologizing? If anything, I should be the one saying sorry that we're having a hard time controlling ourselves,"** admitted Ash, turning red, as he rubbed the back of his head. Grace chuckled a bit before she turned away and let out a sigh.

" **No, I'm not mad. I'm just surprised that my baby is growing up so fast. And I know how hard it is to control your emotions at this age, especially when you're in love. And I know you care and love her deeply and would never hurt her. I'm just worried that you might be moving a little too fast."**

" **You don't have to worry about any of that Grace. We haven't done anything yet other than some make out sessions. I won't ever force her and it's all up to her. I move at the pace the girls want to go,"** replied Ash. He said it all sincerely but still couldn't help turning crimson.

" **Thank you Ash for listening to an old woman's worries,"** said Grace.

" **Hey, you're not old Grace. You're an attractive woman and elegant too,"** replied Ash with smile.

" **Now I know why Serena blushes all the time. You really know how to make a woman feel good about herself don't you?"** asked Grace with a blush and giggle.

" **I have my mother and the girls to thank for that. They taught me everything I know and helped me become the man I am now,"** said Ash with a wink.

" **You got that right mister!"** said several girls at once.

Ash and Grace turned around and saw the four girls standing behind them with their hands on their hips, but were also smiling. Each of them was wearing black traveling shorts, but had on different colored tank tops. Misty wore a yellow one, Dawn with a blue one, Serena with a pink one and May had on a red one. The raven haired guardian's eyes went wide at the sight of them.

" **Damn. You all look amazing,"** complimented Ash in a whisper, making the girls blush.

" **Thanks Ash. So you ready mom?"** asked Serena and her mom nodded.

The others soon joined them in the living little by little, making some idle conversations as they waited for the others and once they were all there, the raven haired guardian asked them if they were ready to teleport and they all said they were. Ash sent a mental message to Mewtwo and the next second, everyone disappeared in blue glows. Far away from the Indigo Plateau, Ash and his large group appeared out of thin air in front of an entrance gate for a theme park as the blue glows faded away from each one of them. They all looked up at the large picture of a Rhyhorn with a rider on top of him in mid run plastered on the front of the entrance gate.

" **Wow, we're really here. I can't believe we're here!"** exclaimed Sarah, completely excited and Anabel agreed with her, a large smile on her face too.

" **Yup. This is Kalos's very own Rhyhorn Racing theme park. Did you doubt me when I said we'll come here Sarah? That's not nice you know,"** teased Ash and several people sniggered. Sarah pouted before she smacked him on the shoulder. **"Someone's violent."**

" **Keep it up and I'll show you how violent I can get,"** replied Sarah, crossing her arms while glaring at him and Ash sweat dropped.

" **Okay okay, sheesh. I'm just joking Sarah,"** said Ash as he moved towards the ticket booth. Sarah relaxed and then just giggled in response. **"So how many people are going to try it out?"** asked Ash.

Several people chimed in that they wanted to give it a shot and the others just wanted to watch. After about ten minutes, the riders had their racing tickets and the others had their viewing tickets, with Ash paying for everyone. When they tried to protest, especially the parents and Ilene, he told them not to worry about it and that it was his idea anyway. They still protested and he decided to make a deal with them all, saying that if he placed higher than all of them in the race, then they would let it go and let him purchase lunch for them and if not, then they would just pay for lunch and call it even. Seeing how adamant he was, they reluctantly agreed.

The booth employee told them that they were just in time for the opening race, which would be in half an hour but their tickets let them compete all day. She also told them that there were picnic tables near the racing field and there were a few game booths set up from across the tables and there were some roller coasters and rides as well. Ash thanked her for her help and they all walked in, with Ash and Serena holding hands.

They walked towards the picnic tables first, taking in the sight around them. They saw a few families there with several children running around as they walked up to a nearby game booth. Many other couples were walking around holding hands or arms wrapped around each other as they waited in line for the roller coasters but they soon came upon the picnic area. They claimed about four of them so they all had a place to eat, sit and relax. They took a seat for a moment and looked around to take in their surroundings.

" **What a great place,"** said Johanna. **"It's been a while since I was at a theme park."**

" **You said it. We'll definitely have some fun here,"** added Caroline and many of them agreed. **"Didn't the gate girl say the riders need to go about twenty minutes early so they can be given the rules and uniforms?"**

" **You're right. Let's go racers!"** said Norman as he got up and the fellow riders got up too. They left to go to the racing field and get ready. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and went to be with Delia, wishing his best friend luck in the race. The others waited a while, talking with one another before they too got up and entered the field to sit in the stands with only two minutes to spare. They were surprised to see that the field was quite full. There were hardly any empty spaces and they all realized just then how popular the sport is in Kalos.

" **I hope they don't crash or get hurt,"** worried Delia.

" **I'm sure they'll be alright. After all, we've seen proof that they can handle much bigger things Delia,"** reasoned Oak.

" **Yea, I guess you're right Sam,"** said Delia with a smile.

" **THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING US IN THE STARTING RACE OF THE DAY! WE ALSO HAVE MANY SURPRISES TODAY FOR YOU ALL AS WE HAVE CERTAIN CELEBRITY APPEARANCES FOR TODAY'S RACES!** **WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH STAR POWER HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND WE HOPE THEY FIND OUR TIMELESS SPORT TO THEIR LIKING!"**

The crowd cheered in response and Ash's group glanced at one another with small smiles but they were slightly worried at what would result from people knowing who was here. They forgot that there were multiple famous, popular and well known persons within their group.

" **WE HAVE THE LEGENDARY POKÉMON PROFESSOR SAMUEL OAK FROM PALLET TOWN OF KANTO HERE TODAY IN THE STANDS ALONG WITH QUEEN ILENE FROM THE KINGDOM OF ROTA! LET US GIVE THESE TWO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK TO HELP THE WORLD BECOME A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN!"**

The people in the stands clapped and cheered for the two as bright spot lights shown on Oak and Ilene and they saw their faces on the large screens hanging all over the stands. The two got up while waving their hands at everyone with a smile and when the light finally faded away, they sat back down. Ilene had no idea how they found out she was Queen Ilene when she dressed casually as she was in just a pair of black knee length pants and white blouse. Riley got up from besides Ilene and went on a quick perimeter check to make sure nobody tried anything and that all was alright. Gary took his empty seat to sit next to Ilene.

" **Hey, they shouldn't have done that without telling you. You alright Ilene with all the attention?"** asked Gary as he faced her.

" **Yes, I'm used to it."** Ilene smiled at him and he returned the smile before facing the circular racing field. He then felt a soft hand grasp his own and his fingers interlock with another's fingers. He looked down at the clasped hands and then at Ilene, whose face was reddened. **"Thank you for caring. How come you're not racing though?"**

" **No problem Ilene. Maybe next time as I'd rather be here with you,"** Gary replied back softly while smiling at her. Ilene felt her heart beat faster at his words, surprised to hear them. She smiled at him and the two drew closer to one another.

" **WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL RACERS TODAY WHO YOU ALL HAVE HEARD ABOUT BUT FIRST, LET THE COMPETITORS ALL COME ON OUT!"**

Thirty Rhyhorn and their riders stepped out from the beneath the stands and took up positions on the starting line. Each Rhyhorn had a brown saddle on their back that also had a white cloth wrapped over their bodies that had a black number on it. The riders were dressed in blue and white vertically striped racing uniforms that were skin tight and designed to be aerodynamic to reduce drag. They were great suites for racing but the one problem was that it showed off the wearer's figure because of its tightness, making some of them feel uncomfortable, especially when people from the stands started calling out to them because of it. The ones from their group who were racing were Bonnie, Max, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Lucy, Grace, Ash, Richie, Brock, Norman and the rest were several others who they didn't know that were also competing.

" **WE HAVE THIRTY RACERS TOTAL WHO ARE HERE READY TO COMPETE. PLEASE GIVE THEM A WARM KALOS WELCOME AS WE INTRODUCE EACH RIDER! FOR NUMBER ONE WE HAVE…"**

The announcer introduced each rider, giving their name and some background information on them that was public knowledge on the internet, which was obtained quickly by the workers who researched them. This was a condition the riders had to agree on for them to compete, so they could make the races more interesting and to make sure no violent criminal was trying to participate in them. The crowd cheered for each person but they roared loudly and even wolf whistled for certain famous people, including the Frontier Brains Anabel and Lucy, the gym leaders Misty and Norman, the top coordinators Dawn and May, ex-professional Rhyhorn racer Grace and the Kalos Queen Serena who had won the pokémon showcase. Many people in the stands shouted out for them and a few others who were mentioned to be TV stars and models, such as Duke Young, Samantha Fox and Chad Bradley.

" **AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, NUMBER THIRTY WE HAVE A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME OF AA…"**

The announcer stopped as he realized whose name he was about to read and it stunned him. The crowd went silent as they waited for him to continue and the screens to show the last racer. They were still on Chad Bradley, who looked annoyed at the delay since he really wanted to race. Ash's friends chuckled to themselves, knowing the reason why and Ash started rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. The announcer cleared his throat and regained his composure before he continued.

" **AHEM…SORRY ABOUT THAT FOLKS. AS I WAS SAYING, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE A POWERFUL TRAINER WHO WAS ALSO THE SAVIOR OF THE INDIGO PLATEAU ATTACK. YOU'VE ALL SEEN IN THE NEWS AND HERE HE IS, THE AURA GUARDIAN WHO IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE BLUE SPIRIT…ASH KETCHUM!"**

The crowd went completely insane at the mention of Ash's name and the screens switched to show the raven haired guardian smiling sheepishly as he waved at them. His friends and family were thrilled to see how many people were cheering for him. Even all of the other unknown riders clapped for him, as they had seen the news and had immense respect for him for what he had done. Several girls shouted to him that they wanted to be his. Ash went red with embarrassment, the girls had smoke come out of their ears and their friends laughed at their predicament.

" **ALRIGHT, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! THIS WILL BE A FIVE LAP RACE OVER AN OVAL FIELD! RACERS PLEASE GET READY!"**

Each rider glanced at one another and Ash and his friends told each other good luck as they leaned down on their own Rhyhorn to reduce drag and signal that they were ready.

" **ON YOUR MARK…GET SET…GO!"**

Right when the word 'GO' was shouted, a flare was shot into the sky to signal that the race had begun and each Rhyhorn took off from the wide starting line as they ran forward. The ground shook as the thirty powerful pokémon raced along the gravel road, slowly picking up speed. The announcer was commenting on the changes that were occurring on the field; who was over taking who, who was cut off, who was in the lead and so on.

" **Wow, look at them go!"** exclaimed Ilene, completely excited at witnessing this live. She had seen a couple races on her TV back home but this was much better.

Gary glanced at her, amused but also happy that Ilene was enjoying the race. Ever since she had put him in his place when they had breakfast together yesterday, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. Of course other girls had good witty comebacks and retorts to throw back at him, like Leaf, Misty, iris, and several other girls he had run into in his life. But none of them made him stutter before, none of them made him rethink his choice of words and none of them made him blush when he thought about them but Ilene was the opposite and that made him interested in her.

" **C'mon Max! May! Norman! You can do it!"** shouted Caroline.

" **Pi Pikapi pika!"** cheered Pikachu, encouraging Ash to win.

The nearby sudden shouting from Caroline and Pikachu made Gary snap out of his gaze and face the field just as Riley returned and took the available seat next to Daisy Oak. The two immediately held hands and smiled at each other before facing the field and Daisy let out a cheer for her friends.

The race was intense. Each of the Rhyhorn was in great shape and each wanted to be the one in first place. It all came down to the riders and their judgments on when to pick up speed, move to the inside, block someone off, etc. Grace was in the lead, thanks to her experience as a professional rider. A few were hot on her heels, which were Serena, Bonnie, Max, Ash, Samantha and Duke while the rest were a little way behind them.

Bonnie and Max were a surprise at first, since they were young and had no experience but then people realized it was probably due to them being smaller and lighter than the rest, which let their Rhyhorn use up less energy to keep going. Duke and Samantha were obviously decent riders, no doubt having had done this in the past as their skills were good. Serena and Ash were neck and neck, their skill about even. They grinned at one another before they encouraged their Rhyhorn to go faster. The others were about two feet behind them but that was all that was needed to have the advantage for the ones in front. Norman was a little peeved he was going to lose, and so was Lucy but the others were enjoying their ride. Anabel and Sarah were having an especially great time, even though they weren't going to win, but had big smiles on their faces since they weren't able to travel much or do new things often.

" **WE'RE NOW GOING INTO OUR THIRD LAP OF THE RACE! IT'S BEEN A CLOSE ONE SO FAR BUT IT LOOKS LIKE EXPERIENCE WILL BE THE DETERMINING FACTOR AS GRACE IS STILL IN THE LEAD AND HAS A GOOD SEVERAL FEET OF WIGGLE ROOM!"**

Grace had a happy smirk on her face. She missed this and she was having the time of her life. She looked behind her and saw Serena, Ash, Duke and Samantha behind her and Bonnie and Max behind them, each trying to overtake the other. She faced forward again and encouraged her Rhyhorn to keep going the same pace. Her pokémon grunted in acknowledgement. _This race is mine._

The race soon ended with Grace being the winner, Serena getting second place and Samantha getting third with Ash getting fourth and Duke getting fifth. They didn't announce the rankings for the other racers, since they only released the top five. After the race ended, the thirty riders headed back to the Rhyhorn pen to drop off their pokémon before they headed into the dressing rooms. Once they changed back into their regular clothes, Ash and company exited the racing field and headed towards the picnic tables they had reserved earlier.

" **That was awesome!"** said Bonnie and Max together. They glanced at each other and went red while the others laughed.

" **Yea, that was fun! I've never done something like that before!"** said Sarah, grinning madly.

" **You said it Sarah,"** added Anabel with a happy smile.

" **Great idea my Guardian!"** complimented Dawn, as she and Ash high fived each other while smiling.

" **Thanks my Lucky Star."** Dawn beamed when he said that. **"I'm glad you all had fun. Grace, you were great and Serena, you were amazing. When did you get so good at this?"** asked Ash, making both mother and daughter blush again.

" **Serena, I swear if you don't stick with him, I'm going to take him in your spot,"** joked Grace. Serena huffed and the others had their eyes widened while Ash rubbed the back of his head.

" **That's never going to happen Mom and relax guys, she's just joking around. She always does stuff like that,"** said Serena as she crossed her arms and had an annoyed look on her. Ash wrapped an arm over her shoulder and drew her in close to him as they neared the tables.

" **You have nothing to worry about Serena. Even if she wasn't kidding, you're the only Yvonne for me,"** said Ash as he gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. That made Serena smile and wrap her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder.

" **You always know the perfect thing to say Ash,"** replied Serena softly and Grace smiled at the two.

They reached the tables and sat down, waiting for the others to come join them. When they finally did, Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and they all talked for a little while before they became hungry and decided to go get some food. Since Ash lost his bet, Norman and Oak got up to go get and pay for the food. While they were gone, the others relaxed and talked for a bit before the two finally came back and said it would take about thirty minutes to get their food. As they pondered what to do while they waited, they saw three people walk up to them. It was Samantha Fox, Chad Bradley and Duke Young. The three were quite attractive and fit since they were famous actors and actress.

" **Hey there,"** greeted the three and the group replied back with their own hellos. The girl had green hair and was wearing a green skirt and black blouse with a slight curvy figure. The taller guy of the two was wearing black jeans and grey shirt with a skinny build while the shorter guy was wearing grey cargo pants and white shirt with a picture of a Dragonite on it with a slightly buff build.

" **My name is Samantha Fox, my tall friend here is Duke Young and this is Chad Bradley. We wanted to say that was a cool race and you guys are good."** She then faced Grace. **"Mrs. Yvonne, I was wondering if you could give me some lessons in Rhyhorn Racing?"** asked Samantha.

" **Oh you're too kind but thank you. Just call me Grace. I would love to but I believe you already know everything I could teach you since I've been out of the game for years and I can tell you're good. I just got lucky. You guys know each other?"** asked Grace as the others just thanked her quietly.

" **Well we mean it and thanks anyway. Yea, we're friends and acted in many shows and movies together,"** said Samantha with a smile and then Chad spoke.

" **Yea great race guys,"** he repeated with a smile. He then glanced at Anabel and Sarah. Both of them tilted their heads slightly in response to his gaze. **"Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you two like to perhaps grab a coffee with me and Duke?"**

As most of the others put on a smile on their face for the two, glad that they were getting attention, a few others were a bit peeved. A certain raven haired trainer was especially annoyed, but then he tried to reason that it wasn't up to him and he sighed internally when he realized what he just felt. Lucario's explanation about the Guardian's Shield event and what he and the girls discussed had really opened his eyes. He had just realized everything Anabel, Leaf and Sarah had done. He also began noticing what they were doing around him and his own thoughts and feelings towards them. As he glanced at the two girls and then back at their guests, a thought went through his mind; _I'm in way over my head with all this._

" **I'm okay, thanks though,"** replied Sarah without a second's thought. She was used to guys hitting on her left and right from her travels over the Johto Region. Plus, she was already interested in someone and that someone was nearby.

" **Oh! Um, I don't think that's a good idea."** Anabel was taken aback. She wasn't expecting that. Especially when she was surrounded by many other beautiful girls and that nobody knew that some were taken yet. She wasn't noticed very often, especially since she really didn't travel much outside of the Battle Frontier. However, some have asked her out, but she had denied them for a reason. She glanced at Ash quickly, who was facing the three before returning her gaze to them.

" **Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know you are with someone. Please excuse me,"** said Chad.

" **She's not taken,"** said Lucy suddenly and they all stared at her, including Ash, but she didn't care. Anabel gave her best friend a death glare. **"Just give us a moment."** Lucy dragged Anabel away until they were out of earshot.

" **What are you doing Lucy?! You know I have feelings for Ash!"** fumed Anabel.

" **Exactly. Use this to see if he cares if you're with someone else and I bet he does. Did you see the way he stared at me when I said that?"** asked Lucy with a knowing look.

" **No, I'm not going to do that and it doesn't matter,"** said Anabel. Lucy was about to counter when Anabel held up her hand. **"I said no Lucy and that's final. I won't play games with him like this and if what you're saying is true, then that means I have a chance and I'm not going to mess it up."**

Anabel turned around and stormed back to the tables. Lucy had the corners of her lips curl up into a large smile as her plan worked. She was trying to give Anabel courage to confess to Ash and every little push was helping her get there. And what she saw Ash do just now, she had a feeling that things were heading towards something good. _Just a little more,_ thought Lucy as she headed back to the group.

" **So did you change your mind?"** asked Chad with a hopeful gaze as he saw Anabel return.

" **I'm sorry, but the answer is still no. I don't know why my friend did that. Apologies for that,"** said Anabel with a slight smile and Chad nodded in understanding but Duke said nothing. Ash kept his demeanor neutral but he felt slightly better inside but then thought of something; _am I really feeling like this over Anabel and Sarah?_

" **Well, can't blame a guy for trying. Thanks for listening though. I hope you all have a good time here and we'll leave you be,"** replied Chad kindly.

He, Duke and Samantha thanked them for their time and left together after saying goodbye and the group bade their farewells back to them. Right when they left, their food arrived, a little earlier than they expected but were glad. They all dug in and enjoyed the delicious meal as they made plans of what to do after. They soon broke off into smaller groups and most of them went exploring while the four mothers, Norman, Clemont and Oak stayed at the tables, enjoying their conversations and to hold down the fort. Richie, Joy, Brock, Lucy, Gary, Ilene, Riley and Daisy Oak went towards the gift shops. Bonnie, Max, Chili, Violet, Cress, Lily, Iris and Cilan went to the arcade to play some games and compete against each other. Daisy Waterflower, Anabel, Sarah, Leaf, Misty, May and Dawn went to check out the game booths to try to win some prizes after going on some rides. Pikachu joined Ash and Serena as they walked around holding hands, talking as they did a bit of everything.

In the gift shop, Richie, Brock, Gary and Riley were standing near the doorway waiting for Joy, Lucy, Ilene and Daisy Oak to finish up so they could leave. As they waited, they told some jokes to pass the time.

" **That was pretty funny Brocko,"** laughed Gary, as Brock finished telling a perverted joke about a nurse, a cop and a priest and the four laughed. When he caught his breath, the pokémon researcher turned to Riley. **"Hey, I noticed my sister and you got together. I know you're a good guy but if you break her heart, I'll break your neck. She's been through enough. Capiche?"** warned Gary as he glared at Riley.

" **I will be busy most of the time so you must understand that and your sister already knows this and is okay with it. As for Queen Ilene; she may be a few years older than you but she hasn't been in a relationship before and she has many responsibilities as Queen, so she will not have much free time either and will probably face some ridicule for being with you since she's royalty so you better not hold it against her. With that said, do not go into this relationship thinking it's going to be easy and run off at the first sign of trouble…or I will find you,"** threatened Riley as he shot daggers back at Gary.

Richie and Brock eyed the two carefully, getting ready to jump in and break up a fight if it happened. But they never had to because after only about five seconds, both Gary and Riley nodded at each other and shook hands. Richie and Brock sighed in relief that the two didn't do anything stupid. Just then the girls returned with each of them holding a shopping bag looking really happy. The couples paired up and walked out of that gift shop only for the girls to steer the groaning guys into another shop right next door, but this time the couples broke away from one another. As Gary and Ilene walked towards the small glass figurines, the young queen turned to the pokémon researcher.

" **Gary, do you like me?"** asked Ilene and he stumbled at the blunt question.

" **What a way to catch a guy off guard,"** replied Gary as he rubbed the back of his head and Ilene giggled a bit as she saw him do that. **"What?"**

" **You're doing what Ash always does when he's nervous or embarrassed,"** replied Ilene.

" **Oh,"** said Gary as he lowered his hand and chuckled. **"Damn it. Looks like Ashy-boy has done it so much around us all that it rubbed off on us."**

" **Looks like it,"** smiled Ilene. **"So, back to my question. Do you?"** she asked again.

" **I do like you Ilene,"** said Gary as he looked into her eyes and Ilene went red but kept eye contact.

" **Why?"** she asked. **"All these other girls around you and I'm sure you've traveled with them for a long time and know them well. Why don't you like one of them and why do you like me?"**

" **True, I do know them well. But we would've ended up killing each other if that happened between any of them, we're all so hot headed. Also, I view them as more like sisters and close friends. I joke and tease on them about stuff since its fun but that's about it. But you're the only girl who has ever occupied my thoughts in a more serious way,"** explained Gary with a smile. **"Why do you like me?"**

" **Not a bad answer Gary and who said I liked you?"** asked Ilene as she turned red. Gary raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. **"Yes, I like you because you don't let others control you and I find that attractive. You're not bad looking either,"** she added as she looked away.

" **Thanks Ilene. You're pretty hot too,"** replied Gary and when she looked at him, he gave her a wink, making Ilene turn crimson.

" **Nice try hot shot, but just so you know, I'm only interested in a serious relationship Gary. I don't have time or the energy for games. I'm not here for a one night stand or some sort of fling. I don't like that and I can't do that as Queen. I have an image to uphold. Things are going to go slowly. If that's alright with you, if you want a real thing, then we can try this out,"** clarified Ilene with a stern look.

" **Ilene, I've been looking for the right girl a long time. But I don't want to lie to you. I've been in many dead end relationships, flings and one night stands,"** said Gary. Ilene looked at him with a worried look, thinking she should quit while ahead, but when Gary held her hand gently, she let him continue as she didn't want to cause a scene in a shop. **"But all of that made me a better person as I don't want to just mess around anymore. I promise you I want a serious relationship too."**

As he spoke, Ilene looked into his eyes, trying to find a hint of deception but couldn't. His confession made her worry a bit but then again he was being honest with her. She thought he deserved some points for that at least too. When he finished, Ilene hugged Gary tightly and he wrapped his arms around her. She felt that this was right and he felt that he had finally found the missing piece of him. The two continued hugging until they heard a cough behind them. When they looked behind them, they saw the other three couples grinning at them.

" **Should we leave you two alone for a bit?"** asked Lucy. **"There is a changing room at the end of the store you know if you need it,"** she finished as she raised her eyebrows a couple times. The three couples laughed when both Gary and Ilene told Lucy to shut up and mind her own business. Soon after, the four couples got out and moved to another shop with Gary and Ilene holding hands like the other couples.

In the arcade, Bonnie, Max, Chili, Violet, Cress, Lily, Iris and Cilan were busy trying to score tickets to buy some prizes. Bonnie and Max were really hitting it off well as were Chili and Violet, Cress and Lily while Iris and Cilan were busy watching the three newly forming couples.

" **These six are giving off exotic aromas and I feel we will experience some new flavors soon. I'm so happy for my brothers that they found good girls. And little Max is about to grow up as soon as he realizes what's going on between him and Bonnie,"** remarked Cilan as he wiped a joyful tear from his eye.

" **The girls are lucky too for being with good guys but don't be such a hopeless romantic Cilan,"** chastised Iris though that didn't stop her from hugging him.

" **I know you like it when I am like that my little monkey,"** replied Cilan. She blushed, saying that's true and kissed him.

" **I wonder where everyone is,"** said Max as he and Bonnie walked around the arcade looking for their friends and other games to play after about thirty minutes of running off on their own. He and Bonnie had dominated the games they played and earned a bunch of tickets. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to face Bonnie who was pointing to the corner of the arcade. He looked in the indicated direction and found Iris and Cilan passionately making out without any care if someone saw them.

" **Looks like they're having fun huh?"** said Bonnie as she had pink circles appear on her face.

" **C'mon Bonnie, let's leave them be,"** said Max as he took her hand and led her away.

Bonnie went red as he held her hand, but didn't withdraw from it and they moved away from the couple. They soon however ran into Chili and Violet who were lip-locked together, leaning against some older arcade machines that nobody wanted to go near. The two young teenagers had their jaws drop at the sight of another new couple consisting of their friends together. They hurriedly moved away, still holding hands, though not really noticing it, since their minds were on the two kissing couples. They moved to the other side of the arcade, hoping to get away from all that.

But yet again, they soon came across Cress and Lily, who were also in a passionate embrace as they sat inside a picture booth with the curtains open. As soon as they saw that, Bonnie and Max were frozen still, taking in what they saw. They each felt themselves heat up and their hearts beat faster. That was when they finally noticed that they were still holding hands. They slightly turned to face one another and saw that they both were blushing furiously. They didn't move, nor did they make a sound. They both had feelings for the other but didn't know how to express it. They were still young, barely teenagers, had no experience in something like this and were scared of how the other would react. Yet, they didn't separate and kept their eyes level, as if daring the other to move first.

Taking the initiative, Bonnie slowly leaned in towards Max, her heart beating like mad. He saw her drawing closer to him and his heart thumped so loudly he could hear it himself. He copied her, moving just as slowly as she was. As he drew nearer to her, Bonnie began thinking a million things a minute but kept going. Seeing her not get frightened away and kept coming closer, Max gained courage from it and continued. Before either of them knew what happened, their lips met awkwardly yet softly. Both of them had their eyes widened from the shock of what just happened, but they didn't stop. They closed their eyes and the sensation seemed to strengthen as they enjoyed the feeling and taste of each other's lips for a moment before they finally separated. They opened their eyes, blushing like mad but they smiled before they hugged. It wasn't perfect and it was kind of awkward how it happened, but they liked it and it felt great nonetheless.

" **Aw, to be in the presence of young love!"**

Bonnie and Max went crimson as they snapped their attention to the person who said it and found it was Lily. She and the five others were surrounding them with happy grins plastered on their faces.

" **But…when…how…"** stuttered Max, confused while Bonnie just looked away in embarrassment.

" **Let's just say you two aren't as sneaky as you think you are,"** replied Violet.

" **Yea, we saw you two running off when you noticed us,"** added Iris with a smirk.

Cilan, Cress and Chili were giving Max nods of approval while Iris, Violet and Lily were giving Bonnie gleeful looks. Both young teenagers were beyond embarrassed and couldn't say anything until their friends chuckled and giggled at them. This made the two yell at the six to shut up and leave them alone but then the six burst out laughing, which made the two look away, embarrassed. After the six calmed down, they apologized for making them feel insecure and suggested that they go and exchange their tickets before heading back.

At the game booths outside, Daisy Waterflower, Anabel, Sarah, Leaf, Misty, May and Dawn had tried several games and some of them had won prizes already after going on some rides. The ones who hadn't yet were Daisy, May, Sarah and Anabel. They decided to try the balloon popping one where you threw darts to try and cause them to explode. The four were told that you had to pop the red balloons to get the big stuffed prize and two yellow ones to get a smaller one. The white balloons gave no prizes and they were only given two attempts. After each of them tried, only May was able to win as she popped a red one and she got a large stuffed Torchic. Daisy, Anabel and Sarah were jealous and angry that they didn't win, crossing their arms as they pouted.

" **No fair!"** cried Daisy.

" **You're too lucky!"** whined Sarah and Anabel just puffed her cheeks.

" **Don't be such babies,"** said May as she hugged her Torchic doll and the others giggled.

" **Don't worry you three, you'll win one too…some day,"** teased Misty and the three had steam blow out of their ears.

" **That's it!"** shouted Daisy as she chased after Misty who was laughing at her older sister. The blonde Sensational Sister was doing her absolute best to catch the red head but was failing miserably.

" **Thank Arceus I'm an only child. Talk about sibling rivalry,"** muttered Leaf, watching Daisy trying to tackle Misty but ended up crashing into a booth wall when the red head dodged at the last second.

" **That's nothing. You should see what Max and I do to each other. It's like war at our house,"** said May, remembering all the pranks they pulled on one another.

" **Must be nice having a sibling,"** sighed Sarah.

" **Hey, you okay Sarah?"** asked Anabel, sensing her friend becoming too distressed. At that moment, Daisy and Misty rejoined them, after she helped her sister get back up on her feet.

" **Yea, its just…my life was pretty lonely,"** answered Sarah and when she noticed the looks they were giving her, she realized what she just said. **"I mean that as an only child, I didn't have anyone to play with. It was mostly school and home for me until I became a trainer and even then, I was traveling mostly alone with just my pokémon."**

When Sarah said that, Leaf nodded knowingly as that was what happened with her too, having traveled around on her own with just her pokémon too. She then remembered about the promise she made with Ash and how if she kept it, then perhaps her life wouldn't have been so lonely. Not wanting to dwell on that, especially now around her friends, she pushed it to the back of her mind and forced herself to be 'present' in the current moment.

" **Oh I see. Well, no need to worry cause we'll always be your friends and sisters,"** promised May and so did the others. Sarah thanked them for their kindness and they went on to try a few other games before heading back to the picnic tables, with three of the girls pouting that they were unable to win anything.

When they had splintered off into different parts of the park, Pikachu, Ash and Serena walked around a bit after riding the ferris wheel until they decided to go to the candy shop and when they finally entered it, the three of them had big smiles form on their faces. They walked around the store, checking out all the different kinds of candy and their mouths were watering as they thought of how amazing they would taste.

" **Pikapi, pika pikachu pi?"** asked Pikachu as he held up a candy bar.

" **Sure buddy, you can get that,"** replied Ash and Pikachu beamed. **"So, which one do you want to get Serena?"** asked Ash as he picked up a large chocolate bar with almonds.

" **Hmm, let me see,"** said Serena as she looked at many different kinds of lollipops. **"I think I'll get this one."** She picked up a strawberry lollipop that was a little bigger than a fifty cent coin. **"What are you getting Ash?"**

" **Good choice,"** commented Ash. **"I've been craving a chocolate bar with almonds for a long time. But that's for later and I'm getting several different kinds for everyone else. I think I'll get a cherry lollipop for now."**

" **That's thoughtful of you. No wonder I love you,"** said Serena as she held his hand.

" **And I love you for being you,"** replied Ash softly, making her blush as they leaned in and enjoyed a simple kiss before they separated. They knew better than to get going in the middle of a store and they both grinned, knowing what the other was thinking just then. Pikachu rolled his eyes at the two. **"C'mon, let's pay for this stuff and let's go see if I can win you a prize."**

" **You don't have to,"** said Serena but Ash just shook his head in response.

That was another thing she loved about him. He wouldn't let people talk him out of doing things he wanted to do unless they had a really, really good reason. After Ash paid for the candy, not letting Serena chip in at all, they walked out towards the game booths with lollipops in their mouths, holding hands and with Ash holding a bag of candy for the others. Pikachu was on Ash's shoulder happily chewing on the chocolate bar. It was a good thing that it was a cool day; otherwise all the candy would've melted.

" **So which prize do you want?"** asked Ash as they passed the many game booths.

" **You sound like you can win any of them,"** she commented after taking out her lollipop and licking it.

" **Maybe, maybe not. Pick one or a dozen and we'll find out,"** offered Ash.

" **You really are trying to spoil me today aren't you? Are you hoping to get something out of it?"** asked Serena as she glanced at him with a mischievous look.

" **Nope,"** answered Ash truthfully. **"I already have everything I could want from you, which is your love, your trust and your loyalty."** Serena was stunned from his words, her heart fluttering and her face flushing with color. He turned his head to look into her eyes. **"Then again, I wouldn't say no to something that you want to give me privately,"** he teased with a wink.

" **That was so sweet… then you had to ruin it by being a pervert,"** she giggled, nudging his side.

" **Hey, I'm your and the other girls' pervert so be glad you have a unique one,"** countered Ash.

They laughed a bit before she leaned in and give him a soft kiss that quickly turned into a heated one as Pikachu jumped to the ground, letting out an annoyed 'chu' at their behavior. The couple enjoyed it greatly, but to others passing by them, they looked weird since they were holding their hands out to the side that were holding their lollipops. When they separated, Serena smiled deviously as she thought of something. She brought her lollipop back to her lips while maintaining eye contact with him. She slowly licked the lollipop in a sensual way that made Ash's face flush with color before he audibly gulped. Seeing his reaction, Serena grinned at him and moved away towards one of the game booths, swaying her hips, knowing it'll make him go crazy. When she glanced back at him, she saw his stunned reaction and started giggling. Hearing her laugh, he shook his head to clear it and joined her at the game booth.

" **Tormentor,"** pouted Ash. Serena just laughed harder and Pikachu sniggered at him.

" **Get used to it."** Serena smiled at him when she finished and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She then turned to face the game booth. **"I want that prize!"** She pointed at the large plushie Fennekin that was hanging from the ceiling. Ash nodded, saying whatever his Divine Angel wanted, she'd get.

Serena went crimson as he said that while Ash stepped forward and talked to the game host. She loved it when he called her that as it made her feel special. He found out all he had to do was to knock down all five bowling pins with five golf sized balls to win the biggest prize. He nodded in understanding and handed the host the money for the game and he received the five small balls. He grabbed one and took a step back as he concentrated for a second before he hurled the ball at the right most pin and knocked it down. He did it again and knocked down the second pin. Then the third, the fourth and finally he knocked down the fifth pin. As Serena jumped up and down in pure happiness that he had won the prize she wanted, the game host had a look of disbelief on his face. Nobody ever won the big prize before and was shocked still until Ash cleared his throat loudly. The game host quickly recovered and took down the Fennekin plushie and handed it to him.

" **Thanks,"** said Ash before he turned to Serena. **"For you."**

" **Thank you Ash,"** replied Serena as she gave him another kiss before they walked down the path, Pikachu walking beside them eating the candy bar. He figured it was better to be on the ground for the time being in case the lovebirds did anything again.

As they walked down the path, they talked and joked around a bit. They finished their lollipops and threw away the stems in the trash. Now walking closely together with their hands held, with Ash holding the bag of candy and Serena holding her prize, they walked around a bit more after going on a roller coaster themselves. Ash asked if she wanted anything else, but she said no before asking him the same thing, which he responded with he didn't want anything since he already had everything he wanted.

" **You're so hard to get a gift for,"** sighed Serena as they began walking back to the picnic tables.

" **Sorry,"** apologized Ash as he scratched his head.

" **It's alright. I'll figure something out sooner or later,"** replied Serena as she leaned her head against his shoulder as they continued towards their picnic tables.

Back at the picnic tables, the four mothers, Norman, Clemont and Oak were relaxing as they talked amongst themselves. The four mothers were gossiping about Ash and the four girls being together, their possible future if all ends well such as grandkids and other such related topics. Norman, Clemont and Oak however were playing a card game as they talked about new research that came out about some of the harder to find pokémon. After about thirty minutes of this, the two groups finished what they were doing and spoke together.

" **Do you think that everything will turn out for the best regarding what Ash revealed to us?"**

" **I'm sure things will turn out alright Delia,"** replied Oak.

" **Especially since we will all be working together, there is no way we can lose,"** added Grace.

" **And your son is the most courageous and caring man I've ever met Delia. Even if he wasn't an Aura Guardian, I'm sure he would still be able to pull off a miracle like we saw in his memories,"** said Caroline with a warm smile.

" **I am right here woman,"** stated an annoyed Norman.

" **What? Can't handle me complimenting another man?"** teased Caroline and Norman just glared at her as he crossed his arms. **"Ah, is someone mad? Are you jealous? You know I'm just teasing honey. Come here,"** said Caroline as she got up and hugged her husband tightly. Norman tried to keep his expression icy and angered, but he just couldn't. His glared turned into a smile and he hugged her back as he lifted her up into the air, making Caroline laugh.

" **Aw, how cute,"** commented Delia, Johanna and Grace together. They glanced at each other before they started to laugh. Oak and Clemont just shrugged as they shook their heads.

" **Well, at least we're all getting along,"** stated Clemont.

" **You said it. That is something else that is important and will help us in the future,"** replied Oak.

" **Hey, did you miss us?"** They heard Bonnie's shout and turned to see her and Max walking to them holding hands, with Chili and Violet, Cress and Lily, Iris and Cilan doing the same. Seeing their son holding a girl's hand and a cute one at that, made them react suddenly. Caroline let out a squeak of happiness and Norman gave his son a smirk. Clemont however, had his eyes widen in shock at first but then relaxed and smiled at his sister, letting her know that he was okay with it.

" **Thanks Clemont,"** replied Bonnie as her brother gave his approval. **"Now all that's left is finding you a wife."**

Clemont went red at that and told her to mind her own business as everyone else laughed before they all caught up on what they did and what prizes they won. After a little while, they heard a bunch of girls talking and turned to see the seven girls walking towards them, four of which were holding prizes, with the other three empty handed. Misty, May, Dawn, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Daisy sat around the tables and talked to the rest.

" **So how come you three don't have prizes?"** asked Iris, looking at Daisy, Anabel and Sarah.

" **Because they suck at the games,"** answered Leaf and three glared at her. **"What? It's true."**

" **Even so, you don't have to be a smartass about it!"** snapped Anabel as she lunged at her.

Leaf quickly hid behind Sarah, not wanting to get slapped by Anabel again. For her petite size, Anabel was surprisingly strong. Anabel tried to get to Leaf who was using Sarah as a shield, who was shouting at them to stop but it went unheard. Their friends were watching with amused looks on their faces.

" **Looks like we got here just in time for a show!"**

They turned around in time to see Gary get elbowed in the side by Ilene as they, Brock, Lucy, Richie, Joy, Riley and Daisy Oak drew closer to them. As they placed their bags onto the table, they asked them what happened to cause the girls to fight and learned that it was all about being unable to win prizes. They shook their heads before the newly arrived girls showed everyone what they bought.

" **Oh that's so beautiful! I want one too!"** cooed Delia when Daisy Oak showed them the glass figurine of a Pidgeot that she bought right when Ash, Serena and Pikachu joined them.

" **What do you want mom?"** asked Ash.

He placed the bag of candy onto the table and went with Pikachu to his mom to see what she was talking about. Meanwhile, Serena showed off the Fennekin plushie he won for her to her mom and the other girls. Anabel and Sarah were now both sad and jealous while Daisy was just hanging her head. They really wanted a stuffed prize for themselves too. When Serena noticed them sad, she asked them what happened but it was Leaf who told her the reason why. The honey blonde girl quickly came up with an idea and called Ash over to her as she stepped away.

" **What's up?"** asked Ash as he placed an arm around her shoulders, earning some jealous looks from the girls in their group and from other random girls that passed them by who recognized him as the savior from the news.

" **Can I ask a favor?"** asked Serena and Ash nodded. Serena quickly whispered into his ear what she wanted and Ash nodded his head when she was done.

" **Sure, why not? Gives me a chance to get something for Mom too,"** replied Ash. **"Hey guys! I'll be right back and I got us all some candy so enjoy!"** he called out to everyone as he started moving away from the picnic tables and Pikachu jumped to his shoulder.

May and Dawn dug through the large plastic bag with all the delicious candy, handing them out to everyone while keeping some for themselves. While the large group of friends and family gobbled down the many chocolate bars, Ash was busy getting his mom a gift and completing Serena's request. It didn't take him too long to get everything done and when he finally finished, he walked back to the picnic area.

" **You think they'll like these?"** he asked Pikachu.

" **Pi pikachu, pi pi pika,"** replied the yellow mouse with a smile as he leaned over his head.

" **Yea, I think they will too. Thanks buddy!"** Ash scratched Pikachu behind his ears, who cooed in delight. A few minutes later he returned back to the group and caught his mom's attention as he placed some bags on the table.

" **What is it Ash?"** asked Delia, curious.

" **This,"** replied Ash as he pulled out a box and handed it to his mom. She opened it and gasped.

" **Oh my, it's beautiful! Thank you sweetie!"** Delia pulled out a glass Pidgeot figurine from the box, the same as Daisy Oak's and was thrilled to have one of her own. She gave her son a bear hug, effectively cutting off his air supply.

" **Can't…breathe…mom…"** choked Ash and Delia hurriedly let go while apologizing but Ash just waved it off. Delia wasted no time in showing the gift to the other mothers.

" **So did you get it?"** whispered Serena into Ash's ear as she hugged him from behind.

Ash nodded with a smile and Serena beamed. The two moved towards their friends with Ash holding a large bag. **"Um, Daisy Waterflower, Anabel and Sarah, can you come here please?"** The three girls moved closer to them and when they reached them, Sarah asked her what was going on. **"Well,"** started Ash and the three looked at him. **"I have something for you three."** Ash opened the bag and took out three stuffed pokémon prizes and handed one to each of the girls. Anabel received a Bulbasaur doll, Sarah received a Charmander doll and Daisy received a Squirtle doll. Seeing the girls have emotionless faces, Ash grew worried. He glanced at Serena who shrugged and he looked back at the three girls. **"I'm sorry if they're not the ones you wanted."** He started rubbing the back of his head now, becoming really nervous as the three girls were still staring at the prizes silently. **"I thought you might like those prizes since you didn't have any but I guess not. Sorry I didn't get the right-OUF!"**

Ash was cut off suddenly when the three girls tackled him to the ground with loud squeals of happiness, making everyone around them stop what they were doing and look in their direction. Some of the random guys who were passing by had their jaws drop and gave the raven haired guardian jealous looks that three beautiful girls were on top of him.

" **THANK YOU! I LOVE IT!"** shouted each of the girls while the raven haired guardian tired to call out for help as they crushed the life out of him with their hugs. Serena thought it was funny, seeing Ash being hugged to death and pleading for salvation. At first. But as the girls didn't stop and were becoming increasingly clingy, the honey blonde girl was starting to get angry.

" **ALL RIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!"** shouted Serena. **"GET OFF OF HIM! HE'S MINE TODAY!"** Seeing Serena become so possessive all of a sudden and the three girls backing off with fear etched onto their faces made the others burst out laughing.

" **Sorry Serena. We just got a little carried away,"** apologized a red Sarah quietly as she hugged her Charmander doll. Both Anabel and Daisy followed suite with their own apologies, hugging their prizes with their faces blushing. Serena glared at them for a few seconds before sighing as Ash stood back up.

" **It's alright. Just don't do it again when he's mine for the day,"** replied Serena as she wrapped her arms around Ash tightly as if to signal that he was hers only.

" **Someone's jealous,"** teased Ash after catching his breath.

" **Shut up,"** replied Serena, burying her head into his chest as she blushed. Ash just laughed. **"Stop teasing me!"**

" **But its fun,"** replied Ash with a smirk. Serena responded back with a pout. **"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing my Angel."** Her pout turned into a smile and she gave him a deep kiss that caught everyone's attention, some becoming jealous, others envious and others just smiled. **"Alright everyone, you ready to go home?"** asked Ash when they separated.

Everyone nodded as they were both tired and wanted to go back home. Ash sent a mental message to Mewtwo, requesting to send them back to their hotel suite. As soon as Ash told them to get ready to teleport, they all vanished in a blue glow and after a couple seconds, they reappeared inside their hotel suite's living room. Ash told Serena to get ready for their date before they all quickly separated to go to their rooms and drop off their prizes and purchases. Some of them even decided to take a quick nap since they were so tired. When Ash entered his master bedroom, Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and curled up in his small bed to nap.

Ash took a shower and afterwards, he got dressed and wore his black suite again but this time with a white long sleeved button down shirt. He relaxed in his bedroom for a bit, thinking about everything he had set up in advance for his date with Serena. He hoped that he wasn't forgetting anything so after going through everything in his mind, he got up and went to the living room where almost everyone but Serena and some of the girls were watching a movie.

" **Wow, you look great Ash!"** complimented Grace, making Ash blush as he nodded.

" **My baby is all grown up now!"** cried Delia, making some snigger. Before Ash could respond or anyone else could comment, the girls walked into the living room, hiding Serena from view. Ash faced them and Gary muted the TV when May told him to.

" **Introducing the beautiful..."** started Misty.

" **The talented Rhyhorn racer..."** added Dawn.

" **The winner of Pokémon Showcases..."** said May.

" **The Kalos Queen Serena Yvonne!"** said the three together and moved away to unveil Serena. She was wearing a hot pink dress that reached down to her knees and was held up with two straps that went over her shoulders. She also had on a white long sleeved jacket. The dress showed off her curvy body well, slightly accentuating her assets and made Ash stare for a bit before pulling himself together. He smiled, walked to her and grasped her hand.

" **You look great Serena,"** he said softly making Serena's face become the same color as her dress.

" **Thank you and you look good too,"** she replied.

" **We'll see you guys later,"** said Ash and the two disappeared in blue glows before the others continued watching the movie and then did their own things after.

The couple reappeared at the top of a large tower that was located in the middle of the ocean off the northern coast of Kalos. Serena took in her surroundings and tried to figure out where they were. Ash smiled seeing her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to piece it together. He always thought she looked cute when she did that.

" **Where are we?"** she asked after a couple minutes, giving up.

" **We're at the Sky Spirit's Den,"** he answered and she gasped.

" **Isn't this the place that the legendary bird pokémon sometimes use for their home?"**

" **Yup. But don't worry. They won't mind that we're here,"** said Ash as he led her to the edge where a large boulder was placed that was perfect for sitting, which was also covered with a blue blanket. They sat on it and took in the view. Serena could see almost all of her home region before her.

" **Wow, I can't believe I can see almost all of Kalos,"** whispered Serena.

" **Yup. It's one of my favorite spots,"** said Ash and she replied back saying she can see why.

The two went silent for a bit as they sat and just took in the magnificent view. Serena cuddled up closer to Ash and rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. They watched the sun's rays hit the ocean water, making it shine brightly and sparkle. The raven haired guardian motioned to the honey blonde girl to get up before he led her to the dinner table that was set up that she hadn't noticed before. He assisted her in sitting down on the chair and moved to take his seat. He brought out the food from the picnic basket and set them on the table before he reached down once more and pulled out a bottle of wine and some soda. He poured some wine into two cups and some soda into another two. Both he and she raised their glasses.

" **To a wonderful future between us,"** said Ash.

" **And for the others as well,"** added Serena.

They both smiled and clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. They then started on their food, which were many of Serena's favorite dishes. As they dined, the two talked and joked around. When Serena posed seductively with a strawberry in her mouth, Ash's pants started to become a little too tight for him as his hormones tried to take control. He shifted a bit in his seat and she noticed, causing her to giggle like mad.

" **Tormentor,"** pouted Ash and Serena just smiled deviously in response before they continued. When they finally finished their meal, they sat for a bit, relaxing as they talked some more. After a while, Ash got up and extended his hand to her. **"Will you follow me please?"**

" **I will follow you to the end of the world,"** answered Serena as she placed her hand in his.

Ash smiled and helped her up before leading her to a trapdoor in the middle of the tower. He opened it with his foot and it showed a stone staircase. They both went inside with Ash using his aura as a light to show the way and as they traveled deeper into the tower, Serena drew closer to Ash.

" **Nothing to fear here my Angel,"** said Ash. **"I'm just going to show you something."**

Serena nodded and relaxed a bit but still stayed close to him. After a few more minutes of walking down the spiral staircase, they reached a circular area that had a golden shrine in the middle of it. The shrine was of the legendary bird pokémon Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres in mid flight, their wings spread open and posed majestically.

" **Wow, it's so beautiful. How did you find this?"** asked Serena as she let go of Ash's hand and moved to the shrine.

" **I was training here for some time at the base of the tower since this place is kind of secluded. I went inside during a nasty storm and found a secret staircase leading up to here, which is over there."** He pointed to a small opening underneath the spiral staircase when Serena looked at him. She looked in the indicated spot before turning her gaze back to the shrine. **"I found the shrine but it was covered in dirt and dust. I cleaned it up and when it was finally dirt free, I continued up the stairs and found the trap door to the top of the tower and got out."**

" **Then what happened?"** asked Serena when Ash went silent as she gently touched the golden shrine.

" **I saw the legendary bird pokémon."**

" **WHAT?!"** Serena whirled around and stared at him.

" **Yup. Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were here. They had felt someone enter their home. Legendary pokémon have some incredible powers and each of them have a powerful connection to the places they call home. They sensed me enter the tower and they also sensed that I cleaned the shrine. Next thing I know, they challenged me to a battle as I made myself worthy by respecting their home and shrine. Now those were fun battles."**

" **They challenged you to a battle?!"** Serena's eyes were widened in shock. **"Then what happened? Did you win? Did you capture any?"**

" **Now Serena, you know I don't like to spoil my surprises. You'll find out sooner or later,"** taunted Ash.

" **Please! I can keep a secret,"** pleaded Serena but Ash shook his head while smirking. **"You're so annoying!"** puffed Serena, crossing her arms but then she got an idea. She moved to him, slowly and seductively and the sight of her doing that made him freeze. She reached him and cupped his face with her hands. She leaned in and gave him such a passionate kiss that he was too stunned to reciprocate. When she pulled away, she saw him frozen and giggled. The sound of her laughter brought him out of his trance.

" **That was an amazing kiss,"** he said, making her blush. **"But I'm still not telling you."**

Serena narrowed her eyes and smacked his arm, making him yelp. When she tried to hit him again, he caught her arm and pulled her into a kiss. Her resolve to find out whether he did catch the legendary birds or not weakened as she felt his hands work their magic while their tongues explored each other's mouths. She felt one of his hands in her hair and the other going up and down her side. She felt her legs turn into jelly and her heart race. She placed both her hands in his hair and leaned onto him for support.

As their passion enflamed them, the raven haired guardian took control and pushed her up against the wall. The honey blonde girl moaned into his mouth as she felt the cold tower wall against her back and his warm and toned body pressed to her front. She felt a bulge grow in his pants and got another devious idea. She grinded against it with her lower body making him groan and stop. She smirked, knowing what she was doing. As she continued to grind against him, keeping him from moving but his eyes watching her every move, she grabbed his hands and guided them up her body and placed them onto her chest and made him squeeze them. She moaned as his eyes stayed fixed on hers, feeling her soft yet perky breasts in his hands through her pink dress.

" **Do you want more?"** asked Serena seductively but Ash couldn't respond. Grinning, she let go of his hands that stayed on her chest and she pulled his head down to whisper into his ear. **"Tell me if you captured them or not and you can do whatever you want to me."** She turned his gaze to face him and she waited for his response. After a long pause he spoke.

" **I did catch them."** Hearing him say that Serena went to work on untying her shoulder straps but he stopped her. She looked up at him with a confused look and he merely smiled at her. **"I was going to tell you before the night ended but I just wanted to tease you a bit before doing so. You don't have to do anything in return. Especially if it's something you don't want to do,"** he said.

Serena's heart fluttered over his behavior, always putting the needs of others before his own first and she smiled in response. Forgetting about the dress straps, she pushed off the wall and tackled him to the ground, smashing her lips against his. After a moment, they separated, her blue eyes gazing into his brown ones.

" **I love you Ash. I've thought about you since the first time I met you in the summer camp we went to as kids. You're so caring, protective, passionate and I've never even thought about anyone else, not even for a second. I'm so happy to finally be with you. Nobody could ever replace you and I hope that you feel the same way about me,"** she revealed as a happy tear went down her cheek.

" **Serena, as I said before, you are the only Yvonne for me and nobody could ever replace you either. I love you with all my heart and I'm glad that things worked out for us. You place others' needs before your own as well and I admire that,"** he said with a smile as he softly wiped away her tear. They kissed again before sitting up and Ash reached into his jacket's inside pocket. **"For you Serena,"** he said as he brought out a narrow box. She took it, opened it and pulled out the gift. It was a white gold necklace with a black circular pendant that had pink diamond angel wings on it. She flipped it over to read the inscription on the back.

FOR MY DIVINE ANGEL

SERENA YVONNE

" **I love it! Thank you Ash!"** she said and hugged him tightly. She had him help her put it on and afterwards they stood up. **"Does it match?"** she asked.

" **Yes it does. It looks great and only because it's on you,"** he said and she blushed. She wanted to do something for him and then came up with a plan.

" **If you don't have any other ideas or plans around here, can we go back?"** she asked.

" **Sure, no problem Serena."**

The two vanished in blue glows and reappeared in his bedroom. They glanced at the time and saw it was past midnight. They were surprised that the time had gone so quickly. Ash handed Serena some pajamas but she said she wanted to shower first, saying she feels dirty since they were in an old tower. Resisting the urge to make an inappropriate joke, he handed her a bath robe and a towel as well. As she thanked him and moved into the bathroom to take a shower, he changed into his pajama sweats and was about to lie down when he heard her call for him from the bathroom.

" **Is everything okay?"** he asked through the door.

" **Ash, help me!"** she shouted, panic in her voice. Not wasting any more time, he opened the unlocked door and barged in; looking wildly around to find what was scaring her. **"ASH! There's a Spinark in the shower! Hurry!"**

He opened the shower door and as soon as he did, two hands grabbed his and pulled him underneath the already running shower, getting his clothes wet. Before he could even ask what was going on, the honey blonde girl pushed him against the shower wall and kissed him. Realizing what she was doing now, the raven haired guardian wrapped his arms around her back and plunged his tongue into her mouth. They both began heating up, both from their bodies against one another and from the hot water falling on them.

" **You had this planned didn't you?"** he asked her when they separated.

" **Took you long enough,"** she replied with a smirk and he chuckled. **"I'm actually glad you stopped me at the Sky Spirit Den cause I didn't really want our first time being intimate to be done there. So, like what you see?"** she asked as took a step back, allowing him full view of her wet, naked and curvy body while she turned around slowly. She glanced back at him when her cute butt was in front of him and smirked when she saw she was making his sweat pants bulge bigger. **"Looks like you do like what you see. You're friend is trying to escape,"** she teased, giggling.

Ash looked down and saw the bulge in his sweats. He glanced back at her and rubbed the back of his head. She turned back around, letting him view her front now. Her perky round breasts with pink nipples and her beautiful skin made Ash become enflamed as he took in the sight of her. As his eyes traveled over her body, Serena moved closer to him. When he finally looked up again and locked eyes with her, she kissed him, with one hand in his hair and the other working on removing his sweats and boxers. When she was finally able to lower them, Ash kicked away the wet clothes out of the shower area and Serena pressed up against his body, pushing him against the wall, feeling his shaft against her lower body.

" **Someone's enthusiastic,"** commented Ash with a grin.

" **After hearing what Misty and Dawn said about their time with you, I want mine to be more special. I want to top theirs,"** she said.

" **You girls talk about that stuff?!"** asked a very surprised Ash.

" **Of course. But no need to worry. We only talk amongst ourselves. We won't tell anyone else. Mostly. Plus its fun, we like to have a little competition between us and we like talking about you."**

With that statement, Serena kissed him and Ash relaxed into it, kissing her back. She moved her right hand down and grasped his shaft and began stroking it, causing him to hiss with pleasure into her mouth. He continued kissing her as he grabbed her butt with his left hand and squeezed it while playing with her breasts with his right. She moaned as the feelings intensified from his hands and when he began kissing down her neck she lifted her head up to give him more room. As he worked his way down her body, Serena was feeling like she was going to faint from the overwhelming sensations she was being bombarded with. The combination of their bodies pressed together, the hot water falling onto them, his hands rubbing the side of her body and squeezing her rear while kissing and licking her breasts. She moaned and panted as he worked her body over.

As he played around with her breasts, Ash heard Serena's moans and squeals. He knew he was making her feel great but he wanted to make her feel amazing. He slowly moved his right hand down the front of her body and started rubbing her womanhood, causing the honey blonde girl to squeak in surprise and pleasure. Not wanting to be outdone, she stroked his shaft faster as she arced her back while he groaned with pleasure. Taking advantage of the situation, Ash clamped his mouth over her right nipple, licking and sucking on it, which caused her to squeak at first and then groaned. Right as Serena was about to feel used to the multiple sensations, Ash plunged his finger into her opening and she let out a sharp squeal that made him move his finger faster, not letting her get used to it. He then entered another finger as he felt her body quiver a bit and Serena panted quickly at that, enjoying it greatly.

" **Please..."** gasped Serena after a moment of continuing this. **"I want you...in me...now..."**

" **As you wish my Angel,"** replied Ash, after he raised his head from her breasts. The raven haired guardian gently pushed the honey blonde girl up against the shower wall underneath the running water that continued hitting them both. He lifted her up from her legs and spread them open as she reached down, grabbed his shaft and lined it up with her opening. **"Are you ready? And are you protected?"** he asked her.

" **Yes and yes,"** she answered with a smile.

Ash smiled at Serena before he gently and slowly pushed into her as she guided him in. Serena took in a sharp breath as the tip of his shaft entered her and she trembled a bit as he continued on. Soon enough, he met her barrier and he glanced at her. She smiled and nodded, signaling she was ready. He nodded and pushed on, breaking her hymen, causing Serena to scream. Her scream echoed against the shower walls and Ash kissed her to stop the echoing. She didn't think it would hurt that much and the pain completely caught her off guard, even from hearing about it from Misty and Dawn. Tears escaped from her eyes and she whimpered slightly as she continued to kiss him back, trying her best to ignore the pain.

Slowly, Ash pushed all the way in so Serena would get an idea of how it felt with him fully inside of her. Her body trembled and her lips quivered at the painful feeling but did her best to not cry out as they continued their kiss. After entering all of him into her, he stopped and waited a moment for her to get used to him being inside her. They broke the kiss and he looked into her eyes before he asked her a question as he wiped the tears off her face while the water from the shower head fell onto their side.

" **Are you alright, Serena?"** he asked her softly and she smiled a bit.

" **I'm…I'm okay. Even though Misty and Dawn told...told me about that first part, I...I didn't think it would hurt that badly,"** she answered quietly.

" **I'm sorry for causing you pain my Angel,"** said Ash as leaned his forehead against hers. **"Please forgive me."**

" **It's not your fault Ash. It's just the way things are…but I'm happy that…I've become one with you and experienced this with you,"** replied back Serena, making Ash raise his head and look at her with a small smile. **"I think I got used to it…please…make me feel like a real woman."**

Ash smiled at her and they kissed as he continued holding her up from her legs. He withdrew slowly out of her, making her wince at the pain but also slightly groan, feeling incomplete without him inside her. Right when it was just his shaft's tip left inside her, he pushed back into her, making Serena gasp from feeling him moving back in. He kept up his actions at this slow speed for a little bit before gradually picking up the pace. They withdrew from their kissing but maintained eye contact with one another while they panted and moaned, feeling the other's hot breath on their face. Serena felt the pain still but it wasn't as bad. After a little while, the pain was gone and now what she felt was incredible pleasure.

" **Oh Mew!"** she squealed as he pumped into her. **"Oh god! It feels so good!"**

Ash didn't comment but merely grinned his goofy grin at her and she smirked back at him in between her gasping. The two kissed again as he plowed into her. He was feeling her hugging him as he continued and with the hot water raining down only on their bodies, it felt so amazing that he had to be careful to not finish too soon. She on the other hand was in total heaven, feeling him filling her up with his well endowed shaft and never wanted it to stop. The warmth she felt inside from his shaft, his body against hers and the sensation of him moving in and out of her was sending her into total bliss. When Ash was starting to get tired of basically holding her up against the wall, he began to slow down.

" **No! Don't slow down...please...go faster...harder..."** she pleaded in between moans to him.

" **Only...one…way..."** he groaned back.

" **Do it!"** she replied back instantly.

At her command, Ash pressed against her, ramming his shaft all the way into her and Serena howled with delight. He then wrapped his arms around her lower back after turning off the water and she automatically wrapped her arms and legs around his back. He carried her out of the shower and bathroom while they were still connected and laid her down on the edge of the bed while they dripped water from the shower all over the floor and bed. She unwrapped her legs and arms from around him and he lifted up her right leg and leaned it against his shoulder while her other leg dangled down the edge of the bed. No longer needed to hold her up, Ash was able to pick up speed and power, especially in this new position as it allowed him greater and easier access. He thrust into her powerfully and quickly, making Serena moan and gasp with sharp squeaks. She gripped the bed covers and arced her neck back as she cried out to the heavens above them.

" **OOOHHHHHH! OH GOD!"**

Seeing her being so lost in ecstasy, Ash was having a hard time preventing himself from finishing as he maintained his course. He knew he had to get her over the edge soon because he wasn't going to last much longer. He grabbed her left breast with his left hand and played with it. He squeezed it and rubbed her nipple before he let go of her leg and leaned down over her body to take the right one with his mouth as he continued pumping into her. The sudden multiple sensations on her body were too much for the honey blonde girl and she felt herself about to let go.

" **ASH!"** she cried out. **"I'm...I'm about to...to..."** She couldn't finish but he understood as he summoned the last of his energy and went so fast that Serena was only able to say a single word before she climaxed. **"FUUCCCKKKK!"**

Feeling Serena's release wash over his shaft was the last straw and Ash exploded his seed into her as he groaned loudly while hovering over her chest. She felt her body warm up from the inside from his release and they both stayed frozen for a few seconds before she relaxed her back onto the bed. He followed soon after and collapsed onto her body. They both were feeling the sensual high as it washed over their bodies.

" **That was...incredible..."** panted Serena after a moment. Ash raised his head and grinned at her from her chest.

" **You were...amazing...my Angel,"** said Ash softly.

Serena blushed before he kissed her softly and she returned it. Afterwards, when he gained some energy back, he lifted her up gently after slipping out of her and opened the covers before he laid her back down gently. He climbed into bed next to her and raised the covers over the two. As soon as he laid down on his back, she immediately snuggled against him, wrapping her arm and leg over his body and placed her head on his chest. She caressed his chest scar while humming and Ash felt himself dozing off.

" **Goodnight my Divine Angel,"** said Ash quietly and Serena looked up at him.

" **Goodnight my Protector."**

Serena gave him a soft goodnight kiss and placed her head back onto his chest. She continued her humming and caressing his chest scar as she felt his breathing slow down until it evened out. She slowly lifted her head to look at him and saw he was fast asleep. She smiled and lowered her head back onto his chest as she thought of how lucky she is before she too drifted off to sleep.

 _ **A/N - There you go! Another mushy chapter for everyone who loves romance and touchy feely stuff! (I'm one too as I'm a romantic in real life lol) So we have more couples officially formed, (hope you agree with the pairings but if you don't, oh well) Ash and Serena have reached a new level in their relationship together, Natasha is on her way, found out some things about her and Ash's next match has been announced against Giselle Yuto! Remember to review, favorite and follow! Till next time, Silent is out!**_


	36. Chapter 36 - Enter the Skull Brothers

_**A/N - What's up everyone? Here's another chapter all ready for you! Before you read, I must say a couple things (IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ);**_

 _ **1\. Starting from this chapter, expect the story to be more adult oriented. I've been slowly working towards this and you've been warned previously before. I will NO LONGER WARN YOU SPECIFICALLY if the chapter contains violence, language, gruesome descriptions, blood, sadistic details, torture, alcohol/drug references, sexual situations (good or bad), lemons, or anything else. I decided to do this so it won't potentially spoil anything in the future chapters. This is the FINAL WARNING for all that and anything else that is "mature rated" for the story from here on out. I will only leave a disclaimer on the top of every chapter now that says "Warning - Mature Content".**_

 _ **2\. Regarding what I said above, I will only include this other last warning; there will be something in this chapter, best to describe it as "EVIL", that will occur. I won't say what exactly here, but it is not for the squeamish and it is not for sensitive people. If you have issues with it, I understand as I had issues with it too while writing it since it's my first time ever writing something like that (and it always will even in the future) but it had to be done for the story. (Another important note about it at the end of the chapter)**_

 _ **3\. The poll has been closed so thank you to everyone who has voted. The winner by a landslide was a new take on Ash's pokemon journey starting from the beginning. I will start working on that and will update you when I have posted it up. But, don't expect it to be anytime soon. I still haven't finished the outline for "The Blue Spirit" so once I finish that, I will start on my second story. I will still write the other types of stories but not until after getting the second story rolling.**_

 _ **Erazor Djinn - Thanks buddy, I appreciate it! I hope I'm able to make the date chapter of Ash and May as good as the others and the next matches to be as entertaining as the ones before.**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 36 – ENTER THE SKULL BROTHERS

In a spacious meeting room that was located at the Pokémon League Headquarters, which was stationed near the Indigo Plateau, the five Champions and Goodshow were in a heated debate. It was late at night, past midnight and they were talking for hours now about the information they recently learned from the Aura Guardian the night before. Lance wanted to start preparing, strengthening their defenses in secret and place some spies around the world while getting as many trust worthy agents on board as possible to prepare but Cynthia was telling him to wait and follow Ash's plan.

" **You need to trust him Lance! If we act rashly, we may cause more harm than good. He made the plan with Arceus damn it! And we promised to keep this between us only! We should wait until after the tournament to find out what they have planned next. If what they came up with was good enough for the Alpha Pokémon, then it should be good enough for you! You promised you would listen to others!"** stated Cynthia.

Goodshow was holding his head in his hands against the table. He was tired and wanted them to stop bickering. Alder, Diantha and Steven were trying to play devil's advocate between the two as they both had good points. Lance couldn't believe that she would so blindingly follow someone without question when there are so many lives at stake.

" **Damn it Cynthia I don't care what Ash and Arceus have planned! I vowed to help him and I will! I did promise that I would listen to others but he's barely an adult and has no idea what's coming in the future besides a great evil! I don't doubt his plan, or what he can do. But this is about millions and millions of lives we're talking here! The fate of the world!"** shouted Lance, making Cynthia and the others go silent and think about what he just said. **"Just because Arceus trusts him and they made a plan, doesn't mean it's the best course! It doesn't mean that we shouldn't make some plans of our own or at least have a backup plan put in place! We are Champions and leaders of our regions! The Pokémon Master has been gone for over a decade and nobody has seen him since so people look to us instead! We need to set good examples and be prepared!"** This statement made Cynthia sigh, nodding since he was right. Goodshow and the other Champions agreed with that as well. **"Now, I'm not saying we should tell everyone but only those who are worthy! And there is no harm in preparing away from the public eyes!"** finished up Lance and he took a couple breaths to calm down.

" **You're right Lance. It would be wise to strengthen our defenses and to have a backup plan in case things go bad,"** replied Cynthia. **"But we should still wait until after the tournament to see what else they have planned. Ash mentioned he had other things to work on but said he'll say what later. For all we know, it may be the same thing we want to do or even better than what we come up with."**

" **What happened to you Cynthia?"** asked Lance in disbelief that she still wanted to wait to see what the young man has planned. **"You were never one to just wait around. You used to be proactive. You used to think for yourself but you've changed. You're too busy trying to make him notice you like a stupid little fan girl! Remember your promise that you would remain unbiased and neutral about this stuff! You need to stop blindingly following him because of your lustful fantasies about him!"** shot Lance in anger but then instantly regretted it as he realized he crossed the line in what he just said when he saw her face.

" **HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME LIKE THAT YOU EGOTISTICAL BASTARD!"** screamed Cynthia as she stood up abruptly and was about to launch herself at Lance and make him eat his words when the doors were slammed open suddenly, making them all stop and look in the door's direction. What they saw made them all widen their eyes but Lance also had slight fear show on his face. It was Sabrina and she looked angry, glaring straight at Lance. They barely registered that there were two more people behind her when Sabrina started glowing pink.

" **LANCE! How dare you ignore my calls! After all I've done for you and the G-Men, you can't answer my calls or call me back?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"** screamed Sabrina as she levitated through the air to him.

" **Now is not the time Sabrina!"** shouted back Lance. Seeing her not back down, he glared at her the best he could before talking again. **"Fine damn it! What the hell do you want?! Tell me and get out! I have work to do!"**

Sabrina looked like she was about to explode. She narrowed her eyes before she raised her hand and pointed at Lance. He was outlined in a pink glow and was slammed against the wall behind him causing the others to shout out in fright.

" **Because of your inability to trust someone else, you made me hurt an innocent person! I haven't been able to sleep and when I could, I've been having nightmares! You couldn't even send me a message saying he's alright?! I've been suffering until I found out he's okay from the damn TV when I saw him compete in his next match! How could you be so thoughtless?!"** yelled Sabrina as Lance grunted in pain.

" **Sabrina, STOP!"** shouted Diantha as she stood up. Sabrina eyed her and growled but the Champion didn't falter. **"He's done wrong yes but this won't change anything! He was only trying to do his job!"**

Sabrina kept her gaze on Diantha for a moment longer before her furious expression faded away and let Lance go who dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. Sabrina floated down to the floor and collapsed onto a nearby chair and started crying heavily. Cynthia went to her and did her best to soothe her nerves. The two other persons who entered with Sabrina then spoke up as they moved forward.

" **What did you do now Lance?"** asked the blue haired girl. She was wearing a dark and light blue one piece workout apparel that covered her body from her shoulders down to her thighs along with a black and light blue cape. She was very attractive, with an hourglass yet athletic figure, since she was a master in a couple forms of hand to hand combat and the gym leader of Blackthorn City Gym in Johto.

" **Probably fucked around with somebody's life again for no reason other than being paranoid,"** quipped the green haired girl. She was also a very attractive, with a slender but slightly curvy body wearing a red short jacket that was buttoned up over her black sports top, showing off her stomach and had on a short red skirt. She was the trainer and caretaker in a way of the Charicific Valley, where only Charizard were allowed to stay to train and become stronger.

" **Shut up you two,"** shot Lance as he stood back up. He glanced at the sobbing Sabrina who was slowly pulling herself together thanks to Cynthia. **"Did you bring my pokémon?"**

" **Yea, here you go,"** answered the sky blue haired girl as she tossed a poke ball to Lance who caught it.

" **Thanks Clair,"** he said as he clipped the poke ball to his belt, next to the five others. He then glanced at the green haired girl. **"What are you doing here Liza?"**

" **Not really your business but when your cousin came to get your and her Charizards, she gave me an update of what's being going on and I decided to come and check things out for myself. Plus, I want to watch the rest of the tournament."**

" **I see. Very well. That's all I needed Clair. You're dismissed,"** replied Lance.

" **I'm not one of your workers to speak to me like that Lance,"** snapped Clair and Lance flinched. Clair went to the now quiet Sabrina, who she knew as they were friends, having worked together on a couple missions in the past. **"C'mon Sabrina, let's go. You can stay with me and Liza in our room at the Indigo Hotel. You can tell us what's bothering you."**

Sabrina whispered out her thanks to her and the three girls left the room after both Sabrina and Clair glared at Lance, while Liza smirked when the Champion flinched once more. When they left, Cynthia turned her attention to Lance who was both frustrated and angry at how things had turned into such a complicated mess.

" **Do you see what you do to people in your haste, your inability to trust and your poor choice of words and actions most of the time?"** she asked him.

" **I don't need you to tell me how to do my job Cynthia. I've been doing this far longer than any of you have, even Alder as he spends most of his time hiding in the woods."** Alder gave Lance an annoyed and angry look at that remark but Lance didn't care. **"I don't just say things. You can hate me all you want but you know I'm right as we have to prepare. You may not like my methods but they have protected everyone for the past decade. But if you want to leave the faith of the world in the hands of someone who's barely of age, then you can go and tell your boyfriend that you're willing to risk millions of lives while you sit back and watch just so you could tell him that you're on his side and get into bed with him. I hope it's worth it,"** he finished nastily.

A fist came flying at his face so quickly that he couldn't dodge it and he was struck hard, sending him to the floor. He grunted and groaned in pain as he held his sore and bruised jaw as Cynthia held her right fist.

" **You are one bipolar, ignorant and arrogant bastard. We're not fighting against the usual goons and grunts from some organization. We're fighting against an evil that can take over us all while he and Mewtwo are the only ones who can't get affected. Even if we did prepare, we don't know how or in what way. But he does. So yes, I will follow him but not just because I have feelings for him. He is my friend as well and I trust him. Looks like you already forgot that it wasn't your methods that saved everyone from the stadium attack but his. You should think before you open your mouth Champion,"** lectured Cynthia heatedly before she turned away from him. Diantha helped Lance up in time to see a furious Cynthia leave the room and slam the door shut behind her. Goodshow got up at that moment and looked at Lance with pity.

" **You need to learn that you're not the only one who wishes to do what is right,"** said Goodshow calmly and quietly before he too left. Alder and Steven gave Lance looks of disgust and disappointment before they left the two alone. Lance sighed heavily and shook his head at what just occurred.

" **It's alright Lance. You're just doing what you think is right. But you need to choose your words and actions more wisely. And it seems you need to follow your own advice of being unbiased and neutral. You weren't like this before. You've changed. I know you're upset that Cynthia chose Ash over you but you need to stop this childish act. That ship has sailed long ago and you need to move on and treat your friends as friends and not as your enemies,"** advised Diantha kindly and Lance raised his head and looked into her eyes before dropping his gaze in shame and shaking his head.

" **You're right Diantha. I…I need help. But let's call it a night for now. Let's go and get some sleep. It's late,"** replied Lance and Diantha agreed. She helped him up and both of them left the room together and closed the door behind them.

" **Do you understand what to do?"** asked a red headed woman.

" **Yea, yea, we know what to do,"** replied a bald man.

Six people were talking together in the middle of the woods, very early the next morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet. The red head was a very attractive woman with an hourglass figure, wearing black business clothes consisting of black knee length skirt, white blouse and black jacket. The bald man was tall, buff and had four others standing behind him, all of whom were almost identical copies of him. The five were wearing sleeveless leather jackets and black jeans with white skulls on their black shirts. The one who spoke had a white headband around his forehead, signifying him as the leader.

" **Good. You will get the rest of the money after you complete the mission,"** said the red head.

" **Consider it done. You better not cheat us or we will come for what we are owed,"** replied one of the men.

" **Remember who I work for. You do not want to piss him off. You'll get your money. Just make sure to do as I planned. Got it?"**

The Skull Brothers agreed and left the red head alone in the vast woods next to the Indigo Plateau Hotel. When she was sure they were gone, she sighed and shook her head. She hated dealing with such people, not because she was scared but because she was disgusted of them and what they have done in the past. She moved in the opposite direction while digging through her bag, checking her equipment and poke balls, making sure she had everything she needed before her plan went into motion.

" **Yes, I got that…and that…check that off…where is that last…there it is. Okay, good; I have everything I need. Those boneheads better not mess up or I'm in some deep shit,"** thought Natasha out loud.

She stopped what she was doing and thought about how Giovanni scared her before she left to start the mission. He had never done something like that before to her, even working for him for so long. She felt a shiver go down her spine when she remembered his icy stare and vice-like grip on her arm. She saw a bit of the devil that was inside him, of the horrible side he was rumored to have from the other grunts and nameless workers he had employed who were unfortunate enough to get a glimpse of it whenever his plans failed. She thought about that for a couple more minutes before she shook her head clear of it.

" **Get a grip. You have a job to do."** Natasha told herself and she continued walking deeper into the woods. She walked on for a pretty long time before reaching her destination. She smiled and walked towards the lone cabin in the middle of the woods near a small and relatively unknown lake.

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, in the Master's suite, a raven haired young man was sleeping peacefully in his bed with a beautiful honey blonde girl cuddled up onto him. The two had become intimate the night before and revealed their love for one another. It was also the first night in a few days that he had a very good night's rest and was beginning to wake up. He opened his eyes slowly and noticed that there wasn't any light yet. He turned his head to look at the digital clock on his night stand.

 _6:45AM. Looks like the sun will be up soon._

Ash was taken out of his thoughts by a small sound. He glanced towards the source and found that Serena was mumbling in her sleep. He grinned as he caught some words from her muttering such as 'future, 'love' and 'night'. He listened to her mumbling for a couple more minutes, hearing some very interesting things that made his smile grow larger as he kept his laughter in. She then went quiet and he took this time to gaze at her for a few more minutes before he decided he should get up.

He slowly moved Serena off of him so he could get up and gently lowered her back down onto the bed and covered her up with the blanket. He gave her a quick peck on her forehead and she hummed in response. He smiled and checked on Pikachu, who was sleeping with a large grin on his face. He chuckled quietly while he moved to his room's balcony. He stepped outside to the morning air and enjoyed the gentle breeze that flowed over him as he looked out into the horizon as time went by. He could see the dark sky starting to light up in the distance where the sun was beginning to rise. The sun's shine made the sky light up in many different colors, the lighter colors near the sun. It went from black, to dark blue, purple, red, orange and finally yellow. It was a very beautiful view. Ash had seen many incredible sights during his travels but this was something else.

" **It's beautiful isn't it?"** asked Serena as she stood next to him and looked out into the distance.

Ash had sensed her get up and come closer but he was too mesmerized by the view to look at her until her voice broke his trance. He turned his head to look at her and what he saw took his breath away. She had used the bed cover to cover herself up but the combination of the night sky and the sun's glow made her look even more stunning than usual.

" **Not as beautiful as what I'm looking at,"** he replied, making Serena turn to look at him and saw he was gazing at her with such a look that it made her blush.

" **Stop teasing,"** remarked Serena as she looked away.

" **I'm not,"** said Ash simply.

She glanced back at him. She saw his eyes focused on her and they were shining under the sun's barely visible shine. She had never seen his eyes shine like that and it made her take in a sharp breath. She stepped closer to him before leaning in, kissing him softly before pulling away. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he was staring at her and it made her giggle. Her cute laugh snapped Ash out of his daze and he smiled at her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they both looked at the sun rise. She then wrapped the blanket cover around the both of them, their naked bodies up against one another's.

" **So what made you get out of the bed so early?"** asked Serena as they continued looking at the sun rise.

" **I woke up a little while ago and stayed in bed for a bit watching you sleep. I heard you mumble some pretty interesting stuff before I got up and came here to get some fresh air,"** admitted Ash.

" **Hey, I said no teasing,"** said Serena as she playfully smacked his chest before resting her head against it again. Ash just chuckled. **"Thinking about anything?"**

" **Yes,"** he said. **"Just thinking about a few stuff; the tournament, what the future will be like fighting the darkness, finding out about Leaf, Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah."** Serena nodded as she heard him before she let out a yawn and shivered a bit. She tightened her grip on the blanket. **"You should go back to sleep Serena. It's still pretty early and you'll catch a cold."**

" **Hey, you're the one who stepped outside onto the balcony naked first,"** remarked Serena, making them both go pink but other than that they didn't react too embarrassingly.

" **True, but I trained at Mount Silver and other really cold places. I'm used to it,"** said Ash truthfully.

" **Good point but I'm not tired either,"** she said as she tried to stifle a yawn but was unsuccessful.

" **Riiiight,"** said Ash sarcastically, making Serena form a sheepish smile on her face. He smiled back at her before he surprised her by picking her up bridal style and carried her back to the bed. Serena laughed at his action, making him chuckle. He lowered her gently onto the bed, giving her a quick kiss before he raised the blanket to cover her.

" **You're not sleeping?"** asked Serena as she looked at him.

 **"No, I figured I should get some training in since I'm up already,"** answered Ash.

" **Oh, okay. Can you stay with me until I fall back asleep at least?"** she asked.

" **Of course my Angel. Let me just put something on in case Leaf or your mom decide to barge in. I don't know how they'll handle seeing me naked. They might jump me,"** joked Ash and Serena slapped his arm in response as she gave him a fake angry face before giggling. As he went to put on some boxers and another pair of pajama pants, Serena watched him get semi dressed and her face flushed red as she admired his body and remembered their time together last night. Even with the scars on his body, she believed him to be perfect as they showed that he was a courageous man. When he finished, he lied down on top of the blanket on his side next to Serena, facing her. She smiled at him and he returned it.

" **I was wondering,"** started Serena. **"You said you trained with Lucario to learn how to fight. You should teach us so we can defend ourselves."**

" **Yes I did…but I'm not sure if I would be able to teach you. Not by myself anyway. Lucario would most definitely have to do the honors and I probably would just be used for demonstrations,"** chuckled Ash and Serena followed suite, giggling. **"But that's a good idea. You should all know how to defend yourselves. When should we start that?"** he asked.

" **I think the sooner the better,"** replied Serena.

" **Yea, you're right. Okay, I'll talk to Lucario today and we'll come up with a training schedule and start while we're here and looks like we'll need a place to practice,"** said Ash and Serena nodded.

They laid there for a few minutes talking before Serena said she was unable to continue since she was so tired. She gave a quick kiss and fell asleep. He looked at her for a few minutes before he got up and changed from his sweats to his heavy workout clothes, which consisted of black, loose exercise pants, a black weighted shirt, weighted wrist bands and weighted ankle bands.

He left the room and moved silently through the suite even with the weighted shirt and accessories on him and he entered the large patio area where the pool and jacuzzi were. He noticed that the sun was fully out now in the horizon and started stretching for about ten minutes. When he was finally ready after jumping a couple times on his bare feet, he climbed on top of the railings and tossed out a poke ball that had materialized in his hand with a blue glow into the air and his Pidgeot appeared who nuzzled him affectionately.

" **I missed you too Pidgeot,"** said Ash as he hugged her and caressed her bright colorful plumage of feathers on her head as the great falcon cooed at him. **"I'm going to start some training. You know what to do."**

Pidgeot gave a chirp of understanding and took off flying around him as he began his training on top of the railings. As he trained, Pidgeot kept a close watch on him from the sky, making sure that she was ready to catch him if he were to fall or slip off the ledge. It was a new regiment that he and Lucario devised when he was back at New Island checking on his recovering pokémon. It was one that focused on his balance and coordination. After about an hour of working out, when he started doing hand stand pushups on the railings, he had a spectator watch him as he continued. A few minutes later, the spectator had someone join her.

" **Aren't you worried that he'll fall off?"** asked Anabel with obvious worry coating her words.

" **At first I was but then I noticed his Pidgeot,"** answered Leaf, pointing out the beautiful falcon in the air above Ash.

Leaf had gotten up a while ago since she was an early riser. She had washed up, changed and when she was about to go to Ash's room to wake him up as usual, she was surprised when she noticed him training in the large balcony patio. She leaned against the sliding glass door and watched him. Anabel had woken up soon after since she had placed an alarm on her Poketch so she can get up and train. She fully intended to follow up on her vow to prepare and help Ash in his fight against the darkness.

" **I get it. Good precaution,"** remarked Anabel and Leaf nodded.

" **I was wondering what you guys were staring at until I saw Ash. Never seen someone that good looking train before?"** Both Anabel and Leaf turned around and saw Sarah standing behind them with a smirk on her face. Anabel went crimson but Leaf merely smiled back in response.

" **What are you doing up so early? I remember you sleeping in a bit usually,"** commented Anabel.

" **Same as you,"** replied Sarah. " **I plan on starting my training already so I woke up when your alarm went off. Looks like you don't need it Leaf since you were up before we got up."**

" **So you two are going to go train? Where?"** asked Leaf, thinking she should start her training too in order to keep the promise she made as well.

" **I'm going to the woods in front of the hotel,"** answered Sarah. **"You two can come with if you'd like."**

" **Sure, I'll come. I want to get some training in too. Thanks!"** said Leaf with a smile.

" **I'll join as well. Let's go,"** added Anabel.

The three girls took one more look at the young man who was now balancing on one leg, the other leg resting on his standing leg's knee while holding his hands together in a prayer position, meditating before they headed out. They each grabbed their bags that had their poke balls inside on the way out. They greeted Joy at the bottom, who left earlier than them all to start her shift. They talked for a couple minutes before leaving the building and headed into the woods. They walked until they found a suitable clearing for training and they brought out their pokémon. Leaf called out Volcarona, Anabel had Alakazam come out and Sarah had her Jolteon appear. They began their training separately for a little while before they started having mock battles against each other. Unknown to them, five bald men were walking closer to their position a good distance away from the hotel in the woods.

" **So who was the girl we're supposed to get again?"** asked one of the men.

" **Look at the picture you idiot,"** replied the leader.

" **How are we supposed to find her?"** asked a third man.

" **The red head said she'll be near the Indigo Plateau Hotel so we'll start there and we'll figure it out as we go. She may not be smart and if she is, we'll just force her to come with us."**

" **Alright boss, but what if she travels in a group?"** asked the fourth man.

" **We take them all if it's a group of girls. I mean she only asked for this particular girl. We could have some fun with the others if they look hot. What do you say boss?"** mused the fifth man.

" **If it's not a hassle. I've been bored lately. But our mission is to get her. This has been our biggest score yet since business has slowed down greatly,"** answered their leader and the others agreed as they continued moving through the forest, unknowingly getting closer to the girl they were looking for in the picture.

The picture was then passed around to each of the five bald men so they can see who their target is. It was of a raven haired young man and a brunette girl in an embrace in the stadium right when the attackers invaded. Back at the hotel, after the three girls left, Ash began using his aura abilities to practice his basic moves to keep them sharp while trying to keep his balance in various positions.

" **Feel like having a little sparring session?"**

Ash finished practicing his Aura Spheres, shooting them into the air and traveling a good distance before fading away. He turned to glance at the new arrival and smiled.

" **Sounds good to me. Let's get started Riley."**

Riley nodded and Ash jumped down onto the balcony floor. He jumped on his tip toes a bit to loosen up and stay warm since he was sweating profusely. He had taken off his black weighted shirt but kept his weighted accessories on his ankles and wrists. Riley took off his Guardian's hat, jacket and shirt, placing them on one of the lounge chairs before he joined where the younger Guardian was waiting for him, which was a pretty spacious open area near the railings and next to the large pool. Pidgeot eyed the two from high up in the air and chirped out a good luck to her trainer who waved his hand at her in response.

" **Ready?"** asked Riley with a smirk.

" **Always,"** grinned Ash.

They bowed to each other before getting into fighting stances. A tense moment passed between them, each contemplating how they should start their practice fight. They sensed a few people come out onto the balcony but they kept their attention on each other.

" **What are they doing?"** asked Johanna with obvious worry. **"Why are they about to fight?"**

" **They're not really fighting,"** explained Ilene. **"They're just going to spar. Riley mentioned he wanted to test Ash's new abilities and strength himself."**

" **That makes sense,"** said Misty. **"I hope Riley is ready to get his butt whipped."** Her comment earned some laughs but got some frowns, namely from Ilene and from Daisy Oak.

" **I don't know about that Misty,"** remarked Ilene. **"Riley has more experience than Ash."**

" **Maybe so but I don't think that would matter,"** replied Misty fiercely.

The two spoken of suddenly shot forward and began their fight, preventing Daisy Oak from adding her own comments to the debate as they drew everyone's attention. They each ended up hitting the other and quickly attempted to follow through but they kept evading and deflecting the other's attacks, though they did end up striking one another every now and then.

" **Not bad,"** commented Norman as he and his wife Caroline joined them in watching the practice fight.

" **Who are you trying to kid honey?"** joked Caroline. **"They're much better than you."**

They laughed at Norman who muttered under his breath while crossing his arms but they couldn't understand it. They continued watching the fight as the others slowly joined their group when they entered the living room and noticed them in the large patio and that their focus was on something.

" **What's going on Dad?"** asked Max as he pushed through them to get to the front.

" **Just an exhibition match son. Get over here and watch,"** answered Norman.

Max finally made it through and his eyes widened as he saw Riley and Ash fighting. Not too much later, Bonnie made her way through and stood next to Max, who smiled at her when he noticed her and she returned a smile of her own to him. A few others joined them a moment later. The two Aura Guardians took a step back and grinned at one another after exchanging kicks.

" **How about we make this more interesting? I want to see your full power!"** requested Riley.

" **Are you sure?"** asked Ash, a bit hesitant.

" **Yes, I'm sure!"** replied Riley as his eyes glowed blue. Then he had a blue glow outline him before his aura burst out from him in blue flames. His aura was strong for someone who wasn't from a bloodline of Aura Guardians and Ash was impressed. Lucario had taught him how to gauge another's strength.

 _Looks like he's been training too. Not bad Riley but not good enough either._

" **Wow,"** said Daisy Oak, before smirking. **"He looks bad ass! Looks like Ash has met his match Misty!"**

" **Don't count on it Daisy,"** said May, getting involved with the debate. She, Dawn, Serena and Misty gave Daisy Oak and Ilene glares, the two glaring back. That made the others glance at them and they shook their heads in amusement at the sight of them comparing whose boyfriend was stronger.

" **Well, are you in or not Ash?"** asked Riley.

" **I'm in but did you say my full power?"** he asked and Riley nodded. **"Then you got it!"**

Ash's eyes glowed blue and not even a second later, his aura burst out from him with such power and speed that it pushed Riley back a couple feet and blinded the others for a second. The aura flames were three times the height of Riley's, who was amazed and so was everyone else. Ash had grown stronger after he fully recovered from the wounds he received before. The four girls smirked at Daisy Oak and Ilene who didn't look back but noticed it from the corner of their eyes. Riley couldn't believe it. The younger guardian had brought out his own aura much more quickly than he did and it was far stronger. He didn't think he would be that much stronger than him and was stunned but quickly recomposed himself. He jumped onto the railings and landed on top of it with perfect balance with Ash doing the same right after. They eyed one another for a second before they moved forward and continued their sparring session on top of the railings, keeping their balance as they continued to spar.

Back in the woods, the three girls were finishing up their training. Their pokémon were tired out and so were they as they decided to do some exercises too but they were all pleased with themselves. Leaf, panting a bit, turned to the blonde girl.

" **That was some good training. How did you come up with some of that stuff?"** Leaf asked Sarah, impressed with her training methods.

" **Thanks but I got those training tips from Ash after I lost to him in the opening match of the tournament,"** admitted Sarah with a sheepish look.

" **Oh that's right I saw that match back home. That must have been a brutal defeat,"** remarked Anabel. **"Sorry,"** she added quickly.

" **Don't be as I'm not sad about it anymore,"** replied Sarah, making Anabel and Leaf smile. **"Hey Leaf, when are you going to tell Ash?"** Her sudden question made Leaf's smile go away and Anabel looked at her.

" **I know I need to tell him…I just…I don't know when or how to tell him,"** answered Leaf. The two girls were looking at her with concerned expressions on their faces. **"And…I'm scared as to how he'll take it. I don't want to lose my chance if it's possible…"**

Anabel suddenly shushed her and snapped her attention to the side as she had sensed some people coming and faced the nearby bushes. Leaf was a bit angered at the interruption and Sarah was confused. As soon as they both opened their mouths to say something, Anabel shook her head and nodded towards the bushes. The three girls stayed silent and eyed the bushes. A moment later, five bald men came out of the bushes they were looking at and they quickly stopped moving and talking as they noticed the three girls.

" **Well, well, well. What are three beautiful girls doing here? Perhaps we could escort you out of the woods? Maybe go out together?"** asked one of the bald men who had a white headband on.

The man with the headband eyed each of the girls with a nasty glint in his eyes and when he faced Leaf, he realized that she was the girl from the picture. His lips curled up into a dangerous smile as he thought that this would be an easy score. The three girls gave the guys a disgusted look and their pokémon growled at him. The bald men laughed, looking very similar to one another but only one of them had a white headband on.

" **You're really not our type,"** said Leaf as her Volcarona went in front of her.

" **Just leave us be,"** added Sarah as her Jolteon growled, his fur spiked up.

" **But Arceus has answered our prayers by leading us to you. So what do you say?"** asked the leader, trying to feign innocence but it didn't work as Anabel could sense it. Even if she couldn't, the five bald men just sent off bad vibes that was hard to notice.

" **How stupid do you think we look?"** asked Anabel as her Alakazam raised his twisted spoons.

" **Stupid? No, we think you three look great, especially her. I would love to show you a good time,"** said the leader while pointing at Leaf who became afraid.

" **You're not taking me anywhere!"** shouted Leaf hysterically and her Volcarona growled.

" **Feisty. I like that. How about a battle then?"** asked the leader as he opened a poke ball and a Machamp appeared.

" **Leave before you get pulverized! We are far stronger and we outnumber you! "** threatened Sarah.

" **Stronger and outnumber us?"** laughed the five.

The other four men quickly brought out four other pokémon; Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Aggron and Weavile. The three girls quickly brought all of their pokémon in return: Leaf's Aggron, Venusaur, Pidgeot, Walrein and Dusknoir appeared; Sarah's Typhlosion, Steelix, Tyranitar, Hypno and Victreebell appeared; Anabel's Metagross and Espeon appeared.

" **Is that it?"** asked the leader with a smirk.

The five bald men brought out two more of each of their pokémon so now the girls were facing three Rhyperiors, three Aggrons, three Machamps, three Tyranitars and three Weaviles. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel grimaced and were quickly getting scared but they didn't show it. A chaotic battle ensued as the three girls had their pokémon fight against the five men's pokémon.

High up in the air, Pidgeot was watching the fight between Ash and Riley. She was impressed that the other guardian was able to keep up with her trainer, though she had a feeling that it would soon be over as Ash had more power and he was younger though the older guardian's experience was playing a big role in being able to keep with Ash. The falcon pokémon was about to fly higher when she heard a faint blast from the ground in the distance. She flew in the direction the sound came from to see what caused it. As she soared over the woods near the hotel, her keen eyesight able to see perfectly even from such a high altitude, she soon spotted the three girls who were battling against five bald men. They were at a stalemate from what the falcon pokémon could see but saw that the five men were battling dirty and were ruthless. She knew that they needed help and so quickly headed back to Ash, hoping she could make it in time to tell him before something bad happened.

Ash and Riley finished up their sparring session when Ash delivered a surprise Aura Beam out of nowhere that took all of Riley's energy to block it with his Aura Shield. Panting heavily though with a smile, Riley jumped down off the railings and his aura died down. Ash followed right after, his aura fading away and they bowed to each other before shaking hands.

" **That was awesome Riley. You're really good,"** said Ash.

" **Thanks but I have to say you are much better but I learned some cool tricks from you. You have to show me how to make an Aura Beam one day soon,"** said Riley and Ash agreed.

" **That was great Ash!"** praised the four girls as the two guardians moved towards them.

" **Thanks,"** replied back Ash as he wiped off his sweat with a towel. The others all noticed the scars on his body now and when he noticed their sullen looks, he knew why. **"Hey, don't worry about it. I don't feel a thing and I think they're pretty cool. Show's I'm not afraid eh?"**

" **You always find a way to make everything better,"** commented May with a smile.

" **I try May."** Ash smiled and the others followed suit, though Daisy Oak was busy trying to cheer up Riley over his loss even though he wasn't really saddened but enjoyed the attention greatly. A loud screech was heard and Ash turned around to see his Pidgeot fly down to him with a worried expression. **"What's wrong Pidgeot?"** asked Ash as she landed next to him. Pidgeot explained with a series of soft chirps and whistles. Ash's eyes grew wide before he let out a growl.

" **What happened?"** asked Dawn, becoming concerned.

" **Leaf, Sarah and Anabel are battling against five men. They're holding their own right now but Pidgeot said that the attackers are fighting dirty,"** said Ash as he climbed onto Pidgeot's back without even putting on his shirt.

" **WAIT!"** shouted Misty and Ash looked back at her. **"Let us go fight. Let me, Dawn, May and Serena go help them."**

" **She's right. You can't keep doing everything yourself and this will be good for us. We need to not rely on you all the time, especially if we are to fight against this evil that you said is coming. We have to be able to help each other like we used to and carry our own weight,"** added May. The girls gave Ash blazing looks as they stepped forward, one that said that they were going no matter what he said. He quickly thought over some things and decided to give them a chance.

" **Okay. Get ready quickly as I get your transport ready. You have fifteen minutes as soon as you get there. If Gardevoir senses you haven't won by then, I'm joining the fight. Agreed?"** he asked them and Misty, May, Dawn and Serena agreed as they went to get their pokémon as Ash brought out two poke balls with his aura and soon after, Lucario and Gardevoir appeared.

" **Master, I sense great unease in your aura. What is the matter?"** asked Lucario.

" **Leaf, Sarah and Anabel are in a battle against some men who are fighting dirty. We're getting ready to help them out"** said Ash and the two growled loudly. **"The girls should be in the woods in that direction. Please keep an eye on them as we prepare here. Let me know if they get in great danger."**

Lucario and Gardevoir moved to the railings facing the direction they were told the girls would be in and concentrated with their eyes glowing blue. They both soon sensed the three girls, the many pokémon and five men in the woods still battling. They felt a little relieved finding out that the girls were doing alright but kept up the watch. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena came back and were ready to battle, their poke balls clipped to their belts. Ash brought out three more poke balls and Staraptor, Unfezant and Swellow appeared. The four girls climbed onto the four flying pokémon.

" **Please be careful. Remember fifteen minutes. Lucario and Gardevoir will be keeping an eye on you all. If the time limit is reached or something happens, I will be there immediately. I swear it,"** said Ash and the four girls gave reassuring smiles before becoming serious as they took off.

Ash watched them leave for a little bit before he turned his attention to everyone else. He noticed everyone had worried and angry looks on their faces but they weren't objecting to what was going on. After what they heard Ash say about the darkness coming in two years, they all had thought hard on how to prepare and this scenario, though not a happy one, was a good opportunity to get some experience from and to test their strength and abilities.

" **It'll be alright everyone. They're all tough trainers and they can handle a few bullies. But don't worry; I'll be ready to step in if they can't or the five men try something,"** promised Ash.

" **I'm scared! What if they get hurt? What if they're kidnapped?"** cried Bonnie.

" **Don't worry Bonnie,"** said Max as he held her hand and they both went red since they were still not used to it. Everyone noticed but nobody commented, even Gary, which was surprising. **"They're strong and we won't let that happen."** Bonnie nodded but continued sobbing. Caroline pulled the young girl into a hug as they watched their friends fly into the distance some before they flew down into the forest as they let out screeches.

" **Volcarona, Flamethrower!"** commanded Leaf and her fire moth let out a stream of flames at a Weavile who dodged the attack but countered back with a Night Slash that Volcarona barely evaded out of the way at the last second.

" **Jolteon, Double Kick!"** shouted Sarah and her electric dog sped towards one of the Aggron who was busy fighting her Tyranitar and kicked it twice on its side, making it cry out in pain before stumbling into a Fire Punch to the face by Typhlosion. The grey and white pokémon roared with rage as he charged at the fire badger with a glowing white fist, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying.

" **Metagross, Bullet Punch!"** ordered Anabel and her iron leg pokémon shot forward with one of its limbs glowing with a metallic sheen and hit the Rhyperior that was trying to land a hit against her Espeon. Rhyperior roared with rage and swung its powerful tail around and hit the psychic and steel type, sending it flying back.

The girls were having some trouble. Even though they were strong themselves, the pokémon they were facing were naturally tough. Aggron, Rhyperior, Tyranitar and Machamp were all physically stronger than most pokémon and while the Weavile were strong too, their defenses were quite pitiful, though their incredible speed made it hard to land a hit on them.

" **We need to finish this quickly!"** said Sarah as her Steelix dropped to the ground unconscious after taking multiple Brick Breaks to the face by two of the three Weaviles but her Hypno knocked out a Machamp with a telekinetic blast.

Several loud screeches were heard from above and they all looked up to see four birds diving down towards them. At first the three girls got scared, thinking their attackers had back up but when they got nearer, they grinned, seeing who the riders were. The four flying pokémon shot Air Slashes and Air Cutters at the bald men and their pokémon, pushing them back before they landed so their riders can get off. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena jumped down and immediately tossed out a couple poke balls each. Starmie, Corsola, Blaziken, Glaceon, Mamoswine, Typhlosion, Delphox and Pangoro appeared and quickly joined the battle, easily overcoming a Rhyperior and Machamp who were blindsided over their arrival. The four bird pokémon flew back up into the air before returning back to their trainer.

" **Miss us?"** asked Serena with a smirk as they gathered together.

" **Very,"** replied Sarah with a smile as the seven girls stood next to each other. **"But where's everyone else?"** she asked as they ordered their pokémon to attack and evade.

" **Yea, where's Ash?"** asked Anabel after alerting her Metagross to dodge a Dark Pulse attack.

" **He's not going to come because we can handle this,"** said Dawn as she glanced at the Salon Maiden who quickly nodded in agreement.

" **Looks like we got some extra playmates boss,"** said one of the bald men whose eyes were soon filled with lust over the beautiful new arrivals.

" **Shut up Ed! Keep your focus! Edmond, we should send out the rest or we're toast!"** said another.

" **Alright! Ed, Eddie, Edward and Edwin; send them all out and beat them into the ground!"** yelled Edmond, their leader with the white head band.

They five Ed's sent out the last of their pokémon and fifteen more pokémon came out from them; three Shiftry, three Houndoom, three Ursaring, three Crawdaunt and three Scizors appeared. The seven girls' eyes widened but they stayed in control and ordered their pokémon to attack without mercy. Misty let out her Gyarados, Politoed, Vaporeon and Staryu, Serena let out her Flareon, Dawn let out Espeon, Piplup, Togekiss and Pachirisu and May let out her Beautify, Wartortle and Jolteon. The battle between the seven girls and the five bald men intensified with so many pokémon involved and it turned so chaotic that they were having a hard time keeping track of what was happening.

Several minutes passed by as the fight continued with many different elemental attacks flying through the air to hit their targets, some hitting their marks and others missing by just a hair. Misty's Gyarados, Sarah's Aggron and Leaf's Venusaur began powering up Hyper Beams and the five Eds ordered their pokémon to attack them to stop their attacks. The girls' other pokémon were ordered to defend the three until they launched their powerful attacks. After charging up their attacks, the three pokémon fired their white beams of powerful energy at their targets. Three large explosions occurred with the cries of many pokémon along with shouts and yells were heard along with bringing up a large dust cloud over them all.

Back at the hotel, Ash was standing on the railings, with Pikachu on his shoulder who was having his cheeks shoot out sparks every several seconds. His body was outlined with his glowing blue aura, pulsing as it was fading in and out, though no flames were around him…yet. He had returned his four flying pokémon after thanking them for taking the girls to the battle. His Lucario and Gardevoir were relaying the major points that were happening in the forest to him and everyone else as they kept watch.

" **How much time has passed?"** asked an anxious Ash.

" **Eleven minutes,"** replied Brock, who was keeping time for everyone.

" **Damn it. I hate not doing anything,"** muttered Ash and they all heard him.

" **We know you want to go now Ash but the girls needed this and so do you. You won't be able to save everyone and you won't be able to help everyone all the time. We have to be able to do things on our own as well. I know you hate sitting on the sidelines, but this is important. You understand?"** asked Oak.

" **I know Professor. I just hate not doing anything."**

" **Thirteen minutes,"** said Brock.

" **Okay. Gardevoir, can you-"** Ash was cut off when three huge explosions were heard from the woods and he turned his attention back to the forest to see smoke trailing up into the sky. **"NO!"** His aura intensified and shot out around him with great force, making him look like a miniature blue sun, the glow so bright that it momentarily blinded the others. He tossed out a blue glowing orb before it faded away to reveal a white poke ball, a Premier Ball. It opened and the next second a very large pokémon appeared with a loud screech of its name that caused everyone to gasp. Ash jumped onto the flying pokémon's back, his aura flaring around him. **"Teleport there now!"** Gardevoir, Lucario and Pikachu disappeared as Ash and the large flying pokémon flew through the air with incredible speed.

" **Was that..."** whispered Ilene.

" **No way. It couldn't be..."** muttered Gary.

" **It is. I can't believe he captured that pokémon,"** awed Oak and the rest just stayed silent as they were unable to speak as their jaws had dropped. Instead they watched him fly towards the smoke trailing upwards towards the sky.

The smoke cleared from the explosions in the woods after a while. Serena, Anabel, May and Dawn were knocked to the ground, badly hurt and barely conscious as Misty, Leaf and Sarah stood on shaky legs, leaning against each other for support. Half of their pokémon were knocked out as a result of the explosions caused by the Hyper Beams since they were so close but the other half were still standing but were panting heavily. The Eevee evolved pokémon that Ash gave the girls were panting as well as they had intercepted many attacks for the other pokémon to give them chances to strike back as they took the damage for them.

Their opponents had most of their pokémon on the ground unconscious but they still had a Machamp, two Aggron, two Rampardos, an Ursaring, a Houndoom, a Crawdaunt, a Tyranitar, Scizor and two Weaviles left. Their pokémon were hurt too but not as badly as the girls' pokémon since they were able to get some distance from the powerful attacks that damaged the entire area.

" **Ah, this isn't good,"** commented Leaf, holding her shoulder and seeing her Venusaur barely standing, breathing heavily.

" **You can say that again,"** replied Sarah weakly from the ground, seeing her Typhlosion out for the count and Tyranitar barely standing.

" **Give up girls. You can't win!"** laughed Edmond.

" **Yea, we don't want to bruise those great bodies of yours before we have some fun!"** cackled Ed and the girls shook with disgust while letting out 'ewwws'.

" **Looks like they don't like you Ed,"** laughed Edward.

" **When have they ever? I'll still have my way with them,"** replied Ed with an evil smile.

" **Enough you morons!"** yelled Edmond. **"Time to finish this and get what we came for!"**

Right when Edmond finished saying that, three blue spheres appeared in between the two groups. A second later, a hissing and sparking Pikachu appeared in the middle of a snarling Lucario who was in a battle stance to the right of him along with a Gardevoir to the left with narrowed glowing eyes. The girls felt relieved in seeing the reinforcements but soon felt completely safe when they heard a powerful voice from above; **"YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR ACTIONS!"**

They all looked up and soon found an enormous and majestic flying pokémon above them with a man who was glowing with blue energy flames around him. The sight of him in the air on top of a massive pokémon made the girls gasp and the five men shook in fear a bit. Ash glanced at the girls from above and saw that they were hurt. His rage built inside him as he jumped down from massive flying being onto the ground and he landed in front of his pissed off pokémon. He let out an Aura Pulse after standing up to his full height that pushed the men and their pokémon back many feet before he raised both his hands to his sides and two large blue spheres of energy appeared above his palms instantly.

" **Who the fuck are you?!"** asked Edmond.

" **I am Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum and you have pissed me off by attacking my girls!"** replied Ash with fury as the two Aura Spheres grew even larger and his four pokémon let out battle cries.

The girls simply awed at him from behind, marveled by the sheer power radiating from him and that he had the large pokémon in the air with him who screeched at their enemies. They felt the Aura Pulse wash over them too, comforting them and gave them a little energy. Four of the seven girls smiled a little but the other three glanced at one another in slight confusion; _did he just say 'my girls'?_ thought each of them.

" **Aura Guardian?! Your girls?!"** Edmond glanced at the four behind him and they all shared stunned looks. The red headed woman didn't tell them they would be trying to kidnap an Aura Guardian's girlfriend. They would deal with her if they got out of this mess. Edmond faced the Aura Guardian again. **"Well, Aura Guardian or not, nobody messes with the Skull Brothers! Attack!"** Their pokémon charged at the Aura Guardian who immediately focused the two large Aura Spheres into an Aura Shield instead around himself, the girls and their pokémon. He then looked up at his large pokémon who was hovering above them all.

" **HO-OH! END THIS WITH SACRED FIRE!"** roared Ash.

The legendary rainbow pokémon let out a large torrent of multicolored flames that shot forward with incredible power and speed that washed over the Skull Brothers' pokémon while Ash protected himself and his group with the Aura Shield from their attacks. Their opponents cried out in pain and agony and when the large flames disappeared, all of their pokémon were unconscious on the ground. The Skull Brothers took a step back with fearful expressions on their faces. They were never beaten before yet they were so easily defeated that it shook them to their core. Ash let the Aura Shield disappear and glanced at the girls behind. They looked at him with small smiles and he nodded at them, seeing them alright.

Ash faced the Skull Brothers, who shrunk back in fear against a few trees. He walked towards them, his aura blazing around him like a roaring fire as he did so, scaring the five bald men and the seven girls enjoyed the sight of their would-be attackers trembling with fear. He stopped a foot away from the leader and before Edmond could even let out a sound, the guardian's arm shot forward and grabbed his throat, lifting him up into the air with ease. Edward, Edwin, Eddie and Ed did nothing because of two reasons; they were afraid of the Aura Guardian but even more so of the legendary pokémon above them who had locked her gaze onto them from the air, hovering above them.

" **WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU ATTACK THE GIRLS?! I'VE HAD MY FILL WITH SCUM LIKE YOU! ALWAYS THINKING YOU DESERVE WHATEVER YOU WANT! WELL NO MORE! I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BOTHER ANYONE EVER AGAIN!"** roared Ash.

He placed his free hand in front of Edmond's face and a small but deeply concentrated ball of blue energy appeared, cackling with the enormous amount of energy contained within it. Edmond began to cry out an apology and started begging for his life. The girls felt a little pity but also felt that they deserved to be punished, yet they didn't want Ash to take a life. They felt conflicted over what they wanted but if they felt torn, Ash was feeling as if he was being split in two. A part of him wanted nothing more than to end their pathetic lives right then and there for hurting the girls and knew without a shadow of a doubt that they had caused much suffering in the past and may cause some more in the future if let be. His other side though wanted to give them a chance to repent and change their ways. He thought about the promise he made that he would gladly take life to keep everyone safe…but…was that necessary here? Arceus words rang through his mind at that moment; _are you ready to take life?_

After a long tense moment, he decided. The glowing ball of energy faded away and he lowered the leader back onto the ground and let go of him, who immediately started gasping for air. His aura died down but his eyes remained glowing blue. A series of powerful punches were thrown so quickly that nobody saw it happen as Ash struck Edmond in the chest many times, making the leader drop down in extreme pain when he finished. Ash then faced the other four and before you could say 'Pokémon Master', they too were on the ground in agony.

" **That is a warning for all of you,"** said Ash in a serious tone and the Skull Brothers were barely able to look up at him. **"I am giving you a chance to change your ways even though you don't deserve it. Don't ever come near my girls again and don't ever do any wrong again. If you do and continue down this path…I will find you…and I will kill you without a second's thought. That is a promise. Now leave before I change my mind."**

They didn't need to be told twice. Without a word, the Skull Brothers returned their fainted pokémon and fled the area as quickly as they could back into the deep woods from where they came from. Ash watched them leave and nodded at his pokémon on the ground who followed after them to make sure they left. Ash turned around, his eyes turning back to brown and walked back towards the seven girls who had large relieved smiles on their faces from the floor. They had returned their pokémon already and each wanted to run to him but couldn't get up since they were so tired and hurt. When Ash drew near them, he knelt down in front of them. Ho-Oh landed behind them in the clearing, taking up most of the space since she was so large.

" **Good job Ho-Oh,"** praised Ash as he looked at Ho-Oh, petting her and the legendary bird let out a soft chirp like sound at him. He then faced the girls in front of him. **"Thank Arceus that you all are alright,"** said Ash to the seven girls. **"Everything is fine now. I'm going to heal each of you as quickly as I can."**

He was closest to Misty and May and so placed his hands on their shoulders as his hands glowed blue. The two felt the comforting aura wash over them, healing and energizing them. When he finished, the two girls kissed him and hugged him tightly, thanking him and when they separated, he did the same to Dawn and Serena next. After healing them two as well, who thanked him with kisses and hugs as well, Ash moved to heal the remaining three girls. Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu came back into the clearing they were in at that moment and stood next to the four girls. He went to Anabel and Sarah first since they were the closest. He placed his glowing blue hands on their shoulders and pulsed healing aura onto the two. Both girls felt instantly better, both from his touch and the aura flowing through them. When he finished, he removed his hands and Anabel and Sarah hugged him tightly.

" **Thank you Ash,"** they said into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life.

" **You're welcome,"** he replied back softly as he returned the hug and let them stay like that for a moment. When they separated, he smiled at them and then moved to Leaf finally. She attempted to stand up. She didn't want to look so weak but stumbled and was about to fall back down when Ash caught her. **"Hey, no need to push yourself so hard when you're hurt,"** said the raven haired guardian softly as he helped her stand back up. Her green eyes locked with his brown ones as he placed his glowing blue hand on her shoulder and healed her too. Not once did Leaf lower her gaze from his eyes and when he finished healing her she spoke.

" **That's the third time you've saved me Ash in less than two weeks,"** she whispered.

" **Doesn't matter how many times Leaf. I'll do it over and over again with no hesitation. But try to stay safe will you?"** he asked with a bit of a chuckle.

Leaf's face flushed as her heart beat quickly while the other girls smiled when they heard him. _Damn it Ash. Why do you have to be so perfect? I want nothing more than to just hold you and kiss you. But I can't…I…I need to tell you…_ **"Ash…there's something I need to tell you…"** whispered Leaf so no one but Ash could hear.

" **Okay Leaf but can you wait a bit? I think we should go home first,"** advised Ash and Leaf nodded after a few seconds, thinking it would be best.

Ash grasped Leaf's hand, who went red and led her to where Anabel and Sarah were standing. He grasped Sarah's and Anabel's hand with his other hand and they too flushed crimson. He then led the three girls to where Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and his pokémon were standing with smiles on their faces. He let go of the three girls' hands and faced the seven girls and his pokémon. He thanked Ho-Oh again, who nodded at him and returned the legendary pokémon. He nodded at Gardevoir after and they disappeared in blue glows.

The eight of them reappeared in the patio of their suite, surprising everyone at first at their sudden appearance but then they quickly cheered that they were alright and gathered around them. The eight of them smiled and told them not to worry as all is well. Delia, the girls' mothers and sisters hugged them all tightly and then told them to get ready for lunch. As they all gathered around the dining table with Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu staying outside in the patio, the others asked them how they were and what happened. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel started explaining everything from the beginning. By the time the food appeared and they began eating ravenously since they were so hungry, they got to the part where Ash appeared and completely pulverized the men and their pokémon.

" **Wow, nicely done Ash,"** praised Ilene and Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

" **Thank you my Queen."**

" **Just call me Ilene, Ash. I guess you weren't here when I told everyone that."**

" **Oh, okay."**

" **When and where did you catch Ho-Oh?"** asked Max, his eyes wide. Everyone wanted to know too and they became quiet as they listened to Ash's story of his encounter of the legendary bird.

" **Well it's not too much of an exciting story. I came into contact with Ho-Oh when I visited the new tower to replace the Burnt Tower in Ecruteak City in Johto. I had found a rainbow feather a while ago and kept it for good luck. Next thing I know when I reached the top of the tower, the rainbow feather started glowing and when I looked up I saw her hovering above me. She spoke with me with telepathy and I found out that she's been flying around trying to find a pure hearted trainer that would be worthy of her power for a long time and chose me. But I would still have to battle her to see if I was ready for her power. I ended up winning the match and now she's with me."**

They nodded in understanding and continued finishing their meal as they thought about what Ash just told them. When they finished up, Delia reminded her son that his match was coming up and that he should get ready. He thanked his mom and he turned to the seven girls.

" **I want you seven to go rest at least until I come back from my match."** He was met with defiant looks on their faces but he didn't falter. **"Please do this for me. You know I'm going to win my match and I appreciate you wanting to be there for me but I would feel better if you would just skip it this one time and just rest alright?"**

After a long moment, the seven girls reluctantly agreed. Ash thanked them for listening to him. He also told the rest of the others to stay behind to look after the girls in case they needed something and they agreed. The seven girls wished him good luck and he went to the patio for his three pokémon.

" **Hey guys, let's go,"** said Ash as he reached his pokémon. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and Lucario and Gardevoir stood next to him. **"Let's finish up the match quickly."** The four of them teleported to the stadium while everyone else went to the living room. The seven girls took up one couch for themselves and the couples sat together, with some of the girls sitting on their boyfriend's laps, who were Lucy, Violet and Lily. They weren't embarrassed about it at all and the three guys enjoyed it. Richie turned on the TV and flipped the channel to the tournament in time to catch the announcer speaking.

" **WHAT A MATCH THAT WAS! BE SURE TO KEEP ON EYE ON THAT DRAGON MASTER! NOW LET'S GET READY FOR THE NEXT MATCH OF THE DAY! IT'S GOING TO BE AGAINST THE VALEDICTORIAN OF THE POKÉMON ACADEMY, GISELLE YUTO AND THE PEOPLE'S HERO, ASH KETCHUM!"**

The crowd roared in response to seeing a beautiful black haired girl walk out onto the field, who was wearing a short black skirt, a blue blouse and a black scarf around her neck. When she reached the referee in the middle, a blue glowing sphere appeared in front of the two that made the dark haired girl gasp. A second later, Ash and his pokémon appeared, making the crowd roar even louder as they chanted out his name again.

" **BLUE SPIRIT! BLUE SPIRIT!"** the crowd kept repeating, making Ash rub the back of his head before he waved at them all.

" **Let's have a good match,"** said Ash as he raised his hand to her after putting on the microphone and facing his opponent.

" **I'm looking forward to it. Do you remember me?"** asked Giselle suddenly. Ash tilted his head as he looked at her and then his eyes widened as he realized who she was.

" **I do. I remember now why you're name was so familiar. You're Giselle from the Pokémon Academy that I met years ago right?"** asked Ash with a small smile, noticing that she had grown up to be quite attractive but he got over it pretty quick. He remembered how they met and wondered if she remained a better person than from what she used to be; an arrogant and conceded brat. He noticed she wasn't giving off that vibe anymore.

" **Yup that's me and it has been a while. Let's have a good match,"** she replied back while blushing a bit and the two went to their respective areas so the match could start.

" **That girl better not try something,"** fumed May from her seat in the couch as she clenched her fists. They all saw the way she was looking at Ash on the TV. The others shook their heads at her in amusement from their seats while Leaf, Anabel and Sarah glanced at one another with slight fear.

In the VIP room, the Champions, Goodshow and three guests were watching the matches and several of them couldn't wait for Ash's. Cynthia looked a bit peeved seeing Giselle try to get Ash's attention and the rest noticed it. Sabrina was gazing at Ash and thinking about how much pain she caused him. A lone tear escaped from her eyes that Clair, Liza and Cynthia caught since the four of them were sitting together on a couch in front of the window. Sabrina had told Clair and Liza what had happened, Cynthia already knowing why since she was there when the psychic prodigy helped bring out his memories.

" **It's alright Sabrina,"** said Clair and Sabrina wiped away the tear hurriedly. **"He's fine. No lasting damage or anything of the sort."**

Sabrina nodded and thanked Clair. The four of them focused their attention on the match that was beginning. Alder, Steven and Goodshow glanced at Lance who was sitting with Diantha and shook their heads before turning their gaze back to the field. Clair and Liza wanted to see just how strong Ash had become, having only heard about his feats and saw the news. They watched the referee repeat the rules of the double battle and when the two trainers said they were ready, he signaled the start of the match.

" **AND THEY'RE OFF! GISELLE HAS CHOSEN GYARADOS AND MAROWAK WHILE ASH HAS CHOSEN HIS GIGALITH AND TAUROS! WE'VE SEEN HOW POWERFUL GISELLE'S POKÉMON ARE, HAVING BEAT TRIP WHO WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE STRONGEST TRAINERS! THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING!"**

Seeing the Marowak, Ash smiled a bit, remembering when Giselle used him in a battle against his Pikachu when he was just a Cubone. But he wanted to end the battle quickly as he was pretty worn out already from the day's events and had a lot of things to think about.

" **I hate to say this Giselle but I'm going to have to finish this battle quickly. Don't take this personally! Giga Impact and Stone Edge!"** shouted Ash as he crossed his arms. His bull pokémon covered himself in a multi colored glow and charged at Marowak while his boulder pokémon made the ground underneath the Gyarados start breaking apart.

" **Dodge then counter attack with Hydro Pump and Bonemerang!"** shouted Giselle but her pokémon were too slow to avoid the attacks.

They were both struck hard and cried out in pain. Surprisingly though, they didn't go down but they looked like they were barely holding on. They launched their attacks, striking the surprised Tauros and Gigalith. Seeing her pokémon in such conditions with just one attack each and their opponents with just a few scratches and bruises, slightly panting, Giselle shivered as she realized just how outclassed she is. She recalled her Gyarados and Marowak and sent out her last two pokémon. Ash returned his pokémon and sent out two others.

" **ASH HAS MADE GISELLE RECALL HER GYARADOS AND MAROWAK, TAKING THEM OUT OF THE MATCH COMPLETELY WITH JUST ONE ATTACK AGAINST THEM EACH. WHAT POWER! THE YOUNG GUARDIAN HAS GISELLE UP AGAINST THE ROPES ALREADY! SHE HAS CALLED OUT HER EMBOAR AND DRAGALGE WHILE ASH HAS SWITCHED OUT HIS POKEMON AND NOW LAPRAS AND TALONFLAME ARE ON THE FIELD. ALL FOUR POKEMON LOOK READY TO BATTLE!"**

" **Giselle, I must say I'm impressed. You returned your pokémon before they got too hurt. I'm happy to say that you are my friend,"** called out Ash, making Giselle blush.

" **Thanks Ash. That means a lot coming from an Aura Guardian. But I'm not done yet!"** she replied and Ash nodded while their pokémon roared. **"Fire Blast and Dragon Pulse!"**

" **Counter with Fire Blast and Dragon Pulse too!"** ordered Ash.

Emboar and Dragalge fired off their attacks while Talonflame and Lapras countered with their own. The four attacks met in the middle of the field and exploded, canceling each other out. Giselle was stunned but Ash was smiling as a thought went into his head; _her pokémon are strong. Let's see if they can handle this next attack._

" **Not bad Giselle. Let's see if you can withstand this next barrage. Blizzard and Tailwind combo!"** called out Ash before she could make a move. Talonflame whipped up a turbulent wind on their side and right when Lapras summoned a freezing blizzard to hit their opponents, the fire bird increased the speed of the blizzard with the incredible winds. The supercharged icy storm went roaring towards their opponents.

" **GAH!"** shouted Giselle, seeing the incredible attack hurtling at her pokémon. **"Use Protect!"** Her Emboar and Dragalge covered themselves in protective transparent shields. The icy storm slammed against their protective barriers and her two pokémon struggled to keep up the shield as the attack was so powerful as the dark haired girl shielded her face with her arms. Both pokémon's shields shattered and they were struck by it, making both Emboar and Dragalge yelp. Finally the attack ended and both pokémon dropped to the ground.

" **NO WAY!"** shouted Giselle. The crowd was silent. Even inside the VIP room it was quiet and so was everyone back at the hotel. Nobody could believe just how quickly Ash won his match and what was more astonishing was that he did so in the later matches of the tournament when the battles were much harder since the stronger trainers were left.

" **Dragalge and Emboar are unable to-"** The announcer stopped when he noticed the fire pig lift himself up slowly but Dragalge stayed unmoving. Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. Giselle returned Dragalge and was about to return Emboar as well but he shook his head at her. He wanted to land at least one hit against these powerful fighters. Giselle tried to talk him down but he wouldn't listen.

" **You have an incredible will and spirit Emboar,"** complimented Ash, everyone listening carefully. **"But there is no shame in accepting defeat in a match like this."**

Emboar grunted in response as his ability Blaze activated and he was glowing red. He charged up a ball of flames in front of him before launching it at Lapras and Talonflame. Ash shook his head and chuckled a bit when he saw the fire pig charge up the attack. He knew how stubborn fire types could be, especially starters.

" **Send it into the air!"** ordered Ash when the attack was launched. His command made Emboar become wide eyed. Talonflame used his powerful wing muscles to blow away the ball of flames high up into the sky before it expanded and then exploded. **"Now, finish this with Hydro Pump!"** Lapras let out a torrent of pressurized water that raced across the field and struck Emboar as he was too tired to move. Emboar was sent flying back from it and hit the stadium wall before sliding down unconscious.

 **"Emboar is unable to battle! Giselle Yuto has no more able pokémon and the winner is Ash Ketchum!"** said the referee, holding up the flag for Ash's side.

" **OUTSTANDING! THAT WAS THE SHORTEST DOUBLE BATTLE IN LEAGUE HISTORY! WAIT, WHAT'S THIS?!"** Ash had returned his pokémon and he moved across the stadium with Pikachu on his shoulder while Lucario and Gardevoir followed him. Giselle watched him move to her fallen Emboar, frozen with her arm outstretched, about to return her pokémon. He placed his hand, which was glowing blue, on Emboar's shoulder. A blue wave of energy went over the fallen fire pokémon and after a little while, Ash stopped and Emboar stood back up and bowed his head in respect to the Guardian. **"WHAT SPORTSMANSHIP! ASH HAS HEALED THE GRAVELY INJURED EMBOAR WITH HIS AURA POWERS AND THE FIRE PIG HAS SHOWN HIS RESPECT TO THE BLUE SPIRIT IN RETURN!"** The crowd was silent for a moment as they watched him do that before they roared in happiness that they witnessed such a good hearted action. Giselle returned her Emboar and went to Ash who had moved to the referee. They both gave the referee their microphones before shaking hands.

" **Thanks for that and you are so strong. You surprised me again just like all those years ago. I'm sure you're going to win the tournament,"** praised Giselle.

" **You're not bad either Giselle,"** replied Ash with a smile as they let go of hands.

" **Thanks Ash. Um…I was wondering…would you like to meet up later on? I know of a nice place nearby called Club Indigo we can go to,"** asked Giselle, becoming red with hope in her eyes.

" **Thank you for the offer Giselle but I'm sorry, I can't. I already have a girlfriend,"** he replied back softly with a smile. Giselle sighed a bit but nodded as she understood. With that, Ash and his pokémon disappeared in blue glows, making her gasp again.

" **I wonder what they were talking about?"** asked Liza in the VIP room as they noticed the two talking for a bit before Ash vanished.

" **Giselle asked him out but Ash denied the offer, saying he was already in a relationship,"** answered Sabrina at once, staring at the spot where Ash vanished from. The others in the room looked at her with surprised looks.

" **You read their minds from here?"** asked an impressed Cynthia.

" **Giselle's yes. I couldn't read Ash's mind. He has learned to protect it from unwanted psychic assaults, like mind reading. Though I don't know how strong his defenses are,"** revealed Sabrina and the others nodded their heads, impressed.

" **Huh. Who would have thought that Ash would become such a powerful and handsome trainer that girls are literally offering themselves up to him,"** commented Clair, making them all look at her curiously and one of them showing jealousy and she noticed. **"Oh relax, I'm just saying,"** she said as she got up to leave the VIP room to go get some snacks.

Ash and his pokémon reappeared in his suite's living room where everyone was. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May got up and congratulated him on his impressive and speedy victory with hugs and kisses while the rest just congratulated him from their seats.

" **Thanks everyone,"** he replied back. **"I'm gonna go relax and take a nap for a bit. I'm worn out. I'll see you guys later."**

They nodded at him and watched him go to his room with his pokémon. The others decided to go do their own things. Max and Bonnie went to the nearby Indigo Arcade with Norman, Caroline and Clemont. Gary, Ilene, Riley and Daisy Oak went out for a walk together. Richie went downstairs to visit Joy who was on her shift. Delia, Johanna and Grace were swapping recipes with Cilan, Cress and Chili in the kitchen. Iris, Violet and Lily were playing a card game in the dining room. Professor Oak was reading a book in the patio. Brock and Lucy decided to go watch a romantic comedy together in their bedroom but then it turned into an intimate session after some playful interactions and they merely used the movie for cover to have some privacy for a bit while they went at it. Daisy Waterflower went to her room alone as she wanted to take a nap too and laid down on her bed, holding the Squirtle stuffed animal that Ash won for her. She looked at it for a bit before hugging it tightly and slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena went to their room with Sarah and Anabel as they decided to talk to the two girls a bit and see how they were doing. Unlike the two, the four girls had been in situations like that before with Ash and decided afterwards if they could come up with a good training plan together. Leaf told them that she'll join them shortly after she takes care of something and they agreed.

The brunette girl from Pallet Town went to the nearby bathroom and looked herself in the mirror. She was wearing her black skirt with a red tank top that had a black poke ball symbol on it along with her black cap on her head. She sighed as she thought of what she had to do and decided this would be the best time to do it. She only hoped that he would understand. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to commit to her decision. She left the bathroom and walked to Ash's master bedroom. She knocked on it and the door opened after a moment by Lucario.

" **Hey Lucario. I was wondering if I could talk to Ash alone,"** said Leaf.

" **I apologize Lady Leaf but Master is still sleeping. Maybe you could-"**

" **It's alright Lucario, I'm up,"** interrupted Ash and Lucario stepped aside for Leaf to enter the room. **"Can you guys give us some privacy?"**

" **No problem Master. We will go to the living room,"** replied Lucario. He, Gardevoir and Pikachu left the room and closed the door behind them. Ash sat up on his bed as he leaned his back against the headboard. He was on top of the bed's covers, one knee up with his hand on top of it. Leaf gazed at him for a moment, unable to look away before she sat down on the edge of his bed and stared at her feet.

" **So, what's up Leaf?"** asked Ash, making Leaf look up at him.

" **There's something I need to tell you…something important. I want to come clean Ash,"** started Leaf, making Ash tilt his head and look at her with a curious expression. She took a breath before continuing. **"Remember when you were in the hospital after protecting everyone from the stadium attack?"** Ash nodded. **"Well, I came into your room and asked your pokémon for some privacy after you took Norman's beating like it was nothing. I then confessed some things to you while you were sleeping."**

" **What kinds of things?"** asked Ash but he had an idea what it was but he waited for her to explain. Leaf locked her green eyes with his brown ones before continuing.

" **I confessed that I was an idiot for not waiting to travel with you, that I've been developing feelings for you and that I've been trying to hide them and ignore them. I confessed that you are the type of man that I need in my life. That I have fallen in love with you and I want for you to love me back. After confessing that and saying a couple more things, mostly about how I want to be with you, I finished my confession by giving you a kiss while you slept."**

" **You said you loved me and then kissed me? While I slept?"** asked an astonished Ash in a low voice and his eyes wide.

" **Yes. Anabel and Sarah caught me in the act and got mad at me. Anabel even slapped me hard. One thing lead to another and we found out some other things about each other but they decided to keep the secret and not rat me out. I wanted to come clean after seeing your memories and worst fear with even Sarah and Anabel telling me to but I never got the chance until now. I'm so sorry Ash for that as you didn't deserve a coward's confession and I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I should've said that to you when you were awake and much sooner. I hope you can forgive me,"** finished Leaf with her eyes watering.

Ash was shocked. He didn't know what to do. At first he was feeling happy that she confessed that she loved him, even if he was sleeping….but when she said that she kissed him while he was unconscious, it made him feel something else entirely. Leaf had just admitted that she had taken advantage of him. She had betrayed his trust and the girls' trust. After a few quiet and tense moments, with Leaf letting out silent tears, Ash got out of bed and stood up. He looked at Leaf with cold eyes devoid of emotion making Leaf inhale sharply as she was taken aback from his icy gaze. He moved without another word and began heading out of his room. Leaf jumped up and grabbed his hand.

" **WAIT! Please don't leave me Ash. I'm really sorry for doing that. Please don't go! I'll do anything! Anything to make it up to you! Please forgive me!"** begged Leaf as she started to cry loudly when Ash turned around and glared at her.

" **YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME LEAF! YOU BETRAYED MY AND THE GIRLS' TRUST! HOW COULD I FORGIVE YOU?!"** roared Ash, making Leaf stumble back a bit before falling down onto her rear from his angry outburst.

His bedroom door opened suddenly and Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu hurried in followed by the six girls. Lucario and Gardevoir sensed Ash's emotions and the girls had heard Ash yelling and came in with concerned faces. They were startled and surprised to see Leaf on the floor crying with Ash facing her with an angry expression a few feet away from her. Anabel and Sarah had their eyes widened as they realized what could have caused this sort of scenario as they put two and two together; Leaf had confessed.

" **Ash? What happened?"** asked Serena but she didn't get a response back, making her and everyone else become extremely worried as it seemed that Ash didn't even realize they were there.

" **Please Ash…I'm so sorry!"** cried Leaf. She slowly stood up and moved to the raven haired guardian who didn't react at all. She grasped his hand again before looking into his emotionless eyes. She flinched a bit at the sight but forced herself to maintain eye contact. Everyone else was staring at what was happening with wide eyes. **"I'm so sorry Ash! So sorry! Please…I didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't know what to do! I'll do anything! Anything to make it up to you! Please believe me!"**

" **I thought you changed…but you betrayed me Leaf...again,"** replied Ash coldly, scaring Leaf and everyone else.

He freed his hand from her grasp and moved to leave the room as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder right before he slammed the door beyond him in his wake. The sound of the door slamming shut made the girls all jump and Lucario and Gardevoir to glance at one another. The aura canine followed his master out of the room while the psychic fairy stayed in the room with the girls. Besides Anabel and Sarah, the other girls were glaring at Leaf, each furious at her for whatever she did to make Ash be that way.

" **What. Did. You. Do?!"** asked the red head with an obvious angry tone.

" **I…I...I…"** Leaf stammered, unable to answer her as her gaze was still on the door. Misty moved to be right in front of her, grasped her shoulders and asked the question again. The brunette's green eyes found the red head's cerulean blue eyes and knew she wouldn't be able to just leave without explaining what happened. **"I…I…confessed to him,"** answered Leaf finally.

" **Confessed what?"** asked Dawn stepping towards the other brunette, barely holding back her anger. Misty still held onto Leaf, preventing her from fleeing. May and Serena moved to be on opposite sides of her with furious looks on their faces. Anabel and Sarah feared what was going to happen. Leaf took a deep breath and explained what she had told Ash about what she did back at the hospital when he was recovering. From her confession, to her hope and finally to her kiss. When she finished, Misty let go of the brunette and glanced down at the floor while Dawn, Serena and May were giving looks filled with anger and hatred at the brunette for her treachery.

" **You damn bitch,"** insulted Dawn and Leaf's eyes widened. She wasn't expecting that to come from her.

" **I should've known you were a temptress that screws over their friends,"** commented Serena and Leaf felt like she was stabbed.

" **You went behind our backs you fucking snake!"** yelled May, making Leaf take a step back, becoming scared of them.

" **Please,"** started Leaf, starting to cry. **"I didn't mean to hurt him or any of you. I was scared. I never felt this way before! Please understand that! I'll do anything to-"**

The red headed girl delivered an incredible slap out of nowhere that both sent the brunette crashing to the floor and silenced her. Anabel and Sarah looked at Misty with fear in their eyes while Dawn, Serena and May were only surprised that she moved so quickly as they believed that Leaf deserved that slap and much more. They gathered around the red head, giving dangerously angry looks at Leaf.

" **YOU DAMN WHORE!"** shouted Misty when Leaf looked up at her from the ground. Her cheek had a red hand print on it and rapid tears were falling down from her eyes both from the painful slap and hurting Ash. **"** **You've broken his heart once before when you broke the promise to travel together and now you did it again by taking advantage of him! Do you know how much he values trust, honesty and loyalty?! No, of course not since you don't understand it! You stupid, idiot skank who uses people for her own benefit! I'm going to tear you apart** **!"** screamed Misty. The others in the room were frozen in shock over what Misty just said but when she pulled out her mallet and was about to pummel Leaf into the floor May, Dawn and Serena held her back.

" **We're mad too but you have to control yourself!"** yelled out Dawn.

" **She's not worth it Misty!"** added May.

" **Ash wouldn't want you to do this!"** finished Serena.

The three girls kept trying to calm her down by telling her to stop and to control her anger. They were furious themselves and wanted Leaf to be punished, to beat the ever living shit out of her but they knew that if they didn't do anything to stop the red head, she would end up killing Leaf. Even May when angered didn't compare to the feisty red head when she was furious. Leaf stayed on the floor, frozen in her place from fear but still kept crying. Anabel and Sarah moved to stand in front of Leaf, shielding her from Misty who had broken free of the others and pushed them away, telling them not to get in her way.

" **OUT OF MY WAY!"** screamed Misty at the two, her eyes blazing with rage.

" **No Misty,"** replied Anabel. She was scared of the red head but knew what she was doing was right. **"What she did was wrong but we kept her secret too."**

" **I DON'T CARE! YOU WEREN'T THE ONES WHO WENT BEHIND OUR BACKS AND BETRAYED HIM! YOU WERE BEING FRIENDS AS WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE! I'M NOT ANGRY AT YOU! I'M ANGRY AT THAT SLUT YOU'RE TRYING TO PROTECT WHO DOESN'T DESERVE YOUR KINDNESS! SHE NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON FOR WHAT SHE DID!"** shot the fuming red head.

" **You're right but we hurt him too,"** added Sarah with sadness in her voice. **"We kept the secret for Leaf. We betrayed his trust. You should be angry at us too."**

" **GAAHHH! YOU DON'T FUCKING GET IT!"** shouted Misty as she hurled her mallet against the wall were it got stuck. She took rapid breaths to calm down before she rounded on them. The three girls were terrified of her now and Gardevoir took a step back, not wanting to get in the cross fire. **"Ash won't blame you two for protecting her secret as he would've done that too. But what Leaf did...all the things he values and believes in, she has torn to shreds and burned them to ashes! He has always been fair, always been trusting, always been honest, always been looking out for others first, always sacrificing for others and he has never taken advantage, never cheated and has never betrayed anyone!"**

Misty's words washed over the two girls and slowly they understood what the four girls already knew. Anabel and Sarah glanced at one another as they finally understood why they were so angry. The red head pushed Anabel and Sarah aside, who didn't even attempt to stop her now. Misty grabbed the scared and crying brunette from her tank top and raised her up onto her feet who didn't dare move from her current position, completely frozen over what was happening.

" **Do you understand now what you did?"** asked Misty, in low but dangerous voice. **"Everything he believes in...everything he values...you just destroyed and spat on it for your own selfish desires. I hope you're happy for causing him agony you selfish bitch,"** said Misty with contempt as she slapped the brunette hard again, causing Leaf to cry out as her head turned to the side, her body following after her as she fell to the floor in despair.

The red head left the bawling brunette on the floor as she stepped over her to go look for Ash. As soon as she opened the room's door, Lucario stepped inside and closed the door behind him with a grave look on his face. Misty's heart jumped to her throat the second she saw it and knew instantly that something was wrong.

" **Where's Ash?"** asked Dawn fearfully.

" **Master has left on Charizard with Pikachu. He ignored the others as they asked him what was wrong and left without speaking to anyone,"** informed Lucario sadly.

" **Oh no no no no!"** whined Serena.

" **Arceus damn it!"** cursed May.

Misty turned around, seeing the scared and fearful expressions on the other girls' faces after hearing Ash was gone. She then lowered her gaze to Leaf. The red head knelt down beside her and she cupped her tear stricken face with her hands and lifted her head up to within an inch away from hers. **"I swear to Arceus Leaf...if anything happens to him…if we can't find him…or if he doesn't come back...You're going to wish you were never born."**

Her last statement made the other girls gulp and even made Lucario and Gardevoir shiver in their spots. Misty let that sink in for several seconds before she let Leaf go. The brunette fell back to the floor and continued crying heavily now as the red head stood up with a blazing look. She was about to head out of the bedroom when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slightly to the person and saw it was Dawn with May and Serena standing beside her.

" **Let's go calm down and think about where he would go before we go rushing off without a plan,"** advised Dawn and Misty took a deep breath to calm herself before agreeing with the blunette. The four girls left Ash's room, leaving behind the sobbing brunette, Sarah and Anabel. Lucario and Gardevoir glanced at the three girls before they spoke.

" **What were you thinking Leaf?!"** asked Gardevoir with anger but Leaf just shook her head in response.

" **You hurt Master gravely and in such a way that he won't forgive it easily. What you did, betraying his trust and the people he loves, is one of the few things that he despises and hates,"** revealed Lucario, making Leaf cry harder as she realized how much she fucked up. Lucario and Gardevoir left the room and headed to the patio to see if they could sense Ash's whereabouts.

Both Sarah and Anabel were debating on what to do. They thought for a few minutes before they knelt down besides Leaf and helped her stand up. They waited for Leaf to look at them and right when she did, both Anabel and Sarah slapped her hard, making Leaf cry out again in pain. Her right cheek had a very red hand print on it now as it had been struck hard several times in such a short period. Before she could even say anything to them, Sarah pulled Leaf into a tight hug right after and Anabel quickly joined in on the group hug. Leaf broke down even more.

" **You're such an idiot Leaf. Did you ever think that something like this might happen? Did you ever consider that things won't be all sunshine and rainbows? No. No you didn't,"** stated Anabel as the brunette kept sobbing.

" **This is beyond messy Leaf. You fucked up big time. I don't think it's fixable. You hurt someone who we have feelings for. But…even so…we'll try to help you,"** said Sarah. Leaf couldn't believe what she just heard and it took a couple minutes for her to calm down enough to speak.

" **Why…why would you…h-help me?"** asked Leaf in a whisper while sobbing.

" **Because we know how you feel about him as it's the same as we do. You made a mistake. Granted it was a big fucking mistake. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't get a second chance if you do truly care for him,"** answered Sarah.

" **She's right. As much as I hate what you did, how it hurt Ash…and how easy it would be to just cut ties with you…I know you didn't mean to cause trouble or cause him pain. That you were just scared and didn't know how to show your feelings. So we'll help you,"** said Anabel and Leaf slowly pulled herself together after a few minutes.

" **T-Thanks you t-two,"** sniffed Leaf as she wiped away the dried tears on her face. Sarah and Anabel nodded at her before they gestured for her to follow them out of the room to their own. The three girls went into their room, careful to not walk into the others, especially the four girls on the way there before they started brainstorming on how they could help better the situation.

A good distance away from the Indigo Plateau Hotel, there was a semi hidden lake that had a lone cabin next to it that few knew about. Inside that particular cabin, the Skull Brothers were resting, tending to both their physical wounds and humiliation at being defeated so easily by one person while arguing with a red headed woman. They were not pleased with one another. The five men were supposed to have kidnapped the brunette girl in the picture that she was hoping them to find. They were then supposed to send a ransom note to lure the guardian here so she could run into him when he looked for her. Her plan was to help him out in 'saving' her, to earn his trust, getting her a spot in his group. But they caused a scene and were defeated by him before they could run off with the girl. She was not happy at all that they failed their mission. The Skull Brothers were angry that she didn't mention that they would be going after an Aura Guardian's girlfriend. They were also pissed that they were so humiliatingly defeated by a single person, even if it was by an Aura Guardian with a Legendary Pokémon.

" **You didn't follow the plan!"** she screamed at the five. **"How am I supposed to get close to him now?"**

" **Not our problem. Give the rest of our money,"** said the leader without a care.

" **You haven't completed the mission yet and if you don't, say goodbye to the rest!"** snapped Natasha.

" **You bitch, you didn't tell us that we would be trying to kidnap a Guardian's girlfriend! We don't want that kind of heat on our tail! Not for this amount of money! If you want us to complete the job, then our fee has tripled since you forgot that important part!"**

" **You greedy sons of bitches! You won't get a penny more than what we agreed on and you'll only get the rest of your money when you do the job you were paid for!"** she shot back.

" **You fucking slut! You think you can screw over the Skull Brothers just because your Giovanni's bitch?!"** roared the leader.

" **Screw you! Either accept what the agreement was on, finish the job and get paid or leave now!"** said Natasha as she took out a gun from her bag and pointed it at the leader who glared at her.

" **Alright fine. Have it your way bitch. We're leaving. But after I take a piss,"** said Edmond as he went to the bathroom and his brothers waited for him.

Natasha kept her gun on the other four and kept her eye on them so they wouldn't try anything. She heard the toilet being flushed and a moment later, the leader appeared back in the room. He motioned for his brothers to head towards the door and he slowly followed after them. Natasha kept her attention on the leader since he was closer to her but when she heard the front door open, she glanced at the others leaving. Edmond stepped towards her but then Natasha focused her attention back onto him.

" **Did you honestly think that I wouldn't notice you?"**

" **No, but you didn't notice him,"** replied the leader with a smirk.

" **What are-"** She was cut off as a punch landed against her right cheek.

Edmond's Weavile had struck her when she was distracted. He had called the pokémon out when he was in the bathroom and used the sound of the flushing toilet to mask the sound of the poke ball opening. She dropped to the ground and cried out in pain. She tried to aim her gun and fire at Edmond as she searched for her poke balls in her bag but he didn't let her as his foot connected strongly with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She coughed as she clutched her stomach and took heaving breathes. Edmond removed her gun and took her bag, throwing both to the other side of the room before pinning Natasha down on the ground as his brothers gathered round with evil and lustful looks on their faces.

" **Edward, go keep watch in case some people wander around here,"** said Edmond and Edward stepped outside. **"Edwin, go and make some food. I'm hungry."** Edwin went to the kitchen and started going through the fridge. **"Eddie, go heal our pokémon."** Eddie went to heal their pokémon back to full strength. **"Ed, go get some rope."** Ed dug through their supplies as he searched for some rope.

Natasha remained still for a moment but when Edmond grabbed her arm, she twisted out of it and punched Edmond in the face, pushing him back. She got back up onto her feet and quickly followed up the punch with a kick to his stomach but Edmond moved to the side and dodged it before closing the distance between them and knocked her down with a single punch to her head. She hit her head on the floor and became dazed by it. Edmond quickly took advantage of the situation and grabbed her arms as he sat on her back.

Natasha tried to keep her cool and think of a way out but the leader was strong and had her arms pinned to her back. She couldn't think of a way to get out of this situation. How could she have been so stupid? She had been on many field assignments before and never once messed up. What made her lose her focus? Was she out of the game for so long that she had forgotten some things? She couldn't think of an answer and her head was swimming from the pain of hitting the floor hard and both strikes.

" **Giovanni's bitch or not…we don't take kindly to threats and we don't like being kept in the dark. You should've known that about us,"** said Edmond, applying more pressure onto her arms and Natasha winced.

" **Oh, this is going to be fun,"** said Ed as he returned with rope. **"Looks like we're not getting the rest of our promised money so it looks like we'll have to take our own form of payment."** Ed began tying up Natasha's hands and feet while Edmond kept her pinned down. She screamed at them to let her go, promising them her wrath if they didn't obey but they just ignored her. Even when she told them that Giovanni would punish them for this, they laughed. **"You really believe Giovanni cares about you?"** asked Edmond, making her face him as he clutched her face with his large brutish hand. **"You are nothing but an expendable asset to him. And when we're done with you, he won't even want the leftovers. No one will want what's left of you."** Natasha's eyes filled with fear and she was frozen from it. When they finished, they gagged her with a cloth. The sudden gag made her scream out against it and Edmond slapped her to shut her up since even her muffled screams were annoying him.

" **Take her to the basement for now. Perhaps the cold floor will improve her attitude. I want to eat before I have some fun,"** said Edmond and Ed nodded, picking up the red head and throwing her over his shoulder. **"Enjoy your time with her Ed but remember; I go first."**

Ed laughed as he carried Natasha down to the basement. When he reached the basement, he dropped the red head painfully onto her side and Ed knelt down beside her. Natasha let out muffled curse words and insults as she tried to wiggle out of her binds that made Ed smile evilly. He rubbed her side with his hands before groping her ass and tits, making Natasha scream in defiance but it was muffled by the gag in her mouth. She was soon shaking as her rage and fury grew at her humiliating and submissive situation.

" **It's alright sweetie, I'll make you feel all better soon. But first, you need to be punished,"** whispered the sadistic man into her ear before he slapped her hard in the face. He moved his hands against her chest and the red head was glaring at him with narrowed eyes filled with anger. She tried to kick him with her tied up feet but was easily blocked and then slapped again in return.

" **Oh, we can't have that!"** he said as he slapped her once more before ripping off her blouse, revealing her breasts contained in a red bra. Natasha struggled against him but he pinned her down with his body as he sat on top of her stomach, her arms pressing into her back since they were tied behind her. She cried out against her gag in pain from the strikes and her uncomfortable and humiliating position. He placed both hands on her face before slowly moving them down, caressing her as he went down before stopping on her chest. The red head let out a whimper, but instead of making the man feel regret or pity, it made him smile, being spurred on by her pleading. He grabbed her through her bra and squeezed her breasts hard, not being the least bit gentle. She cried out as loudly as she could but instead of some sort of aid, she received another slap in the face. Ed laughed evilly, enjoying it greatly.

Then something happened that the red head never thought would happen to her. She broke. She broke and she started to cry. She hadn't cried in so long she was at first surprised she still could. She couldn't believe this was how things turned out to be. After all she had done, all the harsh times, all the close calls, all the things she had to do to get ahead in life, finally getting the things she always wanted, the position she wanted to get to, she was now worth none of that and was now at the mercy of a sadistic and perverted bastard that she herself had hired to get a job done. Oh the irony.

 _Please! Someone! Anyone! Help me!_ thought Natasha as Ed ripped off the bra, freeing her breasts.

" **Oh they look magnificent. Let's start slowly shall we?"** he said as he grabbed her breasts and played with them harshly before he licked and sucked them. When he bit down on them hard, Natasha cried out as her tears let out faster. The sounds of Natasha's muffled whimpers and cries along with Ed's evil laughs traveled up the basement steps and the other Skull Brothers heard.

" **Eddie, go help Ed control the slut. I'll be down in a few minutes,"** said Edmond who was finishing up his meal. Eddie responded with a grunt as he headed downstairs to the basement.

" **You should stop resisting my sweet so you can enjoy it,"** chuckled Ed as he tore off her clothes without hesitation. Finally, he tore off her last remaining article of clothing, which were her red panties. She was now fully in the nude and she was helpless. Ed rubbed her womanhood's opening before he plunged his dirty fingers into her making her scream against the gag. She struggled to get away but he prevented her from getting away by punching her in the face.

Natasha went still. She was in so much pain, felt so horrible, so worthless and so powerless that she didn't know what to do. She screamed with all her might against the gag in her mouth as he continued violating her with his unclean fingers going in and out of her, but all that was heard was a muffled sound. Ed laughed maniacally as Eddie appeared.

" **That's right my little puppet. No one is coming for you. No one can hear you. No one is going to save you. We have you all to ourselves,"** remarked Eddie with a sadistic laugh.

Ed grinned as he took in the sight of her beautiful body and Eddie let out a whistle. Natasha cried out in defiance and tried to get out of Ed's grip but it didn't work. She tried to knee him or kick him or something but he had pinned her down with his body as he sat on top of her legs. Eddie delivered a kick to her side that made her scream in pain before she stopped moving again. Edmond then appeared beside Ed and Eddie.

" **Put her on the table,"** said Edmond. Ed and Eddie lifted up Natasha and placed her on top of the nearby table, facing up. Edmond then cut her legs' binds with his knife and immediately Natasha started kicking at him but Eddie grabbed her legs and Edmond raised her own gun at her. **"Keep resisting, and I'll kill you."**

Natasha stopped immediately, her eyes filling up with frightened tears once more as she watched Eddie move away and Edmond draw closer to her and give the gun to Eddie. The leader unbuckled his jeans and lowered them, revealing his shaft. The red head whimpered and shook her head, trying to plead for him to stop but was muffled by the gag. Edmond wasted no time as he spread her legs forcefully and plunged into her roughly, making Natasha scream out as pain shot through her as he rammed her over and over again harshly. Natasha started crying heavily. She couldn't believe she was being raped and raped by the very thugs she hired.

 _Please stop! Please someone help me! Arceus! I swear I'll change my ways! Please save me! Help me! Please, I beg of you! Make it stop!_

" **Oh looky here,"** said Edmond as he noticed red marks around her inner thighs after a moment. **"She was a virgin! Saving yourself? HA! Prepare for a good time,"** cackled Edmond who continued his savage thrusting as his brothers laughed. He enjoyed seeing her so scared and whimpering in pain. **"Or more accurately, a good time for me,"** laughed Edmond as Ed took the gun from Eddie and pointed it at Natasha's face.

" **You stay quiet, don't resist and do as we say and we won't kill you. We'll let you go after we have our way with you and we may even finish the job you asked of us. That is if we feel like it,"** said Ed.

Natasha knew that he was lying, that they would probably kill her in the end but she had no choice. She had to stay alive to maybe find a way out. She remained silent and Ed removed her gag and she coughed before he put down his pants and plunged his shaft into her mouth. Natasha's eyes widened and she gagged, almost choking at the rough fellatio. Edmond told Ed to relax on it as he could kill her if she suffocates and that he didn't want her beautiful body to go to waste. Ed reluctantly agreed and eased up a bit, allowing Natasha to breathe again. She coughed as he withdrew from her mouth. She winced and cried out at the painful thrusting Edmond was giving her and was trying to spit out the taste from her mouth.

" **Please stop!"** gasped Natasha as she panted and pleaded through the rough intercourse, feeling intense pain. **"I'm sorry…I'll pay…more…just stop…please…"** she offered but Edmond shook his head and continued his savage fucking. Natasha's face was shining with many tears and the three brothers just laughed at her before Ed grabbed her head and moved it to his shaft again and made her suck on it.

Natasha felt sick and horrible and felt her life was over as she was being raped, feeling the rough movements at both ends of her body. She closed her eyes, trying to detach herself from what was going on, to send her mind elsewhere but couldn't, failing miserably. The pain was overwhelming, being her first time but the humiliation that she was feeling was worse. She cried her eyes out as she continued to be ravaged by the two Skull Brothers. She prayed it would be over soon and that they would let her go but she knew how small the odds are for that to happen. She felt even more sickened when Edmond and Ed finished by releasing their load into her, making her cough and choke while feeling their seed flow into her from both ends. They then withdrew to have Eddie and Edward, who had just joined them, to take up their positions and started their turn. The fifth brother Edwin came downstairs and soon joined his brothers and rammed is shaft into her only other available hole, making her scream out as horrific pain coursed through her body as he entered her anally, taking that purity away from her as well. It didn't help that Eddie kept thrusting into her without care and Edward pushed her head back down and made her suck his shaft dry.

The red headed woman had the worst day of her entire life. They raped her over and over many times, switching their positions and making her do many things. They released their seed into her multiple times before finally stopping as the day became evening. Edmond then told her with a nasty smile that since she was such a good sport about it all, especially for a first timer, they weren't going to kill her but instead keep her with them and use her as their very own personal entertainment. They tied her up and gagged her once more after slapping and beating her a bit when she screamed at them to let her go. They left her in the basement naked as they went back upstairs to do other things.

Natasha was in so much pain from the harsh gang rape as well as from the beatings and she felt so dirty, so worthless, so inhuman as she was violated many times, her virginity taken in such a violent way, that she just wanted to die right then and there. She didn't care about living anymore or finding a way out or even the mission. Even if she could find a way to escape, she would have to live with the knowledge that she was raped, humiliated, violated and abused for the rest of her life. That her virginity was taken from her by a bunch of sadistic bastards. She grew even more horrified at the thought of becoming impregnated by them. She shuddered and shivered on the cold floor as her dried eyes overfilled with tears again. She didn't know if she could handle that at all, bearing the child or children of the cold hearted bastards who were now upstairs.

 _Please,_ thought Natasha as more tears escaped from her eyes as she whimpered and cried against her gag with the uncomfortable basement floor doing nothing but increasing her discomfort. _Please let this nightmare end. Just take me now and make it so I don't ever remember this. Just kill me Arceus. Just let me die! Please take me away from all this. Please save me…_

* * *

 ** _A/N - A lot of stuff happened in this chapter that's going to set up many things to come. From Lance and Cynthia fighting (again), Sabrina coming back, Giselle asking out Ash, the appearance of the Skull Brothers, Leaf's confessio_** _ **n, Ash feeling betrayed, the girls becoming furious and the Skull Brothers raping Natasha...I hope you guys don't hate me for the way I ended this chapter but if you're pissed, all I c**_ ** _an say is this; I am sorry for that but I have warned you that the story will get darker and eviler. I have said so many times before and there will be stuff that you won't like in the future and this is one of them. And again, this is the FINAL WARNING you will get. I won't warn you anymore about what the chapter will contain except for a general warning (Warning; Mature Content). Until next time, take care of yourselves and hope all of my readers are doing well and are safe and sound. I await your (probably angry) reviews and messages. (Time for me to go and take a two hour shower so I can not feel "dirty" after writing this)._**

 ** _DISCLAIMER/IMPORTANT NOTE - I, silentplayermc03, in no way, shape or form, condone "rape". It is a despicable act and those who do that, are disgusting people and should be thrown into solitary confinement for the rest of their pathetic lives if nothing else. I also do not claim to know how victims of such an act will think, behave or feel. As a writer, I write about possible life situations and even in a made up setting, I can only try to show the characters' perspectives, thoughts and feelings the best I can about certain things but that doesn't mean I can even fully understand that or any other particular "subject". Since this is only a story, a work of fiction, it should not be taken seriously and should not be held against me._**


	37. Chapter 37 - Club Indigo

**_A/N - Hello everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Hope all of you are doing well. I have a few things to say about the previous chapter to try and explain some things..._**

 ** _1\. Leaf's treatment - A lot of you were pissed about the Leaf bashing, saying it was too much or that it was just a kiss. Let me remind you a few things about that; it wasn't the 'kiss' but the 'act' itself that they are pissed about. She went behind all their backs for her desire. She took advantage and betrayed his trust because he was sleeping when she did that and she broke her promise to the girls when she said she won't try anything with Ash. And this is the SECOND time she had done something to Ash. Also, they are all barely nineteen/twenty, so expect emotions to go haywire and Ash just had a mental breakdown a few days ago. Remember that Mewtwo stated he would be a bit 'jumpy' and so he hasn't recovered fully yet._**

 ** _2\. Natasha's scene - Some of you even said I went overboard with her scene...I don't how it wouldn't be overboard for that particular 'act'. The point of that scene was to show how terrible the Skull Brothers are and to feel what she was feeling. If you felt it was too much, I don't know how to respond to that other than that means it did its job and made you feel for the character. The act is heinous in any shape or form and is always "overboard"._**

 ** _Guest 1 - Thanks buddy for the praise! Yes, Ash was 'emotional' but the reasons why are above. Won't say how, when or even if Ash will find/save Natasha. Sorry buddy._**

 ** _Guest 2 - lol, yes the 'unintentional' pun...it hit me on my proof read and just left it. Man, I'm sorry about that...Leaf and Ash pairing in this story is going through a lot of stuff and there is a lot more to be revealed that will determine if they will or not._**

 ** _Erazor Djinn - Thanks dude! Glad you liked the battles and wanting to find out more. Here's another chapter! :)_**

 ** _Great - Yea, I try to make the 'date' chapters mostly fun and enjoyable as there is already enough dark/serious tones for the rest of the story. Last chapter took me a long time to get right and to make the 'roller coaster' of emotions like you say run well. About Leaf's situation, the reasoning is above. Lance's behavior and battling within himself to do what is right and to get past his jealousy and to redeem himself is going to be a big for him. As for Natasha, yea it kind of felt that it was going to go that way, that Ash would save her in the middle of it but I have something else in mind. Talk about being led astray huh? ;)_**

 ** _Dragon Satoshi Ketchum 0112 - Thanks and same to you! Here you go!_**

 ** _Alright, with that out of the way, here's the next chapter for you all! Hope you like it! :) Enjoy!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 37 – CLUB INDIGO

When Ash left the Indigo Hotel on his Charizard after hearing Leaf's confession, he was lost in thought while his loyal dragon just flew aimlessly for a long time while Pikachu stood on his shoulders. The two pokémon kept silent the whole time as they could sense his unease and decided allowing him some peace and quiet for now would be the best thing for him.

 _Why would she do that to me again? She betrayed me again by taking advantage of me and going behind the girls' backs. Why? How could she do this to me? To the girls? Why do that Leaf? What have I done to you? What have the girls done to you? I thought you had changed..._

" **AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"** yelled out Ash to the heavens above in frustration and his Charizard roared in surprise and Pikachu cried out. Seeing his two pokémon looking at him with concern made him feel bad for making them worry. **"I'm sorry guys. I'm just so frustrated and angry. I need to go somewhere or do something to relax and think this through. Somewhere that no one would think to go look for me."**

" **Pikapi, pi pika pi chu pikachu pi kachu,"** suggested the electric mouse.

" **You know, that might be a good idea,"** replied Ash. **"Charizard, head back towards Indigo Plateau but we're going to Club Indigo. No one would think to find me there."**

While Ash checked on the exact location of the club on his Poketch map application, Charizard made a u-turn to head back. Once Ash found the location, he told the details to his dragon who grunted in understanding. The sun was setting when they finally arrived at their destination. Charizard landed in front of the fairly sized building that had the words 'CLUB INDIGO' in large, bold red letters in the middle of the building. A buff and tall man was standing in front of the entrance to the club wearing black pants, black shirt, black jacket and had an ear piece in his ear. Ash dropped down from his dragon and walked up to the bouncer with Pikachu on his shoulder and his Charizard following him from behind.

" **Excuse me sir, but I would have to ask for your ID,"** informed the bouncer, seeing that the guest looked young.

" **Here you go,"** said Ash as he handed the bouncer his Poke Dex that functioned as his ID as well. The bouncer took it and pushed a few buttons before it told him his age.

" **I'm sorry sir but you're under twenty one and I cannot let you in,"** informed the bouncer as he handed the red device back to Ash who took it.

" **Let's just say you saw it say twenty one when you checked my Poke Dex and I'll handle what people say about what I'm doing inside a club,"** replied Ash as he held his hand out for the bouncer to shake. The bouncer glanced at Ash, then at the grinning Pikachu, then at the large Charizard behind them before looking at the raven haired young man in front of him again. He stretched out his hand and shook hands with the young man and moved to the side as he opened the door for him to enter. **"Thank you sir,"** said Ash. He returned Charizard and walked inside with Pikachu.

The bouncer closed the door behind him and stood in front of the doors again as he put the money he received from Ash during the handshake into his pocket. The bouncer wasn't getting paid enough and thought what the hell could he cause to happen; he knew who the young man was. When the two stepped inside, both Ash and Pikachu were impressed at what they saw. The club was very modern, and had a large central dance floor with a few other dance spots around the sides. There were sitting areas up against the walls consisting of couches and chairs with a small round tables in front of them and larger round tables in the middle of larger sitting areas in the corners. There was a long bar against the left wall that had two stunning female bartenders working on getting some drinks ready for some customers who were waiting on their orders. There was a good amount of people on the dance floor and several others seated around the area. The music wasn't too loud yet, the lights were modest and were normal colored for the time being. It was barely evening and even though he's not much of a club person, Ash knew that things were just starting to pick up.

Ash moved towards the bar and took a seat on one of the empty stools and both he and Pikachu looked around and took in their surroundings. Ash used his aura senses to check on some of the people near him just for kicks and found that a handful of them were letting off tired auras, guessing that they must have just gotten off of work. He was about to expand his senses to check on the others who were seated against the walls of the club but stopped when one of the bartenders came up to him.

" **What can I get ya handsome?"** asked the blue haired girl with obvious ease since she had said it so many times, not really meaning it. She was barely looking at him as she got a glass ready and Ash looked at her from the corner of his eye.

" **A shot of vodka, a cup of cola and a bowl of ketchup,"** answered Ash as he fully faced the bartender, tilting his head a bit when he looked at her. She looked familiar and he felt that he knew her...

" **Ketchup?"** asked the bartender. She looked up and was now observing him more carefully since he said something weird. Both of them looked at one another more carefully.

" **Is something wrong with...wait...Shauna? Is that you?"** asked a bewildered Ash, realizing who she is.

" **ASH!"** cried out Shauna suddenly and she hugged him over the counter, causing several to glance at them throughout the club, as they heard her outburst since the music wasn't too loud yet. Three figures shifted in their seats from the opposite wall of where Ash was. They were looking at him and the bartender with curious eyes. **"It's good to see you again!"**

" **Shauna, what's going on? Are you alright? Should I call the bouncer?"** asked the second bartender, who was also a blue haired girl. She moved closer to them when they separated.

" **No I'm fine. I'm great actually. This is my good friend Ash,"** introduced Shauna as she pointed at the raven haired man. He waved at the second bartender a bit before stopping as he remembered her, who had a look of surprise form on her face too.

" **Lizabeth?"** asked Ash as he tilted his head again.

" **ASH!"** shouted Lizabeth and hugged him over the counter too.

" **Good...seeing...you...too…"** choked out Ash as he tried to breathe and Pikachu sniggered at him.

" **Wait, you know each other?"** asked a surprised Shauna.

" **Yea and sorry Ash,"** apologized Lizabeth as she let him go, embarrassed over how she acted, blushing slightly.

" **It's alright. It happens so many times, you would think I would be used to it by now,"** remarked Ash, making Shauna and Lizabeth chuckle. **"So what are you two doing here?"** he asked the two.

" **Well, we both work here now after moving to Kanto,"** revealed Shauna and Lizabeth nodded.

" **Oh that's cool. But what happened between you and Brawly, Shauna? I thought you liked him? And what about protecting the you know what Lizabeth?"**

" **Things never really went anywhere between me and Brawly as we never went past friends. I figured it was time to move on and start somewhere fresh after training with him a bit. I remembered you saying Kanto was a nice place so I decided to give it a shot. Long story short, I found this job a while ago and love it so here I am,"** answered Shauna as she casually leaned against the counter. They way she held herself somehow accentuated her looks, making many of the males around stare at her.

" **After you took care of Phantom, I've traveled around while protecting 'it' and my parents told me to take a journey myself after making sure no one could find it. I've traveled around some and ended up in Kanto. I wanted to find a place to stay and work in Celadon City but I was staying at the hotel nearby. I went out to eat one night and I ended up meeting Shauna, who invited me to work here for a bit to make some quick cash but ended up loving it as well. We live together as roommates now and we've become best friends,"** informed Lizabeth with a beautiful smile. That smile made many of the same males who were looking at Shauna start looking at her before alternating back and forth between the two blunettes. Ash however, was unaffected.

" **Wow, I'm glad that you guys are doing something you love and are happy. I hope you guys had some good experiences while traveling,"** said Ash charmingly with a smile, making both girls blush slightly.

" **Thanks Ash,"** said Lizabeth and Shauna smiled before talking again.

" **So what brings you here?"** she asked, making him sigh.

" **I'd rather not say,"** replied Ash looking down onto the counter.

" **That bad huh?"** asked Shauna while Lizabeth frowned when Ash nodded. He looked up at them.

" **Let's just say I was betrayed by someone I thought I could trust. Let's just leave it at that,"** revealed Ash sadly and both Lizabeth and Shauna grew angry.

" **What an asshole! Tell me who it was so I can kick their ass!"** growled Shauna but Ash just shook his head, a small smile on his face.

" **Don't even worry about that right now Ash. Just relax and you can stay here for as long as you want. And we'll get you and Pikachu your order in just a sec,"** added Lizabeth and Ash thanked them, receiving a 'no problem' and 'you're welcome' from the two blunettes.

The two girls went to get what he asked for. That was when he just noticed how they looked. Both Shauna and Lizabeth were stunningly beautiful, with the right amount of curves for their slender bodies. They were wearing their bartender uniforms that consisted of tight black tank tops, showing off some cleavage with black jean short shorts that showed off their toned legs and firm round butts with their long blue hair, flowing down their front and back that went past their shoulders. Their outfits were that way to encourage the people who came to the bar to tip them generously. Pikachu smacked him against the back of his head all of a sudden.

" **What?!"** grumbled Ash quietly as he massaged his head.

" **Pikapi, pi pika pika pi pika cha pikachu!"** chastised Pikachu.

" **Yea, yea I know. I was just looking. I already have enough problems as is,"** he sighed and Pikachu gave him an understanding look but gave him a very small electric shock as a warning. Ash rubbed the area he was shocked and glared at his starter who smirked at him. The raven haired guardian shook his head and then he waited patiently for his drinks.

When Shauna brought him his shot of vodka and glass of cola and Lizabeth brought the bowl of ketchup for Pikachu, Ash thanked the two. Pikachu jumped down onto the counter for his bowl of ketchup. He took the shot of vodka at once, feeling the cold yet burning liquid travel down his throat before it reached his stomach. He shuddered ever so slightly since he was barely a social drinker as he only drank on important events but didn't think about that right now. He downed the cup of cola as Shauna immediately poured him another shot and he gulped that one down instantly right after too.

" **You should slow down Ash,"** advised Shauna as she poured his third shot.

" **Have you been watching the tournament?"** he asked them and the two replied saying they have. **"So I guess you two have seen my aura powers and found out about me being an Aura Guardian then?"** asked Ash and the blunettes nodded with blushes as they remembered how they saw him fighting courageously against the attackers and saved everyone. **"Funny thing about having aura powers; they break down most common poisons and other things such as alcohol pretty quickly and helps you recover faster. If I was a regular person I might have to watch myself when drinking. But my aura breaks it down faster than normal so it takes a lot more alcohol for it to affect me,"** revealed Ash before he took the third.

" **That's both a blessing and a curse huh? How did you find out about this?"** asked Shauna.

" **You could say that and it was pretty funny how but I'll tell you some other time. It's a rather long story,"** replied Ash while she poured him his fourth shot.

" **Okay but we're going to hold you to that,"** replied Lizabeth.

" **Hey darling, can we get some drinks?"** asked a new patron that reached the counter.

" **Sure, just a second!"** said Shauna. **"Ash, we gotta go to the other customers but if you need anything just call us over. We'll leave the bottle here for you but...just take it easy okay?"** asked Shauna softly and Ash promised he would. He watched the two blunettes go to the other patrons waiting at the other side of the counter before he became lost in thought while Pikachu slurped the ketchup happily.

Across the club in the corner, the three figures who were sitting away from everyone, were keeping their attention on Ash from the moment he stepped inside the club. They watched the two female bartenders hug him and engage in conversation with the raven haired young man before they brought him his order.

" **Looks like they know each other,"** commented the green haired girl.

" **I would assume so Liza. It's a small world after all and Ash has traveled around it. He's bound to know many people from all over,"** said the blue haired girl.

" **He looks sullen though doesn't he Clair?"** asked the dark haired girl with concern when they saw him down his third shot like it was nothing.

" **You may be right Sabrina,"** replied Clair. **"How did he even get in here? I don't think he's of age yet."**

" **Ah, who cares? It's not like we're that much older,"** commented Liza. **"Let the guy be. He's not bothering anyone."**

" **You're right. Let's just keep an eye on him. But I want something to drink and eat too,"** said Clair as she hit the call button in the middle of their table that summoned a waiter from nowhere. **"Okay, we'd like three Blue Lagoons and keep them coming until I say stop. Also, we'd like two baskets of fries with ranch and some chips and salsa."**

The waiter nodded and left to get their order. Soon enough, the waiter returned with Clair's order and the three of them raised their drinks and clinked them together saying 'cheers' before drinking some. They then returned their attention on Ash but conversed with one another and munched on the fries and chips as they turned their gaze onto him periodically. They were asked to dance a couple times from eager looking males but each time the three denied them as they weren't impressed by the way they asked them, how they acted and weren't really in the mood either. After some time passed, they noticed a dazzling dark haired girl enter the club dressed in a black strapless dress that reached her thighs that highlighted her curves. She looked around a bit since she was looking for her friends who were already there. She walked a bit forward before stopping, her gaze on the raven haired trainer. She tilted her head but then straightened it out as a smile formed on her face. She moved towards the young man. Seeing this occur, Clair took out her Poketch and scrolled through her list of contacts.

" **Who you calling?"** asked Liza, seeing the frightened look on her friend's face. **"Don't tell me you're calling Lance…"**

" **Of course I'm not!"** snapped Clair when both Sabrina and Liza glared at her. **"I'm calling Cynthia. She would kill me if I didn't tell her he's at a club and about to be hit on by Giselle again."** The Sinnoh Champion had revealed to Clair, Liza and Sabrina of her feelings for Ash and the special situation they were in that morning before they left together to go to the stadium to watch the next matches. To say the three were surprised and shocked was a bit of an understatement but swore to keep quiet about it.

" **You're right. She'll probably kill us too for being here with you and not doing anything. You should tell her that we wanted to let her know too,"** replied Liza, covering her ass so Cynthia wouldn't kick it later for not bothering to tell her. The Sinnoh Champion was one of the few people that Liza was actually afraid of and ditto for Clair. As for Sabrina however…

" **You two are good friends but also such wusses,"** commented Sabrina as she stood up, making both Clair and Liza look at her, before she walked away from them. The two then glanced at each other.

" **Who says 'wusses' these days?"** asked Liza and Clair shrugged. **"Anyway, hurry up and call Cynthia,"** added Liza as she watched Sabrina walk towards the now conversing Ash and Giselle while Clair called the Sinnoh Champion.

Back at the Indigo Hotel, the Champion of Sinnoh was in the elevator going up to the top floor to visit Ash and the others. She wanted to spend some time with him and also to talk to him about the last match and how he came up with that Blizzard and Tailwind combo move. She got a call on her Poketch and picked it up. **"Hey Clair, what's up? Whoa slow down…what do you mean…no there's no way…that can't be Ash. He wouldn't go to a club alone since I don't think he's even the club going type. Are you sure it's him? Okay…wait, what?! He's been drinking heavily and Giselle is talking to him again?! Shit! Alright, I'll be there soon after checking on something,"** said Cynthia and hung up. Cynthia was furious at what she just found out from Clair but also kind of doubted it. Clair had pulled some pranks on her before with the help of Liza. If this was another one, she was definitely going to kick their asses. The elevator dinged as she reached the top floor and when the doors opened, she hurried out and knocked on the only door for that floor. After a moment, it was opened by Daisy Waterflower.

" **Oh, hey Cynthia. Come on in,"** said the blonde girl as she stepped aside. Cynthia thanked her and asked if she knew where Ash was. Daisy was quiet for a second, wondering why she would want to speak with him before answering. **"Sorry but I don't. My sister might. Uh, I think Misty's in her room getting ready to head out. It's over that way,"** she explained and pointed towards the hallway to the right. Cynthia thanked her and moved to the door she pointed out as quickly as she could, greeting the others who were there. As soon as she reached the door, it opened and the four girls were shocked to see Cynthia there with her hand raised about to knock on the door.

" **Cynthia? Hey there. What are you doing here?"** asked Dawn.

" **Hey Dawn. Um, is Ash here?"** she asked them and the four girls sighed and shook their heads.

" **No, he's not here. He left a while ago without telling anyone where he went,"** informed Misty sadly.

" **What? Why? What happened?"** asked Cynthia.

" **Long story short, he was betrayed by someone who he thought he could trust and so he left angrily and we don't know where he went or when he's going to come back,"** revealed May and that information made Cynthia both angry and sad.

" **Who betrayed him?! Did Lance do something again?!"** asked Cynthia as her rage grew and began thinking a mile a minute on how she was going to make him pay.

" **No…it was…Leaf,"** clarified Serena and Cynthia's eyes widened before she shook her head.

" **Damn it,"** sighed Cynthia. **"No wonder he's drowning himself in alcohol…"**

" **Wait, what? What do you mean by that? Do you know where he is?"** asked Misty suddenly.

" **Yea. Clair just called me and said she saw Ash at Club Indigo drinking. She also told me that Giselle was trying to talk to him again."** Some growls were let out at that news. **"At first I thought she was just trying to mess with me cause…well, you know why,"** said Cynthia, getting a little embarrassed and the girls understood. **"Anyway, I told her I'll come to check it out but I was already in the elevator here to come visit so I decided to check if he's here first to make sure she's really not messing with me."**

" **Okay. Call her back and tell her to make sure Giselle doesn't try to do anything as we get ready. We can use this to our benefit to show him a good time so he can forget about what Leaf did to him. We'll also tell some of the other couples to join us so it's not like we're trying to gang up on him,"** advised Dawn and the five of them agreed as Misty, May and Dawn entered their room to get ready, Cynthia went into an empty unused bedroom to call Clair back and Serena went around the penthouse asking some of the others if they wanted to go to the club with them before getting ready herself.

Unknown to them, Sarah had heard everything that they talked about as she was in the bathroom and was about to leave when she heard them talk. She was glad that Ash was alright and that they found out where he was but sad to hear that he was trying to drink his problems away as well as concerned that this girl named Giselle was trying to get with him. She waited until she could tell they were gone and there were no more noises before cracking open the door. Verifying that they were gone, she hurried to her room where Anabel and Leaf were at to tell them what was going on. Back at the club, after Clair had made her call to Cynthia and hung up, she and Liza kept their attention on Ash.

" **Ash?"** asked Giselle when she sat next to him, making the raven haired guardian look at her and his starter to look up from his bowl of ketchup.

" **Hmm? Oh, hey Giselle,"** replied Ash, with a small smile before he faced forward again and took another shot before pouring himself another one. Pikachu went back to his bowl of ketchup.

" **You okay?"** she asked, noticing his sullen demeanor.

" **I'm fine. Just thinking about some things,"** he said before downing the shot he just poured.

" **Um, how many of those have you had so far?"** Giselle asked, seeing a half empty vodka bottle in front of him.

" **I've lost count,"** answered Ash, making Giselle's eyes widen.

" **Damn. Maybe you've had enough,"** said Giselle as she made to pull the bottle away from him but he snatched it and gave her a death glare that made her cringe and change her mind. **"Or maybe not…Are you sure everything's alright Ash? You seemed fine earlier."**

" **Yeah well things happened alright!"** he snapped.

" **Sorry…I didn't mean to impose,"** replied Giselle in a low voice that made Ash glance at her and saw the hurt look on her face, making him sigh heavily.

" **I'm sorry Giselle. I didn't mean to snap at you,"** he said sadly. **"And you didn't do anything. I just went through some stuff and I'm just trying to sort it all out,"** he admitted.

" **Oh, I see,"** replied back Giselle. **"It's okay. Maybe I can help you with it? Did it involve your girlfriend?"** she asked, making Ash glance at her again before he responded back.

" **Yes and no,"** he replied. **"Can I be honest?"** he asked and she nodded. **"Can we talk about this later? I'm not comfortable talking about it just yet as I'm still trying to figure out the why and how."**

" **Okay, that's not a problem. What would you like to talk about instead? Or we could do something else? Like we could dance if you want?"** she offered, placing her hand on his. Ash glanced down at what she did before looking her in the eyes, making her take in a sharp breath as he thought about it for a bit.

" **That sounds like fun but maybe a bit later if that's okay,"** he replied back with a smile and Giselle blushed heavily before she agreed. She looked around to get an update on what was going on in her surroundings. She happened to spot her friends that she was originally looking for who were some of her class mates back from the Pokémon Academy.

" **Let me know when you want to and I'd be more than happy to,"** she told him. **"If you don't mind, I want to go say hi to a couple friends of mine I just saw. I'll come back though I promise."**

" **No problem and you don't have to promise me anything Giselle. Go do what you want to do,"** he told her and Giselle smiled at him as she placed her hand on his shoulder before leaving to go catch up with her friends. He took another shot down just as Shauna and Elizabeth came to check on him.

" **Hey, everything alright Ash?"** asked Lizabeth while Shauna leaned against the counter closer to him.

" **Everything is good, thanks Lizabeth,"** smiled Ash as he looked at the two blunettes. He titled his head a bit as he drank in their looks again but this time it was different. **"Did I ever tell you two how beautiful you are?"** he asked them, making them go crimson. Pikachu coughed out some ketchup, panting a bit as he almost choked before looking up stunned at what he just heard his best friend say. He was so shocked that he didn't even electrocute him.

" **No, you haven't and you don't need to but thank you,"** replied back a reddened Lizabeth but she had an enormous smile on her face.

" **And I think you had enough,"** chuckled Shauna as took the bottle away from him, making him pout at her but it only caused the two blunettes to giggle.

" **Wow, you're mean Shauna,"** replied Ash. **"I'm hurting here and you took away my medicine."**

" **Maybe because it's not the right type of medicine,"** said a new person, causing the three of them to turn their heads to look at the speaker. Ash's eyes widened and the two blue haired bartenders were left with their mouths slightly open. It was Sabrina Natsume and she looked stunning dressed simply yet elegantly with white dress pants with a light purple blouse, her long black hair flowing down to reach the middle of her back and some of it was flowing down over her nicely shaped chest.

" **Sabrina? Wow, you look great. Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here?"** Ash asked the now blushing new arrival as she took a seat on the stool next to him.

" **You're too kind Ash. I was spending some time here with my friends Clair and Liza over there in the corner when I noticed you were here so I wanted to come and say hi,"** she replied, sticking to the truth. Ash looked in the area she talked about and saw both Clair and Liza looking at him, who were wearing their trademark outfits. He waved at them and the two waved back at him with smiles.

" **That's nice of you. Thanks. How's everything with you?"** he asked her.

" **Things are alright,"** answered Sabrina but Ash sensed that something is wrong and gave her a look that said he's not buying it. **"Well, if you really want to know, I'll only tell you if you go dance with me,"** said the psychic prodigy, making Ash smirk and the two blunettes to raise their highbrows.

" **Only if you can convince my two friends here, Shauna and Lizabeth, to give us another shot without you using your powers and you got yourself a deal,"** countered Ash, introducing each other while making Sabrina smile slightly at the challenge.

" **Alright then."** She faced the two blunettes. **"I have a proposal; what do you two say to sharing a drink with the famous Aura Guardian here? It'll be quite an honor to drink with the savior of the Spirit Tournament don't you think?"** asked Sabrina as she lightly made fun of the young guardian, who reddened slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

" **Sure, why not? That's something I don't do every day,"** replied Shauna as she brought back the bottle and Lizabeth took out four new shot glasses. Shauna poured the liquid into the four and placed the bottle on the counter as the others took their shots and she took hers.

" **So what are we toasting to Ash?"** asked Lizabeth, the three girls giving their attention to him. He thought about it for a bit until he knew what to say.

" **To true friends!"** toasted Ash as he raised his glass.

" **To true friends!"** repeated the three girls as they touched their shot glasses against each other before the four gulped down their shot quickly, placing their shots back onto the counter after.

" **Well that was easy. Alright, I did my end. Now it's your turn,"** said Sabrina.

" **Yea, yea alright. Shauna, get another round ready for us when we come back and Lizabeth, can you keep an eye on Pikachu for me while he stays here on the counter? I promise he'll behave,"** requested Ash as he got up, Pikachu giving him a dirty look. He was thinking about how much power to use on him.

" **No problem,"** replied Lizabeth, as she scratched Pikachu behind the ears, who cooed in delight. He was just about to electrify Ash but the sudden scratching made him forget about it. Shauna got another round ready for them as Ash stood up and gently grasped Sabrina's delicate hand, making the Saffron gym leader redden slightly.

" **Would you do me the honor of dancing with me Ms. Natsume?"** asked Ash with a playful bow, obviously having fun with the situation, making the girls giggle.

" **You seem like a fine young gentleman Mr. Ketchum. I accept,"** responded back the psychic girl with a smile as she played along.

Ash led her towards the dance floor and right when they reached it, a slow song began. Ash placed his hands on her slim waist as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders. They kept their gazes on one another as they slow danced. Shauna and Lizabeth were smiling at the two while Clair and Liza had looks of disbelief on their faces. They glanced at one another and both thought the same thing; _it has to be the alcohol_. Clair then got a call on her Poketch and picked it up. After talking a bit she hung up and told Liza that Cynthia was on her way with some friends and to keep an eye on things. Liza puffed out her cheeks as she realized they were still on 'surveillance' so to speak and turned her attention to Sabrina and Ash on the dance floor. She finished her Blue Lagoon and set it on the table in front of them. Another one was soon placed on the table and the empty glass was taken without them even noticing. The waiter was that good. Back on the dance floor, Sabrina and Ash started talking after quietly dancing for a bit.

" **Thank you,"** whispered Sabrina as they danced. Ash tilted his head. **"For agreeing to dance with me. You didn't have to you know. I don't even know what made me ask you to do that."**

" **I know I didn't have to but I wanted to,"** replied Ash making Sabrina smile. **"Plus, it would help me stay distracted from my thoughts, I was able to get another shot, enjoy a toast with my friends and dance with my friend."**

" **So there were hidden reasons. Sneaky,"** quipped Sabrina and he chuckled. **"I'm sorry Ash."**

" **For what?"**

" **For causing you agony when I helped bring out your memories for everyone to see. I didn't mean to cause you any pain or suffering. I hope you can forgive me,"** pleaded Sabrina with saddened eyes.

" **So that's why I sensed you being sad. It wasn't your fault Sabrina. Things just happen and sometimes it's not what you expect it to be but you just have to let it go and not let it control you. Sometimes that's the best thing to do. But don't worry, it wasn't your fault and I'm fine,"** reassured Ash.

" **Are you sure? Because I really am sorry,"** apologized Sabrina again and Ash nodded with a smile. Sabrina smiled a bit in return. **"Thanks Ash. You don't know how badly I've been feeling about that and how it's kept me up at nights. It even gave me nightmares when I was able to sleep."**

" **You felt that badly about it?"** asked Ash surprised and Sabrina nodded. **"I see. Well, no need to worry. I'm good so you can relax okay? But why would you feel that badly about it?"**

" **I don't know,"** replied the psychic, looking down. **"I guess because you were the only person who helped me out when I was a monster and I couldn't believe that I had caused you agony."**

" **You were never a monster Sabrina. You had only lost your way,"** he replied back, making Sabrina raise her head and look into his eyes, not believing what he said. **"And I have to admit, even though I helped you, I was mostly just a kid hell bent on winning his Marsh Badge."** Both of them chuckled a bit that. " **I'm just glad that everything worked out in the end."**

" **Well, even so, because of your refusal to back down when others wouldn't even walk within a hundred feet of me, you saved me from a horrible future. For that, I thank you Ash,"** said Sabrina before she rested her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back. Sabrina felt great comfort in his arms. For some reason Ash felt the same thing too. Though it could've been the alcohol in their bodies making them feel that way…

" **Sabrina?"** asked Ash and she hummed in response, indicating that she was listening. **"If somebody betrayed your trust, would you forgive them?"**

" **So that's what's bothering you. Depends on what they did,"** replied Sabrina, staying in her position. **"I was betrayed once before. It was pretty bad. I can never forget it. I did forgive but it took a while."**

" **I see. Sorry to hear that. Can you tell me about it? That is if you want to and if you're comfortable talking about it,"** he said and Sabrina raised her head to look him in the face.

" **Well, I haven't told anyone of the full details except for my parents…but okay then. I feel like I can trust you. I believe you know Gary Oak?"** Ash nodded. **"Well, he asked me out about a year ago. I was never asked out on a date before. Maybe because people thought I was still the same psychotic gym leader but I changed after you helped me out so long ago. Again, thank you for that."** Ash smiled and told her it was no problem before she continued. **"Anyway, I accepted and we went out for about a month. He was very sincere and charming and soon we were making out here and there."** Ash nodded to show he was following still, keeping eye contact with her while continuing their slow dance. **"But one day he tried to make a move but I stopped him. I told him that I wasn't ready. After that, he became increasingly distant."**

" **That's Gary's play,"** said Ash and Sabrina gave him a confused look. **"When he doesn't get what he wants, he pretends he doesn't want it or care about it so whoever it is runs after him. Did it work?"**

" **I see. I'm ashamed to say that it did. I wanted to know why he was being like that after a few days. I went to his house unannounced. Most of the lights were off but I knew he and someone else was home as I could sense them. I was about to ring the door bell when I heard some noises coming from inside the house."**

" **Don't tell me..."** started Ash but Sabrina nodded sadly.

" **Yes. There was no mistaking the sounds. They were so loud. I levitated to his bedroom window and peeked through it. I saw him having sex with a pink haired girl on his bed. I found out later she was one of his grandpa's lab assistants. I screamed and they both saw me. I fell to the ground in shock and he came running out of the house wearing his boxers telling me to come inside but I didn't."**

" **Fucking Gary…then what happened?"** he asked her, trying to control his anger.

" **When I refused that's when he went off at me. He said that no man would wait around for me if I continued being such a prude. He said that he had needs and couldn't wait around for me. He said that he doesn't see us going anywhere since I'm so old fashioned and that I'm older than him anyways so we should just end it and move on. I didn't say anything back and just teleported out of there."**

" **I'm gonna kick the ever living shit out of him,"** growled Ash but Sabrina shook her head.

" **It's alright,"** said Sabrina and Ash looked at her like she was crazy. **"I moved on and forgave him for being such an immature jackass. Plus, I gave him nightmares for about a month with my psychic powers."** Ash had his eyes widened after hearing that and seeing Sabrina give a wild grin.

" **Remind me to never get on your bad side,"** muttered Ash and Sabrina giggled.

" **He also taught me something,"** she continued while Ash tilted his head. **"He taught me that not all things that look good are. I've learned to be more careful, to not fall for stuff like that again. And..."**

" **And?"** asked Ash, wanting her to continue.

 **"And...It was a sign for me to wait, to not rush into things and to wait for the right man who would respect my wishes,"** finished Sabrina.

" **That's good at least. I know you'll find the right guy Sabrina. You're a great girl and you deserve someone who would do anything for you. But even so, if you ever need anything, just let me know,"** he said before showing a charming smile, making Sabrina blush.

" **Thank you Ash,"** replied Sabrina. **"Did you want to talk about what happened to you?"** she asked him.

" **It's not as bad as yours and maybe I'm overreacting a bit but here's what happened,"** he said and he explained everything to her, about what he went through with a girl in the past when they were kids to what happened with her again recently.

" **Hmmm...No, I don't think you're overreacting Ash as this is the second time she's broken your trust and the second time she's betrayed you. But you should talk to her Ash and find out why. If you bottle it up or try to ignore it, it may backfire on you. And it'll let you move on quicker. Trust me, you don't want to do that to yourself,"** she advised him.

" **I see. Thanks, I appreciate your advice. I guess your right but I just need some time to get over the shock first. That's okay isn't it?"** he asked her and she agreed, saying that's okay. **"Thanks Sabrina. You're the best."** He tightened his hug around her and she did the same as she rested her head back against his chest. She felt her heart beat a little quicker and she didn't want to get out of the embrace. He gently massaged her back a bit before resting his hands on her lower back. He felt oddly comfortable with her but he didn't think about it too much. They continued dancing in silence as another slow song started that was requested by a few newly arrived club goers.

" **They look cute together,"** commented Liza. **"You think Cynthia would get pissed seeing this?"** Not hearing a response, she looked at Clair and smiled who was staring at Ash silently. **"Well, well. Jealous, envious or both?"** asked Liza as she nudged her side, making Clair snap out it.

" **What are you talking about?!"** shot the gym leader immediately, elbowing Liza in the stomach.

" **Hey! I didn't hit you that hard!"** exclaimed Liza as she doubled over, clutching her stomach but Clair just laughed at her. **"I'm going to get you back for that Clair and that just proves it,"** wheezed Liza while Clair just scoffed back before calling her crazy.

Lizabeth and Shauna were taking a break as they had served all the patrons who came up to the bar. The club had filled up a bit but most of the people were sitting around the walls or on the dance floor. **"Looks like Ash is having a good time,"** commented Lizabeth. Shauna looked at the dance floor and saw Ash and Sabrina holding each other closely while slow dancing. She smiled, glad that Ash was having a good time. **"I get the feeling you want to be in her shoes don't you?"** asked Lizabeth, making Shauna look at her like a Deerling caught in headlights. **"It's alright. I know how you feel."**

" **You do?!"** asked Shauna, stunned at what she just heard.

" **Yea. I'm in the same boat as you,"** revealed Lizabeth as she gazed at Ash, making Shauna's jaw drop. **"I saw him do courageous things and he even risked his life for others right in front of me. Remember how I told you about the you know what I was guarding and how it picked him? It doesn't make mistakes; only pure hearted persons can be chosen and they also must be willing to sacrifice for others. How often do you see someone like that? It affected me but when he continued on his journey, I moved on with my life. Seeing him in the tournament, risking it all again at the attack and being here now has brought some old feelings back but I'm not sure. I don't know what to do but right now, I'm happy with just being his friend until I work out what I'm feeling. Hell, it might just be nostalgic feelings or something."** Lizabeth's confession made Shauna think for a moment before she nodded. She had witnessed Ash do amazing things in the past too. Even though they didn't spend too much time together and she had a crush on another guy when they met, she did remember him more often than other people. What they saw during the tournament was just further proof that he was truly unique as he risked it all to save everyone. Then again, it may just be nostalgia like Lizabeth said. Maybe she was just happy to see her friend again and she's just confusing it for something else. She turned her attention back to the dancing duo as the slow song finally ended, thinking she'll worry about that later. Ash and Sabrina looked at one another with a smile.

" **Thank you for the dance Ash. I really do appreciate it,"** said Sabrina as she gave him a friendly kiss on his cheek, making the jaws drop of the four girls who had their eyes on them.

" **You're welcome and thank you for suggesting it Sabrina,"** replied back Ash. He smiled at her that Sabrina returned before grasping her hand and leading her back to the bar. The two of them sat down in their original seats and called Shauna and Lizabeth over so they could drink another round together. The two blunettes came over immediately since they weren't busy and enjoyed their company so they joined them in picking up their shot glasses again. **"Wait, we should do this right,"** said Ash and the three girls gave him slightly confused looks. He turned around and faced Clair and Liza who were looking at them but didn't turn away. He waved them over to come join them. He told the blunettes to add three more shot glasses and to fill them up.

" **Ah okay but why?"** asked Lizabeth as she brought three more shot glasses and Shauna poured the vodka into the three.

" **We have three more joining us,"** explained Ash. Before they could ask who, Ash pointed behind him and to his right. As the three checked, they saw Giselle, Clair and Liza moving towards them.

" **How did you know?"** asked Sabrina and Ash explained he sensed Giselle coming towards them with his aura and also sensed Clair and Liza were feeling left out so he invited them over. The three girls were impressed by his acute senses and that he was so thoughtful. Soon enough, Clair, Liza and Giselle joined them and Ash handed each of them their shot.

" **Thanks Ash. So what are we toasting this to?"** asked Giselle, hiding her annoyance at the other girls who were there as she held her shot and Ash took his.

" **I'll let you girls decide on that this time since I made the last toast,"** replied Ash and the girls thought for a moment before Liza made the toast.

" **To a wonderful night for us all!"**

" **To a wonderful night for us all!"** repeated the rest and clinked their shot glasses together before they each gulped down their shots and placed them back down onto the counter.

" **So where's our shots Ash?"**

Ash whirled around at that and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia were standing there all dressed up. Misty was wearing her sparkling yellow dress from their date, Dawn was wearing her sparkling blue dress and Serena was wearing her hot pink dress. May was wearing a red dress with straps that went over her shoulders and a diagonal cut on the bottom that went from her left knee to her right thigh. Cynthia was wearing a long silver dress that reached down to her ankles but was cut from the bottom all the way up to her thighs on the sides along with it being held up by a single thick diagonal strap that went over her left shoulder. They looked absolutely amazing and completely stunned Ash so much that his jaw dropped as he continued staring at them, making the five blush deeply. He didn't even notice the others beside them who were Gary, Ilene, Richie, Joy, Brock, Lucy, Chili, Violet, Cress, Lily, Cilan, Iris, Riley and Daisy Oak who were also all dressed up.

" **You might want to close your mouth Ashy-boy before you swallow a bug,"** quipped Gary before laughing out loud as some of the others chuckled. Sabrina frowned at seeing her ex but then quickly changed her expression to be neutral before anyone noticed. Even though she forgave him and moved on, she could never forget what he did to her. Ash locked eyes with his rival and was about to explode at Gary since he found out he what he did to Sabrina.

 _Now is not the time._

The voice that he hadn't heard in a long time spoke up in his mind that made him freeze for a second. He heeded the words. **"Don't be jealous Gare-Bear!"** shot Ash instead as he snapped out of his trance, making them all laugh at Gary who scowled and was embarrassed as Ilene couldn't stop laughing at his hated nick-name. Sabrina chuckled at that and when she happened to glance at Gary, he flinched when he caught her gaze. Sabrina looked away with a smile as Ilene asked Gary what happened but he just shook his head. That was another reason why Gary wasn't for her; she easily intimidated him. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May moved forward as Ash got up and the five of them were in a group hug that drew many people's attention from the club, including the newer members in their group of friends.

" **I'm sorry I just left like that. I just needed to get away and clear my head,"** apologized Ash as he held onto the four tightly. **"Please forgive me. But how did you find me?"** he asked them.

" **It's alright Ash. We understand,"** replied Misty.

" **Cynthia let us know where you are,"** revealed Serena and Ash asked her how but all she said was that she had her ways. Ash glanced at Clair and Liza who looked away towards the walls. He shook his head while chuckling since he figured out how.

" **So did you do anything without us? Blow up a mountain? Catch a pokémon? Do anything naughty with any of these girls?"** asked Dawn with a mischievous smirk and slight nudging. The new girls flushed heavily at that but Ash just chuckled and smiled in response while everyone looked at him.

" **No nothing really. I flew around on Charizard for a while before coming here not too long ago. Had some shots with our friends here before dancing a bit with Sabrina while talking a bit and she thanked me for dancing with her with a kiss on the cheek,"** explained Ash as he pointed out Giselle, Shauna, Lizabeth, Clair, Liza and Sabrina who grew red as he told them that. Gary raised his eyebrows at that, surprised that Sabrina was so comfortable around him. The four girls didn't mind and neither did Cynthia as it was just a friendly interaction, they knew Sabrina and he was being upfront and truthful about it. Ash then introduced everyone to each other, though some of them knew each other already.

" **So what are we drinking?"** asked Cynthia as she drew gracefully closer to the bar in her silver dress, catching Ash's attention before he answered her.

" **Whatever you'd like Cynthia,"** replied Ash. **"We were drinking some vodka but you can have whatever you want. All of you can get whatever you want and however much you want,"** he added as he glanced at everyone who gave him confused looks. **"It's on me so don't worry about it."** He turned around while taking out his Poke Dex that also was linked with his bank account. " **Shauna, open up a tab for me and put everything on the bank account linked to this,"** he told her as he handed it to her.

" **Ash, we can't let you do that,"** said Brock as he grasped his shoulder.

" **Already done Brocko and don't worry. I don't splurge often and have more than enough,"** reasoned Ash and Brock sighed before Ash suddenly hugged his pseudo brother. **"Thanks man for being there for me, not only as a friend but as a brother."**

" **No problem Ash,"** replied back Brock before they separated. **"But what was that all about?"**

" **Eh, don't get too into it. I'm a little buzzed right now,"** admitted Ash causing everyone to laugh. **"Hey, Lizabeth, is there a reserved area that all of us can fit?"** he asked her as he turned to face her.

" **Ah yea. It's at the far corner over there and big enough for a bunch of people to sit around comfortably around a circle table. It comes with its own personal bartenders or waiter of your choice along with your own VIP security,"** explained the blunette.

" **Great! We'll take it!"** said Ash without hesitation.

" **Can you two join us then?"** asked May. **"You could be our acting personal bartenders in a way so you don't get into trouble."**

" **That sounds like a good idea. What do you think Lizabeth?"** asked Shauna and Lizabeth nodded.

" **Sure, why not? Let me finish setting you up Ash and….done! Here's your Poke Dex and take this paper to the security guy there and we'll come join you as soon as we get someone to cover us. We'll also make sure to bring in several bottles along with lots of snacks like chips and salsa and fries. Sound good?"** asked Lizabeth.

" **Sounds perfect!"** exclaimed Ash as he took back his Poke Dex, the paper and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. **"Thanks a lot you two. Come join us as soon as you can."**

The blunette bartenders nodded with smiles on their faces as Ash and his large group of friends moved towards the VIP area that they were told about and handed the security guard the piece of paper. He looked over it and took out a stamp as he stepped aside. He placed a stamp that said 'Club Indigo VIP' onto each person's right hand as they went past him so he could tell who they are and could just show their hand for them to go back in whenever they went to the dance floor and came back. Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Brock, Lucy, Gary, Ilene, Riley, Daisy Oak, Richie, Joy, Cilan, Iris, Cress, Lily, Chili and Violet sat around the spacious, soft and comfy couches around the large circular VIP area. Even though they were a large group of people, there was still a good amount of room in the VIP area for more to join them. Pikachu hopped onto the top of the couch and sat down as he looked at everything from his position, enjoying the view.

" **Man, this is awesome! I've never been in a club before, let alone in the VIP area!"** said Chili with enthusiasm as he sunk into the comfy couch, making the others smile. **"Thanks Ash!"**

" **No problem Chili. This is a first for me too,"** revealed Ash. **"Hey, I'm curious. How did you guys get in here?"** The ones who just joined them all pointed at Cynthia who smirked, saying she intimidated the bouncer into letting them all in since some were underage and they all laughed. They then asked how he got in. **"I bribed the bouncer."** His friends gave him surprised looks that he did that and more so that he was able to pull it off. **"Anyways, who else has never been to a club before?"** he asked and many raised their hands besides Cynthia, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Sabrina, Lily, Violet, Lucy, Riley, Brock, Gary and Daisy Oak. **"Huh, well what do you know?"** he asked rhetorically with a chuckle.

" **Alright, so are we going to just sit here and wait for drinks or are we gonna go dance for a bit?"** asked Dawn as she stood up.

" **Dance,"** replied Ash without any hesitation as he stood up too, making the others give him stunned looks that he caught as they weren't expecting him to be so up for it. **"Blame the vodka. I had a bunch of shots before you guys got here,"** he admitted and they chuckled. He made Misty, May and Serena get up as well before grasping their and Dawn's hands within his two hands and led the four girls to the dance floor. This act got some interested looks from the other members of the group and several others from the club as they went past them. He did not make Cynthia get up for several reasons and Cynthia knew and so she wasn't hurt or mad.

" **Man, I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that Ashy-boy is smooth with the ladies now and has not one but four girlfriends,"** chuckled Gary, not realizing what he let slip and in front of who.

" **What?!"** exclaimed Giselle. Clair, Liza and Sabrina also let out shocked cries as well but only because Cynthia told them not to let on that they know about the situation between her, Ash and the girls for the time being.

" **Nice going Gare-Bear,"** said Iris sarcastically as she shook her head.

" **Stop calling me that short stuff! And it's not like they're hiding it anymore! Look at them damn it!"** shot Gary as he pointed at the five and they all looked at them on the dance floor.

Gary was right. Ash was dancing with Misty, Dawn, Serena and May and the five were having a lot of fun together as they laughed and smiled as the four girls took turns dancing with Ash alone. They then sandwiched him between two of them and then between all four of them before returning back to dancing with him alone while the other three danced together. The five of them were catching a lot of attention from everyone else. Many girls were eyeing Ash with very interested looks while giving jealous looks at the girls and many guys were giving the girls lustful stares while shooting dirty looks at Ash.

" **Looks like you're right bro,"** remarked Daisy.

" **Is someone jealous that Ash has more girlfriends than him?"** asked Ilene with a dangerous tone of voice as she glared at Gary.

" **No, no of course not!"** replied back Gary instantly as he sweat dropped. **"I'm just saying that I'll never not be surprised seeing that, that's all!"** Ilene narrowed her eyes at him before she let it go and commented that better be the only reason.

" **Someone's whipped,"** remarked Daisy, teasing her little brother who scowled at her while everyone else laughed.

" **We should go join them. C'mon Chili!"** said Violet as she got up and Chili got up after her.

" **Hell yea! Let's go!"** remarked Chili. He turned to the others. **"C'mon guys and gals!"**

Chili's enthusiasm rubbed off on them all and they all got up to go to the dance floor. As the large group of friends moved towards the five, they saw them and waved them over. Pretty soon the five and the large group combined and they all started dancing together while laughing and smiling. The ones in relationships alternated between dancing between their loved one and dancing with their friends. The music picked up with a popular hip-hop song and soon everyone was jumping up and down with their hands in the air. Laugher and song words were heard throughout the dance floor as some laughed, some sang along and others just enjoyed the atmosphere and good vibes while they all danced. The fast hip-hop song ended while a medium beat song picked up after it and they continued dancing. Ash made sure to dance with Cynthia as well since it was a good cover and the four girls were happy that he was thoughtful and didn't become jealous or angry one bit. Cynthia had a lot of fun dancing with him and they got pretty close but made sure it didn't go too far to raise suspicion from the others as none except for the five girls, Ash, Clair, Sabrina and Liza knew the story. But Ash and the four girls didn't know about the other three.

They kept dancing and Ash even danced a bit with Giselle, Liza, Clair and Sabrina again before they went and danced with the others in their large group. The girls didn't mind him dancing with them except for when he danced with Giselle, eying her carefully. When the song ended and a slow song started, Ash was about to ask which of the girls wanted to go first but three of them pushed May forward as she hadn't had her date yet so they felt it was fair. Cynthia didn't get involved on that but she was still happy and content. Giselle looked jealous but then quickly hid it. May and Ash started their slow dance as Misty, Dawn and Serena went back to their VIP area along with Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza and Giselle while the others paired up with their loved ones to take part in the slow dance. On their way back to their area, the girls were asked to dance by several guys but each of them turned them down without a second's thought though for different reasons. When they got back to the VIP area, they found that their drinks and food were there and so were Shauna and Lizabeth who were waiting for them.

" **About time!"** whined Shauna and the girls simply shrugged and commented that they were sorry for having fun making the two blunettes pout.

" **Stop being such killjoys and let's take a shot together,"** suggested Liza and they all agreed. They each got a shot and made a toast before gulping down the shot. They started munching on the food, which were mostly snacks, as they talked to one another before pouring another one and taking that one down with another toast. They poured the next one to get ready for the inevitable future shot.

" **Hey Misty, how come Daisy didn't come?"** asked Serena.

" **She said she didn't feel like it and had some things to think about. Now that I think about it, that's pretty weird. She never said no to going to a club before. I wonder what's going on?"** she pondered for a bit about why her sister didn't join them before moving on and they talked about something else.

While the girls enjoyed themselves in their VIP area, their friends were becoming closer with their loved ones on the dance floor during the slow song. Gary and Ilene had had been talking together quietly before they closed the already small gap between them. Ilene was looking up at Gary while he gazed down into her eyes. They slowly leaned in and kissed each other softly on the lips before separating. The pokémon researcher smiled at the Queen who blushed before resting her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her even closer to him and she did the same.

Riley and Daisy Oak were dancing silently as they looked into each other's eyes with both of their hands on the other's waist. It was as if they were communicating everything between them through their locked eyes alone and didn't need words to express themselves. Soon enough, they both smiled before Daisy made a move and leaned in closer and Riley copied her soon after. The two shared a kiss before separating and hugging each other tighter with Riley resting his chin on top of her head.

Brock and Lucy were talking a bit as they held one of their hands together to the side with the other around their partner's waist. They were both happy that they were here, sharing this time together. They had also agreed that they needed to find more time for each other as they missed each other greatly when they were separated because of their work. They promised to not let anything get in between their love again and sealed the deal with a passionate kiss before continuing their dance.

Joy and Richie were quiet at first as they danced, holding each other close together with her head resting on his shoulder. Richie couldn't believe he was lucky to have such an incredible girl be with him and Joy couldn't believe that she had such a great guy to call him her boyfriend. They shared a short kiss before talking about how lucky they were and how they owe it all to Ash for being their friend. How it was because of him that they got together and they agreed to thank him for that one day.

Violet and Chili were dancing together and enjoying each other's company. Chili was commenting on everything and Violet was smiling. She could listen to him for days as he said everything with such passion and was so energetic that she couldn't get enough of it. However, there was something else that she wanted and she placed her hand against his lips and he shut up instantly. She lowered her hand and gave him a kiss, which he returned eagerly and she loved that he wasn't afraid to show that he wanted it. They separated and continued dancing quietly, which was surprising as Chili kept his mouth shut but had a broad grin while Violet rested her head on his shoulder.

Iris and Cilan were in a very close embrace as their lips were locked before they separated and Iris kept her gaze on him while wrapping her arms around his back. Cilan had one arm wrapped around the middle of her back while his other hand was gently stroking her side. They continued on this way while they slow danced. They both had smiles on their faces as they enjoyed being in the other's embrace as they thought about how they first got together, which was when they went looking for Ash during the first few months he had disappeared.

Lily and Cress were quietly talking to one another and commenting about how things just turned out so well for them and their siblings too. After that, they continued dancing quietly for a moment before Cress confessed to Lily that he likes her very much and Lily gasped at that before admitting the same thing to him. They both smiled and kissed before they continued dancing and talked quietly again.

Ash and May were slow dancing among the other couples, right in the middle of the dance floor and in the middle of all their friends. The raven haired guardian was unable to look away from her sparkling blue eyes and May couldn't stop gazing into his passionate brown eyes. They leaned into each other and kissed with such emotion that neither of them wanted to stop but that didn't go according to plan as they separated too soon for their taste.

" **I'm sorry it took so long May,"** he admitted to the brunette with a sigh.

" **It's alright Ash. Don't even worry about it. Everything worked out for us in the end. I'm just glad that I'm with you and my family is supporting us all,"** replied May with a beaming smile.

" **Me too May. You already know this but I'm always going to repeat it; I love you with all my heart May,"** stated Ash and May took in a sharp breath as her heart started beating faster. She knew that he loved her but this was the first time he said it to her alone, without it being a group setting. It was finally their time to be together. Well sort of as they were at a club with the other girls but she saw things as the glass half full kind of person. Either way, she enjoyed being with him and was immensely happy at that. Quite honestly, she was happy with everything between him, her and her 'sisters'.

" **I love you too Ash. I'm glad that we're together and as long as you're in my life, I know everything will be alright in the end,"** admitted May with a slight blush.

Ash smiled at her and agreed with her, repeating her words to back to her. The two leaned in together and shared a heated kiss that enflamed them both and soon their hands went wild as they went over each other's bodies. Ash had one hand in her hair while the other was rubbing her back. May had one hand in his hair with the other on his chest. Their tongues soon got involved though they didn't go too crazy as they remembered where they were, but it was hard for them to hold back. Ash was a little assertive in their kissing, which caught May off guard at first but she enjoyed it as it was the man she loves who was doing it and also thought that the alcohol might be egging him on a bit. As the slow song was starting to finish up, the two separated and looked into one another's eyes. Ash let a devious grin form on his face and May tilted her head in confusion for a second before she let out a squeak. He had grabbed her nicely shaped ass and squeezed it, surprising the brunette.

" **Hmm, someone's being naughty and bold in front of all these people,"** whispered May as she smiled at him, impressed and was being turned on that he was so daring. Ash leaned in closer to whisper into her ear.

" **Just wait until I get you all alone,"** replied Ash, making May go crimson as she felt herself burning up as she thought of what they would do together when they were somewhere private.

" **Eager are we? Or is that the vodka talking?"** jabbed May and Ash just gave his trademark goofy grin that made her smash her lips against his and kiss him furiously.

" **Looks like I'm not the only one who's impatient,"** remarked Ash after they separated and May slapped his arm playfully before they both chuckled. They decided to head back to the VIP area when another song started that was faster paced. They joined their friends in the large area after showing the VIP security their hand stamps. Right when they sat down, Liza handed the two shot glasses as they were all about to take another shot together. The large group of friends called out 'cheers' together and they gulped down their drinks and set them on the circular table.

" **About time you two! Everyone else came back sooner than you. We were starting to think that you would go at it in the middle of the dance floor!"** joked the green haired girl, earning some smirks and chuckles from the group, making May blush furiously but also had a sheepish grin form. Ash however just laughed as he didn't get embarrassed because of all the alcohol in his system.

" **I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy seeing that as you'd love to see me naked huh Liza?"** countered Ash while smirking. Everyone's jaw dropped at what he just said, including the green haired girl who reddened. She recovered quickly though.

" **Hmmm…maybe. You are good looking but I don't think you're man enough for me,"** shot Liza making Gary, Brock, Richie, Cress, Chili, Cilan and Riley howl with laughter while the girls giggled. Ash raised an eyebrow. He knew what she was doing but decided to have some fun. Everyone was waiting to see what Ash would do or say as they had thought something; Ash seemed to be a happy drunk and a drunken Ash was a fun and entertaining Ash.

" **Well, you're entitled to your opinion Liza,"** replied back the raven haired guardian as he sat forward a bit, making several in the group focus their attention on him. **"Man, it sure is hot in here. Don't you guys think so?"** he asked them. Most didn't get the question and said that they were alright. The rest however, including his girlfriends, did get where he was going with this and rolled with it.

" **I did tell management about the air conditioning being weak,"** remarked Shauna casually but also smirked a bit.

" **Yea, it sure is hot Ash. You're sweating like crazy,"** commented May as she wiped his forehead with a napkin, pretending to get his sweat that wasn't actually there and he thanked her.

" **Yeah, maybe you should take off your shirt so you can cool down,"** suggested Dawn with a mischievous look on her face as she tugged on his shirt's sleeve, making most of the girls around them gulp at that.

" **She's right Ash. You're really hot,"** added Misty, after slipping her hand through his shirt and rubbed his chest, making some of the other girls become red faced as they watched her do that while the guys had their eyes widen.

" **I don't know…"**

" **You don't have to be embarrassed about your scars Ash. They show that you're brave. You should or otherwise you'll burn up. You need to cool down,"** encouraged Serena, grabbing the hem of his shirt and lifted it a little, making the females take in a sharp breath.

" **Maybe you're right. Maybe I should. You think that'll be alright if I do that here Lizabeth? I mean I don't want to get you two in trouble or anything,"** he asked her.

" **No, you're fine Ash as long as nothing else comes off,"** responded Lizabeth with a flushed face.

" **Well if it's alright then why not,"** said Ash and he stood up.

Before the others could register what was occurring, the raven haired guardian stood up, took off his black shirt revealing his toned and muscular upper body and wiped away his 'sweat' with it before sitting back down in between the four girls. He spread out his arms over the top of the couch and lifted his left leg, crossed it over his right leg with his foot on top of his knee. May snuggled up to him on one side and placed a hand on his chest and so did Misty on the opposite side while the other two sat closer next to them. The club lights were hitting him at the perfect angle to show off his muscles but also made his chest scar stand out, which drew everyone's attention in the group as it was hard to miss. It made them all realize how much he suffered to protect everyone. That made the newer girls swoon over him since he wasn't hiding it away and were impressed of what he's done. The sight of him in that position made not just Liza blush heavily, but also made Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Clair, Sabrina and Cynthia go tomato red. Some of the guys had covered their girlfriends' eyes but ended up getting elbowed hard in the side by them while telling them to grow up.

" **Ah, I feel so much better,"** commented Ash, making the girls giggle and respond with 'I told you'.

" **Uh…Ash…you…uh…muscles…um…scar..."** Liza couldn't speak properly, barely stammering out a few words out as she stared at him.

" **I'm sorry Liza, I can't understand you. Could you speak properly please?"** he asked her with a smirk, making the group laugh a bit. Liza recomposed herself and crossed her arms over her chest as she turned her flushed face to the side as she muttered something. **"I'm sorry Liza, I didn't catch that. Could you speak up please?"** asked the young guardian, teasing her some more.

" **You're enjoying this aren't you?"** asked Liza with narrowed eyes glaring at Ash and they all started laughing out loud, making the green haired girl pout and become embarrassed. **"You're such an asshole,"** whined Liza.

" **Ah c'mon we're just messing around right?"** he asked her and she just glared at him. **"Sheesh, no wonder you live at the Charicific Valley; you're about as moody as a Charizard."** Everyone laughed harder and Liza growled loudly at him. **"Alright fine I'll stop. How can I make it up to you?"** he asked her and Liza thought for a moment before smiling evilly, making Ash become a little worried.

" **I challenge you to a drinking match!"** That made Ash tilt his head but also made Clair, Sabrina and Cynthia stare at Liza. **"What, are you scared to losing to a girl?"** she mocked him with a slight babying tone of voice.

" **Nope. I'm not afraid of losing to a girl. Hell, I lost to girls before in the past and I'm not ashamed of it at all,"** replied Ash. **"But you're on Liza. How are we doing it?"**

" **Alright then Mr. Hotshot; we keep taking shots until one of us drinks more than the other or pukes. Whoever drinks more or doesn't puke wins. Got it?"** she asked him and he nodded. As Ash and Liza stood up and faced each other, Lizabeth went to Liza's side with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass while Shauna did the same to Ash. They sized each other up, with Liza turning red again as she couldn't draw her attention from his body, along with a few other girls who were stuck staring at him, while their other friends were discussing who would win. Gary was orchestrating the bets.

" **Okay so I got half of you betting on Ash and the other half betting on Liza. Oh man, good thing I wrote this stuff down. This is gonna be great. I can't wait till Ashy-boy pukes. I'm never gonna let him forget this one,"** laughed Gary and several peeved girls shot him glares but he didn't care and Ilene shook her head in amusement at him.

" **You ready Ashy-boy?"** mocked Liza, hearing Gary's name for him that he hated.

" **Shouldn't have called me that Liza. Now I won't let you win. But hold on a second..."**

" **What, you backing out? Realized that you can't just talk big anymore?"** she cut across him.

" **No. We just didn't iron out the details yet. I just want to know what I get when I win."**

" **When you win huh? Confident. I like that. But sorry to burst your bubble kiddo but there's no way you're winning. I've beaten everyone I challenged to this. But to give you something to work for and to make this interesting I'll amuse you. If you win, and I mean IF, you can order me around and I will let you do anything and everything that you want to do to me for a whole day and I can't object or stop any of it."**

Almost everyone's jaw dropped at her offer while Sabrina, Clair and Cynthia burst out laughing. They knew how Liza was with her bets as she had used the same one several times before to get others sucked into the challenge and had lost humiliatingly as they tried to keep up with her. Even though Cynthia was a bit peeved she made that bet, she didn't say anything, wanting to see the result. Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth were surprised that she would offer something like that to him, the four girls were flabbergasted and the others were too astonished to say anything. But all the guys were thinking that Ash was lucky to get such a bet with a hot girl, jealous at his opportunity. Ash merely grinned.

" **You sure you want to put that on the table?"** he asked her and she replied back saying it again as she told him there's no way he's winning and asked what she would get when she would win. **"Alright then, I tried to warn you. And to make it amusing for you I'll offer the same thing. If you win and I mean IF, I'll do anything and everything you want me to do for a whole day with no objections at all."** He glanced back at the girls. **"Is that alright with you?"**

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena glanced at each other and then at Cynthia who shrugged while still chuckling, saying she can't help them on this one. That drew some interesting faces from the others but then they thought that Liza and Cynthia must be close and must be trying to get some advice so they let it go. The four thought for a moment before deciding they wanted to see who would win as they heard rumors of Liza's betting and drinking. They and Cynthia didn't want Ash to look like a wimp and they were actually alright with him winning or losing as it was too interesting of a bet to pass up. They also wanted to see who would win and what they would do with that kind of control over someone.

" **Go for it Ash,"** said the four together and he grinned.

" **Ah, look at that. Ashy-boy needs permission to take a drinking challenge from his girlfriends. You are so whipped man,"** commented Gary, making some of them laugh.

" **A real man listens to and respects the girl or girls in my case, that he loves and doesn't do anything on purpose to upset them and doesn't go against their wishes for something stupid. You should know that better than anyone Gare-Bear as you should've learned that a long time ago,"** replied Ash as he kept his gaze fixed on Liza.

That statement shut up Gary instantly and several of their friends had their eyes widen over what he just said. The girls felt their hearts flutter at what he just said. Ilene glanced at her boyfriend with a very curious expression as she wanted to know what the hell that was all about. Sabrina knew why he said that and she couldn't believe it. Ash just completely put her ex-boyfriend in his place without revealing anything and she was moved by what he just did for her.

" **You ready Liza?"** asked Ash, drawing attention back to the challenge and the green haired girl nodded. **"On the count of three then. One…two…three!"** Both Ash and Liza gulped down the first shot together without trouble and held it out for Lizabeth and Shauna to pour more into it. They took the second shot and again the two blunettes poured the third. This went on for quite some time as they kept going, quickly nearing and passing the double digits.

" **How are they doing this?"** asked a stunned Joy.

" **What I want to know is how the hell is Ash is keeping up with Liza?"** asked a bewildered Clair. She had never seen anyone go toe to toe with the green haired girl in a drinking contest before.

" **You should see him when he's eating food. Now that's incredible,"** remarked May as she kept her mesmerized gaze on the raven haired guardian.

They kept going until both were about to finish the large bottles. Lizabeth and Shauna were looking at the two with worried expressions. The vodka they were downing like water was very strong but was also smooth so it wouldn't really hit someone until much later. After pouring the next shot, both Liza and Ash drank that one too and lowered it for their refill. After being refilled, Liza and Ash raised their hands halfway and stopped at the same time.

" **Oh shit, who's gonna puke?!"** asked Daisy Oak as her eyes darted back and forth between the two.

Liza was feeling pretty drunk right now. She was barely standing and felt like her stomach was going to explode. She wavered a bit but quickly spread her feet a bit to balance out. She had maintained eye contact with Ash for the whole time but then she lowered her gaze to the shot in her hand.

Ash was starting to feel like he was completely gone as he couldn't feel or sense anything. The alcohol had completely over taken his aura, suppressing it and he was beginning to feel the full effects of it. But he could tell that Liza was further gone than he was. He waited to see if Liza would puke or stop drinking to see if he would win automatically or if he had to take one more shot.

It took a few long and tense seconds before Liza finally willed herself to down the shot and slammed the small glass onto the table and looked up at Ash with a triumphant smirk. Ash looked at her with a stunned expression, not expecting that at all. Everyone was looking at Ash to see if he would match her or not. After a moment Ash copied her and took the shot too. Then, he gestured for Shauna to pour him another one. Liza stared at Ash as he had Shauna pour himself one more shot, gulped that down completely before placing his empty shot glass onto the circular table, stood up straight, crossed his arms and grinned at her.

Liza couldn't believe it. He had kept up with her and even took one more shot than her. Nobody had ever done that before. She reached for her shot glass, held it for Lizabeth to pour her next shot to match him. She looked at the filled shot glass and something happened that she never thought would happen to her. She couldn't take another shot. She placed the shot down and looked at her opponent.

" **You win Ash,"** said Liza, somehow still able to speak properly but then she grew dizzy and stumbled back a bit. She was about to fall down but then Ash was able to move to her in time somehow and caught her before he lowered her onto the couch. **"Thanks. Well, I'm a woman of her words. You won and I honor my bets. I gotta say this too though; you're the only one who's ever beaten me so take advantage kiddo at the fact that you own me for the next 24 hours. So…with that being said…what do you want me to do and what are you going to do to me?"** she asked as she looked into his eyes, thinking of everything that he might do to her. She was kind of curious to know just exactly what was going to happen. She was never in a situation like this before. It scared and excited her since he was quite handsome, fit and had free reign to do anything he wanted to her and she had to do as he said.

" **Nothing,"** replied Ash, which earned himself surprised looks from most, but not from his girlfriends. He even got a surprised **"WHAT?!"** from Brock and Gary since he would pass up such a golden opportunity to do anything with another girl with no strings attached. That outburst earned them strikes from their girlfriends again. Ilene elbowed Gary hard in the stomach and Lucy punched Brock in the nuts. Both of them winced in pain but Brock was the worst one off as he dropped to the floor holding his groin. All the guys made a mental note to not piss off Lucy after seeing that she wasn't hesitant to strike where it was only meant to be treated nicely. After shaking her head at the sight of Brock in agony, Liza looked at Ash.

" **Riight…c'mon don't bullshit me. What do you want me to do? And I know you want to do some things to me as well and it's alright. A bet is a bet and I'm not one for getting out of it or not being mature enough to handle the outcome,"** replied Liza. **"So what do you want?"** she asked him.

" **You want to know what I want?"** he asked her as he grasped her hand and held it, making her go red as she waited for him to answer with waited breath and so did everyone else. **"I want…for you to forget about the bet and enjoy your night."**

Liza opened her mouth slightly but couldn't speak. Ash took this opportunity to let go of her hand and stand up, swaying a bit from the alcohol, before he found his footing. He then asked Richie to help him to get to the restroom as he had a major bathroom emergency. He would've asked Brock but he was busy nursing his ego and manhood right now. Richie finished laughing at Brock as he got up and helped Ash to the restroom so he could relieve himself. Several girls turned their heads at the sight of the shirtless handsome man make his way through the club along with some annoyed looks from several guys since their dates and target for the night had their attention on him.

" **Did he…did he just do that?"** asked Liza out loud to no one in particular but May answered her.

" **Yes, he did Liza. He'll never take advantage of someone, even if able and even from winning a bet."**

May's answer made many of the newer members of the group think about that and Liza watched Ash being helped to the bathroom since he couldn't walk straight with widened eyes. She couldn't believe that he did all that just for fun and basically nullified the bet after he won. She thought about him a bit more before realizing that she was wrong; Ash is a real man and more of a man than any and all other guys she met or knows about. She glanced at his four girlfriends and thought they were lucky for having a one of a kind guy like him. She then glanced at Cynthia, thinking she made a great choice choosing him over Lance and that she was lucky too for getting in the group. As she pondered about everything some more, Gary recovered and over saw the payout process for the ones who bet on Ash. Afterwards, when they started talking to one another, they didn't notice three new people trying to join them in the VIP area but were prevented from doing so by the security guard.

" **Hey Lucy! A little help here please!"**

Lucy turned her head to see Anabel being blocked by the security guard with Sarah and Leaf beside her. The three of them were dressed up, with Anabel wearing a light purple skirt and blouse, while Sarah was wearing a white skirt and pink blouse and Leaf was wearing a green sparkling dress that was in the same style as Dawn's. Lucy had told Anabel about the club idea so she could get ready to stun Ash before she left with Brock, not knowing Sarah had already told both her and Leaf. Sarah and Anabel dressed up, though modestly and had Leaf dress up more to make her stand out so she could try and attract Ash's attention enough to be able to get him to talk to her again. The Pike Queen got up to tell the security that they were with them, who took out his stamp.

" **How did they know to come here?"** asked Misty quietly to May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia.

" **Must have over heard or got it from the others. Lucy probably told Anabel,"** guessed Dawn.

" **Just keep cool for now. No need to start something here,"** advised Serena.

" **Alright. But if Leaf does something or Ash doesn't want her here, then she's gone,"** said May and the four girls agreed.

Cynthia heard the four but didn't get involved. She didn't know the full details yet other than Leaf betrayed Ash. She was furious at the brunette but decided it would be better if she didn't take part in it just yet as her being with Ash was still relatively unknown. Lucy returned with Anabel, Sarah and Leaf who greeted everyone before introducing themselves to the newer people in the group. Afterwards they sat down opposite the five girls who were doing their absolute best to not show any emotion towards Leaf.

" **Nice of you to join us. Why are you so late?"** asked Ilene to the three.

" **Oh, we took a little long in getting ready and had some direction problems before Anabel was able to get us in,"** chuckled Sarah and Ilene understood.

" **Alright then. So you three ready to play catch up?"** asked Shauna as she opened a new bottle and poured some shots for the three who thanked her and reached for their shots.

" **Cheers!"** said the three together before taking their shots and setting down the empty glasses and Shauna refilled them. They each took the second down immediately but then let the third sit for a bit as they conversed with the others. Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Anabel, Sarah and Leaf were able to converse with most in the group without problems, even keeping things civil between Misty, May, Dawn and Serena whenever they had to talk to each other. That is, until Ash and Richie returned laughing loudly and heartily.

The raven haired guardian stopped abruptly in mid laugh from Richie's joke once he noticed the three new arrivals who were sitting amongst them. He noticed how great Sarah and Anabel looked. He then noticed how stunning Leaf looked too, momentarily forgetting what she did. But then he remembered what she did to him and he couldn't push past it at the moment. The three girls were wide eyed and blushing furiously at the sight of him without his shirt on.

" **Oh, hey there Sarah, Anabel. How are you two doing? You two look great and I'm glad you came to join us,"** he told the two as he put on his black shirt, completely ignoring Leaf, which everyone caught. Leaf had a very hurt look appear on her face that everyone noticed while the other two had guilty looks that he had addressed them but not Leaf.

" **Yea, it took us a while to find the place,"** repeated Sarah as she glanced at Leaf and then at Ash again.

" **It's a very nice place,"** commented Anabel as she looked around. **"Have you guys been having fun? And um, did you miss something Ash?"** asked the Salon Maiden, trying to keep the mood light as she tried to make him notice Leaf.

" **Yeah we've been having a blast here and I don't think I have missed anything…Anyways, things like this are always better when experienced with people you can trust and want to be around you,"** remarked Ash. Nobody missed the way he said that last sentence or the way he looked at Leaf when he said that. Something had happened between the two and the ones who didn't know what had a feeling it was something bad. Sabrina instantly remembered Ash asking her about if she would forgive someone who betrayed her and explained to her what happened. After seeing how he was being so cold to her, she realized that Leaf must have been the one he was talking about.

" **Ah Ash, is everything alright?"** asked Lizabeth, worried because he just did a complete one eighty in behavior as he became so cold all of a sudden. Many of them, including Pikachu were looking at him with concerned looks as well.

" **Of course Lizabeth. I was just saying it's good to have fun with true friends like all of you and also Sarah and Anabel who just joined us,"** he said, completely ignoring Leaf again.

" **I said I was sorry!"** burst out Leaf as she stood up angrily, getting everyone's attention. **"You don't have to act like I'm not here Ash!"**

" **And why shouldn't I Leaf?!"** shot back Ash. **"Why should I care if you're here or not? You don't seem to care about anyone but yourself so why should I care about you?!"** Everyone was startled at what Ash just said. He had never said anything of the sort to anyone before. Frankly, it unsettled them.

" **You don't mean that…and that's not true about me and you know it Ash,"** replied back Leaf quietly but her eyes began to water, hurt at what he said.

" **I find that hard to believe Leaf. I'm trying to have some fun here so why don't you go find some other sucker for you to seduce and to take advantage of,"** said Ash as he sat back down onto the couch between the girls who had neutral looks on their faces but the rest were astonished at what he just said.

Leaf looked at Ash with a broken hearted expression for a moment, then turned around and left the VIP area. When Sarah and Anabel tried to follow her, she tearfully shouted at them to leave her alone and that she doesn't need their pity. The two girls watched their friend quickly move through the crowded dance floor and go to the ladies bathroom. The two then turned to face Ash, angry at what he just did.

" **That wasn't nice Ash. I think you went too far. You should apologize,"** said Anabel.

" **What happened to the sweet and caring guy I first met? Was that all just a play?"** asked Sarah.

" **Don't give me that bullshit,"** snapped Ash, his angry tone startling everyone. **"When you've been made a fool of, been taken advantage of and betrayed by the same person when you've done everything you can for them from the moment you became friends, then come talk to me and tell me what you would do. Until then, don't even pretend to think that you know what happened and what I'm going through."** Anabel and Sarah went quiet at that and didn't know how to respond. The others were looking at him with surprised and worried eyes. Aside from a handful, nobody knew what occurred between the two. They couldn't even begin to understand just how much he was hurting from her treachery even if they did. He couldn't stand their attention on him anymore. **"I'm going to the bar. Alone,"** he told them as he got up and left the area with them watching him go.

" **What the hell happened?!"** asked Shauna, breaking the silence as she looked around at everyone.

" **It's a long story,"** sighed Anabel.

" **It's not like we're doing anything else right now so explain,"** said Joy.

Sarah and Anabel looked at each other before the blonde girl started telling them what happened from the very beginning. From her hospital confession and kiss while he slept, how they found out, what they all found out about Ash through his memories and worst fear, when Leaf told Ash, the aftermath with him leaving and the girls' reactions and how they came to be here. **"And that's pretty much the whole story,"** said Anabel when Sarah finished. **"We've been trying to figure out a way for Leaf to get back onto Ash's good side. We thought showing up here with Leaf all dressed up might make him open a bit for her to apologize and so they could talk…"**

" **Good luck with that. Ash is pissed beyond measure and for good reason too,"** commented Cynthia and the two girls sighed.

" **How could Leaf do that to him?! What a bitch!"** growled Giselle.

" **Who are you?! You don't even know her and you can't call her that!"** shot Sarah as she defended her friend.

" **I'm Giselle Yuto and why not? She did something that she shouldn't have, knowing that it was wrong! And why are you defending her?!"** replied back Giselle instantly.

" **Because she's our friend and she made a mistake and she knows it now and she's trying to fix it,"** said Anabel calmly.

" **Well…this is pretty sad. But when the heart gets involved, people do crazy things without thinking,"** said Lily after a moment of silence.

" **You can't seriously be on her side Lily?!"** Misty asked her sister in disbelief.

" **I'm not on her side. I'm just saying try to see it from her point of view,"** explained Lily.

" **Really? And how would that help and why should we?"** asked Misty. **"She took advantage of Ash, broke his trust, our trust, going behind our backs and we should still give her a chance to explain or try to see things from her perspective? Are you kidding me Lil?! If someone did that to Cress behind your back, how would you feel?"** That shut up Lily instantly as she didn't know what to think as she glanced at Cress who didn't have an answer either. **"That's what I thought!"**

" **Look Misty,"** started Violet as she took up Lily's point. **"May, Dawn and Serena too. You have a point as we may never go through something like this. But think about everything you four have with Ash and how nothing will separate you from each other. Now think about Leaf, who has fallen in love with him from the outside and wants in but doesn't know how to express her desire as she fears your wrath, your ridicule and losing him and you as friends forever."** She glanced at Anabel and Sarah. **"And you said that she confessed when he was recovering when he was at the hospital?"** The two girls confirmed that. Violet looked back at her sister. **"Maybe she thought she wouldn't have another chance as she feared him dying. There could be a million reasons as to why she did that and all of them could be horrible reasons, but she still had her reasons. You should allow her to explain properly and if it's good enough, if she genuinely feels sorry about it, give her a chance to redeem herself. I'm not saying to let her into the group or anything like that, but you can forgive her at least if she earns it."** Violet's explanation made Misty, Dawn, Serena and May think heavily for a few minutes. Even Cynthia thought about what the Sensational Sister said. They thought about Leaf's situation, what they spoke with Ash about their situation and much more. They then glanced at each other and knowing what the other was thinking, they stood up and went towards Ash at the bar but Cynthia remained behind, even when Dawn covertly gestured for her to join them. The Sinnoh Champion didn't think it was the right time yet to get involved, especially in such a bad time, even though she wanted to.

" **This is so fucked up,"** remarked Liza as she rested her head into her hands. **"First I lose at the only thing I've always won before and now this. What a way to end the night."**

" **It's not over yet Liza,"** replied back Clair with a small smile as she rubbed her friends back. **"Hopefully things will get better."** She noticed her not looking so good. **"You feeling alright? Gonna puke?"**

" **No, I'll be fi-UGGHH! On second thought, help me to the bathroom please,"** pleaded Liza after retching a bit but held it back. Clair helped her get to the girls' restroom. The others turned their attention to the five at the bar.

Ash had requested for another bottle from another bartender who was covering for the blunettes and was drinking from the bottle itself. He had drunk about a fifth of it already by the time the girls gathered around him. They looked at him with saddened expressions for a moment before he spoke. **"I'm sorry for ruining the night for us,"** apologized Ash as he looked at them. Even though he drank a lot, his eyes hadn't lost their signature look, filled with emotion. **"I don't know what to do,"** he admitted.

" **Let her explain Ash,"** said Misty and Ash's eyes widened.

" **What?! Why?! I'm furious for what she did! She betrayed not only me, but you as well! So how are you not angry?!"** he asked her.

" **We are Ash,"** stated Serena.

" **But we kind of get as to why she did that now,"** remarked Dawn.

" **So even though she did that, you should give her a chance to explain,"** finished May and Ash sighed.

" **You really think I should give her another chance? This is the second time she's betrayed me and she betrayed you too,"** he asked them.

" **That's true. But she's also your childhood friend and someone you care about Ash, someone you have feelings for. If you can give ruthless bad guys a second chance, then your friends should be given more chances than them,"** said Serena. That made Ash realize something and he put his head in his hands, letting out a long sigh before looking at his girlfriends again.

" **You're right. You're all right. I've been acting like an idiot. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this blow out of proportion and I should've controlled my emotions and reactions better,"** he told them.

" **It's alright Ash. C'mon, let's go find Leaf and get this straightened out,"** said May. Ash got up and went to the VIP area with the four girls and apologized to the others for his actions and ruining the night for them. They quickly told him to forget about it, that the night was still young. When he asked them if they've seen where Leaf was, they shrugged. He was about to go looking for her when Sabrina tapped his shoulder, making him turn around to face her.

" **Hey. You okay Sabrina?"**

" **Yea. It's just…I know where Leaf is."**

" **Ok. So where is she?"** He asked her and Sabrina hesitated before answering him.

" **On the dance floor…with…another guy."**

" **WHAT?!"** Ash whirled around and looked at the packed dance floor. After searching for a bit, he found Leaf. She was dancing with a tall blue haired guy and they were dangerously close to one another with her arms around his neck and his hands were resting on her waist, barely above her ass. He felt like someone just stabbed him in the heart. His eyes narrowed and he let out a deep growl. Pikachu and the others became very worried at that point. They were about to stop him to try and calm him down but missed their chance as Ash had moved so quickly they didn't even have time to react. Pikachu scrambled up onto May's shoulders so he can see better.

" **This isn't going to be good,"** commented Iris, seeing the way Ash was barreling through everyone without care towards the dancing couple.

" **I'm sensing some really awful vibes and this is going to leave a very bad taste,"** added Cilan. They watched Ash make his way through the crowded dance floor before reaching Leaf and her dance partner. He grabbed the guy from the shoulder and pulled him away from Leaf, almost tossing him aside. Both the brunette and his friends were shocked at what he just did but Leaf didn't show it.

" **What are you doing Leaf?!"** he asked her, barely controlling his rage.

" **What does it look like? I'm dancing,"** she replied back calmly.

" **No you're not. Is this how you try to get back at me? Haven't you done enough?"**

" **What, you care now? I thought you don't care what I do. So why are you here?"**

" **Hey jackass! I was dancing with her first!"** said the blue haired guy suddenly and pushed Ash from behind but he was able to keep from falling down as he balanced himself out after a few steps. His friends saw the altercation, making Brock, who had recovered by now and Richie go down to back up Ash if needed while the others stayed in the VIP area. They didn't feel the need for them to all go and there was hardly any space there to begin with. Plus, they knew Ash could probably kick the guy's ass even when he was drunk but maybe it would be better that he didn't do that in his current state. Ash spun around and locked eyes with the other guy.

" **Fuck off asshole! This doesn't concern you!"** shot Ash, startling everyone with his choice of words.

" **It does concern me when a punk like you tries to take this gorgeous girl off my hands! Nobody messes with Damien Daisuke!"** Ash's eyes widened before he started growling loudly as he remembered who the guy was. Images of his Charizard when he used to be a Charmander, trying to survive in the rain against wild pokémon attacks while on top of a large boulder flashed across his mind's eye. Damien took a step back in slight fear as this random person he didn't know was growling at him. Ash turned to face Leaf who had a confused look on her face.

" **HIM?! REALLY?! You're trying to get back at me, to make me jealous by dancing with one of the world's biggest douche bags?! Do you even know who this guy is and what he's done?"** he asked Leaf and the guy yelled at him but he completely ignored him. Damien was about to hit Ash when Leaf stepped between them and told him to calm down as she would handle it. Damien huffed but did nothing as Leaf turned to Ash.

" **No and that doesn't matter right now since he's being nice to me unlike you! You've been nothing but horrible to me!"** shouted Leaf angrily.

" **Nothing but horrible to you?"** repeated Ash, not believing she just said that, blinking a few times in surprise. **"Nothing but HORRIBLE? I'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT HORRIBLE TO YOU?!"** He yelled so loudly that it was somehow heard over the loud beat and the DJ stopped the music abruptly, making the club go into an eerie silence.

Absolutely everyone was looking at Ash and Leaf now. Leaf glanced around and saw everyone's attention was on them and she felt embarrassed but when she looked back at Ash, she saw that he was only looking at her but differently. It wasn't the cold gaze anymore. It wasn't an angry look either. It was much worse. His eyes were filled with hurt, sadness and disbelief. Her anger and embarrassment was quickly replaced with guilt and shame.

" **Ash, I…"** started Leaf but Ash raised his hand to silence her.

" **Stop. Just don't Leaf. I came looking for you to apologize for my behavior and to give you a chance to explain why you did what you did, to sort this out and maybe move forward…but instead you were too busy trying to make me jealous, to hurt me more…and you succeeded. I hope you're happy. We're done. After everything we've been through together recently…and in the past…you have…the fucking nerve…to say that I've been NOTHING…but HORRIBLE to you…that I'm nothing…but…horrible…to you..."** Ash said nothing more as he looked at Leaf for a moment with sullen eyes that seemed to bore straight into Leaf's soul before he turned around and left the dance area with everyone looking at him. Countless eyes watched him walk up to the bar, grab the open bottle that he was drinking from earlier on the counter, moved to the club's entrance, opened the door and disappeared.

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 ** _A/N - Didn't expect things to go that way huh? I await your reviews and don't forget to fav and follow! Silent is out!_**


	38. Chapter 38 - Night of Woes & Uncertainty

_**A/N - Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's celebration and all of you are doing well. Some quick things before you read the chapter;**_

 _ **1\. About Ash and his 'harem' - many of you have been asking if the newer girls will join the harem and why I'm adding so many girls into the mix, saying it's too much and that I'm 'teasing' my readers about it all. Like I always say, everything I do is for a reason. I don't do anything just because. Ash is a unique person, even before becoming an Aura Guardian. He has traveled the world, catching the attention and hearts of many girls, most of which he doesn't know about (remember how it was mentioned he wasn't paying attention to all that, his focus on the four main girls?). Because of who he is and what he's done, they are drawn to him. And now that he's in the 'celebrity' spotlight so to speak, with the whole world knowing who he is and what he's capable of, there's going to be girls who want him, whether for 'pure' reasons or to just 'use' him as their 'trophy' and that's something he's going to have to deal with on a constant basis. He's a hero/savior, a powerful trainer, handsome and the last Aura Guardian. If girls don't line up for that left and right, then I have no clue what they will line up for. Anyways, some may join, some won't and some others might just be one-sided feelings shown. Jealousy, envy, lustful stares, temptations, etc is going to become an issue for Ash and his girlfriends. A girl in love (or obsessed) is a force to be reckoned with...**_

 _ **2\. Fiasco between Leaf and Ash - Many of you are upset about what I'm making Leaf go through and how Ash is blowing things out of proportion. I understand that but you will find out more behind Ash's view in this chapter that may or may not seem valid to you as to why he's so angry but that's how things are going to be. All I ask is for you to keep an open mind and to finish the chapter before making a decision. Also, keep in mind that they are barely nineteen/twenty years old. How many of you at those ages didn't blow things out of proportion, becoming emotional and narrow minded over something stupid and trivial? Very few don't do that and I'm trying to keep things realistic in a sense in that regard.**_

 _ **3\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 - Thanks buddy and glad I can make you stunned so much! :)**_

 _ **Guest 2 - I cannot promise to update quicker buddy, sorry. But for the second part, there will be a lot of Ash and Leaf interaction in this chapter.**_

 _ **Guest 3 - Thanks for the compliments and I don't know how much more 'fuckery' I can keep doing. lol**_

 _ **Guest 4 - Glad I can still surprise people and keep them from figuring things out after thirty-eight chapters in. ;)**_

 _ **Erazor Djinn - Thanks dude! :) I wanted to do something different, more of a 'relax' chapter and slow things down in the story that would also serve the purpose of him letting off some steam, allowing newer characters to be introduced and others to become more involved in the story. The girls you mentioned...all I will say is it's possible. ;)**_

 _ **HarryKetchum - Thanks! About that, my reasons are stated above.**_

 _ **Nightcore - Been a while since I heard from ya! Thanks and I try my best. Didn't know that was an Adele reference...**_

 _ **Great - Good to hear you liked the Club Indigo idea. You'll find out about Leaf's decision in this chapter.**_

 ** _Alright, with that done, thank you and here's the next chapter for you!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

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 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 38 – NIGHT OF WOES AND UNCERTAINTY

In a clearing in the deep part of the Indigo woods, there was a wooden cabin next to a small lake. The cabin had been uninhabited for a long time until a short while ago. A red haired woman was fast asleep in the cabin, but she was having a nightmare. She was dreaming that she was being violated and beaten by the very same mercenaries she had hired to get a job done. She tried to get away but they were too strong and they had threatened to kill her if she didn't do as they said, holding up a gun to her face. They raped her and beat her, enjoying it all. When they shot their seed into her, she cried loudly and shook with disgust but they laughed at her, saying they weren't done with her yet. When they continued violating her, she screamed so loudly that the act woke her up and she snapped her eyes open.

She couldn't believe she had seen such a horrible thing and wondered why she would see such a thing in the first place. She blinked several times to better her vision by getting the dust out but she was unable to see in the darkness except for a few outlines of some furniture. She got up. Or rather, attempted to get up but couldn't. That was when she realized that her hands and feet were bound in thick rope, her body was in so much pain she couldn't move and that she was lying on the cold cement floor in the cabin's basement. That's when the horrible truth came crashing down onto her; she hadn't seen a nightmare at all. She was remembering what had actually happened to her. She had experienced it all again in her mind after crying herself to sleep earlier.

She tried to call for help but couldn't since she had a gag in her mouth. Her throat felt very sore and so was her lower body. She felt extremely cold, not wearing any clothes. The cold she felt made the soreness and pain she was feeling to be intensified. She had several black and blue bruises all over, dried blood marks along her inner thighs and dried stains on her body from the rough gang rape she had suffered through. She could smell the horrible scent of what occurred and it almost made her throw up but she controlled herself. She would've choked on it otherwise because of the gag. She tried to push the gag out of her mouth and wiggle her hands out of her binds but couldn't do either. Unable to find a way out or do anything else, her eyes began to water and Natasha started to cry.

 _I can't believe this nightmare is real! Someone help me! Please!_ As if to answer her prayers, the basement door opened, light shining down into the room and she heard someone come down the steps. The person stopped, flipped a switch and the room light turned on. She heard more footsteps before she saw the person coming. It wasn't a savior; it was one of her rapists coming closer to her, making her tremble violently and her heart beat madly. _No! Stay back! Please! Leave me alone! Please don't hurt me anymore! Stay back!_ The vile man continued towards her, unaware of her pleading in her mind and certainly not paying attention to her whimpering. He knelt down beside her and smiled maliciously, his eyes filled with lust, making the poor girl fill up with fear.

" **Ah, I'm touched you remember me sweetie,"** mocked Ed. He placed his hand on her waist, making Natasha whimper even more and louder while tears fell from her eyes. Ed only laughed while moving his hand towards her womanhood. **"I didn't say you can move!"** shouted Ed, slapping her when she attempted to move away. She froze yet still felt his hand go over her opening, rubbing it a bit before plunging into her roughly with two fingers. She cried out against it, feeling pain shoot up through her but Ed didn't care. **"This is only the start my pet."** The Skull Brother laughed and continued what he was doing as she whimpered and cried while he unbuckled his belt and lowered his jeans.

 _NO! PLEASE STOP! ARCEUS HELP ME! PLEASE END THIS NIGHTMARE! PLEASE SAVE ME! HELP ME!_

As the black hearted Skull Brother Ed began to take advantage and violate the poor red head Natasha again in the cabin basement as the sun was about to set, a raven haired guardian was making his way inside a club far away from them. It wasn't until a few hours later that he emerged from it and began his trek down a dark dirt path. He was lost in a whirlwind of emotions and confusion after another altercation between himself and his childhood friend and crush back at Club Indigo. Ash took a long sip from the vodka bottle in his hand and continued walking slowly with no destination in mind but followed the road since he was too busy thinking about everything that had happened….

He and his friends were at Club Indigo, enjoying their time together there as they danced, drank and joked around. They were having a very enjoyable night, with Ash and May finally getting some alone time on the dance floor before Ash and Liza partook in a drinking contest together. Everything was going splendidly until Leaf showed up with Anabel and Sarah. Even though Ash thought Leaf looked stunning when she arrived, he was unable to push past his anger for her over what she did; betraying him and hurting him for the second time. He couldn't get past it, so he ignored her until they argued a bit and she left the VIP area crying as Ash got up to go to the bar alone. After Misty, Dawn, Serena and May spoke with Lily and Violet who had opened their eyes on some things, the four girls had gone to Ash. After speaking with his girlfriends, he realized that he was being too hard, a bit of a jackass and if he could give bad guys a second chance, then his friends should be able to get another as well. He apologized to the girls and to his friends for ruining their night but they held nothing against him.

Ash found where Leaf was thanks to Sabrina and found her dancing with Damien Daisuke. He was furious and confronted her about what she was doing. After some more heated words exchanged, with Leaf saying that he was nothing but horrible to her, Ash was hurt and she noticed it in his eyes, making her feel guilty. That was when Ash told her that they were done. That after everything he had done for her, both in the past when they were kids and just recently, she had the fucking nerve to say he was horrible to her. He left her on the dance floor, grabbed his vodka bottle and left the club. During their heated confrontation, the music was off as the DJ had turned it off, noticing them yelling and now everyone was looking at Leaf but she didn't notice.

Damien snapped out of his trance and smirked, looking at the embarrassed and sullen brunette in front of him. He had found her a little while ago, sitting alone on one of the couches hidden away in the corner of the club. She had her head in her hands, crying heavily. When he first laid eyes on her, he found her to have a very striking body and wanted her. He wanted to have her scream out his name all night as he banged her senseless. Leaf however didn't want to talk or do anything with anyone at first but he had played his cards right, taking advantage of her vulnerable state, listening to her and saying the right things to her. She just wanted to feel something, anything really, other than the heartache she was experiencing then. _Too easy,_ he thought as he continued being the shoulder for her to lean on.

He had slowly convinced her to have a good time, telling her to forget about the asshole who would not treat her right, getting her to agree to dance with him. During their dance, he slowly made the space between them evaporate while lowering his hands down her back. Normally Leaf would've stopped someone who attempted that but it felt so good to have someone touch her, hug her, be close with her, wanting that from Ash but it wouldn't happen with him so she let it happen with this new guy. Damien was just about to make his move and seal the deal for the night when he was pulled away from her and that's when things became a little complicated for him. That is, until that bothersome idiot left his target for the night alone after making her even more emotional. _He just made it even easier for me,_ he thought.

" **About time he left. What a loser,"** stated Damien as he walked up to Leaf who was staring at the door that Ash left through. **"C'mon gorgeous, let's go somewhere we can have some privacy and I can make you happy. I'll show you a good time so you can forget about that worthless douche."** He wrapped his arm around the still frozen girl's waist and leaned in to kiss her. Right before their lips was about to meet, Leaf snapped out of her trance. She brushed him off and then slapped him hard. The sound echoed in the silent club while also making Damien stumble back as he yelped at the sudden strike. He looked back at her in surprise and saw her eyes were blazing with fury, making him flinch.

" **Don't you dare insult him again! Ash Ketchum is none of those things! He is a powerful trainer, an Aura Guardian, the savoir of the stadium attack, he's my childhood friend and the love of my life! Don't ever insult him again and don't ever talk to me or try to touch me either!"** threatened Leaf. She glared at him before leaving a shocked Damien on the dance floor, now realizing who the raven haired man was that had come between him and his target. Leaf then hurried after Ash, moving faster and faster with tears building in her eyes, hoping that she could somehow fix everything. She opened the door and disappeared outside.

The group of friends was astounded at what they just witnessed and after glancing at one another, they quickly followed after Leaf. They found Brock and Richie in the crowd on the dance floor after a bit of searching and got Liza and Clair from the girls bathroom before heading out with Pikachu on May's shoulders. His ears were dropped as he was scared over what Ash was going through and letting it change him.

Ash was walking down the wide dark dirt path that was barely lit up with some street lights down the road. He took a sip from the bottle, lost in thought and consumed with both anger and sadness. He couldn't believe anything that happened that day. He had been walking for a bit in silence before he heard someone. **"ASH!"** He kept walking without stopping, ignoring the shout. **"ASH!"**

" **Go away Leaf."**

" **ASH STOP!"** yelled Leaf as she caught up to him finally as she was running in high heels. She grabbed his shoulder but he slipped out of her grasp and kept walking. **"JUST LET ME EXPLAIN!"** she cried loudly but Ash ignored her and kept walking away. **"STOP RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS AND JUST LET ME EXPLAIN DAMN IT!"** That got his attention and he stopped as he started shaking with rage.

 _Don't explode,_ advised the voice and once again, Ash heeded his advice. **"I'm running away?"** he turned around calmly but looked at Leaf with such a frightening expression that it made her flinch. **"You've been doing that your whole life Leaf so you don't get to say that to anyone. Especially me."** Leaf winced as if he just hit her.

" **You're right, I'm sorry. But I was just trying to get your attention Ash. Please just let me explain things,"** she pleaded softly now, taking a step closer to him and when he didn't move, she thought that was a good sign. But before she could start explaining, their friends caught up to them and were panting a bit. They had run after them after their head start and it took them a bit to catch up.

" **What...happened…what we…miss?"** panted out Liza, who was really exhausted having just puked her guts out just moments ago.

" **Nothing happened Liza and you should relax a bit,"** advised Ash and the green haired girl nodded and sat down on the dirt. Ash took a swig from his bottle before looking at Leaf again, their friends gathered around them with concerned expressions. _Let her explain,_ said the voice. **"Well, what are you waiting for Leaf? You asked for a chance to explain things, so go ahead. I'm waiting,"** said Ash. Leaf looked around her at their friends. She didn't expect to say anything in front of them all but she gathered some courage. She turned back to him and took a deep breath.

" **I'm so sorry Ash for what I did,"** started Leaf. **"I truly am. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't mean to take advantage, to betray your or the girls' trust. I couldn't control myself but that's no excuse. What I did was wrong and cowardly and I knew that but I still did it anyway. I…"**

" **If you knew that, why did you do that then Leaf?"** interrupted Ash as he crossed his arms while still holding onto the bottle.

" **I was scared that you might die and I would never get a chance. I was scared that even when you would recover, I would never get a chance after to tell you how I feel. I just felt as if I had to at that time. I think I was also secretly wishing that you would wake up and catch me in the act or that you were pretending to sleep only to hear everything so you could think about it all. All in all, I acted like a total idiot."**

Ash sighed and shook his head at what Leaf told him just now. He understood her reasons why but it was still stupid and he was just so mad, so sad and so…disappointed with her. **"Really Leaf? You couldn't just talk to me? After everything we've been through? Everything I've done for you? Both in the past as kids and here at the tournament? You used to be able to talk to me about anything remember?"** he reminded her.

" **I know Ash, I know. I fucked up big time. Please understand…"**

" **You didn't just fuck up Leaf. You completely betrayed me for the second time! You took advantage of me and went behind the girls' backs, breaking your promise to them just like you broke your promise to me before!"** shot Ash. **"What kind of person does that to the people they care about Leaf?!"**

" **It's not easy for me to say how I feel Ash!"** snapped Leaf. **"I'm not like you okay?!"**

" **You think it was easy for me?! You saw my fucking memories Leaf! It took me over a decade to get over my father leaving me to be able to tell people how I feel about them. It's never easy! You're not the only one! It didn't help either that you fucked me over too before our journeys even began!"**

" **That's not fair Ash!"** yelled Leaf. **"I was just a kid back then! I was going through a lot at the time!"**

" **Oh I remember and you know that I went through some shit of my own! But I didn't turn into a fucked up person who uses, abuses and seduces others to get what they want before they throw them to the side!"** shouted Ash and Leaf had a very hurt look appear on her face and had her eyes water at what he just said to her. Gary stepped forward, having heard enough from his two childhood friends but was also angry at Ash for letting such past events dictate his actions today.

" **Hold it Ashy-boy! There's no reason to bring up the past! She may have done something bad to you but you're going too far with this by bringing up the past!"** yelled Gary angrily.

" **The past is important since she hasn't learned from it and you can shut the fuck up Gary or everyone will find out how much of a piece of shit you are!"** snapped Ash and Gary widened his eyes at that before quickly recovering and glared at Ash. Sabrina's heart started thumping loudly but nobody paid her any attention even though she could've sworn it was as loud as a drum beat. Everyone stood horrified at what Ash just said to his childhood rival and friend.

" **Fuck you Ash. You have no idea what you're talking about and you should watch what you say,"** threatened Gary. Their friends gasped at what he said but Ash was unaffected by it.

" **Or what? What are you going to do to me Gare-Bear? What are you going to do when all the world's evil organizations and powerful legendaries couldn't bring me down when I was just a kid? You can't do anything and won't do anything cause you're wrong and you're scared. So unless you want me to tell everyone of the fucked up thing you did, close your mouth and stay the hell out of my business,"** threatened Ash. Gary scowled at him but said no more. Ilene was horrified at what her Knight just did and said but was also gazing at Gary as she was starting to feel uneasy about everything she just heard about him.

" **Ash why are you so cruel to us? Aren't we friends at least? Don't friends help each other and forgive each other's mistakes?"** asked Leaf as tears slowly escaped from her eyes while facing him. Ash turned his unbelieving gaze back to her.

" **I'm cruel? We're friends? Really? I'm cruel because I'm not taking your or his crap anymore? You two are supposedly my friends yet you constantly messed with me and screwed me over many times? Are you fucking kidding me?!"** Leaf flinched and Gary looked away. **"You took advantage of me while I recovered! You went behind the girls' backs! You betrayed their trust! You betrayed my trust! And this is just recently! Have you forgotten the other things you did to me in the past?!"**

" **Please Ash! I'm sorry! I know I did wrong and I'm not denying it! I just want to fix things! You didn't deserve any of that at all! I'm sorry! Please! I didn't know what to do! I never felt this way before and it scared me! I was so scared and I went through a lot as a kid and it fucked me up! Please Ash!"** cried Leaf but Ash wasn't hearing any of it. He was lost in his emotions and the vast amount of alcohol in his system was enhancing those emotions, clouding the logical part of his mind.

" **All I hear are worthless excuses Leaf! You say you went through some shit as a kid? Well you know that I did too. You know my father left when I was just a kid but I didn't let anyone see me sad, even though I was picked on, made fun of and pranked on by all the other kids. Even when you became a part of them too but I didn't let that turn me into an asshole! I was even there for you when your parents divorced sometime later! Did you forget that?!"** he asked her and Leaf took in a sharp breath that he brought that up. Everyone else except for Gary was surprised to hear that her parents had divorced but that explained some things about Leaf's behavior.

" **No I haven't Ash and please stop. I don't want to remember all that..."** replied Leaf with teary eyes but Ash ignored her plea.

" **Of course you don't want to remember. Why would you want to remember all the things I did for you? I was just someone you used to get by…I was the one who helped you find your way! I was the one who made you laugh whenever you started to cry! I was the one who helped you out all the time even when we became friends with Gary! We made a promise to be there for each other and to go on the journey together! But then you forgot about me some months before getting our starter pokémon! You started hanging out with Gary more often some time before then and both of you started picking on me and played pranks on me with the other kids! I didn't think too much about it since we were just kids and did stupid shit! But then you left without waiting for me or telling me why. You left me behind! You broke our promise! You betrayed my trust! You took advantage of our friendship just to get what you needed from me until you could get better things! You traded someone who did everything for you for a world famous pokémon researcher's grandson yet he did nothing for you! I was still there for you whenever you needed me even though you helped the other kids pick on me! Like when you needed to come to my house to escape your neglecting whore of mother who was too busy bringing home a different man every other night so she could get something from them than to look after you!"**

 _Ah Ash…I think you went too far,_ commented the voice but Ash didn't hear it.

" **SHUT THE HELL UP ASH! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT OR BRING IT UP!"** yelled Leaf shaking with embarrassment and anger. He had said something very personal and humiliating from her life that she just wanted to completely forget and leave behind in the past. Many stunned faces surrounded them yet no one made a sound or moved. They were all frozen in place from what they just learned about Leaf's family and past.

" **NO I WILL NOT LEAF!"** roared back Ash. **"I WILL NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED ANYMORE! AND I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHO YOU TOOK AFTER! THAT'S WHO YOU BECAME! EVEN AFTER ALL I DID FOR YOU, YOU STILL TURNED INTO YOUR SEDUCING AND COLD HEARTED MOTHER WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT HERSELF! THAT'S WHERE YOU LEARNED TO BE SUCH A COLD HEARTED BITCH WHO USES OTHERS FOR HER OWN BENEFIT BEFORE TOSSING THEM ASIDE!"** Leaf launched herself at Ash and tried to hit him while she cried hysterically, screaming at him in between sobs. As she attempted to hit him, Ash blocked all of her strikes with ease, not even trying. Everyone was too overwhelmed at what they just heard Ash say to do anything to stop what was happening. They were unable to process what they just learned about Leaf's past, that Ash went that far and that Leaf was trying to hit him, staring with wide eyes, unable to move.

" **THAT'S NOT TRUE!"** shouted Leaf in a high pitched tone of voice as she tried to punch him in the face but he swiftly moved to the side. **"I'M NOT LIKE HER! I'LL NEVER BE LIKE HER! I'M NOT LIKE MY MOM! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME ASH! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATED HER FOR THAT!"**

" **YOU COULD'VE FOOLED ME LEAF WITH THE WAY YOU'VE BEEN ACTING SO FAR!"** Ash shouted back as he deflected her strikes. **"YOU'VE DONE THE EXACT SAME BULLSHIT AS YOUR WHORE OF A MOTHER! AT LEAST WE KNOW WHY YOUR FATHER LEFT UNLIKE MINE!"**

" **SCREW YOU ASH AND YOU CAN SHUT THE FUCK UP!"** shrieked Leaf as she became furious at him. Leaf threw another punch at him but he dodged that but when she went for another one and he evaded that as well, she lost her balance and fell face forward onto the dirt covered path. She stayed on the ground as he stood over her. It was silent for a few minutes as nobody made a sound and nobody moved. Everyone was too lost, too shocked to do or say anything. A few seconds later, sobs were heard from the brunette on the floor before she started talking. **"I'm not like her,"** sobbed Leaf quietly. She raised herself onto her hands and knees and looked up at Ash with heavy and fast tears trailing down her cheeks. Her green sparkling dress covered in dirt and she had slight grazes on her arms as she used them to protect her face at the last second. She locked her green eyes onto his brown ones. **"I'm not like her. I'll never be like her. Please don't say that I'm like her. I fucked up. I made mistakes. I treated you horribly when we were kids. I didn't appreciate the things you did for me. And I messed up again. I realize all that now. You're right about those things. But I'm still not like her Ash. Please don't say I'm like her. Please believe me. Please forgive me. Please just give me a chance. I'll do anything for you. Anything because…I love you."**

The heated and emotional argument between Ash and Leaf was causing their friends to become very uncomfortable and from just these few facts of their past showed that the two had a very deep history together even though they hadn't seen each other for almost a decade. They were torn between who to help, what to say and do. Even the five girls were starting to feel badly for Leaf. Finding out about Leaf's past made them all realize that Leaf's life was mostly filled with bad times caused by her parents divorce, her neglecting mother, how she wanted to leave that place behind and go away the first chance she got and how that affected her. But they didn't know how to help her or how to convince Ash that he was being too harsh on this. He had valid reasons as well but he was being a total asshole about it right now. Before they could figure anything out, Ash knelt down in front of Leaf and looked her in the eye.

" **You say you love me?"** he asked her.

" **I do Ash. I love you with all my heart,"** responded Leaf as her face shined under the moonlight because of all her tears. Ash looked into her eyes for a minute before speaking again.

" **And how many guys have you said that to? How many have you seduced to get your way? How many did you sleep with just so you can get what you want? How many people have you tricked to get what you want? How many times have you gone behind someone's back? How many have you fucked over Leaf?"**

" **It's not like that and that's not fair Ash,"** replied Leaf, shaking her head but he kept waiting for an answer and the others remained silent. **"You know I had no support from my family and that I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and never go back. I know it's not good enough but that's one of the reasons I didn't wait for you. I had to do whatever was necessary to survive after."**

" **Answer the questions Leaf,"** said Ash and Leaf sighed as she looked down before raising her gaze to his.

" **I've tricked people, seduced people, lied to people, betrayed people….I don't have a number for those at all because they were so many…but I do have a number for the others. Zero. I never slept with anyone or did anything with anyone and I never said those words to anyone but you Ash. I swear on my life I'm not lying to you. I love you. Only you,"** answered Leaf as she raised her hands slowly and cupped Ash's face, her eyes looking into his, trying to pierce through his icy gaze. The group was startled by her admitting that she had done such horrible things in the past. Ash grasped her hands and lowered them making Leaf feel terrible that he had rejected her touch.

" **Was it out of your love for me that you took me for granted when we were kids? Was it out of love when you picked on me with Gary? Was it out of love when you used me for your benefit? Was it out of love when you broke our promise and left without me, betraying me? Was it out of love when you took advantage of me when I was recovering in the hospital, unable to resist? Was it out of love that you betrayed the girls' trust by breaking your promise to them? Breaking my trust? Was it out of love that you tried to make me jealous by dancing with another guy? What kind of love is this Leaf? Where is the love? I don't see it and I don't feel it from you."** Leaf hung her head and let out tears as she started breathing raggedly. Ash thought for a moment before continuing. **"You don't know what love is Leaf, even when it was staring you right in the face. Even though you wanted to escape from everything, you ended up becoming everything you hated and everything I despise. Everything I believe in; trust, loyalty, friendship, honesty, fairness…you don't believe in any of that. You spit on my beliefs and on me when you took advantage of me and betrayed me for the second time, betrayed the girls by breaking your promise to them and then you tried to get me back by making me jealous. And you want to know what the saddest part is Leaf?"** he asked her and he waited until she looked up at him. **"I had feelings for you in the past, that's true…but after crossing paths with you here and spending time with you again…I thought you had changed and it was because of that it made those feelings come back, that made me realize I still have those feelings for you as I still loved you and was going to tell you while we were here."** Ash's revelation made everyone besides Misty, May, Dawn and Serena gasp as they didn't know that Ash had feelings for her still and that he actually loves her. They glanced at the four to see their reactions but when they saw that they didn't show any surprised expression, they were shocked. They were expecting them to be furious or stunned or something else besides having a neutral expression on their faces. Leaf speaking made them turn their attention back to the two in the middle.

" **You…love me?"** asked Leaf in a whisper as she looked into his eyes.

" **Yes. But I don't understand why anymore,"** answered Ash as he stood up and Leaf felt like he just stabbed her. **"Despite the horrible person you are, despite all the crap you did to me, for some Arceus forsaken reason, I still love you. And yet...I don't want anything to do with you anymore."** Ash turned around, picked up the bottle he had dropped onto the floor that surprisingly didn't break when he was dodging Leaf's strikes and started walking away as he took a long sip. His friends didn't move nor make a sound. They were too dazed over what they just witnessed to function. He felt a soft hand grab his and he turned his head slightly back to see that it belonged to Leaf.

" **Please Ash…don't do this…don't leave me…I'm sorry for everything! Absolutely everything! I'll do anything! Anything! You say you love me so just give me a chance! Please! I've realized that you were and still are the best thing that's ever happened to me! I'll give up everything and anything just for a chance! I can't lose you! I can't! Give me a chance! Please! I love you!"** she cried as she hugged him tightly from behind and Ash was silent for a few seconds when she stopped talking.

" **No Leaf. You've had too many chances already. Not once did you try contacting me since we started our journeys but I tried in the beginning but you never answered. You left me behind. You picked on me and pranked me with Gary and the other kids and never apologized for it. You broke our promise. You took advantage of me. You broke the girls' trust. You broke your promise to them. You tried to get back at me by making me jealous. It's not just one thing or a couple things that you did wrong. It's many things and that's too much and it's too late. I can't be around you at all anymore and I can't love you anymore after what you did to me and to the girls,"** replied back Ash. He freed himself from her embrace and thunder struck from over head as Leaf dropped to the floor and started crying heavily. Ash looked up into the sky and saw dark clouds overhead. More thunder struck before light rain began falling down. He spread his arms wide to the sight as he welcomed the rain. It felt wonderful to him as he felt like he was being purified. All of the anguish he had regarding his past with Leaf seemed to be just melting away. The rain washed over them all and he began chuckling lightly before laughing out loud.

" **Ash?"** asked several concerned friends, with Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia taking a few worried steps closer to him.

" **Pikapi?"** asked Pikachu from May's shoulders, concerned.

" **How ironic!"** said Ash, making everyone tilt their head at his choice of words. He looked back down at Leaf and lowered his arms. **"On my very first day on my pokémon journey I found out you betrayed me by breaking our promise, leaving me behind and it rained that night. Now I find out that you betrayed me again by taking advantage of me for the second time and it rains again. Funny how things come full circle. This is a sign. This is Karma. You turned your back on me and left me. Looks like it's my turn. Goodbye Leaf."** Ash turned his back on Leaf, who cried harder that everything had just crumbled and went to shit and that the only good thing in her life was walking away from her. She couldn't believe it. She called out to him from the ground but he ignored her. The five girls didn't know what to do at all, rooted in their spots. Ash made to leave but was blocked suddenly by some of his friends. **"Out of my way,"** ordered Ash in a monotone voice.

" **No Ash,"** said Brock as he shook his head before giving Ash a stern gaze. **"You're making a mistake. You're letting your anger do the talking. Don't let it control you and cause something that you'll regret later on."**

" **You're blowing this out of proportion. Think about what you're doing Ash and who you're doing it too,"** said Lucy sadly.

" **Please Ash, try to think of what she's gone through too,"** pleaded Anabel.

" **She may have done wrong but she apologized and is willing to change,"** reminded Sarah.

" **You're an Aura Guardian Ash. Forgiving and giving people a chance to change is what we do. What you do and it's a great quality. Don't stop doing that,"** advised Riley.

" **You are a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota. You cannot act like this,"** remarked Ilene.

" **Stop being such a kid Ash and grow up! Accept her apology and fix things with her! You don't have to get with her but you can at least stop being such an asshole right now!"** shouted Iris angrily.

" **You're giving a foul flavor right now Ash and all its doing is making everyone cringe from it,"** added Cilan.

" **I used to believe that you were gonna go nowhere but then you made think that I was wrong when you beat me. But now I'm starting to realize that I'm still right since you're still a loser since you act like a big and tough man Ashy-boy but you're nothing but a tantrum throwing grudge holder,"** insulted Gary.

Something in Ash snapped after hearing his friends speak to him like that after realizing something. Everyone loved and respected him whenever he did what he was supposed to do, what he was expected to do but not when he wanted to do things his way or speak his mind. He was always a door mat for everyone. Always told what to do. Always been taken advantage of. Always made fun of. Always forced to help others, to save others, to protect others, to put his life on the line for nothing more than a little bit of gratitude. Always ridiculed for his actions. Always forced to swallow his emotions. Always forced to bite his tongue. Always made to put his comfort and peace of mind aside for others. Always having to prove himself to everyone. But he couldn't anymore. He had enough. He had it with everyone. He didn't care anymore. He was done.

 _NO! STOP! DON'T GO DOWN THAT PATH!_ Yelled the voice in his head but Ash ignored him as he raised the bottle and drank. He quickly finished the remaining amount, which had a little left before tossing it aside and it shattered as it hit a nearby building's wall. He then locked his gaze onto his old childhood friend and rival. The rain was still falling down, making several people start to shiver as they were becoming soaked to the bones.

" **Alright then, if you won't get out of the way. Let's go Gary. Let's find out once and for all who the better one of us is of the two. I hope a cheater like you can fight at least,"** taunted Ash as he took up a fighting stance, making everyone gasp and their eyes to widen as to what Ash wanted before making everyone glance at the young pokémon researcher.

" **You've lost it Ashy-boy and it's time for you learn that you can't just insult people like that and do want you want. If I have to be the one who beats it into you, then so be it. It'll be like the good old days where I put you in your place,"** growled Gary as he put his fists up and took a boxing stance.

" **STOP! Don't do this!"** pleaded Daisy Oak but they ignored her.

" **ASH!"** screamed out Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia together.

" **GARY! DON'T"!** shouted Ilene.

The two rivals ignored them and before the others could stop the two before things got even crazier, Gary launched himself at Ash who dodged his strike easily and smacked Gary upside the head as he went flying past. Gary took a few steps forward from his momentum before stopping. He turned around quickly and threw a punch at Ash who deflected it away lazily. Each time he tried to hit him, the raven haired guardian merely deflected and evaded the strikes while smacking him against the head. Gary was starting to slip and slid as the rain had slowly turned the dirt path they were on into mud. Pretty soon, Ash and Gary had their feet and up to their shins covered in mud from all the moving around.

" **Is this the best the great Gare-Bear can do?"** taunted Ash as he easily evaded another punch. **"And to think that I used to believe that beating you would be one of my biggest challenges and biggest triumphs. I'm disappointed."**

" **I'll show you what I can do you fucking emotional, grudge holding, stick up his ass, second rate trainer!"** countered Gary as he charged at him again.

That last statement pissed off Ash and he didn't move in time, distracted. Gary connected his punch to his face, causing his head to turn to the side before he stumbled back a few steps and their friends shouted out at the sight of it. Landing that punch made Gary think he had him as he let a smirk form on his face and he didn't let up. He connected another blow against Ash's face again that made him take a step back again but when Ash turned his furious gaze to Gary, his smirk vanished and he gulped. Ash straightened out and Gary immediately threw another strike to take advantage. What he wasn't expecting was that Ash wanted him to do that. The raven haired guardian blocked the left hook and quickly struck him in the chest hard with a straight punch, causing Gary to drop to his knees and clutch his chest, wheezing for air. Seeing the young pokémon researcher get hurt, several people cried out in shock.

" **GARY!"** shouted Ilene and Daisy Oak as they ran to him, or rather tried to with their heels digging into the mud. Ash caught Ilene as she ran past him, grabbing her and stopping her from behind while Daisy reached her brother and tried to help him. **"Let me go Ash!"**

" **I cannot Ilene. Gary is no good for you,"** said Ash and Daisy glanced at Ash with a stunned expression at what he said about her brother and his old friend while the others again were shocked at what he said. **"He is not worthy of-"**

" **You can't tell me what to do Ash! Now l order you to release me or I will have Riley arrest you!"** shouted Ilene while struggling to get out of his grip.

" **I cannot do that Ilene,"** replied Ash as he kept her away. He then whirled her around and grabbed her from her upper arms and made her look at him. **"Ilene, there is something you should know about-"**

" **SHUT UP! You have no right to call me that anymore! I am Queen Ilene to you! I don't care what you have to say! You aren't a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota anymore either! I can't believe you would hurt your friends like this! Over what?! Over some bullshit about Leaf hurting you? Grow up and get over it! You're preparing for an evil that's coming for us all and you're worried about a kiss that Leaf gave you because she was too scared to admit her feelings for you or the things she did in her past when she was a child?! A CHILD?! What kind of person are you?! Why the hell does Arceus view you as his Chosen One, when you're not even mature enough to handle something like this?! NOW LET ME GO!"** finished Ilene with a slap across his face. Ilene's outburst and strike shocked Ash. It made him feel incredibly hurt from her words but also angered him even more. He returned his gaze back to hers and his face contorted with fury and that frightened the young queen. Riley immediately intervened and broke them apart as he stepped in front of Ash and Ilene was looking at Ash with fear for a few seconds before snapping out of it and going to Gary and tried to help him out with Daisy.

" **Damn it Ash! You need to calm down now!"** stated Riley seriously. **"This isn't you! Why are you behaving in such a way?!"** he asked but Ash ignored him, keeping his glare on Ilene. **"I'm sorry it's come to this but if you try to hurt the Queen I am going to have to stop you and put you down."** Ash didn't do anything but keep his gaze on Ilene, not even hearing what Riley just said. The girls were too scared and the guys were lost. Nobody knew what to do or say. Ilene had a feeling that Ash was still looking at her and against her better judgment, turned her face to look at him and when saw his furious expression, she took in a sharp breath. Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and even Cynthia were about to go to Ash to try to calm him down as they didn't like seeing him so angry, so hurt and they were thinking that if things didn't end soon, then something worse could happen. They also believed that he had been blowing things out of proportion and had crossed the line. But when Ash started speaking again, everyone listened.

" **You're right Queen Ilene. What was I thinking? I apologize for wanting to have people I can trust around me. I apologize for acting like a child for wanting people to be honest with me and not take advantage of me. I wish I had your guidance before when I was younger so I could have grown into a better person. The things I value and respect are just the foolish notions of a child who has saved the world many times yet doesn't know right from wrong. Forgive me my wise Queen,"** replied back Ash sarcastically with a mock bow and continued speaking after straightening out. **"Even though you don't care what I have to say, you're still going to hear it; that so called person that you're so worried about did a horrible thing. Gary cheated on Sabrina by fucking another girl because he couldn't wait for her when she said she wasn't ready. Just thought you should know the kind of person you're dating."**

Nobody could believe what they just heard. Sabrina went scarlet at her humiliation being public knowledge. She was embarrassed at everyone finding out at, becoming angry with Ash and was about to yell at him. But when many of her friends got over their shock and gave glares at the young pokémon researcher instead of looking at her, she realized something; she had nothing to be embarrassed about as she did nothing wrong and she shouldn't be angry at Ash for bringing out the truth. Daisy Oak looked at her little brother with shock, anger and disappointment. Ilene's eyes widened before she glanced at her boyfriend.

" **Tell me that's not true."** Gary slowly raised his head and looked Ilene in the eyes. The guilt and sorrow in them was all she needed to know. She stood up suddenly and took a couple steps back. **"How could you do such a thing?!"**

" **I'm sorry Ilene. I was a different person back then. I told you I've done things I'm not proud of but I also told you I've changed!"** he croaked out but Ilene shook her head as she continued backing away, horrified at finding out that the man that she loves had done such a terrible thing to some other girl in the past.

" **Too late. And you are apologizing to the wrong person as you never did apologize to Sabrina did you?"** asked Ash and Gary hung his head as almost everyone gave him a death glare at that, before looking at the psychic girl in front of them who had her gaze locked onto Ash. **"You're a cheating bastard and Leaf is a betraying bitch. Both of you fucked over someone who cared about you. Good luck you two with the rest of your lives. Well, you have two years at least. Who knows? Maybe I can't win in the fight for the whole damn world against the coming evil. How could I with people like you around me?"** Hearing those last few statements made the newer people in the group become confused since they had no idea what Ash was talking about but didn't dwell on it when they saw Ash move. He turned around and walked away from his two childhood friends on the muddy ground as they all thought about what he just said. The rain was still falling and watching Ash walk away seemed to snap her out of her silence. Leaf called out to him again several times and she even got up and tried to go after him but stumbled and fell back down to the ground because of the mud and her heels but he still ignored her. Her dress was covered in mud and she was sobbing and shivering from the rain. As Ash moved towards the ones blocking his path, they stepped aside and let him through as most of them realized that he wasn't in an understanding mood, both his emotions and alcohol controlling him at the moment. Except for one. After taking a few steps, he felt a solid grip on his left shoulder. He didn't even turn around. **"I'm warning you. Let go,"** threatened Ash.

" **No Ash. I understand what you're saying and how you feel. I'm seen some horrible shit helping out the G-Men from time to time but this isn't as bad as it seems. You can't just fuck things up like this and leave like an asshole,"** replied Clair angrily. It happened way too fast for anyone to register what happened. One second Clair was standing behind Ash holding his shoulder in the middle of the path, talking to him and the next second, she was up against a nearby building's wall with her right arm twisted behind her with the raven haired guardian pressing up against her from behind. Clair was too startled to even think about what just happened and everyone else was too frightened at what he just did to even say something.

" **I warned you Clair,"** said Ash into her ear but everyone heard him as he applied a little more pressure onto her arm and she winced. **"This is the second time I've humbled you. There better not be a third,"** he told her. Clair's heart beat loudly as she heard his words and his hot breath landed onto the side of her face. She felt his body against hers and thought of her vulnerable position in the rain. She had never been so easily dismissed as a challenge that it sent tremors through to her core. Her breathing became a bit ragged before Ash let her go and the gym leader lost her balance a bit, stumbling backwards a few steps before she caught herself. She turned around with a flushed face in time to see him walking away.

" **Ash…"** The person who said it, said it in a soft pleading voice that made him stop. **"Please don't go. Please don't do this. Remember what you told me at the club?"** He slightly turned his head to the girl who was speaking. **"After I apologized to you about feeling horrible for what I did to you; things just happen and sometimes it's not what you expect it to be but you just have to let it go and not let it control you. Sometimes that's the best thing to do. That's great advice you told me and you should listen to it yourself. And remember what I told you? Please, I know how you feel, being betrayed myself. I've been there. Don't wallow it. Don't let it control you,"** pleaded the dark haired psychic beauty but the raven haired guardian just shook his head sadly.

" **I'm sorry Sabrina…I can't. I'm not strong like you or others who can move past it. I've been through that same thing too many times to just let it go now,"** he told her and he continued walking away, making the Saffron gym leader become teary eyed as she watched him walk away.

" **Stop Ash!"** yelled Brock and he did. **"You can't just leave us like this. I know you're angry. I know you're upset. But that doesn't justify the things you're doing right now. Please man. You're my brother. You're my best friend. We can sort this out. We can work on this. If not for me, then stay for the girls you love so dearly. Stop this tantrum and fix things now,"** pleaded Brock.

" **Brock, you are one of my closest friends and I see you as my brother…but don't you dare say that to me. I need some time alone. I've had enough. It's too much,"** said Ash after turning around and he raised his arms to gesture to everything around them. He then faced Misty, May, Dawn and Serena who were looking at him with worried expressions. **"I still love you. I will always love you. But I can't be here right now. I need to be alone for a while. After everything I've done, all the times I've risked everything for everyone, all the times I saved the world…yet I'm still taken for granted by everyone. I'm being treated like a door mat. I've been taken advantage of. I've been made fun of. I've been insulted. I've been ridiculed. I've been betrayed. I have to constantly prove myself to everyone. Every time I want to stand up for myself, everyone goes crazy and says I have to bottle up my emotions. That I have to be the bigger person. It's happened way too many times and I can't move past it anymore. I can't turn the other cheek anymore. I'm done…I know it may sound stupid and pathetic but that's how I'm feeling right now and that's what it is…I hope you understand,"** he told them.

The girls looked at him for a moment as they let his words wash over them and everyone else thought about what he just said. Even with witnessing his memories, even with seeing his worst nightmare, seeing how much pressure he puts himself under for them all, they didn't understand it fully until just now. A moment later, Misty, Dawn, Serena and May moved as quickly as they could in the mud towards him and gave him a group hug while they cried under the continuing rain. Ash felt horrible in seeing the four of them cry. That wasn't his intent at all. He just had to let what he was feeling and thinking off of him before it drove him insane. The girls didn't want him to go and they didn't like what happened tonight. Yes, they knew he took things too far, that he's over reacting but they understood how he felt and knew that it just wasn't fair. They wanted to tell him that, to make him understand but also knew that now would be the worst time to try and make him see that he can get past this and fix things…

" **We understand but don't leave us,"** requested Serena.

" **We never wanted this to happen and we don't want you to go,"** admitted Dawn.

" **We need you Ash. If you have to leave, take us with you,"** pleaded May.

" **We can't live without you,"** confessed Misty.

" **I know…"** he said as he hugged them tightly with everyone looking at them. Leaf was looking at the five, crying; she wanted that so much. **"I know. And I need you and can't live without you either. Just give me some time alone okay? Do that for me and I'll come get you in the morning alright?"** he asked them softly.

" **You promise Ash?"** asked Misty as she raised her teary eyes to look him in his.

" **I swear on my life my Mystic Mermaid. I'll come get you, Dawn, Serena and May in the morning and we'll go to the island I've been staying at. Forget the tournament. No one's a challenge here anyway. Pikachu will stay with you until then,"** promised Ash and the four girls grudgingly agreed and hugged him tighter again before letting him go. Ash then glanced at Cynthia.

" **I'm coming too,"** chimed in Cynthia making the four girls glance at her too before they nodded. She walked up to Ash and stopped right in front of him. She didn't like anything that happened that night. She didn't like what Leaf had done to Ash or how Ash brought up the past and crossed the line or how Ilene stripped him of his title or even Gary and Ash fighting. Nothing felt right. Except for this. When she heard that Ash was leaving as he had enough of everything, she felt her heart skip a beat. She realized she needed to go with him too as she couldn't see him vanish again without a trace. She gazed into Ash's eyes and right in front of everyone, she leaned forward and kissed him, which shocked almost everyone. Leaf stopped crying abruptly as she saw the Champion of Sinnoh kissing her childhood friend who she now realized she loved more than anything. She couldn't believe it and neither could almost everyone else. When they finally separated, brown and grey eyes found each other.

" **I'd be more than happy with you coming too Cynthia. I'll see you in the morning,"** he told her but she stayed quiet with a saddened face.

The five girls watched him walk away into the rainy darkness of the night as a sullen Pikachu slumped down on May's shoulders. When they couldn't see him anymore in the distance, the five crestfallen girls turned around to be met with astonished faces by many people who still couldn't believe that Cynthia and Ash had feelings for each other and that the four girls were okay with it as well. Leaf was frozen still on the ground for a bit before everything just hit her like a ton of bricks. **"No…no no no no no…NOOO! AAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!"** screamed out Leaf as loudly as she could towards the direction he left. She hung her head afterwards and bawled loudly, crying her eyes out, saddened and angry at the fact that absolutely everything went wrong. That even though she somehow still had Ash's love, he didn't want to be around her because of her stupid actions, that Ash had chosen another girl to be with him, that it wasn't her and that he was leaving her behind like she did to him. **"Come back…"** she sobbed quietly.

Anabel and Sarah shot to her and were trying to comfort her though they were crying too. They were saddened that their wish for things to turn out for the better when they came to the club went the complete opposite and that their hope was squashed. Anabel's belief that Ash would most certainly choose Leaf to be included in his group was so far of course, not even thinking that Cynthia could be chosen. The two wanted to go with Ash too but believed that he wouldn't want them around since they were trying to help Leaf. And what kind of friends would they be if they just left Leaf behind when they promised her they'd help her? They couldn't do that.

Gary was stunned after seeing Cynthia and Ash kiss but then snapped out of his trance as he realized he didn't care. All he cared about was trying to fix things with Ilene. He was now trying to reason with her who still had a horrified look on her face.

Sabrina was rooted to her spot, staring straight ahead of her at the spot where Ash's figure disappeared into in the distance. She was thinking about how Ash was leaving, how he revealed the truth about Gary, how she felt that a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, how she felt great comfort in his arms and now he was going to leave in the morning. Her heart was thumping loudly again and she felt intense sadness fill her. She felt as if a part of her had become lost now.

Clair looked like she was hit by a truck; still unable to function properly over how Ash completely overwhelmed her and how Cynthia came out, kissing him and was leaving with him as well. Liza still looked pale but was trying to process everything that she saw as she stood on shaky legs from the cold, the rain and from her puking from before. Shauna and Lizabeth had tears in their eyes as the two were hugging each other, their wet blue hair stuck onto each other, unable to comprehend all the events that they bared witness to. Giselle had wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms, desperately trying to keep warm but failed. She was shivering from the coldness of the night but her face showed shock and worry. Brock and Lucy were standing next to each other as they tried to keep the other from crying though it was hard as one of them lost his brother and the other just watched her best friend's crush walk away while leaving her behind. Joy and Richie were beyond upset because the person who they owed their relationship to had opened up a can of worms because of what Leaf did to him and was leaving everyone behind to deal with it themselves. Iris, Violet and Lily were being hugged by Cilan, Chili and Cress respectively as they just kept their saddened gazes on Leaf after snapping out of their trance from the surprise kiss.

Riley and Daisy Oak were watching Gary and Ilene silently for a while as Gary tried to plead his case to Ilene who wasn't listening to him and kept shaking her head, holding it with her hands. They glanced at one another with worried looks as they saw how things were not going well between the two. They sighed and shook their heads sadly as they realized that they couldn't go on like this. Daisy went to her younger brother and helped him stand up as Riley went Ilene's side and told her to calm down so they could leave. Ilene faced Riley and then headed towards the hotel with Riley escorting her, ignoring Gary's pleas.

" **Ilene please don't leave! I'm sorry for what I've done! Give me a chance to prove it!"** requested Gary as he lunged forward with all the energy he could muster since he was still suffering from Ash's hit. He was able to grasp her hand but then Ilene turned around quickly and slapped Gary in the face, freeing her hand in the process, making them all stare at her because of what she just did.

" **It's Queen Ilene to you Mr. Oak and don't you dare touch me ever again,"** responded Ilene heatedly and Gary had an expression on his face that looked like someone just ripped out his heart. He kept his eyes on Ilene's disappointed face, which was covered with bits of her wet blonde hair that had clung to her face. **"I can't believe what you did. I told you I don't like games, flings and things like that,"** started Ilene. **"I should've known you were a bad person. The way you kept making fun of everyone, teasing them, insulting them, putting them down just so you could feel better and say you were just 'joking around'…but no, I was fooled by your charms. And now I found out that you cheated on your ex! And you tried to keep Ash from telling me! And you never apologized to Sabrina! How can I be with someone like you? How can I trust you? I can't believe I insulted and drove away my Knight over you! A cheating and arrogant bastard!"**

" **Shut up you bitch!"** yelled out Daisy Oak out of nowhere, making everyone look at her suddenly with widened eyes since she just insulted a Queen. **"You have no right to talk to my brother like that! You call yourself a Queen but you don't act like it so fuck off! You don't deserve my brother!"**

" **Now let us calm down before we turn things worse,"** advised Riley, not wanting things to escalate though he was rather late but Ilene got the message.

" **Yes, you're right Master Riley. We shall take our leave now and not bother with these two anymore,"** stated Ilene as she turned away from Gary and Daisy. Gary hung his head in shame while Daisy narrowed her eyes on Ilene. She walked towards the five girls and stopped in front of them. **"I'm so sorry for what I said to Ash. Please tell him that I apologize and that I want him to be a Knight of my kingdom again. Even if he doesn't want it anymore, he still has our full support for the coming war."**

The five girls sighed before they nodded at her, unable to do or say anything else. Ilene left soon after with Riley escorting her after he looked at Daisy Oak for a few seconds with a pained expression on his face. She caught his gaze but then looked away. Hearing Queen Ilene mention support for a coming war made Liza, Clair, Sabrina, Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle tilt their heads since they didn't know anything about it.

" **Ah, what war was Queen Ilene talking about?"** asked Giselle, but the five girls just shook their heads, saying they'll tell them later.

" **I'm sorry Daisy for fucking things up for you but you shouldn't have gotten involved,"** spoke up Gary as his sister helped him stand up.

" **It's alright bro. Some things just aren't meant to be. I just hope you learned your lesson and never do something so horrible again because that pissed me off too Gary. What if someone did that to me huh? Hell, Tracey was trying to, remember? How did that make you feel? If you even think about something like that again, I will personally kick your ass,"** promised Daisy.

" **I don't think you have to worry about that sis. That was a long time ago and I think Ash hit me so hard I'm going to have trouble for the rest of my life,"** grunted Gary as he tried to stand up straight but couldn't.

" **Damn, how hard did he hit you?"** asked Daisy with concern and Gary shrugged before groaning in pain again. **"Shit, let's get you back home."**

Brock separated from Lucy and went to Gary to help him walk. Richie also helped out, doing the same. Brock and Richie assisted Gary down the path back towards the hotel with Daisy, Lucy and Joy following them from behind. Iris, Cilan, Violet, Chili, Lily and Cress followed shortly after once they asked if anyone needed assistance back to the hotel and the others shook their heads. Sabrina, Clair and Liza decided to leave as well and asked if anyone needed anything before they left and all they got were shakes of the head except for Giselle who asked them if she could spend the night with them as it was too late to go back to her hotel that was farther away and they agreed. The four of them then left. Shauna and Lizabeth asked the remaining people to wait for them as they went to get their stuff from the club and so they could get someone to cover for them and clock out early as they didn't feel like working anymore. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia were looking at Leaf for a while, debating on something quietly with one another before the five of them moved to her.

Anabel and Sarah looked up at the five and couldn't tell what they wanted. But both of them thought if they tried to kick Leaf while she was down, they would not allow it. Leaf slowly raised her tear streaked face when she noticed feet in front of her. She saw that they belonged to the five girls. She was expecting a slap, a punch or something. But not what happened next. The girls grabbed Leaf's arms and helped her up to her feet. Before she could say anything, she was pulled into a group hug with them, surprising her, Anabel and Sarah.

" **I…what..."** stammered Leaf, absolutely flabbergasted at what was happening.

" **Just shut up Leaf,"** said Misty. **"Please, for the love of Mew, just shut up. You're the biggest idiot I've ever met. Bigger idiot than Ash and that's saying something. And Ash is right; you are a horrible person and you caused a bunch of shit to happen, whether or not you meant it to."** Leaf was at first silent over what was happening but then she started crying again in their embrace after hearing her words. **"But we never knew what you've been through. How your childhood was harsh. That you had to do those kinds of things to get by or to save your ass. How your mom didn't care about you at all. We understand now what you've been through and how that changed you even though you brought some of it unto you yourself. I can't believe I'm saying this after everything you've done to Ash and to us…but just stop crying, keep your chin up and don't give up yet if you really do love him."**

" **Why…why…"** stammered Leaf before quieting.

" **Why would we say this or tell you this?"** asked Misty and Leaf nodded in the hug.

" **Because we love Ash and he loves us. What you did to him, has caused him to be conflicted because of what he believes in. He loves you, but hates the things you've done. That's why he's so angry, so frustrated, so disappointed and so lost. And he wouldn't do anything that would make us feel bad and hates those who would harm us or has harmed us. So he's angry at you for hurting us, for hurting him and he's angry at himself for still loving you after what you did,"** explained Dawn.

" **And because of that, of who he is, we would do anything for him as he would do anything for us,"** finished Serena as they all separated from the group hug. Leaf kept her eyes on the ground, tears going down her cheeks. Sarah and Anabel were looking at them with quiet gazes. **"Do you understand now Leaf?"** asked Serena and Leaf slowly nodded.

" **Do you truly love him Leaf? Would you do anything for him?"** asked Cynthia as she joined in, since she was a part of the group now. She locked her grey eyes with Leaf's green ones when she raised her gaze.

" **I love him more than you can imagine. I don't care what he just said to me. I would do anything for him, even give my life for him,"** answered Leaf fiercely without hesitation.

" **We believe you,"** replied May quietly. **"But he needs to believe that. That's why he's hurting so much. It's because he loves you and you say you love him back but all he has seen from you is the opposite because of your betrayals and how you've been acting. If he can't or doesn't believe it, then it doesn't matter how much you actually do. You understand?"** she asked her and Leaf nodded. **"But this doesn't mean that we have forgiven you Leaf,"** finished May suddenly.

" **That's right,"** remarked Serena and Leaf turned her gaze to her. **"You went behind our backs Leaf. Even though he loves you and you love him, you're going to have to earn the spot in if he ever forgives you."**

" **We may forgive you one day too, but not now and we won't ever forget what you did to us and to him,"** said Dawn and Leaf looked at her now with teary eyes. **"You need to understand that there must be trust. There must be respect. There must be understanding, loyalty, fairness and there is no room for any kind of drama, no matter the reason."**

" **Dawn is right Leaf,"** said Misty and Leaf looked at her again. **"The reason why this has been working out for the five of us is because we trust each other, respect each other, our loyalties are to one another and we care about each other's feelings and never even think to go behind one another's backs for any reason. You must be the same way. And this goes for you too Cynthia,"** finished Misty as she turned her gaze from Leaf to Cynthia and the other girls followed suit.

" **I understand and agree completely,"** stated Cynthia without pause and Leaf nodded her head as well and said she understands when the five girls turned their gaze onto her.

Sarah and Anabel were dumbstruck at what just occurred. After the five finished up, Lizabeth and Shauna came back wearing jackets and holding up two large umbrellas. They handed out three umbrellas, one to Cynthia, one to Sarah and one to Serena. The ten girls then began moving towards Indigo Hotel huddled underneath the five umbrellas. Since Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth lived far away, it was raining and it was late at night, they were invited them to spend the night at their place at the hotel instead and the three agreed and thanked them.

When the ten girls got to the suite, they were relieved that everyone had gone to sleep as they really didn't feel like explaining anything right now. Leaf hugged and thanked the girls for being there for her and giving her a chance even though she knew she doesn't deserve their kindness at all. They returned the hug, not saying anything. They quickly and quietly made their way to their two rooms. The four girls told Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth to take their beds as they would go to Ash's bedroom and share the king bed between the four of them. They agreed and thanked them for that and for the pajamas they loaned them. They bade each other goodnight after changing into their nightgowns and the four went to Ash's room and lied down on the king bed and covered themselves with the bed covers. May and Dawn were on the left, Misty and Serena were on the right and there was some space big enough for one more person between them. Pikachu curled up in his small basket bed, a sullen look on his face at what occurred throughout that day and night.

" **It feels weird lying here on this bed without Ash,"** commented Dawn after a moment.

" **I know what you mean,"** sighed Misty as she glanced at the empty spot between them.

" **At least you three had the bed to yourselves alone with him. I only had the group experience,"** whined May and the other three smiled a little.

" **Don't worry May, you'll experience the intimacy soon,"** said Serena with a wink, making Misty and Dawn chuckle a bit.

" **Thanks for rubbing it in,"** pouted May.

" **Okay, we'll stop. Let's try to get some sleep. Goodnight,"** said Misty and May, Dawn and Serena copied her and soon enough the four girls fell asleep with both good and bad dreams concerning Ash throughout the night.

Leaf was wide awake as she lay in bed on her right side, staring at the wall in front of her. Anabel and Sarah stayed up a bit in case Leaf needed to talk but seeing her not make a peep, they decided to leave it alone. The two of them discussed how Ash was going away and how that saddened them that they probably never get a chance now to reveal what they were feeling for him. They also talked about what they witnessed the four girls do. If they could allow Cynthia to join them and perhaps Leaf if Ash ever forgave her, then maybe they could as well. They discussed how they could tell them before they left. After letting out their own frustrations, thoughts and feelings, they turned in for the night, feeling a little better at letting it out.

After some time, Leaf silently turned around to look at Sarah's and Anabel's sleeping forms. She felt bad because she yelled at them at the club when they were just trying to help her and that because of her, they would never get a chance to express how they feel about him now. Her eyes filled up with tears again as she realized that she was the cause for everything bad that happened and that she really was selfish and thoughtless. She turned back around to face the wall and silently sobbed.

 _I really am a cold hearted bitch. I don't deserve Sarah's and Anabel's friendship at all. They kept my secret and they were still trying to help me when Ash was angry, giving up their chance to help themselves by giving me up but they didn't. And the girls…they actually are giving me a chance even though I betrayed them. No wonder Ash loves them because they have caring souls. They're perfect in every way possible. Why can't I be more like them? Why am I this way? Why? Damn it. Damn everything. Damn you mom. Damn you for what you did to me. And I damn myself for being so stupid and letting myself become such a horrible person…_

Leaf slowly drifted off to sleep as thoughts swirled in her head, making her see many different dreams but couldn't quite make them out. In the other room, Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth went straight to bed after changing into pajamas and bade each other goodnight. Lizabeth and Shauna talked to one another for a little bit in whispers about the night's events before they stopped and fell asleep after. Cynthia was wide awake, hearing their conversation but pretended to be asleep. When they quieted down and it was silent for about ten minutes or so, she faced the two blunettes and saw them fast asleep. She had heard some comments from them about how they were glad to see Ash again but upset on how everything was so messed up and how something so small could cause so many problems before going to sleep. Cynthia turned back around and lied down on her stomach as she placed her hands underneath the pillow.

 _They're right. It's weird how things went from great to absolute shit so quickly and without warning. I just hope that things don't get worse later on. Hopefully a good night's rest and some time to relax can let everyone think and see things better._

Cynthia thought a bit more about that before her mind drifted off to how Ash left but he was going to come back for her and the other girls. Even though she felt awful over what had happened, she couldn't help but feel a little happy now that she doesn't have to hide her feelings for Ash that much and that she was going away with him. She would finally be with a man who would treat her well, take care of her, that she would do the same for him and she was also happy that she would have four 'sisters' with her that she could trust as well. She smiled a little as she remembered her kiss with him in front of everyone. She fell asleep with that image in her head that led to a happy dream with them traveling around the world as they trained and studied pokémon.

Sabrina, Giselle, Clair and Liza had reached their hotel suite a little earlier on and two of them were already in beds asleep. Giselle thanked them for letting her spend the night with them and the three simply responded back that it was no problem. There was only one large bedroom but it was big enough to hold four twin beds. Giselle was sound asleep on the farthest one next to the wall and she was having mixed dreams of what happened that day and then of her dancing alone with the raven haired guardian.

Sabrina was tossing and turning a bit at first on the bed next to Giselle's as she tried to find a comfortable position but was having no such luck. She ended up lying down on her left side facing another bed to the right of hers before falling asleep. She first dreamt that Ash was being betrayed by everyone and she felt horrible that she couldn't help him. She was whimpering a bit in her sleep before relaxing as she started dreaming a better one where the two of them were walking around a beach pier together while holding hands.

The two other girls were wide awake; one of them was thinking about what happened as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling with the covers drawn up to her chest and her hands behind her head on the bed to the right of Sabrina. The fourth one was in the bathroom enjoying a bubble bath as she tried to relax away her stress from the day's events as her mind wondered.

The one who was staring at the ceiling was Liza. She just couldn't believe how everything went south so quickly. She thought about Ash's and Leaf's fight and how things just went completely south. She happened to hear Sabrina's whimpering as she slept and glanced at her. She saw her continue and wondered if she should wake her up or do something but then Sabrina stopped and her breathing evened out. Liza smiled slightly, being relieved that she was alright. She turned her gaze back to the ceiling as she began thinking. She thought about all the things Ash mentioned from his shared past with Leaf. How both of them had a rough childhood. How he was there for her yet she took it for granted. How he was done and fed up with everything and that he was leaving with Misty, Dawn, Serena, May and Cynthia in the morning. She thought about everything for a bit before making her mind go somewhere else as she didn't want to fall asleep thinking about bad stuff. That was how nightmares began and she was already experiencing a shitty day already and didn't want a shitty night in addition to it. But she couldn't help it and thought about a few other things that made her become even more sullen until she forced her mind to go somewhere else.

Her mind wondered before it stopped on when she danced with Ash a bit on the dance floor. She smiled a little at that but then she thought about the drinking contest she had with him. That made her smile widen as she enjoyed it very much even though she ended up losing. She remembered him beating her and that he was the only one who ever did. She remembered how he nullified the bet when she was thinking he was going to take advantage of her but didn't. She dwelled on that for a bit as she closed her eyes. Her mind went to work as she thought about that and she pictured an entirely different scenario that played out instead after he won the bet. She imagined Ash taking her to the bathroom before ordering her to take off her clothes and telling her to bend over and she did so without complaint but also with a large smile, waiting anxiously and impatiently for him to take her. She opened her eyes wide and sat up suddenly.

 _What the fuck?! Did I…did I just…imagine that? Did I…want him to make me…do something? Did I want him to take…advantage of me?_

Liza lied back down and closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep without thinking about that but had a hard time not doing so. Her mind formed another entirely new scenario with her and Ash in her cabin in the Charicific Valley, her imagination going into overdrive. She pictured Ash ordering her around, making her do many things such as cleaning his stuff, doing his laundry and washing the dishes while dressed in a slutty maid outfit. She pictured him teasing her while she did everything he commanded her to do by slapping her ass, grabbing her breasts and putting his hand down her front every now and then, enflaming her as he made her want him but was forbidden by him to act on it or refuse his actions. After a while, she pictured him telling her to dance for him. He then ordered her to start stripping and soon she was fully naked. He made her follow him on all fours afterwards to her room before making her lie down on the bed and spread her legs. She did so and waited for him to enter her. He took of his clothes, came close to her and teased her a bit by rubbing his shaft against her womanhood, forbidding her from making any sounds or moving. He took a step back, leaving her horny and unsatisfied. He asked her what she wanted and what she wanted him to do with a teasing tone of voice. It made her cry out that she wanted him and begged him to fuck her. He rammed into her suddenly, making her shout out in surprise before squealing and moaning in extreme pleasure as he plowed into her over and over.

As she dreamt this, Liza subconsciously lowered her right hand down to her pajama pants and drove her hand into her panties and started masturbating as she plunged two fingers into her already wet womanhood from her imagination after rubbing her opening for a bit. She started moaning out loud as she pictured Ash fucking the living daylights out of her and she moved her fingers faster and faster. After a while, she felt close to her release and right when she imagined Ash finishing inside of her, she felt herself release in real life on top of her bed. She let out a long but quiet moan as she finished. She pictured Ash smiling at her afterwards, telling her that he loves her, that she belongs to him now before kissing her. She opened her eyes and withdrew her hand from her panties, glancing around her. Sabrina and Giselle were still surprisingly asleep as they didn't hear her and Clair was still in the bathroom. She sighed out in relief.

 _Thank Arceus that I wasn't caught. But does this…does this mean something? Do…do I like him? Do I…want to be with him? Or was this just…a spur of the moment….fantasy kind of thing?_

Liza sighed as she couldn't figure it out so she turned to her side and closed her eyes as she raised the covers to her shoulders. She decided she'll clean up and shower in the morning, too lazy to get out of bed now and think about this later. She fell asleep while seeing dreams about her and Ash together, with him ordering her around as they had sex and she enjoyed it.

In the bathroom, Clair was enjoying her bubble bath and she had been in there almost as soon as they got back to the hotel. She thought of everything that happened. From the good times in the club, sharing shots with him and the others, dancing together, seeing him beat Liza who was undefeated before everything went to shit. To finding out about Leaf's betrayal, to their fight outside in the rain, how Ash revealed that Gary had cheated on Sabrina, how he said that he had enough and that he was leaving. How Cynthia and the four girls were going to leave with him in the morning. She couldn't believe it and couldn't believe how the kind, goofy and courageous Ash had such an angry, assertive and frightening side.

She remembered how the raven haired young man completely and easily dominated her, utterly dismissing her as a threat and challenge. Nobody was ever able to do that to her. Hell, not even Bruno could stop her. She thought about how he had her vulnerable and under his power, with his strong body pressed against hers, able to do whatever he wanted to her. She felt her heart beat faster as she realized that she enjoyed feeling him against her body and being in that position, powerless against his actions. She opened her eyes suddenly and sat up in the bath tub as thoughts raced through her head.

 _What the hell?! Did I… like being in that…position…with him? Did I…like feeling helpless…against him? What does this mean?_

As Clair thought about that for a bit, she closed her eyes and began to imagine a completely different scenario as she leaned back against the bath tub wall. She imagined the both of them at her place back home. She imagined him beating her in a wrestling match and making her submit to his will. She imagined him ripping off her clothes. She imagined him taking off his clothes while keeping her pinned down. She imagined him entering her and fucking her like she's being punished. She started breathing heavily and she felt herself heat up. She lowered her right hand to her womanhood and started rubbing over it. She then used her left hand to grab her breasts and started squeezing them and pinching her nipples. She continued imagining Ash pumping into her hard and fast, making her both pant and moan in her imagination and in real life. She entered a finger into herself and began going in and out a bit before adding a second finger as she continued her imagination of Ash fucking her all over the place as she moaned and panted.

First doggy style on the couch while he spanked her, making her call him master. Then while standing up with her pressed against the wall as he bit down hard onto her perky breasts making her cry out with pleasurable pain. Then with him on top of her on the bed with her legs completely spread apart as he kept them pinned down with his hands while plowing in and out of her, making her squeal loudly from him fucking her while in that forced stretched position. Her moaning and panting became louder and quicker as she continued her fantasy. She started fingering herself so hard and fast for a while before she felt herself get close and she imagined Ash fucking her until he exploded into her but that didn't get her off. What did get her off however was when her dream Ash gave a charming smile at the end and pulled her into a deep embrace and told her that he loves her, that he would never leave her, that he would never actually hurt her, that she was his and his alone before kissing her passionately. As she imagined him kissing her, she felt herself climax, making her cry out in response. When she was able to gather some energy after a few minutes, she opened her eyes and began thinking about what she just did while lying in the bathtub.

 _Did I just…picture Ash…fucking me? Completely controlling me? And I liked it? Do I…like him? Do I…want to be with him? Do I want to be…dominated…by him? Or is this just a…fantasy?_

Clair thought about that for a bit before deciding to end her bath and got up. She rinsed herself off in the shower and then dried herself with a body towel and head towel. She put on her blue undergarments before putting on her pajamas. She exited the bathroom and got into her bed quietly before lying down and closing her eyes to sleep. As the gym leader slept, her dreams were filled with many erotic scenarios of her being submissive to a certain raven haired guardian.

While everyone was fast asleep safe and sound in their beds at the hotel, a young man was wondering around the Indigo Plateau woods with his vision blurry. His head was pounding from all the alcohol he had drunk and what he went through recently as everything kept replaying over and over in his mind. He felt drained and was both mentally and physically exhausted. Yet he pushed on while his mind kept forming pictures in his head of all the bad stuff, not even remembering the good stuff that happened in the past twenty four hours.

 _You really fucked things up,_ said the voice from inside his head.

 _Shut up. I don't want to hear it._

 _Quit acting like a child._

 _Why are you bothering me again? Everything was fine until you decided to speak up again._

 _Don't lie to yourself. You were about to get in a shitty situation so I spoke up._

 _No, I was having some shots with friends. You know what? I don't feel like dealing with this now._

 _And who kept you from causing a scene in the club with your rival? Or had you speak with your childhood crush? You weren't supposed to make things go this way. But fine. I get it. Alright then, I will leave you alone. And I won't come back until the time comes when you will be completely lost at what to do as everything will be crumbling around you._

 _Thanks for the support asshole. You can go fuck a Miltank for all I care. Now leave me alone._

Silence.

 _Finally. Thank Arceus._

Ash let out a few curse words at the stupid voice in his head as he trudged along through the dense forest before he finally let it go and his mind went back to everything that had happened since Leaf made the confession to him in his bedroom. He couldn't believe anything that happened that day. He was so lost in thought that he didn't know what to do nor did he notice where he was going. All he knew was that he had to keep going for some reason. That he had to keep walking until he couldn't anymore. After walking around aimlessly a little bit longer, he couldn't take it anymore and dropped down to his hands and knees, panting heavily. That's when he realized why he felt like he should keep walking. He wanted to tire himself out so he couldn't even have the energy anymore to even think. But he also realized that he needed help. He tried to summon a poke ball with his aura but he couldn't. He sent a mental message to Mewtwo and hoped he would get it. His prayers were answered when a blue glow appeared in front of him.

" **What happened Ash?"** asked Mewtwo in concern, seeing the state he was in before he helped his friend up.

" **Long story buddy. I need to lie down for a bit before I start explaining,"** replied Ash weakly as he took heaving breathes. Mewtwo nodded and the two of them disappeared in blue glows from that spot in the woods. Sometime after they left, five bald men wearing dark clothes with white skulls on their shirts moved through that area, heading towards the Indigo Plateau.

* * *

 _ **A/N - So much 'fuckery'...I guess you got your wish Guest 3. lol. What will happen when Ash returns in the morning? Will some of the other girls confess? Will the girls convince Ash to get over it and will he be able to forgive Leaf? What will the Skull Brothers do? Will Natasha be saved? When's the next match of the tournament and against who? Stay tuned to find out! Follow and favorite if you haven't already and I await your reviews! Silent is out!**_


	39. Chapter 39 - The Skull Brothers Strike

**_IMPORTANT UPDATE 01/23/16 - I added two important notes at the end of the chapter. It may help clear up some things._**

* * *

 ** _A/N - Hello everyone! Hope all of you are doing well. Just a few things I need to say before I let you read the chapter;_**

 ** _1\. Updates/Schedule -_**

 ** _I have no current schedule for posting new chapters. I appreciate all of my readers who take their time to read my story and I also appreciate the reviews/messages/favs/follows you give me. That is why I can't and won't rush to post up a chapter. I want to at least keep up the same quality if not make each chapter better than the last. I have outlined a few chapters in advance with just the main plot points but don't work on them until after posting up the last one. Even with that, my time is limited for many reasons and so I cannot sit behind a computer all day and work on this alone. Please be patient. I don't mind if you ask me if the chapter is completed yet or where I'm at, what I have planned (though I can't say much to not spoil things) or when/if something is going to happen. But don't tell me to post or to hurry up. All that does is cause me more stress and that just demotivates me from working on this. It's a long story that I have in mind so please don't stress me out. I don't want to burn out and leave it unfinished. I have enough to deal with at the moment with my job hunt, my sister having her fourth kid, babysitting my nieces and nephews frequently, I was just involved in a car accident and trying to keep my social life alive. Thank you for understanding._**

 ** _2\. To my readers_**

 ** _I wanted to say a special thank you to all those who consistently leave reviews and reply back to my messages. You know who you are! :) I also wanted to say it's good to hear from you again to those who have come back after being away. And one final thank you to those who were able to make me literally laugh out loud with their reviews/messages. Thank you!_**

 ** _3 - Reply to some reviews_**

 ** _Guest 1 - Here you go and thanks for waiting._**

 ** _Guest 2 - I'll try to post as soon as possible but can't promise anything. My reasons are stated above. But thank you for loving the story and hope you keep loving it. :)_**

 ** _Guest 3 - Glad you approved of the fuckery. lol_**

 ** _Guest 4 - Look at MANbearPig's response._**

 ** _Erazor Djinn - Appreciate the compliments buddy. Glad I can surprise you with Cynthia's confession and Leaf's past. Thanks for the support!_**

 ** _Great - Convinced huh? Who do you think the voice belongs to? And yes, in a fight, both sides are at fault. This was one of the things I was going for in the previous chapter among other things. And here's another chapter for you! :)_**

 ** _MANbearPig - I had no idea who Miette was until you asked me about her and I did a quick google search. Currently, I have no plans for her but then again, I may or may not include her. Depends on how my story goes._**

 ** _Tom - Thank you buddy! I try my best and hope I can keep it up._**

 ** _Vikacocoa - Your answer is stated above._**

 ** _Alright, now with all of that taken cared of, I present to you the next chapter! Enjoy!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 39 – THE SKULL BROTHERS STRIKE

An almost twenty year old brunette was sleeping in her bedroom shared by two other girls but she was the only one in the room at the moment. She was tossing and turning a bit as she kept dreaming about what happened inside Club Indigo and outside in the middle of the dirt path. She kept seeing the love of her life disappear into the dark rainy night as he left her on the ground while she was calling out to him, crying her eyes out but he never even glanced back at her. She screamed and yelled for him to come back but he never did.

" **Ash…come back…Ash…"** she whimpered out loud in her sleep. A strong hand was placed softly onto her shoulder before gently shaking her to wake up. **"Ugh…what…"** The brunette girl woke up and slowly opened her eyes. It took a little while for her to realize that she was seeing a nightmare before she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head slowly to the side to see who the hand belonged to.

" **Hey Leaf,"** said the raven haired young man kindly.

" **ASH!"** Leaf shot up instantly and hugged him tightly as she started crying. She couldn't believe that he had come back and that he was right here next to her. He returned the hug as he started talking to her.

" **I'm so sorry Leaf. So sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I shouldn't have insulted you. You were scared. You had a rough life. You wanted to get away from your mother. I shouldn't have blamed you for all that. Please forgive me Leaf,"** pleaded Ash as he stroked her back with one hand and the other was placed softly on the back of her head.

" **I do. I do forgive you Ash. And please forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you. I know now that I messed up many times and I would've had a much better life if I waited for you. But as long as I can still have a future with you, I'll be happy and I hope you feel the same way,"** she replied back, sobbing into his chest.

" **I thought about it all night and I realized I was being too harsh. I'm so sorry for being such an asshole to you Leaf. Our friends were right. I'm so sorry and I understand now why you felt the need to do that. You don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going to leave and I do feel the same way Leaf,"** replied Ash quietly as he pulled away a bit.

Leaf kept her gaze down with tears still falling from her eyes. He placed his right hand underneath her chin and gently raised her head to look him in the eyes. Tear streaks were left on her face that he wiped away gently and the brunette enjoyed his touch immensely. She looked into his eyes and saw what she's wanted to see for a while now. She saw the love in them for her and a small smile appeared on her face. He couldn't stop looking at her green eyes, seeing how beautiful and unique they were. Both of them were feasting on the sight of the other and neither one of them wanted to look away.

Ash slowly leaned in closer, making Leaf's heart beat a million times a minute and placed his lips softly onto hers. She was stunned at first but soon reciprocated, kissing him back. Both of them loved tasting each other's lips and they were soon enflamed from it. He couldn't believe he was kissing his childhood crush and she couldn't believe that it had taken her so long to see him for who he truly was; the man of her dreams. She climbed onto his lap as his hands went up and down her sides with her hands cupping his face. They stayed like that for a moment before Ash got up, making Leaf wrap her arms and legs around him while they were still lip locked with their tongues now involved. He pressed her up against the wall and she moaned into his mouth. She was burning up from him wanting her so badly and that she wanted and needed him too.

She tugged on his shirt a moment later and in response he lifted up his right knee between her legs and had her sit on his thigh, leaning his knee against the wall. He let her take off his black shirt and she caressed his body with her soft hands and Ash shivered a bit before she kissed him again. He kept her sitting on his suspended leg as he kissed her back. He ran one hand through her hair and the other hand he slowly ran up her leg before slipping it underneath her pajama shirt. Leaf trembled in delight when she felt his strong hand on her bare, flat stomach. She kept kissing him furiously while he raised his hand higher and higher before he reached her breasts and grabbed one.

She squeaked in surprise, stopping the kiss and looked at him. He smirked at her and she grinned back before crashing her lips against his again. He started playing with her breast and Leaf heated up from it. He alternated playing with her chest for a little bit before he withdrew his hand, making Leaf whimper at not feeling his touch anymore but what he did next completely surprised her. He placed both his hands on her rear and squeezed her ass, making her squeal and moan. He lowered his knee and kept her up from her ass as she wrapped her legs around him again. He kept her up for a moment like that as they continued their kiss before he lowered her back onto the bed and he went on top of her. They continued their passionate embrace before separating and eyed each other. She admired his body before caressing his long diagonal scar on his front torso, making him shiver and locked eyes with him.

" **You are the handsomest and most courageous man in the world and I'm lucky to have you. I promise I will never do anything to hurt you ever again and I promise to always be there for you as you have been for me. I love you Ash with all my heart,"** stated Leaf as she placed her hand on his cheek and Ash smiled.

" **You are my childhood love Leaf and nothing will ever change that. I'm glad that we are finally together. I promise to always protect you and I promise I will never hurt you or leave you again. I love you Leaf,"** replied Ash and Leaf gave a happy smile.

The raven haired man grasped the brunette's hand and moved it to his lips, kissing it. That made Leaf's heart beat faster to the amount of affection he was showing her. He slowly lowered himself and then kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then pressed his lips against hers. These actions made Leaf melt and she never thought she would have someone so incredible be hers. She felt like all the things she went through in her life were nothing and had washed away in his embrace. They kissed for a long time before they stopped and Ash raised himself enough for the two of them to look into each other's eyes with ease. They smiled at each other and let their eyes do the talking for a moment.

Ash's smile faded away and turned into a grimace as he suddenly felt extreme pain. Pain unlike anything he ever experienced before. His eyes lost the passion in them that was there a second ago and quickly filled with fear and confusion. He tried to say something but couldn't as only choked up sounds came out of his mouth. Leaf's happiness instantly vanished and was quickly becoming consumed with fear.

" **Ash?! What's wrong?! What happened?!"** she asked as she cupped his face. He tried to answer but instead of words, all that come out were whizzing breaths before something else came out. Blood started trickling out from his mouth before dripping onto Leaf. **"ASH! ASH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?! ASH!"** screamed Leaf. **"SOMEONE HELP US! HELP!"** Leaf was screaming for help while unable to tear her frightened eyes away from Ash who was starting to choke on the blood, coughing and making some of it fly onto her face and stained her with it. He felt like something had gone right through him. The young man slowly lowered his gaze to his chest and Leaf copied him and what she saw made her scream. The tip of a large, sharp blade drenched with blood was protruding out from his chest. They stared at it for a couple seconds before Ash was abruptly lifted up off of Leaf who tried desperately to hold onto him but failed. She was about to jump out of bed to follow him but instead froze at seeing who was responsible.

It was the Skull Brothers. Their leader with the white headband, Edmond, was the one holding the blade's handle as his brothers Eddie and Edward were holding up Ash from his arms. The other two, Ed and Edwin, were eyeing Leaf with evil glints in their eyes. **"STOP! PLEASE STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"** screamed Leaf as she started crying hysterically.

Edmond only laughed sadistically before plunging the machete deeper, making Ash let out a mangled cry that sent cold shivers down Leaf's back that completely silenced her. After pushing in his large knife in all the way, he twisted it before pulling it back out that made the young man let out agonizing and garbled sounds before he dropped to the floor, whizzing as life slowly and painfully left him.

" **NOOOOOOOO!"** shouted Leaf as she finally found herself able to move again. She jumped out of bed and quickly knelt beside him. **"PLEASE NO! ASH! NO! DON'T DIE! SOMEONE HELP! PLEASE HELP!"**

" **Scream all you want,"** remarked Edmond. Ed and Edwin grabbed the brunette who desperately tried to free herself from their grasp but couldn't. They slammed her against the wall, making her cry out in response before giving a furious glare at them while tears flowed down her cheeks. **"Go ahead. Call for help. Try and escape. That won't help you. Nobody is here to help you. We have you now,"** said Edmond as he drew closer to her but stopped next to Ash's body and knelt down beside him. **"I told you nobody messes with the Skull Brothers. Not even an Aura Guardian."** He stabbed Ash in the back again who could do nothing but make awful sounds of pain.

" **STOP IT! PLEASE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"** pleaded Leaf in vain, letting out fast and heavy tears.

Edmond stabbed Ash once more, stood up and began kicking the fallen man's side a few times before he finished it by spitting on the raven haired young man. He glanced at his group before he signaled to his brothers for them to leave. They began moving Leaf out of the bedroom as they stepped over Ash with each Skull Brother leaving their mark. They kicked him on the floor as well who could do nothing except groan from the hits.

" **ASH! ASH! LET ME GO! ASH! LET GO OF ME! ASH! ASH!"** screamed out Leaf as she cried for him and struggled to get out of their iron grip.

" **L…Le…Leaf…"** croaked Ash as he tried to lift his head. Leaf saw him trying to get up and called out to him again even louder. Edmond moved back to him after glancing back and seeing him trying to get up.

" **He's like a fucking cockroach! Die damn it!"** shouted Edmond as he pulled out his gun and fired at the surprisingly still alive man several times. Ash let out mangled shouts for the first two shots before becoming dead silent as the rest of the bullets tore holes into him with blood splattering everywhere from the force of the bullets.

" **AAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!"** screamed out Leaf before breaking down completely. She bawled loudly without care while hanging limply from the two who were carrying her. Edmond rejoined them and they moved out of the room to leave the empty suite. **"Ash…no…Ash…no no no no no…Ash!"**

" **LEAF!"** Someone yelled out her name but she didn't hear it. **"LEAF! LEAF!"** She still didn't hear it. She was lost in shock by what just happened right in front of her.

" **Ash…dead…no…it can't be…Ash…"**

" **LEAF!"** Someone slapped her hard and she cried out as she snapped out of it. She felt intense pain on her cheek. She opened her water filled eyes, then looked around and saw Sarah and Anabel beside her. She shook her head, trying to regain her senses and clear her mind. She felt something soft under her. She looked down and saw she was still in bed. She glanced up at the two again who were giving her very frightened looks. She finally understood. She had a nightmare. A very realistic nightmare. A few last tears escaped from her eyes.

" **Oh thank Mew you're alright,"** breathed out Sarah.

" **What the hell happened Leaf?! You were screaming in your sleep!"** asked Anabel in a worried tone.

" **A nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare,"** whispered Leaf. She sat up, drawing her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rocked back and forth, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. Anabel and Sarah glanced at one another, exchanging concerned looks before they each sat on either side of Leaf and hugged her. Leaf felt a little better from that but it wasn't enough to make her stop trembling.

" **It's alright Leaf. It wasn't real. You're okay,"** said Anabel, trying to comfort her friend.

" **I saw Ash die. I saw him get killed by the Skull Brothers,"** whispered Leaf, making them gasp at that as they tried to not picture it. They hugged her even tighter.

" **It was just a nightmare Leaf,"** said Sarah. **"You know they can't hurt him. You know he can't be killed by a bunch of lowlifes like them. You remember how easily he took them down, don't you? He's an Aura Guardian so no need to worry okay?"** reminded Sarah and Leaf nodded after a moment.

" **Do you want to talk about it?"** asked Anabel gently.

She was quiet for a moment before speaking. **"It felt so real,"** started Leaf. **"I was having a bad dream in my dream. And then I felt someone wake me up in the dream and saw it was Ash. I hugged him and apologized to him and he apologized to me. We started to make out and we told each other we love one another."** Sarah and Anabel withdrew from her and looked at her with small smiles before she continued. **"We were kissing on the bed with him on top of me before we took a break. He then started choking and blood came out of his mouth and…and…and we saw a knife sticking out of his chest!"** Leaf broke down at that and sobbed as Anabel and Sarah tried to soothe her and calm her down by rubbing her back even though they had fearful looks on their faces. **"And…and then he was lifted off of me and I saw the Skull Brothers were the ones who did it! One of them pushed the knife in deeper into his back and Ash let out such a horrible sound that it made me freeze!"** Anabel and Sarah shivered as they heard that and involuntarily pictured what she just said in their minds. **"He fell to the ground and he stabbed him again two more times! He then kicked him over and over before they dragged me away! I was screaming for Ash and trying to get free when Ash raised his head a little and called out my name."** Anabel and Sarah were listening with widened eyes and they were holding in their breath. **"The leader went back and…and…and said he was like a cockroach who just wouldn't die and shot him many times before he finally died!"** Leaf finished recounting her nightmare and it got to her again as she started sobbing once more. Anabel and Sarah quickly hugged her and let her cry it out. They had silent tears fall down their cheeks as they involuntarily pictured what Leaf told them. Finally, after a long time, Leaf stopped crying and took in deep breathes as she pulled herself together. **"I'm sorry guys,"** apologized Leaf in between her ragged breathing. **"I'm sorry for scaring you and for telling you about my terrible dream."**

" **It's okay Leaf. We're friends. We're here for each other and that's what matters,"** remarked Anabel.

" **She's right so don't worry about it,"** agreed Sarah.

" **Thanks. You two are so nice to me and I don't even deserve it,"** replied Leaf as she hugged them tightly.

" **Hey, don't think like that. We all make mistakes but let's not go there alright?"** advised Sarah and Anabel quickly agreed. They separated and they each began calming down and relaxing. Leaf noticed that it was still dark out. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 630am.

" **I didn't even notice it was barely morning. I'm sorry for waking you guys up so early."**

" **Eh, it's alright. Just don't do it every day,"** joked Sarah, trying to lighten the mood.

" **Alright. You gonna go back to sleep?"** asked Leaf.

" **Nah, no point. Might as well do something productive,"** replied Sarah.

" **Good point. Should we train?"** asked Anabel and the other two shook their heads, remembering the last time. They would only train if they found a safer place near the hotel or with more people with them. **"Breakfast?"** Sarah and Leaf nodded. **"Okay. Let's wash up, get dressed and get some food."**

Leaf, Sarah and Anabel each went to a different restroom and washed up before they came back and changed into some day clothes. Leaf changed into a blue skirt, blue tank top with a black poke ball symbol on the chest area, wore her blue tennis shoes and put on her blue cap. She smiled a little when she put on the blue hat. Sarah wore her white skirt and white button down blouse with white tennis shoes. Anabel put on a pair of light purple pants with a light purple shirt that had a picture of an Espeon on it with purple shoes. The three of them then got out of their room and went to the kitchen, careful not to wake up anyone as they started making a simple breakfast of boiled eggs, toasted some toast bread, cut up some cheese and put the kettle on to make some tea. They decided to make more after they finished with their breakfast for the others as they would soon wake up. Unknown to them though, a few people were up already.

One of those who were already up was the young pokémon researcher. He stayed in bed, lying on his side for a bit as thoughts whirled around in his head. He couldn't take it anymore so he opened his eyes and turned his gaze to stare at the ceiling. He felt some pain from his movements when he turned, making him grimace. His old rival's punch from last night had really hurt him. It made him scared that he was able to damage him so much with a single strike that it still hurt the next morning. He thought of how his horrible secret was revealed to everyone, how it caused him and his girlfriend to split. He couldn't stop seeing Ilene's disappointed and disgusted face even when he closed his eyes. He had never felt this way before, this overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame. _Gary is no good for you._ He heard Ash's voice in his head and it maddened him and frustrated him. _What the fuck Ash?! Why'd you do this to me?! What have I ever done to you?!_ As if to answer his own question, his mind started replaying all the things he had done to him.

Playing pranks on him and making fun of him with the other kids when they were younger. Taunting him and calling him a loser while on their pokémon journey through out Kanto. How he kept making fun of him and belittling him, making him look bad in front of his friends. How he kept rubbing his accomplishments in, that he had cheerleaders following him, that he was popular, well liked and that he traveled in red convertible sports car. More and more flowed in front of his mind's eye of what he did to him. Not able to take it anymore, Gary shook his head and sat up, grimacing as he did so because of his chest pain. _I guess I do deserve all this. I've been nothing been a douche to him, I've broken girls' hearts and I even cheated on Sabrina and never even apologized to her. Why did I ever even ask her out? I knew that she was different from other girls and wouldn't give me what I wanted. What made me think that I could get with her? And what about Ilene? I finally found a girl who I want to spend the rest of my life with, who is always on my mind but my past came back to bite me in the ass. How can I get her back? Ilene…What can I do to show you that I have changed and I'm willing to do anything for you?_ Gary sighed and thought about everything. He lied back down on the bed and ignored the constant pain in his chest. He tried to plan something, to figure out some way to show the only girl he ever truly cared about that he is more than his past actions.

While Gary was thinking about that in his shared room with his grandfather, in another room shared by four girls, one of them was awake. Daisy Waterflower was sitting up and leaning against the headboard with her back. She was one of the few who didn't know what happened between Ash, Leaf and the club goers. But right now, she wasn't thinking about what they did last night. In her hands was a stuffed Squirtle doll. She was looking at it with a smile on her face. She was thinking about how an incredible young man won it for her and surprised her with it. She was thinking about how great a guy he is. She glanced at her other two sisters and at Gary's sister Daisy who were still asleep in the room they were sharing together. She smiled, happy that her sisters found great guys to be with. Hell, she was even happy for Daisy Oak as well since she knew her a bit. She then thought of how happy her youngest sister Misty is, finally being with the man of her dreams who was her first and only boy she had ever truly liked and had feelings for. She turned her gaze back to the doll she was holding. Her smile widened, thinking of when he first gave it to her, surprising her and how she was beyond thrilled over it. How she tackled him to the ground with Sarah and Anabel and what happened afterwards with Serena getting mad. She chuckled quietly a bit.

She felt happy for them all but then sadness crept up on her as she began thinking about some things. She was wondering why she didn't feel like going to the club with them last night. She was wondering why she couldn't find a great guy for herself as well. She thought of all the guys she went out with and how they were all the same and did the same things. Pick her up in an expensive sports car, then movie or if they were feeling a little brave, out dancing a bit at some club. A few tried to do things differently like take her out bowling or go to an amusement park, museum or something else. But every single one of them had a hidden agenda and sooner or later, it came up. Every single one of them wanted to get her into bed, to lay claim to being with one of the Sensational Sisters.

That was something that she, Violet, Lily and even Misty had to deal with constantly because of their water plays and being gym leaders. They were too popular for their own good. But in Misty's case, after having her pokémon attack would be suitors who tried to make a move on her a couple times, they stopped asking her out. She had already found her prince charming, holding onto him and it paid off in the end since she got with him. But she, Lily and Violet had to deal with the other kind of heartache; the kind that was felt when guy after guy they went out with turned out to be total douche bags. They had to start carrying around tazers with them during their dates. It must've been over a dozen times she and her sisters had to fight off a lust filled man and get a restraining order on who thought they owed him a night in bed with them just because he took them out. Because of their many dates and being in clubs frequently, since they did like to dance even if it was just between them, the three older Sensational Sisters were thought to be easy to get with. That they were always down to just mess around. But that was far from the truth. They weren't like that and hated those rumors but all they could do was just hold their heads high and ignore it as best they could.

Daisy sighed after thinking about all that. She couldn't dwell on that stuff or she'd go crazy. She had to stay positive and think of better things. Her sisters Violet and Lily found great partners, Chili and Cress, who are also friends of Ash. She approved of them, seeing how they are and also since Ash knew them and he wasn't friends with any bad people at all. She just hoped that it would become something more for her sisters. She didn't want them to become heartbroken after a while and she didn't want them to suffer through meaningless dates again. She hugged the doll and closed her eyes to say a prayer. _Please Arceus…let this work out for them. I'll even give up my future love life to you to make sure that happens for my sisters. For Violet…For Lily…_ She opened her eyes and looked at the Squirtle doll again. _And for Misty…who found a one of a kind guy and deserves it the most after all we made her go through. I'm actually envious of her but I wish her the best. Make sure their lives are filled with happiness and I'll be alright as I watch from the sidelines._ She shimmied down her bed a bit and lied back down, facing the wall while hugging the doll after drawing up the covers. _I'll be fine. Please Arceus. As long as their happy…and I still have my Squirtle doll, I'll be fine._ Daisy closed her eyes but didn't sleep. She just stayed that way thinking about everyone and everything. And every once in a while, her lips would curl upwards into a smile whenever a certain someone's image appeared in her mind…

In another room of the hotel, another girl was awake, having woken up a short while ago, but she was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She glanced at her roommate who mumbled something in her sleep. She returned her gaze back to the ceiling and thought of what happened last night. _I can't believe my Knight and my boyfriend fought._ She shook her head a bit all of a sudden. _Wait, did I just say boyfriend? Why would I still think of him in that way? I don't want him anymore!_ Ilene closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, such as the tournament or the coming war that she would have to get her kingdom prepared for. But it was no use. The face of Gary Oak kept appearing in her mind with his sullen look and how he kept asking for her forgiveness and to give him a chance because of what he did. She snapped her eyes open. _No! I will not give in! He did something horrible to Sabrina! How can I be with such a…such a…_ She couldn't finish her thoughts since she just pictured Ash punching Gary hard in the chest again in her mind. It made her heart skip a beat before thumping loudly when Gary dropped to the ground. _I'm fooling myself. I still care for him. But how can I still have feelings for him? I am a queen...I can't be with someone like him. Someone who doesn't care about others…someone who constantly insults and ridicules others…someone who never apologizes for their mistakes…how can I ever forgive him? How can I still have feelings for him? How can I have a future with someone like that or continue my reign as Queen with someone like that with me?_ She thought of Gary a bit more, heart beat increasing before forcing her mind to go onto something else. She thought of many other things, calming down a bit before her mind landed onto Ash…

Ash. A Knight. Her Knight of her very own kingdom. Her Knight who is also the last true Aura Guardian and Arceus's Knight as well. She remembered how she slapped him, insulted him and then stripped him of his title and status in her kingdom over him hurting Gary. How she chose to support her boyfriend who she loved but barely knew over her Knight, her friend who she knew, respected and thought highly of. She couldn't believe what she did. Even if she did apologize to his girlfriends, she didn't apologize to him. In her blind love and devotion for the young pokémon researcher, she hurt the raven haired guardian. She remembered seeing how angry he became, how his face twisted with fury. But she also saw how his eyes were filled with hurt and sadness over what she did to him. And then she remembered what he told her, what he told everyone else before he said he was done and fed up with everything and what happened after. Her heart skipped a beat at that too, remembering how he walked away into the darkness of the night. _What have I done? How could I have done that to him when all he wanted was to be treated fairly and with respect? When he was just trying to protect me?_ She took in a long breath, trying to calm herself, to not break down. _All the things that Gary isn't, Ash is. All the things I despise and hate, Gary has done but Ash hasn't. But why does Gary hold my heart? I shouldn't be having feelings for someone like him…I should have feelings for someone like Ash…who is my Knight, an Aura Guardian…a man who would give up his life for others and would never even think of putting someone else down…_ Ilene's heart started beating faster again as she pictured Ash in her mind now. _Ash is the exact opposite of Gary and someone who I would have no problem being with. Even in sharing him…I can do that right? But why is Gary still in my heart though? Why? Why Arceus? Why would you do this to me? The choice should be easy to make, to choose. After what he did…but I just…can't….I have feelings for Gary…but Ash would be the wiser choice..._ The young queen's eyes began to water and she faced the wall, turning onto her side. She let out silent tears as she kept battling over what she should do in her mind, and who she should pick. _Should I follow my heart or my mind? Gary or Ash? Ash or Gary? Gary…or…Ash? Ash…or…Gary?_

Far away from what was happening in the Indigo Plateau Hotel, a raven haired young man was lying down on his king sized bed on New Island. It was his own private island that he used for training in secret and to get ready for the war against the coming darkness. Right now though, he was in extreme pain as his head was still pounding, he was dehydrated, his side was killing him and the worst part was that he still couldn't bring out his aura. His Blissey was standing next to him as he lay on the bed, groaning in pain with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept all night and his pokémon were standing beside his bed with concerned looks on their faces.

" **Bliss blissey bliss lissey liss,"** said Blissey with a sullen look on her face.

" **You have got to be kidding me!"** exclaimed Ash before groaning again after hearing the round pink pokémon explain what his results were.

" **Well, you did drink heavily like a mad man,"** said Mewtwo, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

" **Will he recover?"** asked Gardevoir in a low voice, greatly concerned.

" **Alcohol poisoning is serious business in normal humans. In Aura Guardians though, it's worse as it doesn't just affect the body. Even though aura breaks it down quickly, if someone ingests too much, they can completely shut down their aura for a while until the alcohol is naturally expelled, leaving them completely vulnerable. Even their natural physical strength will be less as their bodies try to heal. He'll recover but his aura has been suppressed as a result and his liver has been damaged as well. We have to wait for him to expel it naturally before his aura can manifest again and then we can work on healing his liver with it,"** explained Lucario.

" **Nice going oh Chosen One,"** commented Mewtwo sarcastically as he sighed.

" **Shut up!"**

" **Can't you just leave him alone?!"** asked Gardevoir with an angry look at Mewtwo that made him widen his eyes at her. **"He already feels bad over what happened last night! No need to make him feel worse!"** she shot at him.

" **When did you become so assertive and outspoken Gardevoir?"** asked Mewtwo out of curiosity, making the psychic and fairy pokémon become pink but kept her glare on him.

" **Alright, enough you two,"** interrupted Lucario as Ash slowly sat up. **"Master, you need to rest."**

" **Can't. Even though I feel like shit, I promised the girls I'm gonna go get them in the morning. As you've noticed, it's morning. And I have to go tell Goodshow I'm not competing anymore. Are you sure there's no way for me to recover quicker Lucario?"** asked Ash as he slowly took off his black shirt that smelled like alcohol and sweat. He was unable to move quickly because of his side hurting so much and being very exhausted.

" **There is one way and it's very painful. It would involve me using my aura to expel the alcohol out of your body but that requires a lot of power, can hurt both of us if done for a long time and you'd still only be able to use a fraction of your power until your body fully recovers. Not something I want to do unless absolutely necessary,"** answered Lucario and Ash nodded, saying he agrees.

" **I still can't believe that you're leaving the tournament,"** remarked Mewtwo, glaring at Ash. **"What happened to sticking with the plan?"** he asked. Ash just sighed as he shook his head.

" **I know buddy. But what's left? Our biggest challenge was when the stadium was attacked. Everyone else that I faced was too easy. My pokémon are on a completely different level. The tournament was to test our strength and we're much stronger than the rest. I don't think there's a point anymore in competing. And I'm not sure I can even stay there much longer either after what happened yesterday and last night,"** replied Ash. The three shook their heads with disappointment. This didn't sound like him at all.

" **You're blowing things out of proportion Ash and you're making it sound like the whole world is against you,"** said Mewtwo and the young guardian glanced at him.

" **Look who's talking,"** shot back Ash and Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. Lucario and Gardevoir became a little uneasy from the staring contest between the two. After what seemed like ages, Mewtwo sighed and shook his head.

" **You're right. I did behave that way, doing something foolish in the past. But you helped me open my eyes,"** commented Mewtwo. **"And right now, I'm trying to return the favor. I understand what you're feeling and what you've been through. But that's no reason to drop everything half done. No reason to just give up and not try to fix things. This isn't you. You never quit before. Why start now?"** he asked. His question made Ash lean over a bit in his seat, bury his head in his hands and take a long breath.

" **You're right buddy….but…it's because I don't know if I can take it anymore Mewtwo,"** revealed Ash while staring at the bedroom floor. **"I've done so much for others, sacrificed so much for others…yet all it's done for me is cause me more problems, more anguish, more nightmares, more stress and more doubt. It's never done me any good…"**

" **Never done you any good?!"** Mewtwo was outraged. He lifted up his first and best human friend from his shoulders and shook him while he continued talking. **"Who made the world's most dangerous pokémon change and become his ally?! Who earned the love of several beautiful girls?! Who made many friends from all over the world?! Who has literally an army of pokémon standing by his side?! Now tell me how you doing all that, doing so much and sacrificing so much for others didn't bring you any good!"** Mewtwo let Ash go and he dropped to his hands and knees on the floor. Images were racing past his mind's eye, both good and bad, making him remember what the psychic feline was talking about. A couple minutes later Ash stood up and looked at his friend with a sad gaze, slowly shaking his head.

" **You may be right, but I still can't Mewtwo. I can't take any more betrayals. I can't be taken for granted anymore. I can't be taken advantage of anymore,"** said Ash sadly and that caused his pokémon and the legendary to have sullen expressions form on their faces. **"It's hard enough worrying about the world, the future and whether or not we can triumph. We've only glimpsed it and had a small taste of it. I can't worry about that and if certain people actually have my back or not. I can't. No more. I'm going to go to Goodshow and tell him I'm exiting the tournament, pick up the girls, say goodbye to the others and then we're coming here. We'll start on the next part of our plans tomorrow."** Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo sighed. They believed he was doing something foolish but respected his decision since he was their friend and had his reasons.

" **I still believe you're making a huge mistake Ash and I'm disappointed in how things turned out,"** said Mewtwo. **"But I'm still with you."** Ash nodded but didn't comment back.

" **You should at least take a nice hot shower first before going back. You stink worse than Muk and Weezing combined,"** commented Gardevoir. They raised their eyebrows and brow in Mewtwo's case at what she just said. Gardevoir went pink in embarrassment and of the awkward attention. Ash just smiled a bit then he nodded since he knew she had a point. He slowly made his way over to the bathroom as he tried to ignore the pain on his side where his liver is and his throbbing headache.

" **I swear I'm never drinking again,"** stated Ash as he reached the bathroom door, leaning against the wall with his hand stretched out and taking a breather.

" **Don't make promises you can't keep. Especially one that you will break the moment an attractive female challenges you to a drinking match again,"** remarked Mewtwo. Lucario shook his head and sighed but Gardevoir smacked the legendary psychic pokemon against his shoulder. She couldn't reach his head.

" **I said leave him alone!"** snapped the psychic fairy and Mewtwo flinched under her very rare stern gaze.

" **Alright, alright!"** gave in the purple feline, making Ash's jaw drop at what he just saw. **"What?"** asked Mewtwo after seeing Ash's stunned expression before he recovered.

" **Nothing. I'm just making sure I never forget the first time you became scared of Gardevoir,"** quipped Ash with a chuckle, making his friend cross his arms and scoff while the other two chuckled. Ash entered the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the shower, waiting for the temperature to become just right and looked in the mirror. He looked like absolute shit and he sighed. **"I'm definitely never drinking again."** Right after, Mewtwo sent him a mental message; _yeah right._ Ash shook his head and told him to shut up mentally in return before getting ready to shower.

Whimpers. Whimpers and painful gasps. Whimpers, painful gasps and sobs. Those were the sounds that were coming from a red headed woman. She was tied up naked and left on the cold basement floor of a wooden cabin. This particular cabin was relatively unknown since it was hidden away in the deep part of the Indigo woods next to a small lake that wasn't even named. The gag that used to be in her mouth was on the floor as she was just recently violated again by two members of the Skull Brothers. They were too lazy to put it back into her mouth after harshly gang raping her again. They figured that she wouldn't be stupid enough to call for help and they were right. But it was also because she didn't even have the energy or the will to do so.

After Edmond and Ed finished up, they went back upstairs and Edmond told Ed to get some food ready. After Ed checked their stock, he said they were about to run out. The leader told him and Eddie to go get some more supplies but to not be recognized or start trouble. After those two brothers left, Edmond, Edwin and Edward discussed what they were going to do about their situation and recent humiliation.

" **We'll get our revenge back don't you worry. We just need to lie low for a bit until they forget about us and then we'll strike. We have entertainment with us,"** said Edmond as he pointed to the basement and the other two smirked. **"We found out where they're staying at from our search last night. We have our equipment and our pokémon are fully healed and ready for battle. We'll strike at the right time. That was our mistake. We knew better but became greedy and impatient. We will get revenge on this Ash Ketchum, even if he is an Aura Guardian. Nobody messes with us! We're the Skull Brothers! The most feared mercenary group in the world!"** he finished with a shout and Edward and Edwin shouted in agreement.

Edmond nodded at the two who went to do different things. One went to the basement for his own session with their personal sex slave and the other went to check on their equipment while Edmond went through Natasha's belongings in her bag. He found six poke balls that he didn't open, knowing that they would attack them. When he first disarmed her yesterday afternoon and tossed the bag aside, Eddie had picked up the bag and went through it. He found the poke balls and clicked the lock button on them so they wouldn't come out on their own. Edmond found a book with a bookmark in it titled 'The Journey' and set it aside. He found a small box of extra bullets for the gun he took from her. He put that on the table. He found a smart phone and went through it. While checking through it, he found her notes, pictures, videos and her list of contacts.

She didn't have many pictures, barely ten of them but they were all of a certain raven haired guardian and some of his friends that she used to gather information on him. Edmond thought they might come in handy as he would get an idea of who is around the Aura Guardian. He thought maybe they'll use them as bait or something else. Her notes were mostly extra unnecessary bullshit in his eyes about random things that didn't interest him. Her contacts list was short. One of the contacts said 'Boss', another that said 'Bitch', another that said 'Annoying Pilot', another that said 'Nerd', another that said 'D' and one other that said 'J'. He wondered about the contacts for a bit. 'Boss' had to be Giovanni. He would call him and tell him if he wanted his bitch back, he would have to pay for her. The last two contacts made him think for a second before moving on. He hit the call button for 'Boss'. The phone rang a few times before being picked up.

" **This better be good,"** said a rough voice.

" **Oh it is good,"** replied Edmond.

" **Edmond?! What are you doing with her phone?"**

" **So you do remember me…I'm flattered Giovanni."**

" **Never say my name again on the phone! Now answer my question!"**

" **Well Boss man, if you really want to know, your hot bitch is tied up at the moment."**

" **You're not one for metaphors. Why?"**

" **I see you're still as sharp as ever. Let's just say she tried to cheat us and play one over us. Now, we could let her go and perhaps finish the job she gave us if…"**

" **Whatever you want, I don't care. She let herself get captured so get whatever it is you want from her. I don't negotiate and remake deals. And she's not one of my own anymore since she failed me."**

" **I figured as much. But if that's the case, we won't be coming for payment from you then. We'll just get paid by her in all sorts of different ways. She even started on that payment plan last night. But we could continue the…"**

" **Don't care what you do and I don't have any jobs for you either. But if you ever call this number again, I will have you hunted down and killed. And tell that red headed whore that she's on her own since she failed me and has allowed herself to be violated. My organization has no room for such weak and broken people."**

CLICK. Giovanni hung up the phone and Edmond smirked. He knew it was going to go like that but he did it anyway. He didn't care about Giovanni, the red head, their organization or anything. All he cared about was his pay. But since he wasn't getting any more cash, he and his brothers would just have to settle with her paying it off. Bit by bit until they had enough of her and send her on her way with a bullet to the skull.

He went back to going through the phone and opened up the video folder. It only had two videos, one which was a news video and the other was of Natasha's first gang rape that Eddie recorded while they violated her. He laughed as he watched the rape video, seeing her scared and pleading to be let go before whimpering as they continued fucking her into submission.

He stopped that video mid way and then played the news video. He found out that the video was of the stadium attack and he decided to watch it. His group wasn't able to catch up on world affairs as they were on another mission. That mission required them to be cut off from the outside world and it's events as they were attempting to find a secret artifact for another client out in the desert. They were called and told the mission was canceled but still got paid for it. Not even a day later, the red head contacted them and told them of a simple kidnapping mission for them with a good amount of pay in it. Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan. The video showed what happened at the stadium attack from start to finish while commenting on it.

He watched the men and their pokémon attack the stadium and then face three of the Champions who were Lance, Steven and Cynthia along with this Ash Ketchum. He knew who they were and saw that they were powerful but then saw what the raven haired man was capable of. As he continued watching the video, his eyes became wider and wider. When the video finished he was stunned still for a moment before he snarled, angered over what he just saw. He got up and headed to the basement.

When Edmond reached the basement, he saw Edward roughly plowing into the redhead from behind. She was crying and whimpering as he violated her with reckless abandon, feeling the pain from his harsh movements and the humiliation at being used like a freaking object. He moved towards them and when Edward noticed Edmond, he was going to motion for his leader to join in. But then he noticed his leader's angered gaze on the red head. He knew that look, which meant something was up. He pulled out of the woman and put his pants back on without a word.

Natasha was feeling relieved that he stopped, taking the opportunity to take a breather and rest on the table. She was enjoying the warm wood against her bare body more than the cold cement floor. Something else happened though that made her wish that he had continued instead. Edmond handed Edward the smart phone and he started playing the video. Natasha heard the sounds from the video she had practically memorized and her eyes widened with fear. By the time she realized she was going to be in even deeper water, Edmond grabbed her arm, lifted her up into a standing position and then delivered a punch straight to the side of her head. The force of the strike sent the woman crashing to the hard floor with cries of pain. **"YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU KNEW HOW POWERFUL HE IS AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US! YOU OFFERED US CHUMP CHANGE TO STEAL A GIRL FROM THIS FREAK OF NATURE WHO'S STRONGER THAN SOME LEGENDARY POKÉMON! I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THESE NEXT MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE ARE AS PAINFUL AND HUMILIATING AS POSSIBLE!"** roared Edmond. He kicked her while she was on the ground and Natasha shouted out in agony when he connected against her side. He kept kicking her and during that time, Edward watched the video and was quickly becoming angrier with each passing second at what she hid from them. Edmond struck her all over her body but when he went for her face, the red head shielded her face with her arms and he stumbled back a bit.

He roared with rage at that and she tried to futilely crawl away. He quickly reached her, flipped her over onto her back with another kick to her side and then sat on top of stomach. He used his legs to pin her arms to her sides, giving him clear access to strike her. He slugged away at her face several times and the red head kept crying out after each strike. He finished up with one more strike and looked at his handy work, panting. She had a cut lip that was bleeding, there were black and blue bruises on her face and her nose was broken and it was bleeding. The blood was seeping into her mouth, causing her to cough as she cried. She slowly turned her head to the side to look away from the dangerous man and to have the blood flow away from her mouth.

" **Oh no you slut. You're not done yet,"** said Edmond with a dangerous snarl. He got off of her and picked her up before roughly slamming her against the wooden table face first with her crying out in pain once more. He took out his switchblade and then called both Edward and Edwin to him. Edward put the phone on a shelf as he reached him and Edwin came hurrying down the basement steps. **"Hold the bitch down,"** said Edmond and both Edwin and Edward held her down as he started cutting the skin on her back with his switchblade. Natasha let out high pitched shrill screams as he carved out the word 'WHORE' on her back. When he finished he put away his switchblade after cleaning the blood off with a towel but Natasha was still screaming from the pain, crying her eyes out. **"It ain't over yet,"** remarked Edmond when her screaming died down a bit. He unbuttoned his pants, let out his shaft and rammed into her forcefully all of a sudden, making her scream out in pain again. Her screaming was at first shrill and high pitched before changing into a hoarse tone of voice as her vocal cords were becoming damaged from all of her shrill screaming. Edward and Edwin held her down as they struck her a few times while their leader continued violating her. She pleaded to them to stop in vain with a hoarse voice now in between her sobs, barely able to speak the words but they didn't as they kept doing what they were doing. Nobody noticed that her contact 'Annoying Pilot' was calling her on the phone as the phone had been put on silent after recording their first time with the red head. **"I'm going to make sure you never forget this! You will never feel anything else ever again except for pain, fear and humiliation!"** swore Edmond as he continued violating her and his brothers struck her while they kept her pinned. Natasha did the only thing she could; she cried. She cried and she cried, wishing for it all to stop…

While the three were tormenting and torturing the red headed woman, the other two Skull Brothers were heading through the Indigo Woods to go get some food from the nearby market. They had put on disguises that consisted of different clothes, wigs, sun glasses and beards.

" **Ah man, I can't wait until we get our revenge against that fucking prick,"** commented Ed.

" **Me too but keep it down Ed. There might be others nearby,"** advised Eddie.

" **Who gives a shit? We'll just kill them."**

" **And then that would draw the cops. We don't need that shit now. We need to be patient so we can get that fucker. And then we'll get our hands on those girls too!"**

" **Fine damn it! But only because I like the plan. I'm gonna have so much fun with them! HAHAHA! But I need some action now!"**

" **When we get back just fuck the slut again."**

" **You're right but I'm getting tired of her already. I want to find another."**

" **You always get bored quickly. But just wait till after the revenge and just make the whore do different things till then. You like experimenting with the bitch don't you?"** asked Eddie that made Ed think a bit before he nodded and laughed. The two made more idle yet horrible and disgusting conversations as they continued through the woods.

A few floors below the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel, four girls were in their beds in a single room shared together. One of the four was wide awake and thinking about the one who helped her change in the past. She kept seeing him in her mind in many different scenarios. Dancing with her, talking with her, kissing her and other images that made her fill up with such emotion that she couldn't explain it. But then she started picturing him angry, sad, hurt and being pushed away from everyone. Her heart ached for him and yearned for him. That was when she realized something. She couldn't have him leave. She couldn't have him disappear. Not without her. She had to go with him too and that's when everything clicked in her head. This was the reason why she never really cared about her ex-boyfriend Gary, why she stopped him from making a move, why she moved on easily enough and why it would never have worked out anyways no matter what happened. The reason why was Ash. She has feelings for him and him alone because of what he's done for her. He was the only one worthy of her. She only hoped that he would see her worthy of him as well.

Some movement caught her eye and she glanced towards it. It was her friend Liza and she was starting to wake up. The green haired girl turned onto her back and glanced towards her right. She saw Sabrina wide awake, sitting up and looking at her. She smiled a bit at her and received one in turn before the purple haired girl faced forward. Liza sat up and that was when she felt her inner thighs were a little wet and sticky. _Oh shit, I forgot about that._ She became embarrassed, remembering the how and why before stopping her thinking all of a sudden, hoping that her thoughts weren't read. She slowly faced the psychic and saw her with a lost look on her face. She titled her head.

" **You alright?"** asked Liza.

Sabrina turned to face her, recomposing herself. **"I'm fine. Just thinking."**

" **About what happened last night?"**

" **Yea."** She thought it would be better to just go with that for the moment. No need to have her dilemma go under the spotlight.

Liza nodded. **"Yea, me too. I hope he doesn't really leave for good…"**

" **He'd be an idiot if he does."** Both Liza and Sabrina turned to face Clair who had gotten up as well. The blunette didn't want him to leave either but didn't want to admit it. **"Leaving the tournament when he has a spotless record; that's just stupid."**

" **Look who's talking,"** shot Liza, making Clair narrow her eyes and redden. **"I remember you hiding in your room for some time after what that prodigy Dragon trainer did to you. You could've still beaten him, put him in his place and yet you stayed home, letting him win. You wouldn't even pick up your phone. At least Sabrina functioned well enough after her breakup with Gary."**

" **Shut up Liza and don't ever bring that up again!"** snapped Clair angrily but Liza was unfazed. The blunette looked at the purple head, her expression softening. **"I can't believe he did that to you of all people. I'm sorry you went through that."** Liza shared the sentiment with her as well. Before the psychic prodigy could respond, another voice was heard.

" **That must've sucked. Can't believe anyone would cheat on you."** The three turned their heads to see Giselle getting up. **"Sorry, but you three were kind of loud and woke me up."** The three smiled a bit and apologized for that. **"It's alright. I usually wake up early anyways. But, I am truly sorry that you had to experience that Sabrina."**

Sabrina smiled a bit. **"It's alright. It taught me a lesson and I got my revenge on him by giving him nightmares for a month."** Clair, Liza and Giselle gasped and had their eyes widen. **"But honestly, I wasn't even that mad to begin with. I only did that so he wouldn't feel like he got off without a problem so he wouldn't do it again. I realized afterwards that I never really liked him or had any feelings for him at all."**

" **So why even go out with him?"** asked Giselle, confused.

Sabrina sighed. **"Well, because of two reasons. First was because nobody else asked and I thought he seemed nice enough. Looks like I was wrong. The second was because of Liza constantly teasing me about not even going on a date yet."**

Liza felt bad for that and also because Giselle and Clair were glaring at her. **"Sorry Sab. I just didn't want you to stay cooked up at home all the time. You barely get out to help out the G-Men or visit me or Clair but that's like once every few months. I didn't mean to make you go out with an asshole."** Liza hung her head.

" **It's alright Liza. I know you were just trying to help me out,"** replied Sabrina.

" **Though in your own twisted way of doing things,"** joked Clair and the four of them chuckled a bit.

" **Hey, if I wasn't like that, we wouldn't have so much fun together,"** defended Liza.

" **I guess you're right about that,"** replied Clair. She debated internally on something before speaking. **"But Liza, next time you want to have some 'alone' time, make sure you're actually alone."**

Liza's eyes widened and her face went scarlet. Sabrina and Giselle were looking at her with astonished faces. **"When and how the hell did you find out?!"** she asked, embarrassed.

" **Well, you proved it just now. And that stain on your blanket gave it away. You should seriously clean up after yourself."** Liza's jaw dropped before she looked down and saw the stained mark on her blanket and the other two girls burst out laughing.

She looked back up and saw her smirking at her. " **You're such a bitch Clair! Ugh! I'm gonna get you back for this!"** The blunette just laughed and Liza got out of bed and went into the bathroom with some fresh clothes in her hands, feeling very angry and embarrassed. While the caretaker of the Charicific Valley cleaned herself up and got dressed, the other three girls decided to get up and get dressed as well. They talked a bit and decided to give Cynthia a call a little later to see if they could get an update and if she had left the penthouse suite already with Ash.

In the dining room at the top floor of the hotel, three girls were sitting next to each other at the table. **"Ah, that hit the spot!"** Sarah was leaning back against her chair when she said that. She felt full from the breakfast she, Leaf and Anabel made. The other two nodded in agreement as they too felt that they were stuffed from their simple breakfast. Each of them was letting the food settle in their stomachs as they sipped on their warm tea. Leaf glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 8am.

" **The others should be waking up soon,"** commented Anabel as she too looked at the time.

" **You're right. Maybe we should start getting breakfast ready for them since it'll take us a while to get enough ready for everyone,"** suggested Sarah and the other two agreed.

The three got up, cleaned up after themselves and then worked on getting breakfast ready for everyone else. They worked mostly in silence as they prepared the meal but did talk a little here and there. Most of the time it was just asking for something that they needed though. As the three friends worked on getting breakfast ready, some of their friends were starting to awaken and get ready. They were almost done preparing breakfast for them, waiting for the eggs to boil when several of their friends appeared and joined them in the kitchen. They were already dressed in their normal day wear, following the wonderful smell of food.

" **Ah, that smells delicious,"** commented Lucy as she, Brock, Richie, Joy, Daisy Oak and Gary appeared. The latter was taking his time as he was still in pain from Ash's hit. Gary had refused to go to the hospital and so nobody knew what the extent of the damage was.

" **Thanks! It's just simple stuff but we hope you like it and enjoy it anyways,"** replied Sarah.

" **Thanks for making food for us. I really appreciate you guys taking over for breakfast,"** said Brock, thankful that he could take a break from making a meal, especially after what happened last night.

He wasn't able to sleep all that well at first and neither had Lucy in the beginning as they shared a bed together and he was restless. She had woken up in the middle of the night from his tossing and turning and woke him up as well. He asked her what was wrong before she asked him if he was that restless when they were separated. Brock said he had but also felt embarrassed at that. He explained he was worried Ash, knowing him for so long and loved him as a brother and hated how things turned out last night. Lucy understood and hugged her boyfriend before kissing him and telling him that things may seem bleak but everything will work out somehow. He had thanked her for understanding and being positive. He suggested they go back to sleep and that he would not bother her anymore. They ended up sleeping comfortably with Brock sleeping on his side and Lucy did the same as she backed up into him with his arms around her. They had woken up in that position and had agreed that it was the best sleep they ever had and would continue sleeping like that together from now on.

When Gary saw Leaf, he became a little angry, believing her to be just as responsible as Ash for his break up. He didn't like how her and his fight also caused his secret to be let out and make Ilene leave him. He decided to give her a piece of his mind. **"I'm surprised Leaf knows how to do something right without causing problems and fucking everything up for others,"** remarked Gary with a growl. Leaf looked down at the floor with a hurt expression and the others gave Gary a 'WTF?' look but he didn't care.

" **You would think that after last night he would've learned his lesson or at least try to be decent but no. He's still an inconsiderate and thoughtless jackass."** They all turned around to see Ilene as she entered the kitchen with Riley. Both were wearing proper clothing, but not their royal and guardian attire. When Ilene first saw Gary, her heart skipped a beat and she wanted to talk to him. But after hearing how he spoke to Leaf, she decided to punish him instead. Her jab at Gary made Daisy glare at Ilene but Gary looked down in shame.

" **Thank you Ilene,"** said Leaf quietly with a small smile for the backup. But when Ilene turned her gaze to the brunette and gave her such a glare that it made her smile vanish instantly. She also felt that it was her fault for causing so much crap to happen that caused her Knight to leave.

" **Don't thank me Ms. Green and that's Queen Ilene to you as well. Gary may be inconsiderate, but he's right. Everything that happened last night, everything that was revealed, was because of your inability to act like an adult and deal with your feelings in a responsible way,"** responded Ilene harshly that made Leaf drop her head and hide her face in her hands in guilt. Ilene moved to the dining room with Riley slowly following from behind with a saddened look on his face. Leaf started to cry as Joy, Sarah and Anabel went to her side to try and calm her down.

" **How can you be such a bitch?!"** burst out Daisy Oak in anger, making Ilene whirl around furious. That caught everyone's attention, including Leaf's who looked up with a wet face from behind her hands.

" **How dare you insult me when your brother goes around breaking girls' hearts and when that girl goes around betraying the trust of everyone she meets!"** shouted Ilene.

" **Please stop both of you!"** begged Gary, taking a step forward. He didn't want his sister and the only girl he cared about to fight but the two blonde girls kept at it, insulting each other. The others were stupefied and didn't know what to do…

" **ENOUGH!"** shouted Riley getting angry, letting his aura flare out and that stunned everyone into silence before anyone else can add fuel to the fire **. "There are more important things going on right now than your petty squabbles! The only other person who was truly hurt last night other than Leaf isn't even here! You two may have been hurt too but not to the degree of them two! Who knows where he's gone or when he'll return even though he promised! And yet your fighting and arguing changes nothing that's happened!"** fumed Riley. They were looking at him with fear on their faces that he had let loose like that since he almost always had an aura of calmness around him. **"What happened in the past is important and we should learn from it. Yet you're dwelling in the past, just like Ash is, letting it control you instead of trying to find a way to fix things, to learn from it or at least move on damn it! All of you are acting like spoiled children who didn't get their daily new toy! You're all adults so start fucking acting like it!"**

Riley glared at them all with his glowing blue eyes that made them all flinch before the glow and aura went away and he moved to the large balcony patio and leaned against the rails as he looked out into the distance. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. He didn't like doing that at all but sometimes enough was enough. He could only take so much. He was beginning to understand how Ash felt, how he couldn't take it anymore. That's when Riley realized that Ash had a point and that his patience had more of a limit than his since he didn't even last a week with them before blowing his top. A few minutes later, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He glanced back and saw it was Daisy Oak with a sullen expression on her face.

" **You're right Riley. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that especially when my brother is at fault. We've been blaming and pointing fingers at one another instead of owing up to what we did wrong ourselves. I'm sorry. Please forgive me,"** she said in a sullen tone of voice, making Riley turn around and pull her into a hug.

" **I'm sorry too Daisy for getting angry and losing my patience. And I do forgive you. Do you forgive me?"** asked Riley and she nodded while her face was buried into his chest. **"Thank you."**

The ones in the kitchen were left standing in shock over what Riley just did, watching him go to the balcony. They watched in silence as Daisy Oak went up to him and they apologized to one another. Gary glanced at Ilene and she looked at him but then turned away. She walked up to Leaf and stood in front of her. **"I'm sorry Leaf for being so cruel to you. You didn't deserve that."**

" **I'm sorry too Leaf. I shouldn't have said what I said to you. Please forgive me,"** added Gary. Ilene was surprised he apologized. She wanted to glance back at him but prevented herself from doing that.

Leaf sniffed and shook her head. **"No, you're both right. I'm bad luck. I fuck up everything. And all this happened because of my mistakes and foolishness. I'm so sorry!"** apologized Leaf. She burst into tears and then ran out of the kitchen. Her friends calling out to her to wait and stop but she didn't listen to them. They heard the suite door open and slam shut. Joy turned to the others.

" **I'm gonna go with Richie to find her and talk to her,"** she told them and several offered to go with her but she shook her head. **"I think it'll be better if it's less people. That way she won't feel overwhelmed. Anabel, Sarah; I know you're her friends but she needs to know that we're here for her too."** The others agreed and they watched the couple leave the suite. Right when they left, they set to work on slowly setting the table for everyone. They didn't talk and Gary and Ilene didn't say another word though they did glance at one another every so often but never caught the other looking. Riley and Daisy Oak stayed in the balcony until their remaining friends and family trickled in. With most of them there, they started filing in around the dining tables with their usual morning greetings with the table finally set. Everyone who was there sat down and began grabbing their share of food.

While they ate, four girls had just finished getting dressed in the master bedroom. They were about to leave the room when the door was opened and three other girls stepped into the room. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena greeted Cynthia, Shauna and Lizabeth who just entered.

" **Thanks for the pajamas,"** said Lizabeth, handing the girls their clothes.

" **No problem,"** replied Dawn with a slight smile.

" **Did you guys get any sleep?"** asked Cynthia and the four shook their heads.

" **No, not really. We kept waking up throughout the night,"** replied May with the blonde Champion saying she went through that as well.

" **You ready to leave?"** asked Dawn.

Cynthia nodded. **"Pretty much. I don't really have anything important to take with me other than my pokémon of course. Are you?"** she asked them and they nodded.

" **I can't believe you all love him, he loves you and are going to leave with him,"** commented Lizabeth.

" **Not an everyday thing huh?"** asked Serena with a slight smile making them all chuckle a bit.

" **No, it's not,"** agreed Shauna. Her smile went away before she continued. **"I never thought he felt that way. Hearing what he said last night was a brutal eye opener."** She was thinking about everything he said last night, how he was always doing everything for everyone but was never truly appreciated.

They all sighed but the red head spoke up before the rest. **"He's always doing everything for everyone and never expecting anything in return except perhaps for some respect at the very least. After everything other people did to him, what Leaf did to him in the past and what she did to him now, he just couldn't take it anymore,"** stated Misty.

" **Speaking about Leaf, she went through some crap too. What about her?"** asked May.

" **We'll try to make him see how sorry she is but first let's see how he is. It won't do her, us or him any good if we try to reason with him if he hasn't cooled down yet,"** advised Cynthia.

" **Good point,"** remarked Dawn.

" **I just hope he hasn't hurt himself while out wherever he went,"** said Serena quietly and the other girls nodded solemnly.

" **C'mon. Let's go get some breakfast. It won't do us any good staying here and just hoping for things to happen or not happen,"** advised Lizabeth.

" **She's right. Let's go eat and wait for Ash to come back and get you five,"** added Shauna and the girls agreed with her. The seven of them left the room and went to the dining room with the four girls leading the way.

Both blunettes followed after them with neutral expressions but inside they were conflicted. They had woken up before Cynthia and talked together privately in the bathroom. They wanted to go with them too. But, they didn't know if they should. They didn't want Ash to leave. But they didn't know if they should ask him if they could go with them. They wanted to find out if what they were feeling for him was true or not. But how could they ask that? How could they let him know? And how could they do that to their friends, especially May who they know better than the rest? And what if they hated them for that? Or caused something else to happen? Not knowing what to do, the two blunettes just decided to not say anything unless some sort of sign showed otherwise. When they joined the others and they saw Shauna, Lizabeth and Cynthia, their group was at first surprised that they were there. After a quick explanation and introductions for the two blunettes, leaving out certain details in the process, the others shrugged it off and they quickly told them to join them for breakfast.

" **I'm surprised Ash isn't here. I'll go get him,"** said Delia as she made to get out of her seat until May stopped her.

" **Oh Ash isn't here. He spent the night with his pokémon and said he'll come back in the morning so he'll come a little later,"** lied May and Delia thanked her for updating them and continued on with her food. May felt guilty for the lie but the ones who knew the real story didn't blame her at all and they merely glanced at one another before eating. It was mostly silent, with few conversations here and there to not raise too much suspicion until the blonde Champion of Sinnoh got a call.

" **Hello? Oh morning Clair. No, not yet. Oh, you wanted to see me before I left? Well, I'm having breakfast with them though at their suite,"** commented Cynthia.

" **Friend of yours? You can invite her over if you want,"** offered Delia and Cynthia relayed the message to Clair.

" **Ok sounds good. See you in a bit,"** said Cynthia before hanging up and facing Delia. **"She said thank you for the invitation and she'll be coming soon. She has a few friends coming with her if that's alright."**

" **No problem. The more the merrier and I'm sure they're good people like you. I'll get some more food ready for them,"** said Delia but then Brock offered to do it so she can eat peacefully and she thanked him for that. Lucy got up to help out her boyfriend and because she couldn't just sit idly and have her thoughts annoy her as she had finished her food.

While they were enjoying their breakfast, Joy and Richie were running through the woods near the hotel as they chased after Leaf. They hoped that they could find her before something else happened cause they really couldn't take anything else at the moment. She had a decent head start on them but they soon caught up to her and found her leaning against a tree sitting on the dirt in a small clearing. Her legs were pulled into her chest, her arms were wrapped around her legs and her head was hung with the unmistakable sounds of crying coming from her. Joy and Richie took seats beside her on the ground and stayed quiet for a bit. Leaf raised her head and glanced at the two beside her after she stopped crying.

" **You should go back and enjoy your breakfast,"** said Leaf quietly.

" **Nah, I'm not hungry. I'll just send Richie to get me some food later,"** replied back Joy.

" **What am I, your slave?"** he asked her and she confirmed it, making him scoff but also chuckle. That also made Leaf smile, though it was a very small one. **"Leaf, remember what I told you?"** he asked the brunette and she faced him with a confused look. **"Before your match with Ash, how we talked a bit and I asked if you there was something you wanted to talk about? And you told me you're not sure. Remember?"** She nodded. **"That's why Joy and I are here. We're here for you Leaf and so are your other friends. We decided to just have us two be here because we're cooler than them,"** he said with a cocky smirk that made her and Joy laugh a bit.

" **He's right though Leaf,"** said Joy and Leaf glanced at her. **"We're here because we care and to let you know that everything isn't your fault. We understand your reasons. So please, don't be sad."**

" **Thanks you guys,"** said Leaf quietly, sniffling a bit as she hugged both of them and they hugged her. **"I'm just so sad that things turned out so badly. It's not what I had wanted at all. I never even dreamed or thought that it could go like that. I'm such a fool. And you didn't have to come after me but thanks and I appreciate it."**

" **Oh they definitely shouldn't have come after you since you led them to their anguish,"** said Ed as he and Eddie stepped out from behind a few trees across from them as they took off their disguises.

" **Who are you?!"** asked Richie, standing up and moved to be in front of Leaf and Joy. The brunette started cowering at the sight of them, remembering her dream and her previous encounter with them.

" **Ah I'm touched darling that you remember me,"** remarked Ed with an evil smile and Eddie sniggered, both of them seeing Leaf's reaction. Joy glanced at Leaf but Richie kept his attention on the two bald men.

" **Leaf, who are these…"**

" **They're the Skull Brothers!"** Leaf interrupted the pink haired nurse, making Joy and Richie's eyes widened. He immediately tossed out all of his pokémon's poke balls that he had with him and his Charizard, Raichu, Swellow, Butterfree and Tyranitar appeared.

" **Zippo, Sparky, Rose, Happy and Cruise; on guard!"** ordered Richie and his five pokémon took up defensive positions in front of them. **"Joy…Leaf…get back to the hotel right now as we hold them off!"** he told them but before the two girls even registered what he said, Eddie reacted.

" **We didn't say you can go!"** he shouted as he and Ed tossed out all of their pokémon who quickly surrounded them. There were two each of Machamp, Weavile, Aggron, Shiftry, Crawdaunt and Ursaring.

The dozen pokémon around them were smirking and grinning at them evilly while taunting their prey. Richie's pokémon were baring their teeth and snarling at them. Richie motioned for Leaf and Joy to get closer and stand behind him. The three of them were looking all around them, hoping to find a way out.

" **Hey,"** said Richie very quietly so only Joy and Leaf could hear him. **"We won't win unless you have some pokémon with you Leaf."** Leaf shook her head. She had run out of the hotel without any pokémon, realizing right then that she made another stupid mistake. **"Shit. Okay, I'm going to force an opening and when I do, run. Run back to the hotel. Get help. I'll hold them off as long as I can."**

" **Richie, don't…"** started Joy but Richie silenced her with a look as he turned his gaze to her and she understood; he wasn't asking them.

" **Be ready…"** he said quietly as he faced forward again. He narrowed his eyes at the two sneering Skull Brothers who were enjoying what they were doing.

" **As fun as this is, it's time for you to-"** began Ed.

" **FIRE BLAST AND THUNDER!"** shouted Richie, interrupting the bald man and his Charizard and Raichu let out powerful attacks at their pokémon who didn't react in time to dodge the sudden attacks. Crawdaunt and Shiftry cried out in pain at the full power attacks and dropped to the floor. **"RUN!"** shouted Richie right when his pokémon launched themselves at the remaining ten. Leaf and Joy sprinted away from the spot through the hole in the circle.

" **AFTER THEM WEAVILE! CATCH THEM!"** shouted Eddie once he saw the two girls making a break for it.

" **COVER THEM SPARKY!"** roared Richie, seeing the night pokémon dash after his girlfriend and friend. His Raichu ducked under Ursaring's Slash attack before he tore after the two Weavile.

Joy and Leaf were running as fast as they could through the forest in a zigzag pattern as they used the trees for cover so the pokémon chasing after them wouldn't get a clear shot. They were already beginning to lose their breath but kept going. Their legs were screaming in protest as they felt them becoming heavier and their panting became worse. Joy tripped on a tree's root, landing onto the ground with a shout of surprise and pain. Leaf skidded to a stop before running back to help her.

" **C'mon Joy we gotta go!"** encouraged Leaf as she helped her back up to her feet but before they could take another step, two Weavile appeared in front of them with nasty sneers while flexing their claws at them.

" **RAI…CHUUU!"** A powerful bolt of lightning struck one of the Weavile who shrieked out in pain before dropping to his knees and panted heavily. Sparky appeared, jumping through the bush and took up a defensive position in front of the girls. Sparks were shooting out of his cheeks as he growled at them. The two Weavile narrowed their eyes at the electric mouse and attacked with Raichu charging forward. The three pokémon fought fiercely and brutally with Leaf and Joy trying to get away. Both Weavile struck Raichu at once sending him flying back into a tree before dropping down. He got back up and fired another Thunderbolt that took down one of them for the count. Raichu fell to the ground after, breathing hard, unable to get back up.

" **Sparky!"** cried out Joy as she went to him and Weavile took this opportunity to launch himself at the pink haired girl.

" **Look out Joy!"** shouted Leaf. She pushed the pink haired girl out of the way but then Weavile struck her instead, sending her flying into a tree before slumping down unconscious. Her hat fell off her head and dropped to the ground in front of her.

" **LEAF!"** shouted Joy as she saw her not getting up. Her attention then focused on the advancing Weavile before glancing back at Raichu who was still unable to get up but conscious. Weavile vanished from sight as he used Agility before reappearing behind Joy and struck her on the head, knocking her out in addition. The claw pokémon noticed Raichu slowly getting back up and quickly fired an Ice Beam at the yellow mouse that encased him in a large block of ice. The dark and ice type pokémon smirked at his doing before he went to his brethren and shook him awake. The second Weavile woke up and shook his head before standing up. He saw Raichu frozen in solid ice and the two knocked out girls and grinned in approval. The two Weavile picked up one girl each, threw them over their shoulders and then dashed away into the forest to get back to where their trainers were.

Richie and his pokémon were doing their absolute best to hold them off as long as they could but they were quickly becoming over powered. His Butterfree and Swellow were out cold and his Charizard and Tyranitar were on their last legs. Ed and Eddie had lost a couple of their pokémon during the fight but still had the upper hand. They enjoyed the sight of them crushing this insolent little pest as they were nearing victory.

" **Wea weavile!"** Ed and Eddie turned to see their pokémon coming back with both of the girls over their shoulders.

" **Good Weavile. We might as well finish this and leave,"** said Ed and Eddie agreed. **"Aggron and Ursaring; Hyper Beam!"** ordered the two. Their pokémon quickly charged up the attacks, drawing Richie's attention at their sudden orders as they had remained mostly quiet from the beginning. What he saw made his heart drop to his stomach; they had captured Joy and Leaf.

" **Protect!"** shouted Richie after seeing his Charizard Zippo drop to the ground from a Water Pulse sent by the Crawdaunt and hearing their order. His Tyranitar, Cruise, brought out a protective shield in front of them all even though he was barely standing in time to meet the two beams of white energy that exploded on contact and brought up smoke. When the smoke finally cleared, he saw that the Skull Brothers and their pokémon were gone with the girls and that his Tyranitar was on his knees, gasping for air before dropping to the ground.

" **Cruise!"** Richie limped to his fallen pokémon. He was hurt by one of the Skull Brother's pokémon landing a sneak attack on him. Though they only grazed him since he was able to move out the way mostly, the cuts were still deep, they hurt like crazy and it was bleeding. When he reached his pokémon, he was relieved that he was only unconscious after using up all of his energy to protect them from the two Hyper Beams. He let out a sigh before he remembered that he saw they had captured Joy and Leaf. **"FUCK! SHIT! FUCK!"** Richie swore loudly, hitting the ground with his fist. That made him cry out in pain again, putting pressure on his side in the act. He swore again, returned his pokémon and limped back through the woods towards the hotel while holding his left side with his right arm. **"I need to get back as fast as I can. I need help and I need to find out what happened to Sparky. I'm so sorry Joy. I couldn't protect you…some boyfriend I turned out to be…and Leaf…I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you either…"** Richie kept moving with his eyes watering from thinking about how he might never see them again and how he had let them down until he entered the area where his Raichu was frozen solid.

" **SPARKY!"** cried out Richie, moving to his pokémon. He saw the look of shame that was plastered on his pokémon's face when he realized that he was going to lose and fail his trainer and friend in protecting the girls. **"Sparky…don't worry buddy. I'm gonna get you healed up soon."** Richie returned his pokémon while he was still encased in the block of ice and was about to hurry back to the hotel when he noticed something on the ground. He went towards it and saw it was a blue baseball cap. He recognized it as Leaf's and picked it up and then left the area. **"I need to hurry and get back before they're gone for good…and before they do something to them…"** Richie shuddered at the thought of them hurting them or violating them. Unable to push the dark thoughts out of his head, he quickened his pace, not letting his injury slow him down even though he was in awful pain from it.

A raven haired young man was walking down a brightly light hallway with Lucario and Gardevoir beside him. While he moved, he looked at all the pictures that were hanging on the walls. Some of them were of trainers in mid battle, others were of just pokémon and some others were of trainers playing with their pokémon. He smiled a bit but then it faded away when he saw the next several photos. They consisted of different trainers with their pokémon holding up a trophy.

Lucario noticed the look on his face. **"Are you sure you want to do this Master?"**

Ash turned to look at him while they kept walking. **"Yes. I have more important things to worry about instead of a trophy."** Lucario said no more but glanced at Gardevoir who had a sullen look on her face.

The three continued down the hall until they reached two large doors and went through them. The first thing they noticed was a pink haired female league official slouched in her chair reading a magazine with a bored look on her face. She was dressed in her black and white league uniform of a skirt, blouse and blazer. She looked up behind the counter and her eyes widened in surprise. **"OH MY GOD!"** Even though he looked pretty exhausted and in bad shape, he still looked pretty good to her and she knew who he was. She hurriedly sat up straight, tossed the magazine aside and fixed herself up as best she could. **"Good morning Aura Guardian! How may I assist you?"** she asked with a soft voice before a pretty smile appeared on her face. Ash rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. Lucario and Gardevoir, even though they kept their expressions stoic, were amused at her reaction.

" **Good morning to you too. I'm here to see Mr. Goodshow,"** replied Ash.

" **No problem. It will be my pleasure Mr. Ketchum to let him know you're here,"** she said.

" **Please, just Ash is fine. I'm definitely no old guy and I'm not a father yet,"** he joked.

" **You can be my children's father,"** she said suddenly before clapping her hands to her mouth, turning beet red. She couldn't believe she said that out loud. Ash turned red as well and his pokémon had stunned looks appear on their faces. **"I'll go get Mr. Goodshow. Please have a seat while you wait,"** said the girl, standing up before bolting through the door behind the counter, not even giving him a chance to reply back. Ash shook his head while chuckling, not believing what just happened before going to sit on the couch with his two pokémon.

" **I'm going to miss this,"** remarked Gardevoir.

" **Miss what?"** asked Lucario with both him and Ash looking at her.

" **I'm going to miss how Ash just makes girls go crazy without even trying,"** she said, making the two laugh a bit. **"You said you're bringing the five girls, but what about the other ones who have feelings for you?"** she asked Ash when they stopped.

Ash sighed. **"You mean Sarah and Anabel?"** he asked.

Gardevoir nodded. **"Yes but also the ones besides them."**

" **I don't know what to do about Sarah and Anabel. Should I ask them to come too? And what others? Are you talking about Leaf?"** asked Ash, getting a little angry and Gardevoir gave him a look of disbelief.

" **I'm not talking about Leaf even though I think you're blowing it out of proportion. And do I really have to go into it?"** Ash relaxed a bit but also gave her a confused look. **"Mewtwo showed us what happened with your memory so you didn't have to explain but we noticed some things."** Ash was still a little lost. Gardevoir let out a sigh. **"Giselle? Liza? You even got pretty close with Sabrina and told Shauna and Lizabeth that they are beautiful. You didn't do much with Clair but we still noticed her facial expressions. Like how she looked after you pinned her to the wall,"** reminded Gardevoir.

" **Oh that's what you're talking about,"** replied Ash, feeling disappointed with himself for doing that. Him with alcohol and his emotions on edge was not a good combination. **"You know I'm sorry I did that. But before, I was just being friendly and I was a little drunk."** She glared at him. **"Fine, very drunk and mostly friendly until shit hit the fan."**

" **I'm not talking about your arguments and fights!"** snapped the psychic fairy. **"Don't you realize how you're making girls just fall for you? Whether it's you being famous, being handsome or just being who you are, girls are tripping over themselves to just talk to you! This was a perfect example! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have already have feelings for you before all this happened! Do you even try to be attentive, to notice what's going on around you? Do you like any of them?"** she asked him.

Ash shook his head. **"You got it wrong Gardevoir. I'm not trying to make any other girl fall for me and that's not what's happening around me."** Gardevoir was glaring at him now. **"Look, just because we had some fun and spent some time together, doesn't mean feelings are involved. It was just friendly interactions before the fighting. And I do pay attention around me,"** explained Ash but the white and green pokémon gave him a look that clearly said he was wrong and crazy. **"Will you just drop it please?"** pleaded Ash.

Gardevoir crossed her arms and turned her face to the side, her nose in the air. **"Fine. I will. For now."** Ash glanced at Lucario with a disbelieving look but Lucario told him not to get him involved. Ash huffed out some air before leaning back against couch. They waited for a little while longer before the female official came back, still with a flushed face. The three got up and went up to the counter.

" **I'm sorry Ash but Mr. Goodshow is in a board meeting right now to address some new things that came up. One of which is how to repair the stadium after the last match. That's why the tournament has been placed on hold now,"** informed the girl acting like nothing happened.

" **I didn't know the tournament was on hold...I guess I'll just come back another time then to talk to him. And what happened to the stadium?"** asked Ash.

" **It was just announced. After your match yesterday, it was between the Dragon Master and another trainer whose name I can't remember. Anyway, during the match, the Dragon Master had his pokémon completely pulverize their opponents and in the middle of it all, wrecked the stadium pretty badly on one side."** Ash had his eyes widen and the two pokémon glanced at one another. **"That's why there hasn't been any match updates since the tournament's been on hold for repairs. Goodshow and the board members are trying to figure out a way to keep this from happening again and also come up with something to reward the fans for being so patient,"** she explained.

" **Damn. That trainer must be strong,"** commented Ash. He was about to re-think his decision to leave the tournament but stopped himself. He couldn't go back on it; he did too much already last night. **"Do you know what they might do for the fans?"** asked Ash.

" **No idea yet. But…if you do face him…I'll be cheering for you,"** she said, her face going dark red.

He couldn't tell her he's not competing anymore so all he did was smile. **"Thank you…"** He looked at her name tag that was pinned onto her jacket. **"Natalie. Have a good day,"** he told her. He barely turned around when…

" **Wouldyougooutwithme?"** she blurted out hurriedly but Ash understood what she said. He turned back around, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced at Gardevoir who was giving him a 'I told you' look. He narrowed his eyes at her but the official didn't notice it. He looked at her again.

" **Natalie…I'm honored that you asked me out. But I have to say I cannot. I'm sorry. I am already in a relationship and…it's complicated."** The official looked down, crestfallen. **"Hey…"** She raised her head slightly. **"Don't be down. You did a brave thing just now. So chin up alright?"** She smiled a bit and nodded. **"That's the spirit. Take care of yourself Natalie."** Ash, Lucario and Gardevoir disappeared in blue glows and the official gasped at what she just saw happen right in front of her. She sat back down, placed her elbows on the desk and rested her head on her hands. She let out a sigh before allowing herself to day dream to past the time since she had nothing to do except greet visitors.

Back at the Indigo Hotel the others were having breakfast with no clue what was happening in the woods whatsoever. When Clair, Liza, Sabrina and Giselle arrived and joined them, they talked with the group as they calmly ate their meal. The four newly arrived guests didn't bring up anything since there were others who weren't there last night and didn't know if they were told of it or not. Gary glanced at Sabrina when she came in, some thoughts going through his head.

 _Why is she here again? Is she here to gloat at me? To make me feel worse? Or does she want an apology from me for what I did to her? Is she going to cause more problems between me and Ilene?_ Seeing that his ex-girlfriend barely paid any attention to him, only saying hello to him among the group in passing when she came in, he pushed those thoughts aside as that couldn't be it. She didn't strike him as the type of girl who would want an apology from someone. She had moved on and had gotten her revenge already so to speak. Seeing her talking with the others comfortably made him feel uneasy. _Something's up. Why would she be here again, being so talkative, even with her friends here for the moment? Is she here to say goodbye to Cynthia before she leaves with Ash? That doesn't sound like her. Then again I never really knew her. What or who is she after…_

Gary was so lost in thought that he didn't notice that Ilene had turned her gaze at him a couple times. She was wondering why he was so quiet and why he was looking at Sabrina when she came in. _Could he be feeling bad for what he's done to her?_ She stole another glance at him and saw him staring at his plate now. _Does he miss her? Does he want her back? Does he want to apologize? Wait, why do I care? He cheated on her and lied to me. There's no way she'll get back with him. And there's no way I'll…I'll…_ She couldn't finish that sentence in her head. Ilene felt a little angry at herself, wondering why she would still feel something for the young pokémon researcher.

 _You don't need to worry about me or worry about him wanting me back._ Ilene's eyes widened as she looked around slowly, doing her absolute best to not freak out or draw attention. _It's me Sabrina._ Ilene snapped her gaze at her and saw her talking with Cynthia, surprised. _Yes, I can speak with you mentally while talking with her. Like I said, you don't need to worry. I have no interest in him at all and he's only worried that I'm here to make him feel worse but that is not the case. I've moved on and I'm here to be with my friends._

 _How can I believe what you say? I don't know you. And who said anything about me worrying about him?_

 _True, but what else do you have to go on? And did you really forget who you're talking to? I shouldn't be telling you this by the way but he feels awful and misses you._ Ilene hurriedly looked down unto her plate so no one would see her reddened face. _It's true. He's wondering right now if me being here will cause more problems between you and him. He wants to fix things and make it better between you too._

 _Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't you want him to suffer for what he's done to you?_

 _I'm not a grudge holder. Mostly. I punished him by giving him nightmares for a month. But because of what he did to me, I've learned a lesson to be more careful in who I let in my life. But he has changed. I know because he's never tried to get me back and honestly, I never wanted him too. He has feelings for you and you him. He's never had feelings for me and that's fine as I didn't have any feelings for him either. He has done wrong in the past but perhaps you can have him earn you back if you still like him._

 _I see…please don't tell anyone. And if you're not here for Gary, why are you here then? Is it really to say goodbye to Cynthia? Or is there something else? Or someone else?_

 _You're a clever queen I'll give you that but I will not tell you. But if you do figure it out, I request you keep it to yourself. Queen or not, I won't hesitate to give you a splitting headache at the very least._ Ilene gulped and agreed mentally before their covert conversation ended. She felt a little afraid that the psychic prodigy had so much power and could easily tell whether she was lying or not. But, she also felt a little better as well. Her conscious felt a little less burdened in thinking about Gary instead of Ash. She didn't dwell on it though and finished her meal.

As the group of family and friends finished up their breakfast, some of them kept glancing at the clock, wondering when Ash was going to come as he promised he would. The door was opened and then slammed shut unexpectedly with loud shouting heard making everyone jump in their seats before getting up and moving towards the door hurriedly. When they arrived they saw Richie leaning against one of the couches for support with cuts and scratches on him with his side bleeding.

" **Oh my Mew! What happened?!"** asked Delia as Brock and Cilan hurried forward to help Richie to one of the couches and made him sit down. Brock inspected his wounds as Lucy went to get the first aid kit while the others crowded around him.

" **We were attacked by the Skull Brothers,"** groaned Richie, causing them to gasp after hearing that. Lucy returned and handed the first aid to Brock.

" **Wait, where's Leaf and Joy? Where are they?"** asked Sarah, noticing that they were missing.

Richie shook his head as he stared at the floor. Brock was about to administer first aid and Richie was about to explain what happened when three glowing blue spheres appeared in the balcony that caught their attention. Next second, Ash, Gardevoir and Lucario appeared. Pikachu jumped off of Misty's shoulder and scrambled to Ash. Richie got up and made his way to him as well, ignoring Brock's advice to stay seated with everyone else following after the two.

" **Pikapi!"** cried out Pikachu as he jumped into his best friend's arms with a concerned expression.

" **Hey buddy, what's wrong?"** asked Ash with a tired voice but before Pikachu could say anything, the others appeared in the balcony and he looked at them. **"Hey, what's going on?"** he asked them as he saw that they had frightened and worried expressions with Richie looking like he had just seen a ghost.

Seeing him there made some of the group feel a bit relieved and slightly chipper than before. Even with just hearing about something terrible happen to their friends. Clair and Liza however, went instantly red at the sight of him, remembering their erotic fantasies and dreams with him in it. They stayed in the middle of the group to not attract so much attention as they became embarrassed from that and hoped no one would notice. Ilene had a pained expression form on her face. She wanted to talk to Ash, to apologize but didn't know if she could since she felt so bad about what she did, it wasn't the right time and she was conflicted over what to do and who to choose.

Gary however, was becoming increasingly angrier seeing Ash in front of him again. He wanted to rage at him, to hit him and shout at him for causing his break up with Ilene. He knew it was his own fault for not telling her the whole truth, for trying to hide his past from her but he thought by raging at his old rival, he might feel better at least. With that in mind, Gary took a step forward towards Ash but a sudden image appeared in his mind that made him stop.

It was Ilene's disappointed gaze from last night. That's when it hit him. She wouldn't get back with him at all if he fought with Ash again. He remembered what she told him when they first revealed how they felt about each other. That she doesn't have time for games and as a Queen, she had an image to uphold. He realized that if he truly wanted to be with her, he would have to own up to his mistakes and not blame Ash or anyone else for them. He would have to grow up, become mature and wise. He would have to change into the man that she deserves, that he can be. He would have to prove himself worthy enough for her…for Queen Ilene.

" **Ash, are you okay?"** asked Serena suddenly, snapping Gary and everyone else out of whatever funk they were in. The honey blonde girl noticed the dark bags under his eyes and his pale face. The others then noticed it as well after her question. Several of them became worried about him too, especially his girlfriends and mom.

" **I'll be fine Serena. What happened here?"** he asked them. His tired tone of voice didn't convince them but no one replied.

" **It's about time you got here Ash,"** said Richie seriously as he limped forward holding his side.

" **Richie! What the hell happened to you?!"** asked Ash as he moved to his friend, having just noticed the state he's in.

" **Oh now you notice?!"** asked Richie angrily and Ash was taken aback. He looked at everyone else and they were stunned as well. He glanced back at Richie when all of a sudden his friend grabbed his shirt's collar with both hands and started screaming at him. **"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT ASH! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED HELP?!"**

" **Whoa, hold up! I don't know what's going on! What the hell happened?!"** asked Ash, completely lost and startled by his friend who started shaking. Richie looked down at the floor while still holding onto Ash's shirt. Everyone else was completely taken aback from Richie's sudden outburst. He was almost always calm even in the middle of trouble. He kept his gaze down while speaking, his voice on the verge of breaking from all the emotions he was feeling.

" **Joy…Joy and I were…in the woods with…with Leaf and…"**

" **I don't want to know what Leaf's been up to Richie,"** interrupted Ash. He didn't want anyone to try and force him to talk to her right now as he was trying to overcome it all. He had a long, slow and painful night. Unable to sleep because of the pain from his liver and his mind replaying everything that happened last night. He just wanted to let it all go and not think about it anymore. His statement made many, both knowing and not knowing of the situation, stare at him. Richie raised his gaze back at him; anger etched onto his face but kept his voice calm.

" **Yes you do Ash and you want to know what happened,"** shot Richie hurriedly as he tried to keep his cool, though his patience was wearing out by his friend's childish behavior. **"We're wasting time. I needed help. I needed your help. Joy and Leaf have been…"**

" **You're right! We are wasting time with this as I don't care what Leaf's doing, who she's with or where she is! After all she did, I don't care about her anymore! And this just proves that you and everyone else only want me around when you need something!"** shot Ash angrily. Everyone gasped at that and it also made the ones who don't know what happened became startled over what he just said. Ash was suddenly punched hard in the stomach by Richie with all the strength he could gather, making everyone yelp in surprise. His strike made Ash take a step back and drop to a knee with Richie stumbling forward and falling to his hands and knees. The punch had knocked the wind out of Ash and made Richie hurt his side even more. The young guardian was not expecting it at all. **"What was that for?!"** groaned out Ash from the floor.

" **Because you wouldn't listen to me damn it!"** snapped Richie making everyone stare at him. He slowly got back up to his feet, holding his side. **"Joy and Leaf have been kidnapped by the Skull Brothers! They attacked us when we were in the woods trying to cheer Leaf up! She was sad over what happened last night! She's a complete mess, crying her eyes out because she believes herself to be worthless! She believes it's her fault that everything went bad last night! We wouldn't have even been there if you hadn't blown things out of proportion Ash and making her feel so terribly about all of it damn it!"**

Everyone who wasn't with them at Club Indigo last night had no idea what Richie was talking about but kept looking from Ash to Richie and to the others, expecting someone to explain but nobody did. Ash looked at his friend, seeing him furious but with a worried expression too. He understood now that he wasn't playing a game or trying to get him to just talk to her. Joy and Leaf had truly been taken. He shook his head as realization hit him and his heart began beating like a jackhammer.

" **No…this can't be…I…I drove them away…"**

" **Not for long. Because of you, because of what you told her, she ran away into the woods crying, broken, thinking she is worthless and not important after some stupid words were said in the kitchen earlier on in the morning today. Words that wouldn't have been spoken if you hadn't opened up a can of worms last night! Joy and I followed after her to make sure she was alright, to let her know it's alright, that we forgive her and we'll help her because that's what FRIENDS and MATURE people do Ash,"** remarked Richie in such a way that Ash winced, feeling like he was just hit by him again. **"But that's not all. When we were trying to cheer her up, the Skull Brothers attacked us. I tried to hold them off so Joy and Leaf could at least get away and be safe and maybe get some help…BUT THEN THEY HAD THEIR WEAVILE CHASE AFTER THEM, KNOCK THEM OUT AND THEN THEY DISAPPEARED WITH THEM ASH!"** roared Richie, causing everyone to gasp when they heard how they were taken.

Ash hung his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. Lucario and Gardevoir exchanged worried looks. Pikachu had his ears lowered and his eyes were filled with sadness as he liked both Joy and Leaf. Even though the brunette had hurt his best friend, he knew that she didn't deserve this to happen to her. Ash's mind was racing with everything he was told and he felt like he was going to throw up.

" **This can't be happening…"** whispered Ash to no one but they all heard him. **"No…it can't be…"**

" **But it is happening Ash,"** replied Richie. **"They kidnapped Leaf…they kidnapped Joy…do you know how badly it hurts to see your loved one taken away from you right in front of your eyes Ash with you unable to do anything about it?"** asked Richie and Ash raised his gaze to his friend and saw that his eyes were filled with water but he was holding them back. Nobody could answer him. **"I know you witnessed your loved ones taken from you in your nightmare…but this happened to me in real life. As bad as you felt in your nightmare, I can say that it's ten times worse in real life. I had promised her that I would always protect her and wouldn't let anything happen to her after the incident at the lake. You were there to help me. You remember that?"** asked Richie and Ash nodded slightly as he closed his eyes.

" **I do remember…I'm…I'm sorry Richie. I truly am…"** began Ash but then Richie exploded.

" **SCREW YOUR APOLOGIES!"** yelled Richie, making everyone jump in their skin. **"WHERE WERE YOU HUH ASH?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT SHIT LAST NIGHT? WHY DID YOU THROW SUCH A FUCKING TANTRUM? WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU? TOO BUSY MOPING AROUND OVER WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?! I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE IF LEAF STOLE YOUR POKÉMON! I DON'T CARE IF SHE WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND SLEPT WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND AND LIED TO YOU ABOUT IT! I DON'T CARE IF SHE TOOK HALF YOUR MONEY AND RAN AWAY WITH IT! BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE DID ASH!"** Ash's eyes started to water and he was doing all he could to keep his tears at bay. **"ALL SHE DID WAS CONFESS THAT SHE HAS FEELINGS FOR YOU AND THAT SHE KISSED YOU WHILE YOU SLEPT!"** Richie telling the truth, revealing what had happened, made everyone in their group that didn't know about that widen their eyes and took in sharp breaths at the revelation. The families of the girls had their jaws drop and they were unable to recover from their slightly humorous states while they continued to listen to Richie. **"WHY TURN THAT INTO SUCH A BIG DEAL THAT SHE DID THAT?! YOU SAY SHE BROKE YOUR TRUST, THE GIRLS' TRUST AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF YOU? FINE! SHE DID THAT! BUT HER REASONS WERE VALID AS SHE WAS SCARED ASH!"** Ash closed his eyes and slowly shook his head while Richie continued. His friend's words were slamming into him and each one felt like a wake up slap that was opening his eyes. **"SHE APOLOGIZED AND SAID SHE'LL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU! TO MAKE IT UP TO THE GIRLS! BUT INSTEAD YOU THREW A TANTRUM LIKE A FUCKING PRICK! BUT RIGHT NOW I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT! RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO FIND THEM AND SAVE THEM BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM! BECAUSE ALL I CARE ABOUT IS MY GIRLFRIEND! JOY HAS BEEN TAKEN! THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS! YOU SAY WE ONLY WANT YOU AROUND WHEN WE NEED YOU FOR SOMETHING?! THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS USED TO SAY THAT YOU'RE HERE FOR US NO MATTER WHAT! SO WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU DAMN IT WHEN I NEEDED YOUR HELP?!"**

Richie finished up his long and loud rant, taking deep breaths and Ash hung his head in shame, going on his hands and knees. His almost twin was right. His rant had shown how he had blown things out of proportion. That he had acted like a damn asshole. He knew that Leaf had issues since they were kids. That she wasn't like him. That she couldn't handle what was going on between her parents. That she wasn't able to hang on like him. He knew that she had trouble with expressing herself when it came to feelings and emotions, kind of like him. Yet he let his anger, his sadness and his disappointment control him, control his actions and control his thoughts. It didn't help that he was completely drunk like a damn alcoholic either and lashed out at everyone. But that was no excuse either. He has to make things right, to own up to it. He shook his head in shame, his breathing uneven, trying to get his mind to focus.

Delia wanted to go to her son to speak with him and to find out what happened. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia understood Richie and wanted to help Ash understand and to take action. But they were held back by something. They didn't know what, but they felt that they should wait and be silent for the time being. Many were beyond shocked at what they just learned had happened. That Leaf had kissed Ash while he slept and how he was angry with her taking advantage of him so much that he had caused her to become a crying broken shell of her former self.

It was quiet in the balcony. Nobody made a sound or moved, all of them trying to process what they just found out. A ragged breath was heard and they all locked their gazes onto the raven haired guardian on the floor. Ash let out a few sputtering breaths. He punched the floor suddenly, starling the group. **"What have I done?!"** he cried. Joy's image appeared in his mind and then Leaf's appeared. His heart hammered and he felt like he was going to throw up. He thought about Leaf…the brunette next door…his childhood friend...his childhood crush… He gathered himself and stood back up after several long minutes, finally pulling himself a little back together. He decided that he has to find her, save her and when he did he was going to do whatever it took to make it up to her. **"Richie…you are absolutely right. My actions were uncalled for and I behaved like a damn fool. I'm sorry for everything. I swear I'll find them. I swear they'll be fine. I swear to make things right. And I swear that the Skull Brothers will pay dearly for this. You have my word,"** promised Ash.

" **You better Ash. If anything happens to either of them…especially to Joy…you can consider our friendship over and I'll never forgive you,"** replied Richie in a serious tone. That statement made everyone look at Richie with astonishment that he would even say that. Richie hesitated for a second, not knowing if he should give it to him or not but in the end he decided he should. He held out his hand that was holding a blue cap and Ash reached over with a shaky hand and took it.

Ash looked at the blue cap as he held it in his hands. The red stains on the hat. The three claw marks on the side of it that shredded the fabric. There was some dirt on the bill. As he took in every inch of the cap, he realized who it belonged to. He looked up at Richie, and then glanced at everyone around him with tears in his eyes before looking at the hat again. He clutched it tightly in his hands, letting his head hang, his heart aching. He let out a single word in a whisper that was coated with great sadness as he could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes, letting them fall.

" **Leaf…"**

* * *

 _ **A/N - A lot of things happened in this chapter. Many internal struggles, some bonds and relationships are on the edge, two from the group have been kidnapped, the red head has an extremely bad day and the guardian is vulnerable and suffering from alcohol poisoning. I await your reviews! Silent is out!**_

 _ **Important Note 1 - The Dragon Master mentioned is an OC that I created. He's been mentioned at least once before this chapter. He beat his opponent, not the other way around. Hope that clears up the confusion as some of you mentioned that. I'll try to fix that part up later.**_

 _ **Important Note 2 - Here is the harem situation at this point in the story. Hope it clears some things up since some of you were asking about it. Also, just because the story shows them having feelings, thoughts, dreams, etc, it doesn't mean that they are IN the the harem yet and they may never join. If you want, I can have this list up after the end of every chapter to help keep things organized in a way. Just let me know. Thanks!**_

 _ **Ash's Current Harem - Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia**_

 _ **Love between the two but not in the harem - Leaf**_

 _ **Feelings between the two but not in the harem - Anabel, Sarah**_

 _ **Girls who have feelings for Ash who doesn't have feelings in return at this point (May or may not happen) - Lizabeth, Shauna, Liza, Clair, Giselle, Sabrina**_


	40. Chapter 40 - The Search

_**A/N - What's up everybody? Hope you're all doing well. A couple things before you read the chapter...**_

 _ **1\. Making Ash the only one at fault; Right now, all the attention is on Ash because pretty much everything revolves around him at this point. What caused things to happen, how he lashed out, etc. The others will go through their own little things but right now, the spotlight is on him. And it's not over it...**_

 _ **2\. Replying to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest - Ah..thanks for that? lol**_

 _ **AnthroDragon - You have a point. Natasha could be a valuable asset but will she be saved or not in time? And about the second part of your comment; ah damn, okay. Don't know how to respond to that.**_

 _ **Erazor Djinn - Thanks dude. You'll see what happens regarding that. About the mysterious Dragon Master, I won't say anything just yet. May will get her date after this Skull Brother fiasco.**_

 _ **Jaguars5 - You'll find out about that in this chapter, if it'll go that way.**_

 _ **MANbearPig - Thank you buddy. Glad you like the "fuckery". So would I be correct in assuming that the guest who wrote about that before is you? And yea, about Bonnie and Max, I've been neglecting some of the characters and I'm trying to fix that and flesh them out.**_

 _ **Alright, with that done, please enjoy the next chapter!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 40 – THE SEARCH

A raven haired young boy, a little over nine years old, was lying in his bed in his own bedroom. It was around 11pm and his bedtime was at 930pm but he just couldn't sleep. He had his bedside lamp on and was reading a comic book while sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard with the covers drawn up to his stomach. He had waited for his mom to go to sleep and when she did, he had turned on the light and took out the comic book from his bedside drawers. He was about to turn the page when there was a sharp tapping on his bedroom window. The boy looked at his window with slight fear at first, before it went away and he smiled. He got out of bed and went to the window and opened it. A young girl with brunette hair dressed in her blue and green pajamas climbed through the window at once and the boy closed the window.

" **About time Ashy. I thought I was going to freeze,"** whined the girl.

" **Sorry but don't be such a crybaby Leaf,"** replied back Ash jokingly. The girl crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. Ash rubbed the back of his head, mumbling out an apology before going to continue reading the comic book as he sat on his bed again.

Leaf sighed, relaxing a bit before she followed after her friend and sat next to him. She looked at the comic book he was reading. **"Did you finish it yet? Did you see how Captain Alakazam fought off the evil Gengar, found the treasure and then took it to the museum?"** asked Leaf.

" **No point reading that anymore,"** replied Ash as he closed the comic book and placed it on the bedside drawers before looking at Leaf, who had a sheepish look on her face. **"You always spoil it for me Leaf."**

" **Hehe. Bad habit. Sorry,"** she said but Ash just shook his head and chuckled.

" **It's alright I guess. But try to stop yea?"** he asked her and she shrugged, saying she's not promising anything. They went quiet for a moment before Ash talked again. **"So…I'm guessing again?"** he asked her and Leaf had a sad look before she turned away.

" **Yea…another one…I don't know why she's doing this. Another guy she brought home and then they went to her room and closed the door. I don't know what she does with all these guys she brings home with her and I don't know if I can stand it anymore. She never cares what I do or what happens to me or if I'm hungry or not. All she cares about is herself and what other people can get for her. She's always on the phone and always saying she wants shoes or dresses or rings or necklaces and then she'll say something like 'you do that for me and I'll show you a good time'. I don't even know what that means. Why won't she show me a good time? Why won't she have fun with me? Why does she always leave me alone? Why doesn't she love me or want to take care of me Ashy?"** asked Leaf sadly. She wasn't able to hold it back anymore so she started crying.

" **Hey, it's okay Leaf. I don't know why she does it either but we'll be going on our journeys soon and you'll be able to get away from all that. And you can come here whenever you want, anytime you want, just like always. And…and...we can go on our pokémon journeys t-together so you're never alone again. We'll have so much fun together that you won't remember about that at all. So don't feel bad okay?"** he told her, completely nervous over what he said. She slowly stopped her crying.

" **Thanks Ashy. You're always helping me,"** said Leaf as she hugged him suddenly, making Ash blush as he awkwardly patted her back. **"You know, about today. With the other kids…It was just a joke right? A harmless prank. You're not mad right? I…I just don't want to lose my new friends,"** she told him.

" **Of…of c-course Leaf. And it's okay. You're my f-friend. I c-care about my f-friends and I understand,"** said Ash with some stuttering and Leaf gave him a smile in response at being friendly and kind. He was the only one that she could be herself around.

" **Do you promise to always be my friend no matter what?"** she asked him, separating from him and looking at him.

Ash nodded. **"I promise Leaf. I promise that I will always be your friend, that I will always help you if you need me and I promise to go with you on the journey,"** said Ash who gained some courage from her asking him that question.

Leaf hugged him again smiling, making Ash go crimson and unable to speak, his arms hanging loosely by his side. **"I promise that too Ashy. We'll go together on our pokémon journey and together, we'll become the best. We'll have the bestest match at the tournament. Right?"**

" **You bet!"** replied Ash and they both smiled.

Ash got up and took out a sleeping bag and extra pillow from his closet and spread it out onto the floor. He then climbed into it and lied down on the floor and asked Leaf to turn off the light after she gets comfortable in the bed. He always had her sleep in the bed whenever she came to spend the night at his house when her mom would bring someone home. The first time her mom did that she was afraid because of the noises that were coming from her mom's bedroom late at night. It scared her so much that she wasn't able to sleep at all that night. She asked her mom what those noises were from in the morning but her mom just told her that she was busy exercising with her friends when they would come over and to never bother them when they were doing that. The second time it happened, Leaf couldn't take it and had snuck out. She went to the only person's house who she was close to at the time and asked if she could stay the night after climbing through his window when he opened it for her. After that first time, she would always come to Ash's house to spend the night whenever her mom would bring someone home.

" **Ashy?"** asked Leaf.

" **Yea Leaf?"** he said as he raised his head to look at her from the floor.

" **I'm…scared."**

" **Why?"**

" **I'm scared because…even though my mom isn't nice to me…I don't want to lose my mom!"** said Leaf before she started crying again. Ash felt bad for her and got up from his sleeping bag and went to her and hugged her. He was blushing like mad because he liked her and was embarrassed over what he just did. But he knew she needed a friend right now. His mom had taught him much, even though he was still just a kid. But he still did miss things from time to time...

" **Hey, don't c-cry Leaf. Maybe she's just confused but she'll be alright s-soon. And even if not…I'll…I'll be right here and my mom can take care of us both. O-Okay?"** he told her and Leaf nodded. Ash thought for a moment before he told her to hold on. He went to his closet again and took out a small blue box. He then went back to Leaf and gave her the box and she gave him a confused look making him redden. **"I-I was going to save this for your b-birthday but you should have it now."** Leaf gave a big smile and started ripping off the wrapping paper. She opened the box and took out the gift. It was a blue baseball style cap with a black poke ball symbol on it. She let out a happy squeal before she put it on her head but it was a little big on her and so it dropped down and covered her eyes. **"Sorry if it's a little big but that was the only official Pokémon League cap that was blue that I could find for you since I know you like that color,"** said Ash as he rubbed the back of his head.

" **It's okay Ashy. I love it! I promise I'll use it when I'm older and it doesn't hide half my face,"** replied Leaf, the large smile still on her before taking off the hat. She then hugged Ash who once again went crimson. **"Thanks Ashy. You're always so nice to me,"** she said quietly.

" **No p-problem Leaf. I'm happy that you l-like it,"** replied Ash. The two separated and Ash went back to his sleeping bag and got in while Leaf put the blue hat on the bedside drawer before she turned off the lamp on it. They told each other goodnight and went to sleep.

A little over a decade after that night, Ash was once again looking at the blue cap he had bought for Leaf. It had three claw marks on its side with some blood and dirt on it. He clutched it to his chest and lowered his head as he remembered that night. He had promised her that no matter what he would be there for her if she needed him and be her friend. Even if she did make mistakes, losing her way, hurting him in the process and did what she did, he couldn't break that promise. Not now. Not ever. He looked up at his friends and family, seeing them concerned and worried. He looked at Richie, seeing the furious look on his face. He looked at his pokémon who were waiting for his command. He glanced back at the hat. No, he couldn't. Richie was right. The girls were right. His friends were right. It doesn't matter at all what she did. It's not like she killed someone or had sex with someone else to get back at him. And she is his childhood friend. She is someone he cares about…and has feelings for. If he could give rotten criminals a second chance, then his friends deserved to get more chances then them. But these heartless bastards…when he got his hands on them…they will not be getting any more chances at all…and would feel his wrath before being wiped from existence…

" **MEWTWO!"** roared Ash all of sudden, catching everyone off guard and not even a second later, a large blue glowing sphere appeared in front of them all. The most powerful psychic to ever exist, Mewtwo emerged from it, making Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle gasp at the sight of the legendary.

" **Tell me you've changed your….wait, what's wrong Ash?"** asked Mewtwo, sensing his friend's distress. The raven haired guardian looked his friend in the eye before answering him.

" **Later. I need my pokémon."**

" **Who do you want me to bring?"**

" **Everyone,"** answered Ash and Mewtwo's eyes widened in response. That would mean something serious must have happened. His eyes glowed blue in response as he contacted each of Ash's pokémon that he was going to bring and let them know that they were going to be teleported. Even though he helped him develop some mental defenses, the psychic feline could have easily read his friend's mind to know what happened. But he respected him and wouldn't do that to him. He would wait to learn what occurred. As Mewtwo contacted the pokémon and got them prepared to be teleported, Ash turned his gaze to his almost twin Richie. **"I swear on my life Richie; I will find them and will make the Skull Brothers pay,"** promised Ash.

" **I don't care what you do or how you do it Ash. But I'm going with you. I am not going to just sit around waiting to find out what happened. And if anything happens to Joy…"** replied Richie, not finishing but Ash understood and he nodded.

" **Ash,"** started Delia and the raven haired trainer looked at his mom. **"I think you might need him,"** she said and took out the Ultra ball that contained Chesnaught. He went to his mom, took the ball and opened it, letting out his Chesnaught who instantly had a serious face appear as he could tell something was up.

" **Ash, take them too,"** said Misty as she held out Vaporeon's Luxury Ball and so did May, Dawn and Serena with the pokémon that Ash gave them before. He nodded at the four and retook the four Luxury Balls before opening them up. The four Eevee evolutions took up a straight sitting position immediately with no sounds made, also sensing that something had happened.

Ash moved to the edge of the balcony, standing near the railings. Pikachu jumped to Ash's shoulder and Lucario and Gardevoir went to stand beside him. Ash's group looked on in silence at what he was doing, wondering what he was waiting for. But when numerous blue spheres appeared all over the large balcony and in the air courtesy of Mewtwo, they gasped at what purple feline had done. He had teleported Ash's pokémon to them and they got their first glimpse at all of his pokémon.

Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Pidgeot, Ninetales, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Golduck, Primeape, Arcanine, Alakazam, Machamp, Gengar, Steelix, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Muk, Blissey, Scizor, Electivire, Magmortar, Gyarados, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Sylveon, Lapras, Kabutops, all of his Tauros, Snorlax, Dragonite, Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Noctowl, Ampharos, Yanmega, Gliscor, Heracross, Weavile, Skarmory, Houndoom, Donphan, Tyranitar, Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Swellow, Gallade, Breloom, Ninjask, Floatzel, Torkoal, Sableye, Aggron, Manectric, Flygon, Crawdaunt, Absol, Glalie, Froslass, Altaria, Salamence, Metagross, Torterra, Infernape, Empoleon, Staraptor, Luxray, Lopunny, Garchomp, Toxicroak, Serperior, Emboar, Samurott, Unfezant, Liepard, Leavanny, Gigalith, Excadrill, Seismitoad, Scoliopede, Lilligant, Krookodile, Scrafty, Zoroark, Reuniclus, Swanna, Eelektross, Chandelure, Haxorus, Mienshao, Golurk, Braviary, Hydreigon, Volcarona, Chesnaught, Delphox, Greninja, Talonflame, Pyroar, Florges, Gogoat, Pangoro, Meowstic, Dragalge, Heliolisk, Goodra, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Hawlucha and Noivern appeared.

Everyone was flabbergasted to the amount of pokémon that Ash had captured and trained as they saw them all clearly for the first time. They knew from his memories that he had caught many pokémon, seeing him train with them. Yet seeing them in person, right in front of them, still surprised them. Some were standing near them on the balcony. Some were hovering by themselves in the air while others who were too large or heavy to be on the balcony were being levitated in the air by Mewtwo's powers, outlined with a purple glow. They couldn't believe it. He not only has an actual army of pokémon, but each of his pokémon also looked incredibly strong.

" **Look at all the dragons!"** whispered Iris, her eyes darting to and fro to all the dragon type pokémon.

" **What beautiful water pokémon!"** exclaimed Misty, unable to control herself at seeing them all, becoming starry eyed.

" **He has all the starters?!"** asked Gary in disbelief, seeing the powerful pokémon that were very rare and usually only available as starting pokémon for beginning trainers in each region.

" **He has all the Eevee evolutions?!"** asked an astonished Brock, looking at all the pure type evolution pokémon.

" **Mewtwo, bring the others as well please if they don't mind,"** requested Ash and Mewtwo nodded. A moment later and nine more blue spheres appeared before fading away to reveal the pokémon he teleported to them.

Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Lugia, Ho-Oh and Victini appeared.

The raven haired guardian's friends and family were speechless. There were nine legendary pokémon, not counting Mewtwo, right in front of them and that's nine more than what ninety-nine percent of the population has seen. It was quiet as they kept moving their gaze from one pokémon to the next. Some of Ash's pokémon talked to one another in their own poke speech. The conversations had serious tones among their poke speech but the second Ash stepped forward, his pokémon instantly went quiet and composed themselves into attention and that impressed everyone.

" **His pokémon are extremely well trained,"** remarked Giselle in aw after seeing that happen and everyone murmured their agreements with her.

" **I have brought you all here for something important!"** Ash's voice caught the group's attention and they all turned their gazes on him now though they would glance back at the powerful pokémon in front of them every few seconds. All of his pokémon, even the legendary pokémon, were giving him their full attention. **"A group of men, calling themselves the Skull Brothers, have hurt me and my friends!"** Ho-Oh let out a screech of fury as she remembered the earlier altercation with them. She was in no matter what. Many of them started growling and snarling in addition after hearing that first sentence. Some from his group took a step back without realizing they did. **"I gave them a chance to change their ways but they decided to keep doing wrong. This will be a personal mission. So I must warn you now that there will be no mercy shown or given to them at all! They have attacked the girls once before, and they have now attacked Richie, Joy and Leaf. They kidnapped Joy and Leaf while leaving a hurt Richie behind. He pushed through the pain so he can get here and tell us what happened! There will be no holding back! If you are uneasy about that, I don't blame you and if you don't want to be a part of it, you may sit this out and you will not be judged. Not be me, nor by anyone else in our family or any of our friends. So whoever wants out, say so now."** None of the pokémon made a sound at all or showed any indication that they wanted out. Each of them had sworn loyalty to each other and to Ash. If one of them was in it, so were the rest. No ifs, ands or buts. They had trained together to fight against the darkness and this was no different. They would not let evil people get away with their wrong doings. **"Very well then. Mewtwo, show them pictures of Leaf, Joy and of the Skull Brothers from my memories."** A large blue sphere appeared with an image of Leaf, a second one appeared of Joy and another appeared that showed the five Skull Brothers. Each of his pokémon looked carefully at the images until it was saved in their minds. Ash turned his attention to the view over the railing before giving out his commands after the images faded away, stretching out his arm in front of him. **"Fan out in groups of three on the ground and two in the air! Find them! Check everywhere! You find anything suspicious, noteworthy, Leaf, Joy or the Skull Brothers, send message to Mewtwo immediately. Do not engage them in battle until I get there unless it's absolutely necessary! Now go! Find them and don't let anyone or anything stand in your way!"** All of his pokémon, except for one, immediately moved. The flying and levitating pokémon flew out into the distance in different directions in groups of two as they looked for their targets. The other pokémon Mewtwo teleported quickly down to the ground in front of the hotel and the instant that they touched the ground, they fanned out in groups of three into the vast Indigo Plateau forest, moving to the nearby rivers, the mountainous regions and towards other areas as well. Ash had his Blissey stay behind, since he had other plans for her.

" **Lucario, heal Richie and Gary,"** said Ash. Lucario nodded and first healed Richie with Heal Pulse before he went to Gary who had a look of confusion on his face. **"You're ribs are cracked,"** explained Ash, keeping his gaze over the horizon. Lucario had sensed the injury and relayed the information to his Master mentally after Ash's orders. Gary had his eyes widen and so did everyone else but for different reasons. The ones who knew what happened couldn't believe that Ash was able to damage someone so much with just a single punch without using his aura. The others were shocked and wondered how he became hurt so badly.

" **Gary, how'd you crack your ribs?"** asked Professor Oak in concern, moving closer to his grandson while Lucario healed him with Heal Pulse.

The young pokémon researcher thought for a quick second before answering his grandfather. **"Eh, I did something stupid as always Gramps. It's no big deal,"** replied back Gary with a few grunts as the healing process hurt, the bones fixing themselves. He was going to tell the truth, but stopped himself. He didn't want to start more crap with his rival. He just wanted it over and done with now so he could focus on getting Ilene back. When Lucario finished up, Gary thanked him. Ash glanced back at his old rival, surprised he didn't say anything. Gary looked at Ash, locking eyes with his childhood rival for a moment before giving him a curt nod. Ash returned the gesture with a nod of his own before facing forward again. Ilene glanced at Gary, not believing he didn't throw Ash under the bus, thinking she may have judged him too harshly before. The Queen quickly looked away so nobody can catch her looking at him.

" **Pikachu…"** The yellow mouse looked at his best friend. **"Start charging."**

" **PIKA!"** Pikachu jumped onto a thicker part of the railing and landed on all fours. His lightning shaped tail stood up straight as his cheeks started sparking. He drew in energy from the electrical currents in the air, absorbing it using his electric sacks in his cheeks and into his body using his tail.

" **Ash? What's Pikachu doing?"** asked Dawn in concern.

" **He's getting ready for battle. He's absorbing the electrical energy in the air to give him a boost…to use his full power,"** he replied simply. Dawn nodded in understanding and so did several others as they too were wondering why the yellow mouse was doing that.

" **Allow us to help,"** said Serena but Ash shook his head.

" **No. I'm sorry Serena. The gloves are off and I don't want any of you in the cross fire. When I said no mercy and no holding back, I meant it. This is something I have to do, to atone for my mistakes. My pokémon are going to fight viciously now with no remorse just like they did when the stadium was attacked…and so will I,"** explained Ash, his last words scaring some of his friends.

The oldest Sensational Sister moved closer to him. **"Aren't you going too far?"** asked Daisy Waterflower with worry making Ash look at her. She didn't want him to do something rash that could cause something bad for him in the future.

The raven haired guardian looked into her eyes, seeing the concern in them for him. He didn't want to upset her but he had to do this. **"No Daisy. I gave them a chance. I warned them after they attacked and hurt your sister Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Anabel, Sarah and…Leaf…and now they've kidnapped her and Joy after attacking them and Richie and hurt him. A man needs to keep his word. And as an Aura Guardian, it's my duty and job as one to keep the balance and punish those who have wronged others. There will be absolutely no mercy shown or given to them after they decided to not heed my warning. Even if they beg for their lives…"** trailed off Ash. He kept his gaze on Daisy for a moment until she nodded in understanding and he dropped his gaze, looking at the blue cap again.

Everyone was at a loss of words on how to respond to that. No one had ever seen this side of Ash before. Even his angered and drunken outbursts from last night seemed to be nothing compared to his serious yet calm attitude towards what he was going to do. Delia was scared at what she heard her son say and she was about to go to him and talk some sense into him. She took a step to him but was then held back by Oak. She looked at him with a confused expression but Oak just sighed sadly before speaking.

" **You know this Delia,"** started Oak and everyone besides Ash and his pokémon turned their attention to them. **"Some people…are just evil. And no matter how many chances you give them or all the things you do to try and help them…they won't ever change. They either need to be locked up for good or if they insist on it, end their pitiful lives,"** explained Oak. Delia gasped at what he said and it took a good while before she understood. She nodded sadly as she knew it was true.

Some people were in disbelief that they heard such words from the world famous Pokémon Professor. They had always envisioned him as a kind person and one who would always use words to settle conflicts. Dawn was especially surprised as she looked up to the kind professor because of his wisdom, poetry works and gentle nature. But now, he was justifying what Ash was going to do. She understood the reasons why and believed it as well but it still shocked her. Nobody knew what to do or what to say and so they just stood there in silence for a few minutes. But then Delia remembered something that Richie said and needed to know what happened.

" **Ash?"** asked Delia and her son turned to face his mother. **"What happened between you and Leaf? Richie said she confessed her feelings and kissed you? That you fought? What's been going on?"** Her questions made Ash sigh heavily and Richie grimaced a bit. He didn't mean to spill all that out in his anger but it was too late now. Everyone turned their attention to the raven haired guardian waiting for him to answer with some worried, some curious and others were pissed. The families of the girls had their eyes narrowed at him.

" **I don't know if this is the right time or not but looks like I have no choice. Leaf confessed to me a couple things after I beat the Skull Brothers the first time,"** started Ash. He told them what she told him, making them stunned over what they found out. **"I didn't know about that and when she told me I became angry that she had betrayed my and the girls' trust, that she took advantage of me. That's why I left yesterday without a word."** Several people had comprehending looks form their faces as they now understood why he left without saying anything. Daisy Waterflower felt both angry over what Leaf did and sad that Ash was hurt. She glanced at Misty and saw her with watery eyes but she wasn't crying. She turned back to look at the guardian when he spoke again. **"I needed time alone to think and I ended up going to Club Indigo. I ran into some old friends…"** He gestured towards Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Sabrina and Giselle. **"And many from our group came when they found out I was there. We danced and drank, having a good time. Then…"** Ash sighed and shook his head. Now that he had to explain what had happened, he felt like a total asshole and a damn prick for behaving so rottenly. The parents became angered, hearing that they had been drinking, glancing at their children and the others before looking at Ash again. He continued and told them everything that happened until he left the club. **"She chased after me. We argued and fought again outside before our friends got involved as well. I didn't listen to anyone, hurting Gary and Clair. I even hurt and scared Queen Ilene."** When he said that last statement, everyone glanced at the three mentioned. They saw them staring at Ash with their eyes wide in surprise that he admitted that before snapping their attention back to Ash when he spoke again. **"I'm so sorry for that. I understand if you don't forgive me,"** apologized Ash to the three, looking at them with a sorrow filled face. They were frozen still from his apology in front of everyone. **"At the end of the night I told everyone I wanted to be alone as I was tired of everything and left after promising I'll come back in the morning. I came back to get the girls and leave the tournament, to go back to the island I've been staying at. Well, that was the plan at first, but not anymore…"** Ash finished explaining and looked away back towards the horizon, hanging his head, ashamed of what he did now.

The group of people were silent, half of them processing the new information and the other half waiting anxiously for their reaction. Misty, Dawn, Serena and May were scared as they didn't know how their families would respond. Cynthia, Sarah and Anabel were giving Ash looks of sadness, both at what he had done and that he had to deal with realizing how he made terrible mistakes. Sabrina became teary eyed, not liking one bit that he was feeling so many mixed emotions. Clair was dumbstruck that he confessed his mistakes in front of the whole group. Liza was also surprised at him revealing what he had done, but it also made her believe more in the fact that he was a real man since he was owning up to his mistakes. Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle were feeling horrible for what he was going through but also had their respect for him grow since he had admitted to doing wrong, making them feel something strongly inside. Daisy Waterflower felt absolutely horrible seeing him so depressed. Ilene felt badly in seeing her Knight in so much grief.

Nobody moved or made a sound for a while until Delia walked towards her son with a determined look on her face. When she reached him, she grabbed his shoulder, whirled him around and did something she had never done before. She slapped him hard across the face, making the raven haired guardian stumble back without a sound. He was expecting someone to hit him, yell at him or do something but wasn't expecting it to be his own mother. The entire group, from his friends, to the parents, even his pokémon, was speechless at what she just did. Ash balanced himself out and stood up again yet he kept his gaze towards the floor. He knew he deserved that and perhaps more.

" **Look at me,"** she said in a dangerously calm voice. He slowly raised his head to look into his mother's eyes. **"Remember the promise you made to me? Don't let the bad things keep you down and to not let it control you? To not leave anyone behind? Remember?"** she asked. After a few seconds, Ash slowly nodded his head. **"Are you sorry for you did?"**

" **I am Mom. I feel horrible about everything. I'm so sorry for what I did,"** responded Ash as he looked down again.

" **I believe you,"** said Delia. She turned to the others. **"We will not bring this up for any reason. Ash, the girls and Leaf will handle this between themselves in a civilized manner afterwards. Am I understood?"** asked Delia in a calm voice but the way she was looking at them all made them not even dare to not agree, not even the girls' parents and sisters. She faced her son again. **"Now, you'll make it up to Clair, Gary and Ilene after this is all done. Did I make myself clear?"** Ash agreed without hesitation and promised he will make it up to them. **"Good. Now, what is the plan?"** she asked him.

" **I'm working on it. But, Mewtwo, can you please get one of the potion kits from home?"** he asked the legendary psychic and he nodded. A second later, a box appeared in front of Ash. He opened it and took out several medicine bottles. He then went to Richie and handed him five of them. **"Use these full restores on your pokémon."** Richie was at first stupefied from receiving the very expensive medicine but then he got out of his stupor. He brought out his pokémon and started applying the restorative potions onto his pokémon. His Raichu was quickly defrosted and he along with his other pokémon were soon back to full strength, looking even better than before. As Richie did that, Ash closed the box, picked it up and walked over to his purple haired friend and handed it to her who tilted her head. **"I owed you for when you healed Lucario with your potion remember?"**

" **But this is too much Ash and I only used one. I can't accept this,"** replied back Iris, trying to give the expensive and rare potions back to him but Ash just shook his head.

" **It's alright Iris. You keep it. It may come in handy one day. There are five more in here and I have more back home,"** he said, making her and several others eyes widen that he had more. They were very costly and that was why very few places sold them since they were the pinnacle of medicine technology for healing pokémon on the go.

" **You should send a message Ash,"** suggested Mewtwo after a moment of silence to his friend who thought about it before he agreed. **"Do you know what you're going to say?"** The raven haired guardian said he did and he returned to the railings. The purple feline lowered himself and stood beside his friend. He placed his three digit hand on Ash's shoulder before his eyes glowed blue. What happened next made them all cry out in shock as a thundering voice echoed across the sky as if spoken from the heavens above…

The tall and well built Champion of Kanto was sitting on his couch in the living room, enjoying his breakfast as he watched the morning news on the flat screen TV that was hung on the wall in front of him. The same old stuff was being said as the anchor gave out the news; the stadium attack, Ash Ketchum being an Aura Guardian, the tournament results so far with some replays shown, etc. Lance became bored and was about to change the channel when his door bell was rang. He got up and went to see who it was. When he opened it, he saw it was the Champion of Kalos. **"Good morning Diantha. Come in,"** he said, moving aside to allow her in.

" **Morning Lance and thanks,"** she replied, walking in. **"How are you doing?"** she asked him.

He closed the door and gestured to the couches and breakfast on the table. She reached over and took a biscuit. **"Alright I guess. Thank you,"** he replied, sitting down and so did she. **"And yourself? What brings you here? Not that I'm complaining of course,"** he said with a small smile.

She smiled a bit. **"Doing well, thanks. Well the board meeting is still going on but during their break, one of the members sent me a message. It looks like…"** A breaking new report was mentioned on the news suddenly, catching their attention, making both of them turn to look at it.

" **THIS JUST IN. WE'VE JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT ASH KETCHUM, AKA THE BLUE SPIRIT, WAS SEEN INSIDE CLUB INDIGO LAST NIGHT AND WAS CAUSING QUITE A SCENE. THAT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE NEWS BUT LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT HIM; FROM EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS WHO CALLED IN, THEY SAID THAT HE DANCED WITH OVER TEN GIRLS, SEVERAL OF WHICH ARE FAMOUS AND WELL KNOWN IN THE WORLD, DRANK HEAVILY, STARTED A FIGHT IN THE CLUB BEFORE FINALLY LEAVING AFTER MAKING HIS FIFTH ROUND MATCH UP OPPONENT, LEAF GREEN, CRY AND CHASE AFTER HIM WHEN HE LEFT. STAY TUNED TO HEAR MORE ONCE WE GET AN UPDATE AND CONFIRM ALL OF THIS. CONTINUING ON TO SPORTS, WE HAVE-"**

Lance turned off the TV. He and Diantha looked at one another. The information surprised them both. They couldn't believe what they just heard. There's no way Ash would've done that…could he? Lance and Diantha were lost in thought when his Poketch rang. He didn't hear it until the third ring and hurriedly picked it up. **"This is Lance…Yes I just saw it too…I don't know…alright, I'll meet you there as I'm going to fly there."** Lance turned to Diantha after he hung up. **"That was Steven. He was asking if I saw the news. He said to meet him at Ash's hotel. We need to see if this is true and do some damage control if it is,"** he told her, standing up.

Diantha was surprised at what he was saying and what he had agreed to. **"Lance, I'm impressed. Have you finally started moving on enough to actually go out of your way to help him?"** she asked him, making him go red but he didn't respond. **"Silent as always when you're embarrassed,"** she remarked, letting out a giggle. He gave her a curious look, wondering how she knew that about him. She stood up. **"C'mon. Let's go help out our fellow Champion's boyfriend,"** she said with a smile.

It took a few seconds for Lance to snap out of his thoughts and he nodded. He led her to the balcony and tossed out his Dragonite's poke ball and his friend greeted him. **"Dragonite; we have some business to attend to at the Hotel."** Dragonite allowed Lance and Diantha to climb onto his back before shooting into the air. The Kalos Champion had pink circles on her cheeks, but was feeling good at having him sit behind her and press up against her since there wasn't much room on his pokémon. As they flew, Lance was heating up from feeling her against him as well. _Why am I feeling like this? And how does she know that thing about me?_ Both stayed silent as his pokémon flew towards their destination. With Dragonite's impressive speed, they were already covered half the distance when a loud booming voice was heard from the sky itself. That made Dragonite stop and hover in his spot in the air with both Lance and Diantha listening with widened eyes since they knew who that voice belonged to…

" **I feel better now."** That was the only thing that Edmond said after he finished violating Natasha and buttoned up his pants as he glanced at her. She was on the floor, barely breathing. She was groaning and whizzing in pain with many cuts along with black and blue bruises all over her body. His brothers had cut her and beaten her to within an inch of her life as he raped her. **"By the way whore, I have a message from Giovanni for you."** She couldn't make a sound but opened her eye. **"He says you're done and he has no room for weak people like you. "** He laughed, seeing her close her eye again and let out tears. **"Make sure she's comfy,"** said Edmond after spitting on her, prior to disappearing up the stairs. His brothers quickly tied her up again before leaving her on the cold floor.

When Edmond reached upstairs, he noticed a glow in the corner. He glanced towards the area and saw the red head's poke balls disappear. He smirked, knowing what had happened. _Giovanni must have had them be recalled. Looks like the bitch has been completely cut off like he said._ He laughed a bit. As soon as Edwin and Edward reached upstairs to join their boss, the cabin's front door opened. Ed and Eddie walked in with Ed carrying a beautiful brunette girl over his shoulder while Eddie carried a beautiful pink haired girl. They dropped the two girls onto the floor without care and the impact woke them up.

" **Ugh…"** groaned Joy. She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She then noticed who was around her and she became immobilized with fear.

" **What…"** muttered Leaf, opening her eyes and slowly raised her head. She looked around and then became rigid like a board, noticing who was standing in front of her.

" **Hello girls,"** said Edward with an evil grin. Both Leaf and Joy yelped, moved toward each other and hugged one another, making the five bald men laugh at them.

" **Hey there gorgeous,"** said Edmond as he locked his eyes with Leaf. **"Looks like I do get to show you a good time,"** he said, his words coated with lust, making Leaf shudder. **"And hello to you too sexy,"** he added, turning to the other girl. **"I'm sure we'll get to know each other well,"** he told Joy who shivered. **"We'll have some fun soon enough but first my brothers and I need to discuss something. Edwin, Edward; take these two to the basement to be with our other guest."**

Edwin grabbed Leaf while Edward grabbed Joy and both girls immediately started to struggle against their grip while shouting at them to let them go. But then Edmond punched both Leaf and Joy in the stomach hard, making them stop instantly as it was so painful and took their breath away. The two brothers took the now stilled girls down to the basement. Edwin flung Leaf onto the wood table making the brunette cry out in pain. The Skull Brother quickly tied her hands and feet with durable rope, tightening it so much that it dug into her skin, making her grit her teeth as her eyes began to water. He picked her up again and then dropped her onto the ground without care. Edward did the same to Joy. He tied up her hands and feet before dropping her onto the floor as well.

" **Enjoy the floor until it's time for your welcome party,"** laughed Edwin before heading back upstairs with Edward leaving Leaf and Joy to wallow in sadness and fear before they started to cry.

" **Richie…where are you?"** whispered Joy as she let out silent tears.

" **Ash…please find us,"** whispered Leaf with tears going down her cheeks

" **Save…your breath."** Leaf and Joy stopped crying abruptly and looked around frantically for the hoarse voice that said that. Both of them struggled a bit before they were able to turn their bodies to the other side and what they saw made them let out a startled cry. A red headed woman was tied up on the floor naked and was covered with many injuries and wounds all over her body. Her nose was broken and her left eye was swollen shut. There was dried blood all over her. The right eye was barely open and was locked onto Leaf and Joy.

" **Oh my god!"** cried out Joy.

" **What…happened…to you?"** gasped Leaf.

" **Them,"** said the woman hoarsely. Leaf and Joy had to strain their ears to be able to hear her as her voice was so low. Each time the poor red head spoke, she felt sharp sting like pain in her throat. **"Raped me…beat…me…same…to...you…"** That revelation shocked and scared the two girls before everything just hit them at once. That was when they realized that they too were going to be raped and beaten, possibly even killed. That nobody knew where they were taken to. That they were never going to see their friends and family again. Joy was never going to see Richie again and she wondered how he would feel once he realized that he had failed them. Leaf thought how she would never again see Ash and would never be able to fix things between them. Both the pink haired girl and the brunette started sobbing, realizing that everything that they loved, liked or even took for granted…was now out of their reach forever.

Back upstairs in the living room, the five brothers were talking. **"So what do you think boss? Both girls have amazing bodies huh?"** asked Ed as he gleefully rubbed his hands together. He and his four brothers grinned darkly, standing in the living room.

" **Yes, good going Ed. I'm going to enjoy my time with the brunette since she belongs to the Guardian. Revenge is going to be sweet. And the other one ain't bad either,"** laughed Edmond. **"But we must be careful. I'm surprised you were even able to take them."**

" **They weren't with the Guardian at the time. They were with another punk kid who tried to hold us up as they ran for it but it was nothing we couldn't handle. The pink haired girl looks like the local Nurse Joy,"** explained Eddie.

" **I see. Hmmm. Nurse Joy you say? She will definitely be fun. Slutty nurse fantasy anyone?"** he joked, laughing with his brothers before becoming serious again. **"But how I'm going to enjoy ravaging the brunette, knowing she's the Guardian's. Oh, I have many plans set in store to make him suffer. But we must be careful now. He's probably looking for her as we speak. He is stronger than what we first believed and witnessed. We need to prepare,"** remarked Edmond and his brothers agreed. Before any of them could say anything else however, they all heard a powerful voice that seemed to come from the sky itself through the open windows. They were frozen by it and could do nothing but listen to it.

" **THIS IS AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM SPEAKING TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CAN HEAR THIS MESSAGE. TWO GIRLS, WHOSE NAMES ARE LEAF AND JOY, HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE VILE GROUP THAT CALL THEMSELVES THE SKULL BROTHERS. MY POKÉMON ARE SEARCHING FOR THEM RIGHT NOW AND ARE AUTHORIZED TO USE FORCE IF NECESSARY. DO NOT GET IN THEIR WAY. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT MAY HELP ME FIND THEM, PLEASE COME TO THE INDIGO PLATEAU HOTEL AND SPEAK WITH MY FRIENDS IN THE LOBBY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION."**

There was silence for a moment before Ash's manifested voice was heard speaking again.

" **THESE NEXT WORDS ARE FOR THE SKULL BROTHERS. LISTEN CAREFULLY. I WARNED YOU BEFORE AND GAVE YOU A CHANCE. YOU HAVE DECIDED TO NOT CHANGE YOUR WAYS AND HAVE CROSSED THE LINE. I WARNED YOU OF WHAT WILL COME IF YOU CONTINUE DOWN THIS PATH. IF YOU DON'T RELEASE THEM BY THE TIME I FIND WHERE YOU'RE HIDING, THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY. ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY WILL BE SHOWN OR GIVEN IF EITHER OF THEM HAS EVEN THE SLIGHTEST SCRATCH ON THEM. IF THEY ARE HURT IN ANY WAY OR FORM, I WILL USE MY FULL POWER ON YOU AND NOT EVEN ARCEUS HIMSELF WILL BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU."**

Ash's voice faded away once more before his voice was heard for the last time.

" **LEAF…JOY…IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS…STAY STRONG…I'M COMING FOR YOU."**

After that last message, the thundering voice faded away for good. A little while later and many different things occurred at once. Lance, Diantha and his Dragonite were stupefied in the air for a couple moments from hearing Ash's message before recomposing themselves and continued towards the hotel. Alder and Steven were frozen in the middle of the road that led to the hotel. They quickly recovered after it finished and ran to the hotel. Officer Jenny, who was enjoying her day off from patrolling Indigo Lake, was driving to the market when she heard the message. She quickly changed her course without hesitation and sped up to the hotel. The Kanto reporter Britney Snow heard the message and quickly packed up her stuff and had her camera man drive their van to the hotel as fast as possible from Victory Road as they were there for a story about new pokémon appearing in the area.

Many people who heard the message were calling news channels and newspaper companies from all over. Several were making their way to the hotel. Many others who decided to not get involved were shocked to see powerful pokémon combing through the Indigo Plateau forest, the nearby rivers, lakes, caves and many others were seen flying through the sky. The Skull Brothers glanced at one another with shock in their eyes before Edmond quickly gave them orders.

" **Ed, board up the windows! Eddie, get our equipment ready and get the traps set! Edwin, make sure the pokémon are healed and ready to go! Edward, move the brunette and nurse to the upstairs bedrooms and make sure they can't move! I'm going to get our weapons ready!"**

Ed went to the large walk in closet that was filled with supplies. He took out a hammer, a box of nails and several thin but large planks of wood before heading out and started hammering away to board up the windows. Eddie went to the den where their duffel bags were. He opened them up and took out several high grade military equipment; thermal goggles, binoculars, some small explosives, several bulletproof vests and military grade protective clothing. He made sure none of the explosives were damaged so he could set them up properly. Edwin went to the dining room and pushed the table to one side and placed all of their pokémon's poke balls onto the table. Then, one by one, he called them out and looked them over for any injuries. Whether he found any or not, he still applied potions on them and gave each of them an energy boosting pill that heightened their strengths to make sure they were in fighting shape. Edward went downstairs to get the two girls and take them upstairs to separate them.

Edmond went to several cases that were piled up against the living room wall. He opened up the top one and took out several large and sharp machetes that were inside their sheaths that had a belt strap on it. He placed them on the small coffee table after inspecting each one for sharpness. He then opened another case and pulled out an automatic rifle and checked over the scope, the trigger, the magazine and laser sight. Seeing everything was in order, he went to another box, opened it and took out a smaller box of ammunition. He ejected the empty magazine and started placing the bullets into it. When finished, he attached the magazine to the rifle and then lowered the small lever on the side to put the rifle's safety on. He then did the same thing four more times with four more rifles that he pulled out of the cases.

Leaf, Joy and the red head were in the basement in silence. They weren't able to hear Ash's message from the sky since they were in the basement, the door was closed and the only window that let in some light was shut. It was a pretty thick window too, since the original owners of the cabin had upgraded it to prevent pokémon from easily breaking and entering the place. The two girls were whimpering, lying on the cold hard floor of the basement. They had no idea where they were but knew what was coming for them. They were scared out of their minds and didn't know what to do or think. After a moment, they both glanced at one another and thought the same thing; they had to find a way out and they couldn't give up yet. They looked around the basement with blurred visions, the water in their eyes not helping them, hoping to find something they could use.

" **No…use…tried…"** came the hoarse and weak voice of the red headed woman when she noticed the two girls looking around for something to help them out. Leaf and Joy focused their attention back onto her.

" **There has to be a way out,"** replied Leaf, her voice slightly high pitched because of her fear but the red head barely shook her head.

" **What's your name?"** asked Joy and the red head looked at them for a moment before answering.

" **Na…tash…a."**

" **Natasha?"** asked Joy and she nodded very slowly.

" **Natasha, I'm Leaf and that's Joy. Just hang on okay? We'll find a way out."** Leaf told the red head trying to give her hope but the woman didn't respond back. She merely closed her one good eye, letting out a single tear and took a deep rattling breath before coughing out a little bit of blood. She was in so much pain because she was suffering from numerous injuries and wounds. Leaf looked at her with concern and so did Joy as she looked to be in very bad shape. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs that made all three girls hold their breath with their hearts beating wildly. Next thing that she knew, Leaf was picked up off the basement floor and flung over someone's shoulder. **"LET ME GO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"** shouted Leaf but Edward paid her no mind and took her upstairs.

" **LEEAAAFFFF!"** screamed Joy but didn't hear anything in return as the two disappeared upstairs and the basement door closed. Joy began crying again and the red head closed her eye and remained quiet, thinking that the brunette would soon go through what she had…

" **LET ME GO! STOP!"** shouted Leaf but Edward ignored her. He moved through the cabin towards the second floor. Leaf saw something from the corner of her eyes and glanced in that direction, becoming frozen in horror as a result.

She saw one of them with a bulletproof vest on, looking over some bombs. She knew what they were, having played enough video games to know how they looked and what they are. She then saw another one placing bullets into a magazine. The sight of them preparing their weapons and equipment made Leaf widen her eyes and become deathly silent, startled from the shock of seeing them with dangerous things. Edward continued upstairs and entered one of the bedrooms. He flung Leaf onto the bed, who let out a cry of pain as her head hit the headboard. Edward quickly took out some rope and his switchblade. He cut the binds on her hands and while she was dazed from her head injury, he tied one end of the rope around her wrist and the other he tied to the bed post in the corner. He repeated this three more times with her other hand and feet. He then gagged her mouth with a cloth and tightly tied it behind her head. Leaf felt like her mouth was being stretched from the tight binding. He also blindfolded her and tied that tightly behind her head as well.

" **That ought to keep you from causing trouble,"** commented Edward when he finished. He looked at the defenseless girl in front of him and smirked, taking in her looks. He grabbed her breasts, making Leaf scream out against the unwanted touching but the gag kept her from making any loud sounds. Edward slapped her to shut her up and laughed. He then pulled out a knife and applied it against her right cheek. Leaf stopped moving immediately the instant she felt the cold metal against her face. He slowly grazed the knife against her soft cheek and a small cut was made, bleeding a bit. Leaf kept silent and still, even though it hurt, scared that if she did anything he might do something worse. **"That's a good slut. Don't worry my pet. You'll get much more soon enough. After we kill your boyfriend who's looking for you as we speak. Hehehe. He'll never see it coming. But perhaps we should get you a little ready for the party later on,"** said Edward. He lowered his knife and began cutting straight down her top and skirt, before tearing them off, revealing her black undergarments. He licked his lips and caressed her body again, making the brunette girl whimper and struggle a bit more. He snickered and slapped her again. **"I know you want it, but you must be patient bitch."** This time he punched her in the stomach, making her take in a sharp breath. He then left the room to deal with the nurse as well.

Leaf was completely lost in fear and hopelessness. When he mentioned that they were going to kill Ash when he came for her, it made her mind race a mile a minute. Her heart began beating like mad, worried about her situation but also at the fact that her nightmare might come true. The nightmare she saw where the Skull Brothers killed the love of her life right in front of her. She couldn't do anything about it and didn't know what to do. But then she thought that Ash doesn't know where she is and how could he even find her? Or was the evil man just toying with her? And they were going to abuse her and violate her. She didn't know what to think or believe. She felt extremely cold all of sudden, both inside from all she was dreading that might happen to them all and outside since he had torn most of her clothes off. All of her anxiety, hopelessness and fear led her to do the only thing she could do; she cried.

Back at the hotel, when the raven haired guardian finished his sky message, Mewtwo's eyes stopped glowing blue and Ash stumbled backwards a bit before finding his balance. He took several deep breaths before facing his friends who were looking at him with awe. **"I need your help,"** he told them and they quickly gathered around him.

" **Anything you need buddy,"** said Brock and the others agreed.

Ash nodded and stood up straight. **"Brock, Lucy, Cilan, Iris, Cress, Lily, Chili and Violet; I need you in the lobby to check who comes and who knows what. Gardevoir will go with you to bring up anyone who seems to have information and also to let me know if you need back up if people get rowdy."** His friends agreed and they quickly got their pokémon before the psychic fairy teleported them to the lobby of the hotel. He then turned to his mother. **"Mom, can you set up one of the empty rooms to be ready in case there are injuries? I don't want anyone at the infirmary downstairs or at the hospital if they need help and if it's not too severe. I'd rather they be here where they'll have people around all the time just in case,"** he told her.

" **I think I can. I'll need some help though, some supplies and equipment,"** said Delia and Ash turned to his Blissey.

" **Blissey, help my mom here with whatever she needs alright?"** he told his pokémon who agreed with a cry of her name. **"Mewtwo, can you teleport the medical supplies and equipment I have from back home to the room she chooses?"** Mewtwo nodded and Caroline, Joana and Grace offered to help her with that as well since they had some experience in that area too. The four mothers, Blissey and Mewtwo moved to one of the empty rooms. He then turned to face two of his friends.

" **Richie, Gary; Lucario may have healed your injuries but you're probably not back to a hundred percent. Please go sit or lie down and relax a bit,"** he requested but Richie and Gary glared at him. **"Gary, just do it. And Richie, I won't leave without you so just try to relax until we find them."** The two of them were about to argue back when they got glares from the others, they reluctantly agreed. Richie returned his pokémon after telling them to be ready to dish out some payback before heading into the living room with Gary so they could try to rest a little. Ash then turned to the rest. **"I know you can take care of yourselves but I want you to stay here no matter what unless you wish to go home."** His request made them scowl at him. **"Please do this for me. I cannot focus on the task at hand if I'm worrying if you are alright while searching. And I cannot guarantee your safety when I cannot use my aura for the time being and I have no idea what the Skull Brothers have planned,"** he admitted and the group became worried.

" **Wait, what do you mean?"** asked Shauna.

" **Why can't you use your aura?"** asked Lizabeth.

Ash sighed. **"Remember how I drank so much last night? Well, alcohol and poisons in great amounts can overwhelm aura and suppress it until my body expels it out naturally. That's why I had Mewtwo teleport my pokémon here instead of calling them with my aura,"** explained Ash.

" **But this would mean that you would be vulnerable and unable to fight,"** remarked Max, making Bonnie have a fearful look on her face.

" **That's right. You can't go in that condition,"** said Clemont and several people agreed with him.

" **No, I have to. And I can still fight and defend myself. I just won't be able to use aura to make a shield or anything like that,"** clarified Ash.

" **I don't know Ash. Even when you could use your aura to do incredible things, I still worried about you. But now that you can't use it for who knows how long, it's just going to make me worry even more,"** said May with a fearful tone in her voice with the girls voicing the same thing.

Ash shook his head. **"I get it. I really do, But please understand and there's no need to worry. I am still an accomplished fighter and I have my pokémon with me. I'll be fine. I just won't be able to both watch out for you and fight them at the same time,"** he said. Some of his friends understood what he was saying but the rest didn't want him to go alone, especially when unable to use his aura. They didn't want him to go in such a weakened state. The four girls hugged him, fearing for him.

" **Please don't go alone Ash,"** pleaded Daisy Waterflower but Ash just shook his head while in the hug after looking at her.

" **Let me at least come with you,"** stated Sabrina making everyone look at her. **"My pokémon may not be Champion level,"** she started, glancing at Cynthia who also looked at her. **"But they're strong and I can take care of myself with my psychic powers. I can help,"** she told Ash after looking at him again.

Before he could reply back, Cynthia spoke up. **"She's right Ash,"** making him look at her. **"No one can touch her if she doesn't want them to. She can help."**

Ash sighed but again shook his head. **"No."** He and the four girls separated and they were giving him looks that said he should let her go with him. **"I understand what they're saying,"** he told them. **"But I still wouldn't be able to."** He faced the psychic prodigy. **"I would still worry about you Sabrina. As I said before, I don't want anyone in the cross fire. Even you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to the people I care about, especially if it was because of me."** The dark haired girl had her heart beat quickly at what he just said.

The girls started talking at once. Telling him to rethink his decision before the Petalburg Gym Leader intervened. **"Stop."** The girls turned to him and he locked eyes with the brunette. **"Didn't you use to tell me that if there's ever one person to believe in, it would be Ash?"** asked Norman to his daughter. May nodded, red in the face at what her father just revealed in front of everyone. Ash smiled a bit when she turned to look at him. **"Then believe in him now."**

Riley stepped forward. **"Your father is right. And this is what he has decided to do and if he says that's what needs to be done, then we need to trust him,"** stated Riley, backing up Norman. Ash gave him a respectful look and Riley returned it. Some in the group were still unconvinced though.

" **They're both right and all of you should listen to them,"** said Clair suddenly and they all turned to her who had a serious look on her face even though her cheeks were slightly pink. **"No one has ever been able to surprise me and dismiss me as a challenge in a physical confrontation. I'm a black belt in several forms of hand to hand combat and Ash just completely dominated me in just a few seconds. No one, not even Bruno, was able to do that to me. I don't think you need to worry about him."** Hearing Clair admit that Ash is better than her in martial arts made several people gasp who knew her and heard her tournament wins in hand to hand combat. That was one thing that she prided herself on. That almost none could match or actually beat her in a fist fight. Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia were the ones who knew her best and that admittance showed that the gym leader had much respect towards the raven haired guardian. The others nodded once they understood that she was right.

" **Thank you Clair. And again I'm truly sorry for what I did last night. I promise to make it up to you. Anything you want after this ordeal and you got it,"** promised Ash.

Clair went pink, her imagination about to go into overdrive but then she stopped it and took back control, not allowing her mind to start daydreaming. She smiled a bit and just waved her hand. **"It's alright. I should've known better than to try and reason with a drunk and angry person who was also a strong fighter. I mean that was kind of foolish of me, especially after seeing what you did at the stadium attack. Just teach me some of your stuff and we'll call it even,"** replied Clair, keeping cool even though she was feeling hot all of a sudden.

Ash agreed saying he'll show her what he knows before he faced them all. **"I'll show all of you too. You need to learn to defend yourselves."** His group of friends agreed and Ash smiled a bit before it went away. **"If any of you want to go home, you're more than free to do so and I will have Mewtwo teleport you there. But if you go please stay there until I say it's alright and bring you back if you want to come back."** He was mostly directing this towards Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Sabrina, Clair and Liza since they weren't really staying with them. However, they and everyone else shook their heads and said that they were staying. A large Dragonite landed on the balcony suddenly. Lance and Diantha jumped down from his pokémon.

" **What the hell is going on Ash?"** asked Lance, while he and Diantha approached them.

" **We would like to know what's going on as well."** Everyone turned to the people entering the balcony. It was Alder and Steven who spoke. His friends met them in the lobby and had Gardevoir teleport them to the living room.

" **Just like you heard,"** started Ash. **"Leaf and Joy have been kidnapped by a group called the Skull Brothers and my pokémon are out searching for her."**

Lance's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to do something, like call the G-Men and the local police. But then he stopped himself when he saw Diantha looking at him. The way she was looking at him made him rethink what he wanted to do. After a moment, he made up his mind. He looked at Ash, seeing him give him a serious look. **"I see. Alright. What do you need from us?"** asked Lance without hesitation.

Ash was momentarily stunned and so was everyone else. Lance was asking him what he wanted to do. That was a first. Cynthia gave Lance a look of disbelief while Diantha was smiling at her fellow Champion She thought that he was beginning to realize that he doesn't have all the answers all the time and should follow instead of leading sometimes. She saw a hint of his past self in that instant and she also noticed how he was struggling within himself. Ash thought about what they could to do help. At that moment, Mewtwo teleported beside him after helping the mothers get the room ready in case it was required. He barely acknowledged the new arrivals. **"Alright. Lance could you…"**

" **ASH!"** shouted Gardevoir as she teleported to him and they faced her. **"There's a news reporter by the name of Britney Snow along with an Officer Jenny here wanting to talk to you."**

" **Damn it…I don't want to deal with that now…"** sighed Ash.

" **We'll handle it,"** said Diantha, stepping forward and looked at Lance who caught her gaze. He agreed.

" **Thanks you two. Gardevoir, can you take them with you please?"** he asked her and the three of them vanished after Lance returned Dragonite. **"Alder, Steven; could one of you check the stadium and the other check the club?"** asked Ash. The two Champions answered by bringing out their pokémon. Steven brought out his Metagross and Alder brought out his Braviary and the two climbed onto their pokémon before flying to their destinations.

" **What should we do?"** asked Giselle, wanting to help Ash in some way and so did everyone else who stepped forward to show that.

" **I don't know…I can't think of anything else that we should do at the moment…And I only had the Champions help in the search because I don't need to worry about them,"** replied Ash and they understood.

" **I do Master,"** remarked Lucario and they turned to him. He moved away from Pikachu who was still absorbing the electricity from the air. He had a faint glowing yellow outline around him right now. **"I can try expelling out the alcohol from your body so you can have use of your aura."**

" **No Lucario. That would leave both of us at less than hundred percent. I'd rather you be at full strength,"** replied Ash but then Riley cut in saying he'll do it but again Ash denied the offer. **"No Riley; you can't do that. Your priority is to protect Queen Ilene at all times and in case something happens."**

Riley sighed but nodded and Ilene felt guilty at that moment. She had insulted him last night, calling him many names, saying he was immature but he was still making sure that she was protected. He had admitted in front of everyone what he did and apologized for it. She felt like such an idiot. She didn't think she deserved to be a Queen at that moment since she felt sullen over what she did. She wanted to apologize for her actions so badly that she didn't even realize what she was moving. The raven haired guardian turned to face the Queen of Rota in time for her to wrap him up into a deep hug. **"I'm so sorry Ash!"** cried Ilene, with everyone watching. **"You don't have to do anything to make it up to me! I forgive you even though you're not fully at fault! I'm so sorry for insulting you and slapping you last night! I'm sorry for taking your title away! Please forgive me but if you don't, I understand! You just wanted the best for me and I ended up hurting you! I'm so sorry! I should've listened to you! I shouldn't have said the things I said! Please be my Knight of my kingdom again!"** she cried, letting tears out.

Ilene's admittance made all the ones there stare open mouthed at her, not believing what just happened. Some smiled a bit, including the four girls. They were glad to see that she was owning up to her own mistakes too and forgiving Ash as well. Others were neutral while a handful was a little ticked off. Some of the girls who had feelings for Ash were pissed at Ilene suddenly, remembering how she hurt him. Daisy Waterflower however, was behind angry. Ash told everyone what he did and said, but he had his reasons and he was drunk. She couldn't believe how a queen of all people could've done something like that and could hurt him like that at all. She narrowed her eyes on the young queen. They kept silent though, not saying anything.

Ash was stunned at her apology and grief. After her words, he reciprocated her hug and rubbed her back a bit before separating. He looked at her and gave a small smile. **"It's alright Queen Ilene. Don't worry about it. I will be your Knight again, but only if I'm able to do what I need to do now first,"** he told her.

Ilene didn't say a word but nodded slightly with tears going down her cheeks. Riley went up to her. **"Come my Queen. You should sit down and relax a bit,"** he suggested and she allowed him to move her to one of the lounge chairs before sitting down. Ash went to the rails while the group waited patiently and quietly for Mewtwo to tell them of any update. The raven haired guardian kept his gaze over the horizon, the blue cap still in his hands.

A lone person went back inside but went to his bedroom. He plopped down onto his bed. He placed his head into his hands and let out a sigh, trying to calm down since he was shivering. Gary had seen the entire event occur between Ilene and Ash. He felt his heart beating like crazy, fear engulfing him. He saw the way she hugged him, they way she spoke to him, how she was crying and revealing her emotions to him. At that moment he had realized that she might be harboring feelings for him. He let out some involuntary tears. He raised his head, surprised at himself, seeing the tear marks on his palms. _I'm…I'm crying?_ He couldn't believe it. More tears escaped from his eyes and slid down his cheeks. That's when he understood. He was upset and afraid that he may lose the only girl he had ever fallen in love with. He hung his head, slouching over while sitting on his bed and just allowed the tears to come out. _Please Ilene, don't pick him. Don't pick Ash. Please give me a chance. Please…pick me._

Ash's pokémon were all over the place, doing their absolute best to not let down their trainer and best friend. Two of those pokémon, Charizard and Garchomp, were flying through the air over the edge of the forest that was next to the mountainous areas. There were some small cabins along that area since people liked the fresh air, views and closeness to different habits for training and to actually live there. Both of them flew down and landed on the ground. They spotted a few trainers who were in the middle of their training sessions. Ignoring their interested looks, Charizard and Garchomp moved through the area as they checked every single inch of the place. They peered through the windows of the cabins and saw either nothing or a few people watching TV or having breakfast.

" **Charizard! Garchomp! I challenge you to a battle!"** said one of the trainers who was a young male in his teens dressed like a traveler while his pokémon, a Dewgong and Bastiodon, took up battle positions in front of them. Charizard and Garchomp ignored the challenge as they kept up their search, angering the young trainer. **"Don't ignore me! Ice Beam and Ancient Power!"**

Dewgong fired a bluish white beam of icy energy at Garchomp while Bastiodon had boulders materialize out of nowhere and launched them at Charizard. Both attacks hit the two dragons and brought up smoke from the attacks making contact. The smoke soon cleared to show two very pissed off dragons who were now snarling at the young trainer and his two pokémon who took a couple steps back in fear.

" **Ah…hehe. Sorry?"** said the teenaged trainer timidly. Both Charizard and Garchomp stomped towards the two pokémon and right when they were in front of them, they each let out a point blank roar that was so loud and terrifying that it caused the Dewgong and Bastiodon to faint from fright and the young trainer to back away. Seeing how the three acted, the two dragons scoffed and shook their heads before going back to their search. They looked around a bit more before deciding that the area had nothing and took off into the sky again. Both Charizard and Garchomp sent a mental message to the legendary purple pokémon to update Ash on what they've been doing.

Jolteon, Espeon and Leafeon were sprinting through the main paved roads around the Indigo Plateau. They were looking for any weird behavior or out of place things. They passed several travelers on the road and they quickly checked on them but saw that they were nothing at all similar to the images they were shown from their Ash's memories. Even if they were in disguise, Espeon was quickly scanning their minds to see if they knew anything or were hiding something. The three pokémon kept going, following the modern path.

" **Hey!"** The three stopped, turning their gaze to the right and saw a boy and girl with blue hair. A Typhlosion and Feraligatr were standing beside the two. **"Are you Ash's pokémon?"** asked the girl. The three glanced at one another before they looked at the two again. Espeon nodded. The girl turned to the boy. **"See, I told you,"** said the blunette and the boy just shrugged before he spoke.

" **You guys need any help?"** asked the boy. Espeon shook her head before glancing at Jolteon and Leafeon beside her. The three Eevee evolutions nodded at one another before they continued down the path. **"Good luck!"** called out the two. The boy turned to the girl. **"We should hurry to the hotel."**

The blunette nodded. **"You're right. The hotel is still far away but hopefully we'll get there in time to be able to help out,"** she said. The two trainers and their pokémon hurried down the paved road towards the hotel.

Steelix and Serperior were slithering through a mostly open path that was in between the forest and the river that flowed from the top of the nearby mountain down all the way through Victory Road. Gyarados was swimming through the river next to them. The three of them were looking around as they made their way down their chosen direction. They kept their eyes peeled for anything that could give them a clue. Steelix was feeling the vibrations through the ground as he made his way. He had come to recognize his comrades each individual vibration causing frequencies as they moved over and under land and knew that they were searching a little away from them. He used their known frequencies to check if there were any differences in the vibrations he felt in the ground. No two pokémon had the same ones even if from the same species as every single one moved differently in way or another, no matter how slight it was. Serperior was using her incredibly flexible body to curl around and underneath all the trees and bushes in case something was hidden. Gyarados was looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary in the river and along the banks. The three of them saw smoke in the distance and quickened their pace to it.

They came across a small camp that consisted of two female trainers and two male trainers who were lounging around with a couple of their pokémon out among them. Seeing the three powerful snake like pokémon appear made the four trainers and their pokémon jump to their feet, expecting a fight. However what happened next made them furrow their brows in confusion and stay rooted to their spots. Gyarados stopped in the river right in front of them, glaring at them. Steelix encircled their camp with his long steel hard body. They thought that they would be attacked but then they saw Serperior slither closer and peer into their tents, making them tilt their heads. They saw her check both of their tents before facing the other two pokémon and shook her head. Steelix moved back to the path between the forest and river. Gyarados lined up with the river, ready to go while Serperior moved closer to the four trainers and their pokémon. She raised her head a bit and then nodded at them before heading towards the tree line.

" **Wait!"** shouted one of the girls and the three pokémon glanced back at her. **"You're Ash Ketchum's pokémon right and you're looking for his friends?"** she asked them and the three pokémon nodded their heads. **"How can we help?"** she asked them. Serperior raised her tail and shook it before pointing at herself, her comrades, then at their pokémon before drawing it across her neck and then slamming her tail against the ground hard. The four trainers and their pokémon gulped, understanding the grass snake. **"I see. An ugly fight will most likely happen. I wish you luck in finding them."** The three pokémon didn't reply but continued on their search. Serperior disappeared into the edge of the tree line, Steelix continued down the open path and Gyarados swam through the river. The three pokémon sent mental messages to Mewtwo of their status and what they encountered so far.

" **How did you know they belonged to the Guardian?"** asked one of the guys as the four of them sat back down. **"They could have been wild."**

" **No way,"** she commented back. **"Who else would have such powerful pokémon working together so effectively? Did you see how they each knew their place and how they should act? Gyarados kept our attention on it, Steelix trapped us, preventing us from fleeing or help reaching us easily and Serperior quickly checked through our stuff."**

" **It's a good thing we didn't over react and they left after checking for his friends,"** commented the second girl. Three of them nodded in agreement but the fourth, the second guy didn't agree.

" **I don't feel right about it. I mean who is he to just send his pokémon out like that and check on us? We've done nothing wrong and isn't that just irresponsible and disrespectful of him to just do that? I don't care what happened, he has no right to intrude on our privacy like that,"** stated the fourth guy. His comments made the other three think a bit.

" **You have a point but to a certain degree,"** said the first girl and he gave her a look that said she was crazy. **"He is an Aura Guardian. They have every right and he's doing everything he can to find the people he cares about. I'm sure you would do the same. And we're kind of in a public place, out in the forest. Not much privacy guaranteed here. And his pokémon acted professionally and effectively. They didn't attack nor did they damage any of our belongings. All they did was check. Nothing wrong with that. I think you're just jealous that his pokémon are well trained and gave off a powerful vibe."**

The first girl's explanation and subtle jab at the fourth guy made three of them chuckle and the fourth guy grudgingly agreed that she had a good point too but that he wasn't jealous, but that just made them laugh. They continued what they were doing before the three pokémon arrived. They decided that since they were let in that a huge battle might take place that they would just stay out of the way since that would be the best thing for them to do. They were nowhere close to the Aura Guardian's level of strength and that they had no information or way to help them anyway,

A large blue bird who was with a small red and orange rabbit looking pokémon were soaring through the sky. Articuno and Victini were flying over the forest at the western edge and soon came upon a small town. The flying titan of ice enjoyed spending time with the small fire and psychic pokémon. He was very energetic and enthusiastic about almost everything and was much more fun to hang around with than her fellow winged elemental titans. Victini also enjoyed her company since she was very relaxed, calm and could explain things to him without getting annoyed. He had a slight attention problem at times and a little trouble understanding some things. Right now however, both of them were focused on the task at hand. When it came to battles, training and other situations that required their entire full attention, they were just like their comrades. Focused. Strong. Patient. And they never quit.

The two legendary pokémon landed in the middle of a small town and looked around. Victini sat on top of Articuno's head, who didn't mind. They made their way quickly and quietly through the area. Articuno was walking along the town's paths. Though she was taking up the entire path because of her size, there was no awkwardness in her movements with her wings closed. Ash had taught all of his flying pokémon to be able to move on the ground in case they were ever grounded. The people in the town were amazed at seeing two legendary pokémon just appear out of nowhere and go through town like it was an ordinary thing for them to do. It froze them in their spots but the two legends ignored them as they searched. Articuno was keeping an eye out for anything suspicious or noteworthy while Victini was using his psychic powers to check inside every building they went past for the girls.

" **Articuno! I challenge you to a battle!"** shouted out a female trainer who had her Magmar and Arcanine out in battle stances. The large ice titan barely glanced at her before letting out an annoyed chirp and looked away, which clearly meant she wasn't interested. When Victini signaled that he was done checking the house, the blue bird made to continue down the path but a large stream of flames was shot out that blocked her path. The ice titan snapped her gaze to the female trainer. **"It's rude to ignore a challenge!"**

" **FOOL!"** said Articuno with her telepathic powers, startling the female trainer and the others who were around them. They didn't know that all legendary pokémon could speak with telepathy. **"I am on an important mission for the Aura Guardian! I don't have time for your arrogance! But I will make this quick as you will learn to show respect for the Legendaries of the world!"** Articuno opened her mighty and beautiful blue wings and with just a single flap of them, she rose high into the sky. Her gaze was twisted with fury over the disrespect and that this random nobody was preventing her from helping the Chosen One in his mission. The girl's Arcanine and Magmar gulped as they saw the blue legendary bird getting ready to strike.

" **Flamethrower!"** ordered the female trainer, having recovered from being startled and both of her fire pokémon spewed out large flames at the ice titan.

" **Is that it?"** asked Articuno, seeing the flames travel up to her. She shook her head and quickly let out a full power Aqua Pulse. The pulse of water was so powerful that it completely overwhelmed both streams of flames. The attack kept going and struck both fire pokémon, sending them flying back. The female trainer saw that her pokémon were out for the count by a single attack and it shook her to the core. She felt a large being land behind her and she slowly turned around to see Articuno behind her. **"I hope you learned a valuable lesson. When someone is not interested in a battle and is busy with something else, do not force them to,"** lectured the ice titan and the girl nodded slowly. Victini appeared out of nowhere and sat on the blue bird's head again. **"We still have a few more areas to check,"** remarked the blue bird and the small psychic nodded. The duo checked around the town with ease now that they others saw just how powerful Articuno is and nobody dared interrupt their search now. After coming up with nothing, they left the area by flying up into the sky before continuing on in their search.

" **I wonder if the others have had any luck,"** thought Victini out loud with telepathy as they flew and looked for other places to search. **"We should check in with Mewtwo and Ash and let them know of what's been going on,"** advised Victini and Articuno agreed. Both of them sent a mental message to the psychic feline with a report on what's been happening.

Back at the hotel, the purple psychic turned to the guardian. **"Ash, we have a problem,"** said Mewtwo suddenly making Ash snap his attention to his friend. Mewtwo was getting updated reports from all of the pokémon on what they've been encountering. **"Some of the pokémon are being slowed down in their search as many trainers are attempting to battle and perhaps catch them not knowing that they are with you. They easily beat them all but it's slowing them down and may complicate things. Also, the legendary pokémon are being hunted by several trainers as they each want to capture them."**

" **One problem after another…damn it,"** said Ash. " **Mewtwo, time for another message."** Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue after placing his hand on his shoulder again and Ash's voice was once again heard booming from the heavens above.

" **MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO CAPTURE POWERFUL POKÉMON. THEY ARE WITH ME. DO NOT HINDER THEIR SEARCH. ANY POKÉMON THAT YOU SEE THAT IS NOT INTERESTED IN A BATTLE, LEAVE THEM ALONE. ESPECIALLY IF YOU SEE A GLOWING BLUE OUTLINE AROUND THEM AS THOSE POKÉMON ARE WITH ME. DO NOT MAKE ME GET INVOLVED PERSONALLY."**

After making his speech, Ash turned to his legendary friend and nodded. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue once more but now there was a blue outline around him. He was connecting with each of Ash's pokémon using his incredible psychic powers.

" **What's he doing?"** asked Clair.

" **Mewtwo is connecting with Ash's pokémon with his powers so they can be marked by him so others will leave them alone,"** explained Sabrina and they understood.

" **Is it working?"** asked Liza.

" **Yes,"** replied Mewtwo in an echoing voice, surprising them. **"I have connected with all of his pokémon but must stay like this until we find them. Ash would've been able to do it but cannot use his Aura for now."** The remaining people looked at him for a few minutes before they decided they should do something productive at least. Ash's group of friends quickly went inside and prepared themselves in case they were needed. They clipped their pokémon's poke balls to their belts and some of them even changed the clothing they were wearing. After that, some of them looked at the maps they had with them as they tried to figure out where they could be hiding. The others looked at some of their equipment, checking them and seeing if any would be of use.

Absol, Reuniclus and Krookodile were searching near the base of a nearby mountain. They had already checked inside the nearby cave that they had exited from a few minutes ago. They found nothing in there except for a hiker who interrupted their search and wouldn't let them go without battling him. Instead of battling him, Reuniclus used his psychic powers to make the hiker go to sleep and then teleported him to the closest pokémon center. The disaster pokémon was jumping from one jagged rock on the mountain's side to another. The red crocodile was following after the green floating pokémon, covering his back while also looking around. The three came across a narrow river with a man fishing.

The man sensed that he was being watched and turned his gaze to the right and found three powerful pokémon looking at him. **"Hey there,"** he said, standing up and unclipping a poke ball. **"Do you want to battle?"** he asked them. Right when he finished asking that, a loud booming voice was heard through the sky. **"Again?"** he asked, looking up towards the sky, listening to it. When he looked back down at the three pokémon, he saw they had blue glowing outlines appear on them. **"Should've known,"** he said, clipping his poke ball back onto his belt. He sat down and went back to fishing. **"I have no quarrel with you and I don't have that which you seek. Sorry I'm not much help,"** he said.

Reuniclus, Absol and Krookodile didn't reply but continued forward, leaving the fisherman alone. He watched the three pokémon continue down that way. He sighed. **"Hope they find those girls. I've heard about the Skull Brothers. One of the most wanted criminal groups in the world."** He thought a bit more, wondering if he should try to help. He shook his head. **"No. I'd get in the way. And I'm too old to get caught up in things like this again."** He looked up at the sky again. **"Good luck Aura Guardian. And please…make sure they're never able to hurt anyone again."** The man focused onto his fishing after saying his prayer out loud.

The trainers who were trying to capture some of Ash's powerful pokémon, especially the legendaries, didn't know that they were already owned until Ash's message was heard from the sky and the pokémon they were after started having glowing blue outlines around them courtesy of Mewtwo. That made them stop dead in their tracks. They didn't want to anger the Aura Guardian who could talk through the sky like a god, especially since they had heard and seen of his power from the news.

Free from interference, Ash's pokémon were able to focus entirely on finding Leaf and Joy. They were pushed on to keep searching for them through their fury that someone would dare hurt their friend, their trainer and that they were trying to hurt his friends that he cares for. Ash had helped many of them when nobody would and it was that kindness, that compassion that made them pledge their unwavering loyalty to him and him alone. They also wanted to protect their family and friends as well from the coming darkness and all evils in the world. They would not fail each other. As they traveled in groups of three on the ground and two in the air, they made sure to scan every inch that they traveled through, worrying only about their own specific path as the others did the same. None of them would stop until they found them. They would keep going even if their bodies screamed for them to stop until they were completely overwhelmed like how some of them did already during the stadium attack.

Three speedy pokémon were quickly moving through the woods. Sceptile and Greninja were dashing down a certain path while Infernape swung from tree branch to tree branch above them as their eyes and senses scanned everything, not missing even a pebble underneath a bush. They were held up once earlier on in their search by an over eager trainer who wanted to capture them but was left in the dust. They just sped past him after completely annihilating his pokémon with ease while giving him menacing glares. After Mewtwo connected with them and the blue glowing outlines around them marking them as Ash's pokemon, they shouldn't have to worry about that anymore. And it worked as they moved past several other trainers who at first wanted to catch them but when they noticed their blue glowing outlines, they sighed and moved away as they had heard the last message.

The three pokémon continued their search through the forest for quite a while until they stopped in a clearing as Greninja picked up something and signaled for the others to wait. He was looking at a small branch that hung lowly from its parent tree. It seemed to have been broken not too long ago and there were some marks on it. He looked at it carefully before slowly running his hand over it allowing his acute senses to take over. He was trying to distinguish what could leave behind such marks. As he did so, Infernape walked around the perimeter after dropping down from a tree, quietly triple checking everything. While Infernape did that, Sceptile stood silently in the middle of the clearing with the twig in his mouth being moved from side to side with his eyes darting everywhere as he too checked. Greninja felt something all of a sudden and his eyes widened. He sent a mental message immediately to Mewtwo.

" **Ash, Greninja just sent word saying he picked up on something. He, Infernape and Sceptile are going to follow it and see what comes of it. He also requested to have the blue glows around them to be gone in case they need to sneak in closer,"** explained the purple feline.

" **Good. Tell him it will be done, to continue and to update ASAP,"** replied Ash. Mewtwo relayed the reply back while Ash thought that they were onto something. _Please hang on. Please be alright Joy…Leaf…we're getting close…I hope…_

Greninja got the reply back and motioned for his comrades to follow him after their blue glows went away. They quickly went down the path that the water starter felt they should go. They kept going with their eyes scanning everything. After a little bit of time, they noticed the density of the trees began getting thinner. They slowed down and hid behind the trees when they reached the edge of the woods. Peering out from behind their cover, they saw a cabin and lake in the large clearing in front of them. The lights were on and shining through the boarded up windows in the cabin even though it was daylight. They could make out a few figures that were moving around inside through some of the openings between the wood that was nailed over the windows. They looked around and saw that the cabin was closer to the woods from the other side and would be ideal to sneak up to it from there. Greninja glanced at Infernape and Sceptile who glanced back at him. The three nodded at one another before they quickly but silently moved around in the cover of the trees to the other side.

When they reached the other side under the cover of the trees, they again peered out and looked around the cabin and its surrounding area. Since Greninja had experience in stealth missions like this and Ash had trained him and several others for it specifically, he was the one who broke out of the cover of the trees. Nobody saw him as he vanished from his spot before reappearing suddenly with him pressed against the cabins outside wall. He used his webbed hands and feet to quietly move and saw a small window near the ground that was also boarded up but left a small space of window open on the top. He carefully and silently moved towards it before peering through the small crack.

Using his incredible eyesight, he saw that it was a basement with a wooden table, some shelves along the walls, some metal cages, a staircase in the corner and there were some torn clothes that were thrown onto the floor along with some dried red marks here and there. What he saw next made him widen his eyes. He saw a red headed female tied up on the floor. He noticed the bruises and cuts on her and that she was not clothed. Greninja felt bad for the woman, becoming angry and knew she needed to be helped. But first he had to complete his reconnaissance. It wouldn't do anyone any good to burst right in with no plan or information.

He moved away from the small window near the ground. He heard noises that felt like they came from upstairs. He looked up and saw two windows that had wooden boards over them as well. He placed his hands on the cabin wall and lifted himself up. His palms and soles of his webbed hands and feet could secrete a special substance that allowed him to cling to most surfaces. He slowly and quietly climbed up to the boarded windows and peered through a space underneath the board on the right window. He saw a pink haired girl struggling against her binds that were tied from her wrists to the bedposts. She was gagged and blindfolded. Greninja's eyes lit up as he found one of the girls. He quickly scanned the room and saw she was in a bedroom alone and the noises were coming from the squeaky springs from the bed as she struggled to get free. The door opened and the frog pokémon saw one of the Skull Brothers come into the room and slapped the girl hard.

" **Stop making so much noise you slut! It's damn annoying! Keep this up and you'll experience pain as you never did before!"** promised the bald man, leaving the now quietly sobbing girl in the room, closing the door behind him.

Greninja felt himself becoming angrier. How dare he strike her! He wanted to burst in there when he saw the strike but knew better. He controlled his temper for the time being and moved to the window on the left. He peered through the space between the boards and found another similar bedroom. In this one however there was a brunette girl who was tied up in the same manner as the pink haired girl. He found the second girl! He noticed that she was mostly exposed except for two pieces of clothing and she had a cut on her cheek. That made his blood boil. He looked around and saw nothing much different to the other room. He moved back down towards the ground without a sound and the instant he touched the ground, he vanished from sight and reappeared next to his brothers. Sceptile and Infernape saw the furious look on his face and knew they had found the girls…

As Ash waited for an update from Greninja and his other pokémon if they found anything, his friends slowly came back into the balcony and soon everyone was there except for the ones who stayed in the lobby. Alder and Steven had returned with nothing to report. A couple minutes after their arrival, Lance, Diantha, Officer Jenny, Britney Snow and her camera man appeared along with Gardevoir.

" **Why did you bring them here?"** asked Bonnie.

" **Because they should be here,"** replied Diantha. **"They can help quiet down the rumors the media has spread."**

" **What rumors?"** asked Max.

" **About what happened at Club Indigo last night,"** stated Lance and the ones who were there groaned. **"It's on the news because several people called and told the local news stations and papers."**

" **Ah we don't need this headache right now,"** grumbled Cynthia as she massaged her temple with her hands.

" **No we don't, but we can start doing some damage control early,"** advised Lance as he pointed at Officer Jenny and Britney Snow. **"Britney can show the world how much Ash cares by broadcasting the attack on the Skull Brothers hide out when we find it. That will show he cares and will fight for everyone. Officer Jenny can take in the Skull Brothers and credit the arrest to Ash."**

" **That's if there is anything left of them to arrest,"** commented Mewtwo even through his trance making them all look at him. Britney, her cameraman and Jenny gasped at seeing the legendary pokémon as they just noticed him at the edge of the balcony.

" **We cannot just kill them. We have laws Mewtwo,"** replied Lance.

" **I know of your human laws. They are corrupt, leave loopholes, are bent to allow certain things to pass and sometimes are completely ignored before they are finally followed when it makes sense to follow it,"** shot Mewtwo and Lance scowled as the psychic legendary had a point but didn't want to admit it.

" **Even so, we must give a good example. One's to follow,"** remarked Diantha and several people agreed with her.

" **That's right! As officer of the law, I cannot just let you do as you please so there will be no killing. I will not allow it,"** stated Officer Jenny.

" **Your laws mean little to me human and you cannot control me,"** stated Mewtwo in a cold voice, installing fear in her and several others. Ash stayed out of the discussion. It didn't matter to him what they talked about. He knew what he was going to do. **"The ancient laws of nature, life and balance are what matters even in this modern world. As Aura Guardian, it is Ash's duty to smite the darkness. A duty given to him by the Alpha Pokémon Arceus. Evil cannot be allowed to live, to spread. Or are you saying your laws have higher power or mean more than those of a God? What of all those who would be saved by such an act?"** asked Mewtwo and the people there were silenced, unable to respond. **"Your so called justice system is broken and not capable of dealing with the problems of today. You are too focused on being politically correct than actually doing something to fix problems, even when you have irrefutable proof on them."** Nobody could argue with him on that either, knowing it was true. But before anyone could even think of commenting back with something reasonable, Mewtwo's eyes widened, losing the blue glow and snapped his gaze onto Ash. **"They found them!"**

" **Finally!"** exclaimed Ash, everyone feeling relieved and hopeful. **"Where are they?!"**

" **They found Leaf and Joy along with another girl being held in a cabin in the deep part of the woods next to a small lake. They are tied up and gagged in separate rooms of the cabin. Greninja also said he saw Joy get slapped and Leaf barely has any clothes on. And the other woman has been beaten and left naked,"** informed Mewtwo sadly, making many become worried but also angry.

" **THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS!"** cursed out Ash suddenly. He whirled around and struck the stone patio wall hard, making cracks form from his strength, startling everyone. Before anyone could calm him down, the raven haired guardian let loose a flurry of rapid punches against the stone wall, losing himself to his anger. **"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** He launched one more strike at the stone wall and punched clear through it. His arm had gone through the wall and he pulled it out afterwards. Most of his friends and family became frightened, thinking he had gone mad and could have hurt himself. Clair had her heart skip a beat too but she also became turned on by his show of strength. When she realized what she felt, she became embarrassed, her cheeks flushing with color and did her best to not show it. She moved to stand behind Liza and Shauna, who were also in the same state as her. Ash's face was contorting with fury as his hands clenched into fists, shaking with pure rage. He tried to force his aura out but was unsuccessful in the attempt. His anger was not enough and he hadn't recovered yet. His back was to the group, breathing heavily. **"Damn them! Damn them to hell! They're going to pay for this! Send word to everyone Mewtwo! Get them prepared to be teleported! We are getting them out right now!"** commanded Ash and Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue, communicating with his comrades and teleporting them to positions surrounding the cabin. Richie came running outside after hearing Ash's shouting.

" **What happened?!"** asked Richie with a worried look. Ash turned around and locked eyes with him.

" **We found them Richie,"** said Ash, his face still covered in anger. **"They're in a cabin hidden in the woods and have been left tied up. There's also another girl who looks to have been beaten. We are going to leave immediately as soon as my pokémon are in position. Are you coming?"** he asked him and Richie nodded after checking to make sure his poke balls were clipped to his belt. Ash turned his furious gaze to Officer Jenny, Lance, Britney and her camera man who took a step back automatically out of fear. **"You will stay here. Only Richie is going to come with me. I don't want you in the cross fire and you will not stop me from giving them their judgment! Understand?!"** The four of them gulped, looking at everyone around them but nobody said a word. Seeing him taking command and being so assertive made many in the group to look at him with mesmerized gazes. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena went to Ash and hugged him, to try to calm him down.

" **Please be careful Ash,"** pleaded Misty.

" **Don't be ashamed to call for help if you need it,"** advised Serena.

" **I know you'll bring them back safely,"** said Dawn.

" **Give them hell. Make sure they will never hurt anyone ever again,"** requested May.

He took a deep breath to calm down, hugging the girls back. **"I promise. I will bring Leaf and Joy back along with that poor girl safe and sound. And the Skull Brothers will feel my wrath before I send them to Hell,"** swore Ash.

The four let go of him and Ash glanced at Cynthia, who gave him an encouraging look. Even though she was part of the group now, she didn't want to cause more trouble for him right now with the girls' families. She thought that Delia could only keep them at bay for so long. He moved his gaze over everyone, each one giving him a supportive and concerned look. He sent a mental message to Gardevoir that they found the girls and to bring them back up. They soon teleported to the balcony and his friends were happy that they found them but were a little peeved that he wasn't allowing them to go with him. They wanted to go with him but they understood.

" **They're in position Ash,"** informed the psychic legendary.

" **Good. Let's go,"** replied Ash. Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and he, Ash, Richie, Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir vanished in blue glows.

* * *

 ** _A/N - The girls have been found and the guardian is pissed! Thanks for reading and for the reviews/favs/follows! Peace!_**


	41. Chapter 41 - A Guardian's Wrath

_**A/N - Hello to all my readers! Hope you're all doing well. I was able to get this one done earlier than anticipated but I believe it's ready. Some quick things...**_

 ** _1\. Mewtwo not searching - I wanted it that way because I don't want him to be too overpowered. And he would still have to teleport around to check each location with his powers since they have a certain radius. In addition, he was needed to relay information and provide support through 'marking' them more than searching. Even if he is the most powerful psychic, sometimes power isn't what one needs and this is a perfect example._**

 ** _2\. About my 'filler' chapters - My filler chapters are just as important as the main plot ones. And it's not like I just focused on one thing. Several different perspectives were shown of what's going on and I want and need to show how the characters in the story are reacting to it. If I just focus on the major plot points, there's no substance in the story and I don't want that. Even with all the detail I've been writing, I'm still neglecting some characters and sub plots and I"m trying to rectify that._**

 ** _3\. Media being all over Ash's life - That's what they do. They latch onto the biggest news story and milk it for all its worth. Ash is the biggest thing happening because of being an Aura Guardian, his defense of the stadium attack and other things. Everyone wants to know about him as he's what's 'popular' now. This is important as well and you'll see why later._**

 ** _4\. Girls having similar dates - The structure may be the same, such as group outing, date at night and then intimacy shared before sleeping but everything else is different. Also, Misty didn't have the group outing, Dawn and Serena did. However, like I said, they did different things. May's will be similar but still different. I want to show how Ash treats them all equally and that's why the date STRUCTURE is the same but what they actually do is different. And each of the girls have their own distinct personality and desires so please pay attention to that more. I do understand what's been advised and things will change after May's date but reasonably so. I'm not going to have them just do group dates/fun stuff all of a sudden together._**

 ** _5\. Replies to some reviews;_**

 ** _AnthroDragon - No. Only the people in and around the Indigo Plateau heard the sky message. It wasn't a world broadcast. I guess I forgot to mention that. And about the second part of your reviews, if you're talking about what Ash is going to do to the Skull Brothers, read and find out. Other than that, I have no idea what you're trying to say. lol Sorry dude._**

 ** _Jaguars5 - You'll find out if it'll go that way or not in this chapter._**

 ** _ManbearPIG1 - Glad to know I was right in my assumption. :) I know, I'm trying to fix that. It's getting a little harder to juggle everyone effectively and I have plans to do so from now on. I just hope I can implement them well. You'll see what happens with Natasha and Leaf. Thanks buddy for the compliments and I'll do my best to keep the quality high and to finish the story. Enjoy your hunt. lol._**

 ** _Rams34 - I'm not sure yet if Ash will have kids or not. Remind me about this if I end up going down that route._**

 ** _Alright! Now, onto what you've all been waiting for! The next chapter and hopefully I exceed your expectations! Remember to review, fav and follow! Read on and enjoy! :)_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 41 – A GUARDIAN'S WRATH

A blue haired young man and a blunette girl entered the lobby of the Indigo Hotel along with a yellow and dark blue fire badger and a blue and red crocodile. They took a few running steps before stopping, panting heavily. They looked around the lobby and saw there was no one there. **"That's odd. This is… Indigo Hotel…right?"** asked the male in between breaths.

The female turned to him and let out a long sigh before responding. **"Yea it is. But where are his friends that he said should be here?"** she asked. They walked to the receptionist counter and hit the bell on it. A moment later, a Pokémon League official entered through the doors behind the counter dressed in her black and white uniform. **"Excuse me, but was there a group of people here before?"** asked the girl.

" **Yes. They were here but then teleported away. Apparently they got some news and left. They haven't been back since,"** revealed the official. **"Is there anything you need or do you have any important information?"** she asked the two.

The young man sighed and shook his head. **"Damn, we missed them. And no we don't. We came to see if we could help out the Aura Guardian,"** he admitted.

The official nodded a bit. **"That's good of you. I don't know what's happened but you can wait in the lobby to see if they come back,"** she offered and the two thanked her. They returned their pokémon and sat down on one of the couches there. The girl leaned her head against the boy's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her.

" **I hope he found them,"** said the girl after a while.

Her boyfriend nodded. **"Me too. Me too. We'll wait for a bit to see if they come back."**

Far away from the blue haired couple in the hotel lobby, a brunette haired girl was lost in her thoughts while unable to move from her position. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape from her situation. She couldn't believe she was captured. She couldn't believe that she was going to be violated and beaten. She couldn't believe the horrible way things ended between her and her childhood friend who turned out to be the love of her life. She couldn't believe that the terrible men who had kidnapped her were going to kill him. She couldn't believe any of it. She had struggled against her binds for a long time but there was no way out. All she saw was darkness because of the blindfold and her mouth was starting to hurt from the tight gag that was tied on her. She felt so exposed and vulnerable with her hands and legs forcibly spread, tied against the bed posts and having most of her clothes ripped off except for her undergarments. Any sound she heard made her heart skip a beat. She was dreading what was coming so much that she couldn't control herself anymore and started crying again while her body shuddered tremendously.

A pink haired girl was stuck in the exact same predicament as the brunette and was doing all she could to not completely break down even though she was already sobbing and shivering. She was praying for someone to find them and help them. She was praying to get out of there alive. She was praying to see Richie again. She wasn't really looking for love but it had just come out of nowhere and she had realized that she loves him more than anything. She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore and she wondered if he was alright at least or if the bald men had killed him. She tried to push the dark thoughts out of her head but had a hard time doing that. She silently let out tears while her imagination went overboard. She involuntarily pictured terrible things happen to him, to her, to the brunette and to the red head in the basement.

Four of the five brothers were in the living room on the first floor of the cabin. They were dressed in their military clothing and had put on the bulletproof vests. They had attached the large machetes to their belts and also clipped their pokémon's poke balls to their belts too. They had loaded several other magazines with bullets and each of them had two filled up magazines in the pouches attached to their thighs. They made idle talk while inspecting their rifles once more.

" **Is everything ready?"** asked Edmond after finishing up.

" **Yea Boss. Weapons are loaded, pokémon are ready, the traps are set and we're hungry for revenge,"** replied Eddie.

" **Good. Where's Ed?"** asked Edmond.

" **Probably in the basement,"** chuckled Edwin.

" **Fucker's an addict. Let him have his fun with the red head,"** said Edmond.

" **Ah Boss, you might want him to get back up here,"** said Edward from the window. He was keeping a look out through the small spaces between the boards that were hammered over them.

" **Why?"**

" **I saw something move behind the trees. We may have company."**

" **Good. We can get our revenge sooner rather than later if it's him. Eddie, go get Ed,"** commanded Edmond and Eddie followed the commands.

Ed had gone down to the basement after checking his equipment, weapons and getting his pokémon ready for battle. He never could satisfy his sadistic and lustful desires. He was down there for a good ten minutes already, plowing away into Natasha after groping and beating her for a bit who couldn't even attempt to fight back, let alone whimper anymore, being so exhausted and weak. He wanted to fuck one of the two new girls but had to wait until after his eldest brother and boss went first. That was just how things were. She didn't have the energy anymore to cry out or shout for him to stop. She couldn't even say anything as her vocal cords were so damaged. It didn't help that she was hungry, dehydrated and still in incredible pain from the beatings, the cuts and rough rape before either.

" **ED!"** called out Eddie has he hurried down the basement.

" **WHAT?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"** he replied back angrily turning his head but still he continued.

" **Boss says to get up here now!"** said Eddie and hurried back up as Ed looked at Natasha. He caressed her face while still continuing, making her tremble in disgust from his dirty hands. He moved them down to her breasts again and squeezed them roughly. His long fingernails dug into her skin, making her let out a small whimper.

" **I'm sorry darling, I know you want more. But it looks like you'll have to wait till later. Be back soon."** He laughed as he finished up, pulling out of her with the poor girl loathing everything about him. He stood up, put on his pants and went upstairs, leaving the red haired girl on the cold basement floor, who was letting out silent tears over her terrible experiences.

" **What is it?"** Ed asked as he joined his brothers.

" **We think he's here,"** answered Edmond and Ed had an evil grin form on his face. **"You know what to do. Go to your spot and be prepared."**

A few minutes ago, Ash, Richie, Mewtwo, Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir appeared near the edge of the woods right next to the clearing where the lone cabin and small lake was. Ash's anger was increasing with each passing second and Lucario quickly placed his paw on his Master's shoulder. The aura canine was sensing his emotions going haywire. **"I know you are angry Master, but you must control it and not act rashly,"** advised Lucario and Ash took a deep breath to calm himself.

" **You're right Lucario."** Ash turned to face the group, his next words directed to the pokémon around the two humans. **"No matter what happens, stick to the plan. Mewtwo, you know what to do right?"** The psychic nodded and teleported out of there. **"Pikachu you ready?"** he asked his starter and Pikachu nodded, a glowing yellow outline around him. **"Good. Lucario and Gardevoir, are you two ready?"** They nodded. He turned to his friend. **"Richie, I know you're ready for some payback, but you must do as I say. Alright?"** His almost twin agreed without hesitation. **"Alright, my pokémon are in position and we're ready. It's time. Follow my lead and Lucario; be on guard,"** finished Ash and the aura canine gave a curt nod in response. They nodded once more before they moved.

The raven haired guardian and his group went towards the trees at the edge of the woods and pressed against them. Ash moved his head behind cover to look into the clearing. He saw the cabin and the lake next to it. A loud sound echoed through the area and he instantly moved back behind cover right as a bullet whizzed past the spot his head was at a second ago.

" **FUCK! THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!"** cursed Richie loudly and Ash quickly told him to keep it down. **"Sorry but how the hell are we supposed to get closer? Can't we just teleport into the cabin?"** he asked looking at his friend.

Ash glanced at Gardevoir and Lucario who shook their head and gave him an update mentally, surprising him. He sent a mental message to Mewtwo and got the same thing back. He was shocked. He turned to Richie. **"Looks like that won't be an option. We have no idea what they have planned inside the cabin. We have to work our way in because for some reason, neither Gardevoir nor Mewtwo can sense where they are in the cabin. Lucario can sense their auras but can't tell where exactly they are and what they're doing. We cannot risk teleporting inside in case there are traps,"** informed Ash and Richie was stunned.

" **How's that possible?!"** he asked him as Ash took another look before quickly going behind cover again. Another round whizzed towards them and dug into the tree he was hiding behind.

" **No idea,"** replied back Ash. He glanced at Lucario who looked at him. **"You think you can handle it buddy?"** he asked.

Lucario's eyes glowed blue in response. **"Do you even have to ask?"** replied the aura canine.

Ash looked at Richie. **"Wait here until I signal you to come."**

" **Wait, what do you mean?!"** asked Richie, both confused and worried.

But he was left without an answer. Lucario had stepped into the clearing with Ash right behind him and immediately following that, another loud gunshot was heard. Richie yelled out but was silenced at what he saw. The bullet had hit a transparent blue shield and dropped to the floor. More and more shots were fired but they all hit the shield as the two calmly walked to the cabin. The raven haired guardian trusted his pokémon and knew he could handle it. He knew they would get to their destination in one piece. But all he wanted to do was charge in, have Lucario blast the door of its hinges, beat the Skull Brothers into a bloody pulp, if not have Mewtwo crush their minds and take the girls home so they can get treated and be safe.

But he knew better. He needed to make smart decisions, especially since he couldn't use his aura, they couldn't sense where the Skull Brothers were in the cabin and couldn't risk teleporting into an ambush. And he wanted them to feel fear, to feel their anguish slowly consume them. This calm walk was surely getting to his enemies as it was playing with their minds since he was walking towards them without fear even though they were shooting at them. Because he wasn't able to use his aura for the time being, Mewtwo and Lucario had spoken with him back at the hotel and advised him to use intimidation and mind games to his advantage while they were waiting for their comrades to find them and give them an update. He had agreed, wanting to make them feel the fear that they no doubt made the girls feel.

" **What the fuck are they doing?!"** cursed Edward, peering through the boarded window cracks after shooting a bit.

" **How are they just coming here with just the two of them and not even worried?!"** asked Edwin while reloading his rifle. He was startled at seeing him drawing nearer without any sort of indication that he was afraid.

" **Stop being such fucking pussies and act like you have balls! Keep firing! They can't block them forever!"** snapped Edmond and aimed at the two.

But before he could pull the trigger, Ash caught their attention. **"SKULL BROTHERS!"** They heard the raven haired young man shouting through the slightly open living room windows and they went still and silent to listen. **"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! SURRENDER AND STEP OUT WITH YOUR HANDS RAISED! THIS IS YOUR LAST AND ONLY WARNING!"** Ash stood with Lucario about halfway to the cabin, right in the middle of the clearing with nowhere to hide.

" **FUCK YOU!"** roared Ed as he shot his gun again at the two from behind the second story window. But once again, he's bullet didn't make it to its intended target. **"FUCK!"** He pulled the trigger on his rifle and held it, letting the automatic gun spew out bullets but they only hit the shield before falling to the floor. Lucario had blocked the bullets with his Aura Shield with ease. He had grown stronger and had experience blocking bullets now. It also helped that there was only one gun being fired at the moment even though it was firing much faster. After Ed ran out of bullets, he cursed out loud and Ash snarled.

" **YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE!"** roared Ash before he and Lucario moved towards the cabin at a much faster pace. All five of the brothers pulled the triggers on their rifles, spraying the clearing with bullets seeing both man and pokémon sprinting towards the cabin. They moved in a zigzag pattern while the bullets cut through the air towards them.

Richie watched from behind cover with widened eyes and a shocked look on his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ash and Lucario were moving in perfect sync, mirroring each other's movements. The aura canine's Aura Shield was preventing the bullets from striking them while dodging the others. **"Incredible…"** he whispered to himself. A pale blue shield appeared in front of him suddenly and he saw a few bullets drop to the ground a short distance away from his feet. He gulped and glanced at the psychic fairy next to him but her focus was on the two moving to the cabin through the hailstorm of bullets. **"Thank you Gardevoir,"** he said quietly. The white and green pokémon didn't turn her gaze away from her trainer and mate but nodded. Richie moved his gaze back to what was happening in time to see them reach the cabin.

As soon as Ash and Lucario put a foot on the first step, Edwin pushed a button on a small transmitter. The cabin steps exploded underneath their feet and brought up a cloud of debris, smoke and dust. Richie was unable to make a sound but quickly went behind cover to avoid the flying pieces of the front porch. After a few seconds, he slowly turned his gaze to the cabin and saw the smoke. When it all faded away, it revealed a broken down and splintered front porch but also showed a pale blue shield being around them. Lucario was able to protect them with his shield. Edwin turned to his brothers and shook his head. The brothers were shaken to their core that their explosive surprise did absolutely nothing to them. The Aura Guardian and the aura canine were completely unharmed.

But Ash's anger was starting to go over the tipping point. **"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"** roared Ash. He moved swiftly forward and kicked the front door open. The vile group opened fire at once with their rifles aimed at them. Ed had come down to the first floor after his failed attempt to kill him from a distance. Lucario blocked it with his Aura Shield again but was struggling because of the rapid fire from all five rifles. Gardevoir quickly teleported to their location, sensing him struggling and used her psychic powers to assist Lucario and the shield strengthened. Both pokémon held up the shield with ease where one could not. When they ran out of bullets, they lowered their weapons and looked on with shock as they were stupefied that not even a single shot got in. Gardevoir then quickly teleported Richie and Pikachu to be with them after Ash told her mentally. When the two appeared in the cabin, the evil men were surprised but Ash's almost twin quickly caught up to what happened as Pikachu took up a battle stance on the living room table, growling.

He narrowed his eyes and shook with rage. **"WHERE'S JOY?!"** shouted Richie after Lucario lowered the shield.

The Skull Brothers were too stunned to see them there, alive and not having even a single scratch on them from the bomb they set up on the cabin porch steps or from their hail of bullets whizzing through the air. They stood still for a moment before reacting at once. The evil brothers dropped their guns and pulled out their machetes while reaching for their poke balls. Five simultaneous, small but precise Thunder Bolts were shot from Pikachu before they could even move an inch that made the weapons fly out of their hands into the air. Another round of Thunder Bolts and they were sent flying into the wall behind them, embedding into them. Pikachu had sparks shooting out of his cheeks as the yellow glow around him pulsed. Richie would have been impressed at the electric mouse's power and skill but his mind was only on Joy. Lucario was snarling at them, his teeth bared with his eyes glowing blue and Gardevoir had a furious expression on her face with her eyes glowing blue too while levitating in the air.

" **Where. Are. They?!"** growled Ash. He knew where they were. But he wanted them to answer him. To submit to his will. To feel fear.

Edmond glanced at Ed who got the message. He turned around and headed down the hall from the living room before going up the stairs. Ash narrowed his eyes at the four remaining Skull Brothers before moving after Ed with Lucario. He signaled Richie to wait with Pikachu and Gardevoir, to keep an eye on the others and in case there were more traps. Richie agreed and brought out his Tyranitar to help keep an eye on things. The powerful mountain pokémon let out a deep growl at the four remaining brothers and they didn't move. Ash followed Ed and the Skull Brother led him to a bedroom door. He opened it and took a few steps forward before stopping. Ash stepped forward with Lucario keeping his attention on Ed who kept his gaze on the aura canine.

Ash moved past him and when he saw the figure of Joy, he hurried to her and sat down beside her. Joy started trembling when she felt the bed move and someone sit next to her. She started whimpering and her heart began beating madly. The raven haired guardian was boiling inside seeing how scared she was but controlled himself. He glanced at Ed with such a furious expression that he became frozen with fear gripping him. Satisfied that the vile man wouldn't move and knowing Lucario would bash his skull in before even moving an inch, he turned his attention back to Joy. Ash gently and carefully untied and removed her blindfold first. When she felt someone's hands on her head she whimpered even more and when the cloth was gone, she feared opening her eyes as to what she would see. Unable to control herself, Joy opened her eyes slightly and then immediately opened them before blinking a couple times when she realized who it was.

" **Hey. I'm here and so is Richie. We're gonna take you home. No need to worry,"** said Ash soothingly and Joy felt herself stop shaking, completely relaxed now. They were saved and she would be seeing Richie again soon. Ash noticed how quickly she calmed down and was glad that he could make the people he cares about feel better with him around. He untied her gag and removed it, allowing her the ability to relax her jaw muscles finally. It felt so good to her that she couldn't speak for the moment while he worked on the binds on her wrists and feet. He noticed how they were tied so tightly that they had dug into her skin, leaving marks. He became even angrier but kept his fury in check for the moment. When he finished untying her binds, he helped her sit up and Joy hugged him quickly after.

" **Thank Arceus. Thanks for coming after us Ash,"** thanked Joy with a hushed tone of voice and Ash reciprocated the hug.

" **Anytime Joy. And I'm sorry for everything. C'mon. I'll take you to Richie,"** he told her.

" **What about Leaf? And there's another girl who's hurt too,"** whispered Joy so only he could hear her as she looked at him.

" **I'll get them out too. But one thing at a time,"** he replied back quietly. They separated and Ash got off the bed before holding out his hand for her to take. He helped her get off the bed and she stood beside him, no longer afraid of the Skull Brother now that her friend and boyfriend were there. He looked at Ed who was still frozen. **"After you,"** said Ash with a serious tone to the bald man and it snapped him out of his trance. Ed led the way with Ash following directly behind him, Joy behind Ash and Lucario bringing up the rear. She was feeling so relieved to be getting out of there. They reached the living room again where they left the others. The second they saw each other, Joy's lips spread into a large smile at seeing her love and Richie was overcome with happiness at the sight of her. Ash made sure the Skull Brothers didn't do anything as the two moved to each other and hugged.

" **I'm so sorry Joy. I tried my best but it wasn't good enough. Please forgive me for not being able to protect you,"** pleaded Richie as he held her tightly in his arms.

" **It doesn't matter. You're here now. I know you did whatever you could. I'm just happy to see you here,"** replied Joy as she felt much comfort in his arms.

" **Richie."** Riche and Joy looked at Ash. **"Tell the others that Leaf will be coming soon."** Riche and Joy gave Ash confused looks before the two and his pokémon disappeared in blue glows, surprising the Skull Brothers. They reappeared back at the hotel in the living room where everyone else was waiting. Their sudden appearance made them jump but soon brushed it off.

" **Damn it Ash!"** yelled Richie, realizing what his friend just did and then silently returned his pokémon.

" **What happened? Is Ash alright?"** asked Cynthia for everyone.

" **He's fine,"** responded Sabrina and everyone looked at her while neither Richie nor Joy could believe what he just did. She read their minds because they didn't answer. **"He had Mewtwo teleport Richie and Joy here after telling them to tell us that Leaf will also be coming soon."**

" **He's getting them out of harms' way before they fight,"** remarked Alder and they understood. Richie was still pissed. He saw their hostile welcome but he still wanted to get revenge for what they did but now his chance was gone. Joy saw him angered but when she placed her hand in his, he calmed down and turned his attention to her.

" **It's okay Richie,"** said Joy and Richie pulled her into a tight embrace, with their group looking at them.

Back at the cabin, after the two disappeared, Ash told Ed to take him to the other girl. At first he didn't move but then Lucario snarled at him and he took a step back. He glanced at Edmond who nodded his head. They had no choice. Ed led the way and this time Ash mentally told Lucario to stay to help watch the others in case they tried something and that he could handle Ed by himself. The aura canine didn't argue since it would show weakness in front of their enemies and they needed to keep their dominance. If they figured out that Ash was in a weakened and vulnerable state, they may try something.

Ash followed after Ed, going back upstairs and this time Ed opened the door opposite the room where Joy was held. He took a few steps in before stopping. The raven haired guardian stopped a foot behind him when he saw the brunette in the same tied up position as Joy but she was barely dressed, only having her undergarments on. He grew furious at that and lost control. He struck Ed abruptly so hard that he went crashing to the ground, knocked out. The raven haired guardian wasn't satisfied with knocking him out though. He wanted to beat him into pulp but controlled his urge. He would get what he deserved soon enough. Seeing Ed pacified, he faced the girl again and continued towards her, noticing the cut on her cheek, which did nothing but anger him more.

When the brunette heard the door open, followed by something hitting the floor, she became worried and grew scared. When she felt something sit on the bed, she started whimpering and struggling against her binds. She didn't want to be raped and abused. Her heart was beating so rapidly that she felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. But then something happened that made her stop in confusion. She expected to get hit or her bra and panties to be ripped off. Instead, a pair of hands gently worked to untie and remove her blindfold. Leaf slowly opened her eyes, scared as to what she was going to see. The image was a little blurry but after a few quick blinks, she was able to see clearly. She saw the raven haired man of her dreams looking at her with his brown eyes locked onto her green ones. He gave her a small smile as he leaned in closer and started working on untying the gag.

" **I'm here Leaf. I'm so sorry for everything. Absolutely everything. But we'll talk about that later okay? Let me get these off of you and get you out of here first. You'll be alright. You'll be safe. I swear it,"** he told her.

Leaf was astonished at who had come for her. She felt such powerful feelings that he had come for her that she couldn't do anything except gaze at him. She couldn't believe he was here, that he had risked his life for her. Her heart was first beating madly from thinking that she was going to be tortured and raped. It still was but not because of fear anymore but because he had come for her and wouldn't let anything happen to her. But her happiness didn't last long as she noticed something behind her love. She looked over him and what she saw made her heart leap to her throat. Ed was sneaking up on Ash with a large knife, ready to strike.

Leaf froze in that instant. Seeing Ed sneaking up with the knife and Ash hovering over her on a bed, made her remember her nightmare where the Skull Brothers killed him right in front of her. It seemed like some sort of sick joke being played on her. How could she have seen the future? How could her imagination and subconscious show something so terrible that the powers that be decided to make it real? Why? Why was this happening? Seeing Ed move closer and closer without any sound made was making her heart thump so loudly she was astonished that Ash couldn't hear it. She had to do something to get him to notice what was happening.

She tried to talk or make some sort of warning sound but Ash was still working on untying the gag and he hadn't noticed Ed moving to him. She tried showing with her eyes by moving them rapidly to him and then to the side but he never got it as his attention was on the gag. She narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow hoping he would get it as Ed raised the knife and got it ready in a stabbing position. She did everything she could to make him realize what the Skull Brother was up to, to stop Ed or at least move out of the way so he wouldn't die because of her. If she went, that was fine with her as long as he was alright. He had come for her and that was all she needed from him as she realized he still cared for her. But he never got it. She couldn't believe that he didn't notice her warnings and she couldn't believe he wasn't able to sense the incoming threat when he usually did before with no problem. She was going to watch her nightmare come true and there was nothing she could do about it. Ed quietly approached Ash and swung his blade.

 _LOOK OUT MASTER!_

Lucario's mental warning was too late and Ash didn't respond in time to avoid the hit. The blade struck home but not in the intended area. The raven haired guardian was able to move a bit to the side to avoid a fatal hit yet the blade still pierced through his lower back. Ash let out a mangled cry that made Leaf cry out against her gag fruitlessly. Seeing his attack successful, Ed smirked after letting out a laugh before he withdrew his blade to strike again. Ash whirled around to attack but reacted too slowly and Ed struck home again but this time to his stomach. Ash jerked forward a bit from the strike before becoming immobilized from the hit, paralyzed from the extreme pain he was feeling from the two strikes. Ed pushed him backwards until he was against the wall before deepening the blade into his stomach, making Ash cry out.

" **We told you that nobody messes with the Skull Brothers,"** said Ed dangerously with an evil smile before twisting the blade inside his victim. Ash let out a garbled cry as blood trickled out of his mouth. Leaf couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her nightmare had come true. She was going to bear witness to Ash being killed in real life. She struggled with all her might against the binds and screamed as loudly as she could against the gag but it was all for nothing. Ed noticed the brunette trying to get free to help or do something. It made his nasty smile grow larger, his eyes roaming over her half naked body. **"Looks like your girlfriend is trying to get free to help you. How sweet of her. She must love you and you must love her for walking to your own doom."** He turned his gaze back to Ash and locked eyes with the young man who was feeling his life slowly leaving him. **"Tell you what Mr. Aura Guardian. Before I make you leave this world, I will make you watch me ravage your girlfriend over and over until you die. That is my specialty. You will die watching her become my own personal play thing while you couldn't do anything to stop me! HAHAHAHA!"**

Ash coughed out some blood, struggling to stay conscious. Ed turned the blade more, making Ash cry out again. Leaf trembled in her tied up position, crying her eyes out because of what she was witnessing and she screamed against the gag but the only sounds that came out were muffled ones. The raven haired guardian let out a ragged breath, slowly turning his tired gaze to the tied up brunette on the bed. Leaf noticed and stopped struggling to look at him properly. She saw guilt and shame in his eyes but whether it was from their altercation from last night or failing her now, she didn't know. He saw the terrified look in her teary eyes, scared beyond measure, vulnerable, half naked and he also noticed how she was looking at him. It was filled with guilt, concern, fear and…love. He turned his gaze back to the sadistic man in front of him and saw him still laughing with his eyes filled with malicious intent.

Something stirred inside the young guardian at that moment. It wasn't his anger but something else had awakened. He couldn't let this maniac, his brothers or anyone else for that matter hurt Leaf. Hurt his childhood friend. Hurt someone that he…loves. It was that desire, that will to protect her, to save her no matter the cost that lit a fire inside of him. It gave him strength, gave him energy. He grabbed Ed's wrist all of a sudden that held the blade with an iron grip, making Ed stop laughing immediately and winced from it. Ed used his other hand to grab Ash's hand to pull it away but was unable to do so.

" **You and your brothers… none of you will ever touch her again…you will pay for all you have done…you will rot in Hell for it…and I'll send you there myself!"** snarled Ash.

Ed looked up in time to see the raven haired guardian's eyes narrow in pure fury, before glowing a bright blue making him freeze and Leaf was looking at him with eyes filled with wonder and shock. His desire to protect Leaf no matter the cost forced his aura to manifest to his aid in his weakened state. Using this boost, Ash pushed Ed's wrist away from him, making Ed pull the knife out of his stomach, blood gushing out but it was of no importance to the angered young guardian. When the blade was finally out, he punched Ed in the chest, making him let out a gasp and he dropped the knife. Ed went to strike Ash with his free hand in retaliation but Ash caught the punch with ease, making Ed widen his eyes in surprise. The guardian's eyes glowed an even brighter blue as a blue outline appeared around him.

" **Did you honestly believe that a couple stab wounds would kill me?! Would kill an Aura Guardian?!"** asked Ash and all he got was silence.

Ash quickly used the shock to pull Ed down and kneed him in the face. Ed cried out from the hit, stunned and before he could recover, Ash spun him around and flung him head first into the wall behind him, knocking him out. Seeing his enemy out for the moment, Ash leaned against the bed post to catch his breath, his eyes losing their blue glow and the outline around him faded away before sitting next to Leaf again. Forcing his aura out had taxed him but it was worth it. It did its job by giving him strength and stopped his stab wounds from bleeding more as it partly healed him. He quickly untied Leaf's gag and when he finished with that, he picked up the knife and carefully cut the binds on her hands and feet before tossing the blade aside. As soon as she was able to and the blade was gone from Ash's hands, she flung herself onto Ash and hugged him tightly, not caring at all about her half revealing state while he returned the hug.

" **I'm so glad that you're alright! I thought you were going to die! I'm so sorry Ash! For everything! I'm so sorry!"** she sobbed into his chest.

" **It's alright Leaf. It'll take more than that to kill me. I'm glad that you're alright and I'm sorry too. So sorry…But we'll talk about that later. C'mon, let's get you out of here,"** he said gently.

They separated and Ash got up and went to the closet. All he saw was a trench coat but decided it would do. He took it and helped Leaf put it on. He then quickly picked her up into his arms. **"Ash! You're hurt! Put me down. I can walk,"** she told him but he shook his head.

" **I'll be fine Leaf. My training over the past three years wasn't just learning how to fight but how to deal with pain and injuries. And I don't know if there are any traps here as Lucario isn't with us. He's better at sensing traps than I am. I'd rather it be me who gets his foot stuck in one than you,"** he told her. She felt her heart race at what he said but she was still worried that he was straining himself. Seeing the concerned look on her face, Ash let a small smile form on his face to show her that everything is alright. She couldn't help it and smiled back a bit too.

While Ash made his way back down to his waiting pokémon in the living room, Leaf held onto him tightly as she leaned her head against his chest. She heard his heart beating calmly. It soothed her but she also felt incredible comfort in his embrace. She couldn't believe it though; he had come for her. He had risked his life for her, becoming injured for her. She let out tears as she realized that even though they had a very ugly fight just the night before, he still cared for her deeply and would do all he could to protect her.

When Ash reached the living room with Leaf, they found the four Skull Brothers on the floor, injured but awake. Lucario made to go upstairs to help Ash when he and Gardevoir sensed the intent of the attack but then the four Skull Brothers made to attack them with their pokémon. Seeing their reaction, the two and Pikachu reacted in time to keep them from calling out their reinforcements. By the time they made sure that the four were subdued, he sensed his Master's energy spike and knew he had taken the upper hand and controlled the situation.

The Skull Brothers had their eyes widen in astonishment. Ed was supposed to take care of him. He was the fastest and the best at stealthy attacks and no one had ever caused him any trouble. He was supposed to do that the first time he showed the Aura Guardian upstairs but couldn't because of Lucario. Seeing him go back up again without his pokémon made them think that he would take care of it. Then he was supposed to send out his pokémon from the second story and have them attack. But here was the Guardian with the second girl. Ash made his way through the living room and stopped beside his pokémon without any trouble from the Skull Brothers since they were unable to at the moment.

" **I'll be back,"** stated Ash before he and Leaf vanished in blue glows while his pokémon stayed behind, making sure the Skull Brothers can't flee. The two of them reappeared at the hotel among their family and friends.

" **ASH! / LEAF!"** shouted out everyone when they saw them and gathered round the two, happy that they were back safely. Ash let a small smile form at them for a second before glancing at Leaf who raised her gaze to his.

" **Ash…"** started Leaf as she looked into his eyes. **"I almost forgot to tell you. You have to help Joy and there's another girl there too. Her name is Natasha. She's very hurt and she said she was raped and beaten. You have to help them and…and they hurt me and…touched me inappropriately and…and would've raped me too if you didn't get here in time. They probably did the same to Joy,"** she said in a low voice, tears escaping from her eyes. Ash looked at the cut on her cheek again, and his rage grew but spoke calmly back to her.

" **Don't worry Leaf. Richie and I got Joy out already. I'll get Natasha out too. And then I'll make them suffer for what they've done before sending them to their graves,"** promised Ash. Even though they knew that was his plan, his last few words still scared everyone but no one commented on it. Even though Lance, Diantha and Officer Jenny wanted to say something, they kept their mouths shut. Leaf hugged him tighter. Ash went to lower her onto the couch, but the brunette did not want to let go. **"Leaf, I know you're scared, but you're safe now and I need to go get Natasha."**

" **I know Ash, I know. I just…I'm scared. I had a nightmare in the morning that the Skull Brothers killed you…They already injured you and got close to doing that."** Everyone just noticed the stab wounds on Ash when Leaf said that and they became concerned and worried for him, with many of the girls even letting out yelps and gasps at the sight of the blood and wounds. How did they not notice it before?! **"I know you can take a beating but please promise me you'll be more careful. Promise me that you'll come back to us…to me,"** she said as she looked into his eyes. Ash was astonished that she would dream something like that.

" **No need to worry. I promise I'll be careful Leaf. I promise I'll come back and I promise that they'll pay for everything that they've done,"** he told her before she reluctantly let go and let herself be lowered onto the couch. When he vanished from sight, the girls then went to Leaf, to help comfort and support her. Ash reappeared in the cabin in the woods beside his pokémon. **"Where is she?"** he asked the Skull Brothers the second he got back. Again he knew but didn't show it.

" **What are you talking about psycho? You already took the girls we took,"** responded Eddie. An Aura Sphere was shot from Lucario that went flying over his head suddenly, blowing a hole through the wall behind him. **"She's in the basement!"** he said fearfully right after and his brothers gave him dirty looks that he was intimidated so easily.

Ash moved past them and went down the basement stairs. He looked around as he stepped forward, looking out for any traps. He found the young woman in the middle of the basement floor, near the far wall. He took in a sharp breath. He couldn't believe the state she was in. She was completely naked, covered in cuts, scratches, dried red marks and bruises. He hurried to her and knelt down beside her, wondering if she was still alive. He noticed her chest slightly moving, indicating that she was still breathing. He also noticed that one of her eyes was swollen shut and she had a broken nose. His rage grew even more and he was struggling to control it, wanting to go back up to deal with them right then.

That is until he noticed the red haired girl shiver and that made him fully focus on her. He got up and looked around, searching for something to cover her up with. Natasha started trembling, fear feeling her, sensing that someone was beside her. She couldn't even whimper because doing even that caused her pain. She didn't open her eye at all. She didn't want to see what they were going to do to her again. She had seen more than she ever wanted to for the rest of her life. That is, until she felt a blanket placed on her and a new voice speak.

" **Hey there, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. I'm going to get you out of here,"** said the man softly.

The voice sounded very different than what she was used to hearing recently. It was so much softer and yet it was also strong along with an air of confidence and kindness. Nothing at all compared to the Skull Brothers and she had never heard a voice sound like that before in her life. Unable to control herself, Natasha opened her one good eye as much as she could after hearing him speak. She saw a handsome raven haired young man kneeling beside her on the floor and could tell with the way that his clothes hug him that he was fit. She also noticed that there were blood stains around his shirt with a large hole in it. She saw the stab wound in his stomach, but his lack of concern for it baffled her.

But what really caught her attention though were his eyes when she looked into them. They were filled with compassion and concern but also of kindness and strength. She had never seen such eyes like that before either. She knew who he was, but seeing him in person was completely different than what she was expecting after watching the stadium attack recording. She would've felt angry and humiliated at being caught in the nude but after everything that had happened to her, she couldn't care less about that right now.

" **I'm so sorry for what you've been through,"** he said and his voice felt like a soothing melody to her. It calmed her since it was so gentle sounding but carried an air of power. Unlike the harsh coarse voices that were filled with lust and sadism she's been hearing from the Skull Brothers for a while now. But when he reached out his hand over to her to move her hair out of her face so it wouldn't bother her, she shook in fear and drew her head back. She wasn't able to move much but it was enough for Ash to notice that she was afraid and traumatized. He pulled his hand back instantly. **"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I should've known that you would be afraid right now and have trusting issues especially with people you don't know."** Natasha slowly stopped her shivering and looked at him with a wary eye after she heard his words. **"But I promise you, I'm here to help. I know it's hard right now, but will you give me a chance and trust me Natasha?"** he asked her.

Natasha couldn't believe it. Here he was, asking and waiting for her trust while he was in a dangerous place. She didn't know if he had dealt with all the Skull Brothers or not but he was taking his sweet time like he had no care in the world. And he had said her name. She hadn't told the Skull Brothers her name. She only said it to the two girls…and that's when she figured it out. He had probably rescued the two girls first. He was most likely looking for them. They must've told him that she was here too. She looked into his eyes and could find no hint of deceit or betrayal in them yet she was still unsure if she could trust him. Then again, even if she didn't or couldn't feel like she could trust him, she really didn't have anything to lose at this point. Very slowly and barely moving, keeping her gaze on him, she nodded.

" **Thank you for trusting me. Just give me a moment…"** He got up, looking around for something to cut her binds. He searched around at the shelving units and found a knife just lying there. He grabbed the knife and moved back to the red haired girl and knelt back down beside her. Natasha trembled after seeing the knife. At first he was confused but then Ash realized why she started feeling so afraid when he saw her eye move to the knife. **"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I'm going to just cut the ropes. I know that they cut you but that's not what I'm going to do. Okay?"** he told her. She barely stopped her trembling and looked at him again before she nodded slowly once more. He moved the blanket a bit to find her bound hands and feet before he carefully cut the binds. Not once did he check out her bare body, keeping his gaze on her hands and then her feet only and she noticed that. When he finished, he tossed the knife aside, making sure to keep things that frightened her away. She shook a bit again, still cold even with the blanket on her. Ash looked around and found a large bath towel that was on the same shelving unit as the knife and took off his jacket. He was about to hand them to her when she spoke for the first time.

" **Can't…move…"** was all she said in a very low and hoarse whisper. She was too weak and in too much pain to move by herself. Even saying those two words took a lot out of her but he understood.

Ash opened up the large bath towel and spread it out on the floor next to her. He helped her on to it before wrapping her torso with it, covering her from the bottom of her neck to her knees. He did that again with the blanket as it wasn't too big, but it also covered her legs fully. Afterwards, he helped her sit up, placed his jacket around her shoulders and assisted in putting her arms through the arm holes. She was finally starting to feel warm because she wasn't really naked anymore. While he did all this, he saw clearly all the horrible bruises and cuts on her up close, especially the carved word on her back. He grew even more furious to the point of almost blowing his top but took in a deep silent breath through his nose and focused on Natasha. The red head kept her eye on him, watching him attend to her gently with great compassion. She never had anyone show even half the kind of attention he was giving her. He knelt beside her afterwards and she turned her face to him that was half covered by her red hair. He slowly reached over and moved her disheveled hair gently back so the two could see each other clearly. Natasha kept her gaze on his the whole time, allowing him to do that this time.

" **Can you walk?"** he asked her and after a moment, she barely shook her head. **"Will you allow me to carry you?"** he asked and he waited again for her reply. Another moment passed before she nodded. **"Is there anything here that you need?"** he asked her.

" **No…"** She could barely say that and was barely able to get that single syllable out before her voice completely went away. It would seem that she made her last sound for a while. Her throat was very sore from all the forced fellatio and her vocal cords were so heavily damaged because of all her shrill screaming. She had memorized all the contact numbers in her phone and knew how to get in touch with them without a phone number.

But that didn't matter at all because Giovanni had cut ties with her. And her pokémon would've been recalled by now by him. They weren't hers to begin with. They were given to her by him. There was no way he would've let them stay. That was the first thing Giovanni had told her when she first joined. Any big failure, no matter what position she held, and she would be gone, with all the things she earned taken back. That was Rocket protocol so they could prevent unnecessary losses.

" **Okay. It's time to go. Are you ready?"** he asked her and she nodded. Ash placed one arm underneath her legs and the other around her back and gently picked her up. He moved up the stairs, maintaining a good grip on her but made sure he wasn't causing her any more pain than what she was no doubt still feeling. For the first time in a long time, Natasha felt something she hadn't felt for Arceus knows how long; safe. Even back at headquarters, though she was one of the top executives and Giovanni's personal assistant, she always had to watch her back. She had to be cautious at all times because of the bet and that others wanted her position in the organization. But not with him; she felt safe with him and didn't want that feeling to ever go away.

When he reached the living room and Natasha saw the Skull Brothers, she quickly hid her face into Ash's chest as tears fell from her eye and she began shaking violently. She never wanted to see them again and never wanted to remember what happened to her here in the cabin. Ash noticed her reaction and knew what it was from. He was about to say something to her to try to calm her but never got the chance as Edmond opened his mouth at that moment. **"That's right bitch! You'll never forget us or the happy times we had together! Consider them farewell gifts!"** Edmond was only able to let out a single laugh before Ash's foot connected against his chest and sent him colliding into the wall behind him before dropping down onto the floor, completely dazed.

" **You're lucky I'm carrying this beautiful girl in my arms right now,"** said Ash in a powerful voice now, making Natasha look up to gaze at him over what he said. He lowered his gaze to hers. **"We're going to teleport to a safe place so don't be alarmed."** He gave her a reassuring smile that made her feel comforted a bit and then they vanished.

Ash and Natasha appeared in the living room of his hotel suite. Expecting him to come back, nobody was startled anymore from the teleporting. Everyone moved to him and the new girl. It made Natasha become overwhelmed with so many new faces around her, and that she was in such a rough state of mind that she buried her face into Ash's chest. **"Give us some space,"** said Ash, seeing her reaction and they backed up in understanding. **"Mom, which room is the infirmary?"** he asked her.

" **This way. Follow me and the rest of you stay here for now,"** said Delia, leading the way and he followed after his mother while their group made space for them to get through. They reached the room turned hospital and Delia opened the door for the two and stepped aside. Ash walked in carrying Natasha. Blissey moved to them with a concerned expression with his mom following after him.

" **What happened to her?"** asked Delia when she got close to them. Natasha hid her beaten face in shame against Ash's chest again. Ash noticed that and felt sullen because of what she went through.

" **The Skull Brothers happened to her. But I'm going to repay the favor,"** replied Ash. He lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms. She felt him look at her and raised her head as much as she could. **"Hey. I'm going to have my Mom take care of you now okay?"** he said softly to her but he wasn't expecting what she did next. She shook her head slightly before burying her face into his chest once more and grasped his torn and bloody shirt tightly. He looked up stunned at his mother but all he got back was a small smile from her. He lowered his gaze back to the girl. **"It's alright. My mom won't hurt you. She'll look after you."** She shook her head again and grasped even tighter. For being so weak and tired, her grip was surprisingly strong. She didn't want her source of comfort and feeling of safety to be gone. **"Hey, it's okay. I know you're scared and feel like you can't trust anyone. But you trusted me back there. So trust me again as my Mom and my friends won't ever hurt you. They'll look after you and I'll come back. I promise. Can you do that for me Natasha?"** She slowly raised her gaze to his face and looked into his eyes before she finally nodded and Ash gave her a smile.

Delia opened the bed covers and Ash tenderly lowered Natasha onto the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, towel and wearing his jacket. Reluctantly, the red head let go and the raven haired guardian withdrew from the embrace before Delia raised the covers over her. She felt so much comfort from the bed after spending so much time against the cold hard basement floor that she thought she was lying on a cloud. Seeing her finally relax a little bit, Ash felt a bit better and let out a sigh.

" **Sweetie, can you get the girls' mothers to come here and help me before you leave?"** asked Delia. Without a word, Ash began to head out the room but then was whirled around and caught up in a bear hug. **"I'm so proud of you my son. Just be careful."**

" **Thanks and I will Mom. They have to pay for what they did to them all,"** replied back Ash. They separated and he left the room. Delia turned around to face the red head after a moment, Blissey standing by her side. She saw the girl was looking at her with a slightly fearful look.

" **No need to worry. My son…is not like most and he will be fine. And he'll be back before you know it,"** she told her kindly with a slight smile, walking to her side. She sat down beside her on the bed. She looked at the beaten girl for a second. She grasped her hand gently. She thought it was a good sign that the girl didn't withdraw from her, but she didn't know that she was too weak to even attempt to move away. Her hands were cold and she noticed how it was bruised and cut. **"I'm so sorry for what they did. My friends and I are going to help you as much as we can…"**

Ash entered the living room where everyone else was and saw the girls' mothers. He told them that his mom needed their help as well with Natasha as she was gravely injured. When the three left to go to Delia to help her, the raven haired guardian looked at everyone. Before he could say anything, he felt someone grab his shoulder from behind and he spoke without even turning around, knowing who it was; **"No Richie."**

" **You can't deny me this!"** shot back Richie. He wanted to go get some payback himself.

" **I know you want revenge. I want it too,"** said Ash, turning around to face him.

" **Then let me have it!"** snapped Richie but Ash shook his head. **"Why can you get it and not me?!"**

" **Because it's my job to keep the balance! To make criminals pay for their actions! I'm going to unleash hell on them and I don't want you in the cross fire! And I will not let my friend taint his soul for such a reason!"** replied Ash before teleporting away.

" **ASSHHH!"** screamed Richie into the air. He hung his head and slouched. Joy ran to his side hugging him, who began to shake in anger and sadness that he wouldn't be able to avenge Joy himself. Their friends stood silently around them, understanding both of their reasons.

The raven haired guardian reappeared in the cabin in between his pokémon. In his absence, Ed had come back downstairs to his brothers and was surprised to see the guardian's pokémon still there. He thought they had left without dealing with them, believing they made a foolish mistake. Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir were waiting for Ash patiently and not once did they let the Skull Brothers take advantage. They had prevented them from escaping and from calling their pokémon again. The young man looked at the five brothers with a furious gaze but then walked out the front door of the cabin and his pokémon followed him. The Skull Brothers were confused and looked at one another before they heard Ash yell from outside.

" **COME ON OUT SKULL BROTHERS AND FACE ME!"** challenged Ash. Not even a moment later, the five brothers came running out of the cabin towards them before tossing out all of their poke balls and many pokémon appeared with flashes of light, their machetes back in their hands. Three Rhyperiors, three Aggrons, three Machamps, three Tyranitars, three Weaviles, three Shiftry, three Houndoom, three Ursaring, three Crawdaunt and three Scizors appeared.

" **You're outnumbered Guardian! I swear we're going to beat you to within an inch of your life! We'll keep you alive so when we find your girlfriend again, we're gonna make you watch as we torture your friends and turn your girlfriend into our own personal nymphomaniac! Just like we did to that red haired whore after you let us go the first time we met!"** promised Edmond as he glared at the Guardian with his eyes filled with malicious intent.

The Skull Brother's threat made the raven haired guardian's blood boil, his rage going past the limit. His fury at what they had done….attacking the girls in the woods….hurting Richie…kidnapping Joy and Leaf…raping and beating Natasha…stabbing him…and to what they were threatening to do in the future. No, he would not give them that chance. He was done giving chances to scumbags like them. The only thing they deserved was feeling his wrath, to feel agonizing pain before they were to be wiped from existence with their souls sent to Hell to burn for all of Eternity. His eyes narrowed, his hands clenched into fists and he shook as he let his incredible fury that had been itching to be released, finally overtake him. **"YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE! YOU WILL NEVER GET NEAR HER OR ANYONE ELSE EVER AGAIN!"** roared Ash and his eyes glowed a very bright blue.

Dark clouds were beginning to form out of nowhere and completely blocked out the sun as thunder struck every few seconds with streaks of blue lightning seen between the clouds. Powerful whirling winds began to swirl around the clearing. The winds were so strong that the Skull Brothers and their pokémon were having a hard time trying to stay standing. The ground began shaking, lightly at first before the tremors became more pronounced. A bright blue outline appeared around Ash before bright blue aura flames erupted from his body. He had finally managed to bring out his full aura... but it was done forcefully. The aura flames shot higher and higher up, the young guardian's incredible rage strengthening him beyond normal levels for a guardian. The howling winds and earthquakes slowly stopped after the dark clouds fully formed.

After the clouds formed, the clearing became covered in shadow while countless blue glowing eyes began to appear in the tree lines. The Skull Brothers and their pokémon were frantically looking around them, becoming frightened from what they were seeing. A moment later, dozens of pokémon moved into the clearing out of the woods from all sides and their eyes slowly stopped glowing blue. Ash's pokémon surrounded them as they closed in with menacing growls let out from each and every one of them. Loud screeches were heard from above and they looked up in time to see both a majestic and horrifying sight.

The legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres appeared through the clouds. Each flap of their wings let out small waves of their respective element. The elemental winged titans hovered in three different spots around the clearing, their large captivating size intimidating their foes.

Immediately after, three loud roars were heard before three large shapes jumped high into the air from the woods before landing near their winged legendary siblings. Entei, Raikou and Suicune stood up tall and proud, snarling at the Skull Brothers and their pokémon.

A large swirling water tornado formed in the lake as it reached high up into the air and a shadow of a large being was seen swimming up it before it appeared with a mighty shout as it spread its powerful wings, causing the water tornado to break apart and fall down like rain as the Guardian of the Seas hovered above the lake.

A rainbow formed from the clouds above and when it reached the ground beside Lugia, it disappeared to reveal the rainbow colored legendary pokémon Ho-Oh. She flapped her mighty wings and small multi-colored flames were shot out from her.

A ball of flames appeared out of nowhere besides Ash and it faded away to reveal the small fire psychic legendary Victini who took up a battle stance.

A blue glowing sphere appeared on the other side of Ash with a tall, bipedal purple feline appeared in a fighting stance with his eyes glowing blue. Mewtwo had a furious expression on his face, his glowing eyes locked onto his enemies in front of him, letting out a powerful flare of psychic energy that pushed his enemies back many feet.

At the Indigo Hotel, while the four mothers were tending to Natasha's needs, the others were in the living room and balcony, waiting impatiently for Ash's return. Sarah glanced towards the woods in the horizon and she widened her eyes. **"GUYS!"** Everyone looked at her. **"LOOK!"** The blonde girl pointed towards the horizon and they all turned their heads to see dark clouds appearing out of nowhere with many streaks of blue lightning appearing. They all had shocked expressions on their faces. Britney Snow had her cameraman Richard record the phenomenon.

" **That's odd; it's supposed to be sunny today,"** commented Britney.

" **That's not normal weather! That's Ash doing that!"** explained May and the newer people in the group had their jaws drop, unable to believe that he's responsible for it. They felt aftershocks ripple through the building suddenly from the earthquakes he was causing in the distance. **"He's letting out his aura!"** stated May after the ground stopped shaking and they saw a blue glow in the far distance.

" **That's not normal! Not even for an Aura Guardian!"** exclaimed Riley in concern.

Riley's remark made the people there becoming afraid as to how much power he was letting out and could cause the planet itself to respond like this. _Please be careful Ash,_ thought each of the girls that harbored feelings for him as they saw many more lightning strikes and they heard loud thunder from the distance. They saw large beings come down from the clouds.

" **Those are the Legendary Birds of Kanto!"** shouted Richard after zooming in with his camera and several people who hadn't seen them gasped, wondering how he was able to have them on his side as well.

At the lobby of the hotel, the blue haired couple felt the aftershocks and held onto each other. **"Where the hell is this coming from?!"** asked the guy, holding his girlfriend tightly. A moment later, the tremors stopped and the two looked at one another. **"That's weird how it just came and went like that,"** he said.

The girl let out a gasp suddenly and he stared at her. **"Remember the stadium attack?! How Ash let out his aura and some earthquakes happened?!"** The guy's eyes widened, understanding dawning on him. **"It has to be him that caused it! It makes sense since nobody's here and we've waited a while. They probably found his friends and are fighting the Skull Brothers!"** Both of them stood up and went outside. They couldn't see anything amiss.

" **Don't know what to do to help. We have no idea where they are but if you're right, then that means all hell is going to break loose,"** said the guy and the girl turned her gaze to him. The two stood there for a while trying to figure out what to do…

Back at the clearing with the small cabin and lake, the Skull Brothers and their pokémon were beyond shocked now. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. This Aura Guardian had an army of pokémon with him along with several legendary pokémon as well. They were trapped and there was nowhere to run. The five bald men were frozen with shock and their pokémon looked lost at what to do. They had never been in a situation like this before.

" **Pokémon of the Skull Brothers,"** said Ash, catching their attention since he was addressing them **. "I will give you one chance to live without being harmed. You have been ordered by your trainers to do wrong. If you stand down now, you will not be harmed by me or my pokémon and you will be set free after,"** offered Ash. He was hoping that they would all stand down. He knew that not all of them would but the more that would take him up on his offer, the better things will be. He didn't want to hurt them if they didn't really want to do bad things. What he wasn't expecting was for none of them to even make any acknowledgement of his offer. They instead growled at him, flexing their claws or muscles. **"I give you a chance and this how you reply back. It looks like you're as evil as them. You shall receive the same punishment. You have hurt people and taken advantage of others. You felt joy and happiness in causing others pain and sorrow! There will be no mercy given or shown to you! By the ancient laws set by Arceus, you will answer for your crimes! Your judgment has been made! You will perish for your sins!"** said Ash, the blue flames dancing violently around him.

Lucario glanced at his Master from the corner of his eye. The aura canine was worried. Ash's body hadn't healed yet and forcing himself to use so much aura could hurt him but he didn't say anything or show any concern. They were in the middle of a conflict and couldn't bring doubt to his or to Ash's mind now. He only hoped that his Master could bear the strain until it was not needed and it wouldn't do lasting damage so he could heal him later.

" **FUCK YOU! WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER! AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE BALLS TO FIGHT US YOURSELF AS YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A COWARD WHO HIDES BEHIND HIS LEGENDARY POKÉMON! THE ONLY REASON YOU BEAT US LAST TIME WAS BECAUSE YOU HAD HO-OH FIGHT US INSTEAD OF TAKING US ON LIKE A REAL MAN!"** screamed back Edmond. His anger had overtaken his fear and sense, insulting the Aura Guardian.

Ash however, ignored the insult. **"You will pay for what you did to my friends. And with or without the aid of the Legendary pokémon, you will answer for you crimes,"** said Ash in a scary calm but serious tone of voice. **"Your time has come! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE! SAY GOODBYE YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"** roared out Ash before sprinting towards the Skull Brothers and their pokémon.

They were momentarily startled, seeing something that looked like a wild blue fire ball moving towards them before snapping out of it. **"STOP HIM! TEAR HIM APART!"** commanded the Skull Brothers and their pokémon charged towards the advancing Aura Guardian.

As the guardian and the group of evil pokémon drew closer to one another, the ground began shaking. All of a sudden, Steelix popped out from under the ground. He lifted his trainer up into the air, having emerged right in front of him. The young man knew for he and his pokémon communicated mentally through their aura bond. The large and long steel snake soared through the air over the rushing horde who tried to damage him in the air but failed to do so with most of the attacks just bouncing off Steelix's hard body. Ash jumped onto the ground in front of the five men as Steelix burrowed into the ground again. The instant Ash's feet hit the ground, many of his pokémon advanced and engaged their enemies while the legendaries of the world stood at the side lines, making sure none of them tried to escape.

A chaotic battle ensued among the two groups of pokémon. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were just like their trainers by fighting back savagely. They used brutal tactics and attacks, not caring at all about their opponents, relishing in causing pain and agony. The energy boosting pills they took before had strengthened them past normal levels. It wasn't to the point of the corrupted pokémon they faced before, but it made a difference. But Ash's pokémon were ready and weren't holding back anymore. They would take them down permanently. Even though they could have outnumbered them, Ash's pokémon went one on one and if anyone of their comrades fell or became injured, another one would took over for their unconscious ally.

Greninja had sprinted towards one of the Shiftry and started dueling with it, exchanging rapid strikes. After trading blows for a bit, a water ninja star formed in his left webbed hand and Greninja front flipped over him with an Energy Ball grazing his leg. As he soared over him, he shot a dozen water ninja stars rapidly and each one hit their target. Shiftry howled with pain before turning around to face its foe, suffering from bleeding cuts while the ninja frog had a bruised mark on his leg. Both charged at the other and exchanged blows once more.

Altaria struck one of the Aggron, hitting it with a Dragon Pulse to catch its attention. The steel behemoth grunted from the attack and stomped closer to the flying pokémon, launching boulders at it as it got closer. The cloud covered dragon bird evaded most of the strikes but did get struck every now and then. Aggron was getting annoyed that he couldn't bring down the small pokémon. She countered back with Flamethrowers from afar and Steel Wings whenever she could get in close, making him roar with anger each time he was hit.

Pyroar engaged one of the Houndoom by smashing into it with a Wild Charge and then bit down on its back with a Crunch, making the dark dog yelp in pain. The fire hound let loose a Dark Pulse to its feet and made the lion pokémon release him, crying out in agony. Both snarled at each other before launching themselves at one another. Biting, slashing, spewing flames and whatever else came to mind. They slammed into each other with Headbutts and ended up rolling over the ground together with sharp claws cutting into everywhere.

Ash's Machamp and one of the Skull Brothers' Machamp advanced toward one another. They struck each other hard and fast with many quick punches. Chests, arms, legs, faces, stomachs; nothing was out of reach and each were hit all over. An electrified punch connected against the vile pokémon's face and a fiery punch was landed against the guardian's pokémon's face. Both Machamps took a step back, their heads turned. They snapped their gazes back to one another, growled and shot forward again. Eight hands collided against one another, half in fists, the other half open palms. The two superpower pokémon tried to push the other back, both of them trying to overpower the other.

Salamence had her wings covered in a metallic sheen and dive bombed one of the Tyranitars. The mountain pokémon let out a roar of fury and pain. He struck the dragon with an icy punch to its wing before his foe could put some distance between the two. The dragon let loose a high pitched scream of agony and dropped to the ground, its wing covered in ice. She snarled at her enemy and fired a Dragon Pulse at point blank range, sending the large pokémon back. Salamence slammed her frozen wing against the ground, shattering the ice off of it and flew up into the air again in time to receive a boulder to her body. She stayed up in the air though and gave a furious look at the Tyranitar on the ground who was snarling back, readying another boulder to toss.

Manectric covered itself in electricity and slammed into one of the Weaviles who let out a shriek of pain before striking it back with a Night Slash. The electric dog cried out from the cut on his body and the claw pokémon vanished from sight using Agility. He reappeared behind him with its claw covered in a bluish white glow, about to use Ice Punch. But the yellow and blue electric type quickly turned around and caught the strike with his teeth that were coated in flames. Weavile let out a howl from the agonizing pain and desperately tried to pull itself free but was unable to. He lifted up the electric dog and slammed him into the ground a couple times before Manectric finally let go with a yelp of pain. The two growled at one another before launching themselves covered in different colored glows.

Golurk shot through the air, dodging a boulder thrown by one of the Rhyperiors. He got closer to his target before vanishing from sight. Rhyperior looked around him frantically but it was no use as a Shadow Punch connected against his side that made him stumble a few steps. He whirled around quickly and struck the automation pokémon hard with a Megahorn, making him move back. Rhyperior charged to him, his head covered with a metallic sheen and was just about to connect his strike when Golurk used Iron Defense to negate the attack. Rhyperior bounced off of him, holding his head, growling and Golurk clutched its abdomen, hurt from it but saved from most of the damage. The two continued their battle, trying to overcome the other's defenses.

Golduck had engaged with one of the Ursaring, exchanging Fury Swipes with one another that landed against each other's claws. Seeing this go nowhere, Golduck quickly ducked underneath the last clawed attack and struck back with his tail covered in water. Ursaring was made to move back from the force. He let out a roar of rage and charged forward reading a Slash. The blue duck readied itself to block and counter but then the brown bear switched up his attack, startling his victim and hit him with a Faint Attack. Golduck let out a cry of pain but then glared back at Ursaring. The duck's webbed claws glowed and so did the bear's. The two dashed to the other to land their Cross Chop and Hammer Arm respectively.

Kingler matched up with one of the vile Crawdaunts and the two started exchanging Crabhammers while moving around in a circle. They let out grunts as they felt the other's pincer smash against their body. After its last attempt, Crawdaunt took a step back and launched a Sludge Bomb. Kingler quickly countered with a Mud Shot. The two attacks connected and canceled each other out. Crawdaunt swung his Night Slash at Kingler but the crab quickly intercepted the attack with a Metal Claw. The two tried to push the other off while smashing their other pincer against their enemy's body.

Kabutops prevented one of the Scizors from hitting his ally from behind and the two began slashing at one another. Both were unable to inflict much damage against their foe's tough hide however. Seeing this, the prehistoric pokémon focused his energy before launching his Ancient Power attack. Scizor saw boulders made of energy flying at him and used Fury Cutter to slash almost all of them down but one got through and collided against its chest. Scizor grunted in pain but then let out yells of anguish when Kabutops hit him with a Rock Slide. The steel praying mantis pokémon used Bullet Punch to escape and slammed into his opponent. The two snarled at one another before trading cuts with their sharp limbs.

As the two groups of pokémon charged towards one another and began their fight, Ash kept going towards the Skull Brothers who raised their machetes. He didn't manifest an aura sword to him this time though. He wanted to pummel them into the ground with his bare hands. He dodged underneath Ed's strike and quickly delivered a punch to his chest that sent him flying back. Even though the young guardian had use of his aura and it boosted his strength and speed significantly, he was still in a weakened state. But then his enemies weren't enhanced like the stadium attackers. It might have been an even match with one half powered Aura Guardian against five Skull Brothers. But this time, Ash wasn't holding anything back in his fight right off the bat and was beyond furious…

The raven haired guardian dodged the wild attacks from four of the Skull Brothers after sending Ed flying. Edward recovered faster than the others and shot his blade forward to gut Ash but he swiftly evaded before grabbing his forearm in a vice like grip and twisted it, making him drop the machete as multiple bones broke. Edward shouted out but then began howling in pain when Ash bent his arm backwards, breaking the joints and bones around his elbow but he wasn't done with him yet.

Unfortunately though, the other brothers prevented him from finishing him off at the moment as they slashed at Ash. The guardian jumped away, leaving him on the ground. The other brothers pursued after him but he quickly dodged their strikes with speedy maneuvers that disoriented them. Using the advantage, he shot to Edward who had gotten back up while gritting his teeth and tried to attack him with a desperate punch with his other hand but was completely blocked. Able to continue now, Ash kicked his right knee, a loud snapping sound shot through the area as a result of the bones breaking and Edward's leg was made to bend in a way it wasn't supposed to. The Skull Brother let out a loud mangled cry from the overwhelming pain before he was silenced with an incredible right hook to his jaw, breaking it and sending him crashing to the ground with blood trickling out from his mouth.

Seeing their brother go down for the count permanently, three of the Skull Brothers roared with rage as they launched themselves at the Aura Guardian, swinging their blades randomly. Ash couldn't evade the three of them at once and so he back flipped away from them a few times before stopping near Ed who lunged at him with his machete that was being held with his non-broken arm. Ash turned to the side to avoid the sudden strike but it grazed him across the stomach, drawing blood. The young man let out a gasp of pain but didn't stop. He elbowed his attacker in the stomach hard that made him lose his breath as he slumped over. He then delivered an uppercut to his jaw that sent Ed up into the air a few feet. He grabbed both of his legs in the air and slammed him against the ground hard, knocking the wind out of Ed, his eyes bulging out from the sudden impact.

Before he could finish off Ed, his brothers Edwin, Edmond and Eddie attacked from different angles at once and Ash was forced to let go of Ed and rolled to the side to avoid them. He got up in time to catch Eddie's machete within the palm of his hands and pulled it out from his grasp. He turned the machete around and struck him in the face multiple times with the handle part of the blade. After the second strike, his nose broke and blood started spurting out from it after each strike. After his last hit, the raven haired guardian flung the sword towards the other brothers who were charging towards him. They dropped to the ground to avoid the flying weapon, giving Ash a little more time to vanquish Eddie. He channeled some aura into his fists and delivered multiple bone shattering aura enhanced punches straight to his body that made Eddie clutch his chest with both hands before dropping to his knees. He let out a gurgled cry as the blood escaped from his mouth. Ash had broken his ribs and the broken bones had pierced his lungs and heart. He fell forward, his body twitching, slowly dying until a moment later, he stopped moving.

" **YOU SON OF A BITCH!"** insulted Edmond before he charged at him like a raging bull.

Edmond swung at Ash with an overhead strike but the Aura Guardian side stepped the attack and the blade hit the ground, digging into it. Edmond tried to pull it out but couldn't. Ash delivered a kick to his chest that sent him back as Edwin and Ed both attacked at once. He caught both of their hands in mid-swing that startled the two bald men. He slammed the two Skull Brothers against one another, making them drop their blades as a result. It didn't knock them out but it was enough to disorient them. Edmond snuck up and tried to hit him from behind. But Ash sensed him and he spun around in time to avoid Edmond's tackle who ended up colliding into Ed.

Edwin got up and aimed a kick at him while his two brothers were on the ground groaning in pain that connected, sending Ash down. The raven haired guardian quickly recovered though and stood back up. Edwin went for another kick but this time his foot was caught. The young man delivered a kick straight to his groin, making Edwin freeze with pain gripping him. Not even missing a beat, he then twisted Edwin's ankle so brutally and rapidly that his leg stayed straight while his foot was spun around to face the opposite direction. Edwin let out a loud and long scream of agony. Not waiting for him to stop his screaming Ash lifted him up from his leg and slammed him against the ground a couple times, breaking multiple bones, turning his large buff body into mush. He then spun him around while holding onto his broken foot and then flung him towards the cabin. Edwin flew through the air and crashed through the cabin's boarded up window, continued through the living room and collided into the wood wall, shattering his skull on impact. Edwin was dead before he even slid down.

Ed and Edmond got back up and took up positions on both sides of Ash. The glowing blue flames danced around him as he moved his eyes to the glaring Edmond on the right, then moved them over to Ed on the left who held his machete hand while giving him an ugly look. He didn't move and seeing him not take the first action, both Ed and Edmond charged at him from opposite sides. The raven haired guardian jumped back from Ed's blade attack and moved away from Edmond's kick. He faced the two Skull Brothers, panting and his aura flickered a bit. Pushing himself to his limit so soon before his body healed was starting to drain him, taxing his body beyond its limit. His momentary depiction of weakness was noticed by the two brothers. Realizing he didn't have much left in him, Ash tried to figure out a way to end this quickly.

Ed lunged at him with the sword and Ash dodged to the right exactly where Edmond was hoping he would be as he swung his fist. His knuckles made contact, but not to the guardian's face as he was hoping it would land, but against the palm of the young man's hand. He barely registered what happened when Ed brought his sword swinging down at the young man. Ash moved backwards quickly yet the sword still cut through flesh.

" **AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Ed let out a sadistic laugh as he heard the scream of agony, which was like music to his ears. He turned his gaze to see his victim, raising the machete above his head. But instead of seeing the guardian writhing on the floor, it was his brother Edmond. Ash didn't let go of his fist as he moved back and extended the bald man's arm out. The sword had cut off his hand, going through the wrists' flesh and joints like a hot knife through butter. Seeing what his enemy made him do to his own brother, Ed went mad and charged at Ash, brandishing his sword above his head. **"I'M GOING TO GUT YOU AND THEN MAKE YOU CHOKE ON YOUR INSIDES BEFORE YOU DIE!"** roared Ed, brandishing the sword.

Ash didn't move and kept his furious gaze on his attacker. The sword came swishing down onto the young man's head but stopped an inch away. A blue glowing hand caught the strike by the bare metal and Ed's eyes widened at the sight. He looked at the hand holding the blade, seeing some blood dripping down from the cut on the palm but the young man didn't even notice or care. A deep snarl made him move his sight to the raven haired guardian. " **You'll have a hard time making me do that…when you'll be burning in Hell,"** said Ash in his scary calm tone of voice while still holding up the sword with his left hand.

The aura around the raven haired guardian flared out powerfully and Ed felt the sword get pulled out of his hands. Ash then unleashed a series of lightning quick cuts onto Ed with the machete, who didn't even feel them until he stopped his assault. Ed looked down to see many cuts against his chest and that was when he felt the extreme pain from them as his shirt became darker from the escaping blood. He looked up at the young man, dropping to his knees with blood escaping from him mouth. **"Y-you fucking f-faggot…I'm g-gonna k-kill you and f-fuck your g-girl…"** Ed couldn't continue because not even a second later, he received a right hook to his jaw that sent him crashing to the grass. Ash picked him up from his throat and then delivered an aura enhanced punch that sent him flying back into a tree. Ed let out a garbled shout the moment he impacted the tree and became stuck. He couldn't move and felt extreme pain. He looked down at himself and saw he had been impaled by a low hanging tree branch. The branch was sticking out about a foot from his stomach. He coughed up blood, choking on it as he attempted to get off but couldn't. After futilely trying to get free for another moment, life left the never satisfied lust filled Skull Brother and he went limp. He hung from the branch loosely, blood dropping onto the grass below him, staining it. Ash watched Ed slowly die with no emotion showing on his face. When he went limp and stopped moving, he turned his attention to Edmond who had stood up, holding his stubbed limb.

" **You fucking piece of shit! Do you know what you have done?!"** shouted Edmond with bits of salvia flying out from his mouth before he charged at him and threw a strike with his non-cut hand. Ash didn't say anything but he dodged the strike and quickly maneuvered behind him and took the leader of the Skull Brothers into a choke hold. **"You…damn….ugghhhh…"** Edmond tried to get free as he struggled and cursed at the guardian, elbowing him in the stomach multiple times. Yet Ash was so consumed in rage that he wasn't feeling the strikes at all. He was slowly crushing his throat, making him mumble and drool began oozing out of his mouth. Edmond's eyes were reddening and his face was turning blue from the lack of oxygen. He stopped moving his limbs around and went slightly limp. Right then, Ash flung him to the ground and Edmond hit his head hard. He coughed and heaved for air, trying to get some oxygen in to his lungs while he stayed on the ground, his stubbed hand still bleeding. Ash didn't kill him just yet because there was some questions he needed to have him answer first. He looked behind him to the battle between the pokémon and saw it was still going.

" **STAND DOWN! YOUR TRAINERS ARE DEFEATED!"** commanded Ash to the pokémon but the Skull Brothers' pokémon wouldn't stop. Even when his pokémon went to move away, stopping their attacks, they kept trying to land hits on them. **"STAND DOWN!"** he repeated but again they ignored him. **"DAMN IT! PIKACHU! END THIS! THUNDER STORM!"** ordered Ash, seeing them not listening to his request and he brought out an Aura Shield around him and Edmond.

His pokémon heard the command, their eyes widening as a result and withdrew from the fight quickly. Each of them took up defensive positions and brought out protective shields around them. Even the legendary pokémon did the same, with Mewtwo, Victini and Lugia using their incredible psychic powers to enhance everyone's shield. Ash's starter pokémon used Agility to maneuver himself to a position in the middle of the group of enemies. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were lost as they watched the guardian's pokémon move away and bring up shields around them and were confused as to why. They wouldn't give in and wouldn't stop until they killed them or they died at their hands so why did they and why were they protecting themselves when they weren't launching attacks on them? That was when they noticed a sudden glowing yellow sphere in between them all. Each of the evil pokemon turned their gaze to the glow and their eyes widened. They saw an electric mouse encased in a golden glow outline with a furious look on its face. Its cheeks sparked out as the glow around him became brighter and brighter with streaks of electricity shooting around him.

" **PIKAAAAAA…CHUUUUUUUUU!"**

The yellow electric mouse concentrated all of the power he had absorbed before to summon dozens and dozens of lightning strikes from the clouds above to his position. The lightning bolts struck down fast and hard all around him, all over the clearing. The electric bolts were so powerful, so focused was the energy, that it blew apart the ground where it struck, making craters in its wake. Not even Rhyperior, who were part ground types and normally immune to electric attacks, could shrug off the powerful bolts, so condensed and focused was the energy. The Skull Brothers' pokémon were struck over and over again by the area attack, both directly and indirectly. They were writhing about with intense anguish, the power so great. Their high pitched shrill screams of intense anguish did not draw any pity or sorrow feeling from the guardian, his pokémon, or Mewtwo. The attack went on for several more seconds until it finally ended. Their charred remains dropped to the ground with streaks of electricity shooting around them for a few seconds and then stopped. Pikachu's yellow glow around him faded away as he used up all the power he gathered earlier on. Ash saw his starter faint from using so much energy but then Gardevoir appeared beside him and picked him up into her arms. Pikachu opened his eyes, thanked her weakly and then looked at his best friend. He shakily raised a thumbs up sign with the guardian doing the same back to his starter. Many of the pokémon went over to the mouse and commended him for ending the confrontation.

Ash looked over the corpses of the vile pokémon spread out over the clearing. None of the Skull Brothers' pokémon had decided to take his offer and they had opted to go the way of their trainers. Three things were said to everyone when they were younger. The first was that there are no evil pokémon, only evil trainers. The second was that pokémon take on the traits, habits and personalities of their trainers, for better or worse. The third was that evil beings like to group together to make it easier to do bad things to others and that you should always be careful around groups. The first was a lie told to children who wished to become trainers when they grew up so as to not frighten them. Just as there was good and bad people, there was good and bad pokémon. The second and third ones however were true. Ash had learned that a long time ago. And what he went through just now, in that clearing, in that cabin, was evidence of what he had learned being true in the world. He didn't like it at all, hating that it was true.

Mewtwo and Lucario appeared beside him. **"I know how you're feeling Ash. It had to be done. And we're almost done with this. Just hold on a bit more,"** encouraged Mewtwo. Both knew he was forcing himself to stay standing, to ignore the heavy strain he had brought onto himself. Ash turned to him and when they caught one another's gazes, the legendary psychic feline gave him a look that said 'whenever you're ready'. Ash sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

" **You fucking bastard!"** Ash turned his attention to the remaining member of the Skull Brothers. Edmond was holding his stubbed limb with his other hand, trying to stop the bleeding. **"You think it's over?!"** shouted Edmond. **"That you won the day? That there won't be others like me?!"**

" **No. It'll never be over until every single evil and disgusting being like you is wiped from the world at once. If I can make that happen, I will. But until then, I will not stop fighting against people like you. I did it when I was younger. I still do it now. And I'll continue doing so in the future,"** replied back Ash calmly in a serious tone, his pokémon gathering around them. **"Now, who sent you?"** asked Ash but Edmond didn't answer. Instead he cursed at him again. He was not going to answer any questions, no matter what he asked. He could find out about the red head himself one day and he hoped that it would cause him agony. Ash turned to Mewtwo. **"Would you kindly read his mind?"** he asked. The purple legendary gave no qualms about it and instantly had his eyes glow blue. He attempted it but was unable to do so. Stupefied, he turned to his friend and informed him of it. Both of them were in shock that he couldn't do it and Edmond laughed.

" **You morons! Did you really think that you could just read my mind like that?! You don't become the world's best mercenary group without getting some toys! There's a microchip in my head that prevents any and all mental intrusions!"** informed Edmond.

Ash and Mewtwo glanced at one another, not knowing something like that could be made. They would have to do research on that to combat it or get some for their allies and friends. **"That must be why we couldn't pinpoint their location in the cabin. Ash, that chip may come in handy. Give me a second,"** requested the psychic feline. Once more his eyes glowed blue for a moment before fading away. **"I can take it out, but once I do, he'll die,"** revealed Mewtwo.

" **We need answers first,"** replied Ash, not caring about the part about Edmond dying. **"What about the other four?"** asked Ash. Mewtwo tilted his head, surprised he didn't think of that. His eyes glowed blue and a moment later, four very small purple glows appeared in front of him. The glows faded away to reveal four small microchips. **"Good."** Mewtwo then teleported the chips to New Island and Ash turned to Edmond. **"Who sent you?"** he asked him again.

" **Your whore of a mother!"** shot Edmond. A powerful punch connected against his stomach, making the leader of the Skull Brothers vomit at once.

" **WHO SENT YOU?!"** asked Ash again, his eyes glowing blue again, his anger increasing but a tremor went through his body, making his eyes lose the blue glow and started panting heavily. Lucario helpd him remain upright.

" **FUCK YOU!"** replied back Edmond breathlessly after he finished retching. The raven haired guardian didn't know how to make him talk. He slowly glanced at the purple feline who communicated with the young guardian mentally; saying to not bother since he won't reveal anything but also gave him a suggestion that would allow them to heal other wounds and finish this up with no questions asked. Ash thought about it for a moment and then agreed mentally. **"What are you waiting for?! Too scared to finish the job?!"** shouted Edmond.

Ash didn't say anything other than **"Victini".** The small psychic and fire type let out a small burst of flame at Edmond, over his bleeding stump that cauterized the wound. Edmond fell back down in fright over what just happened after screaming from the pain. He looked at the burned flesh around the cauterized area and then at the guardian, confused. He thought he was going to be burned alive. **"Your death will come soon enough but it may not be me who does the job,"** explained Ash, standing up straight, having caught his breath and Lucario took a step back.

Ash, his pokémon and Edmond vanished in blue glows, leaving the carnage behind them. They all reappeared at the Indigo Hotel in the penthouse suite's balcony. The flying and levitating pokémon were in the air along with the pokémon who were too large or couldn't fit on the large patio balcony. Seeing Ash return with his pokémon, his friends and family went to him. They stopped in their tracks once they saw the Skull Brother there. Britney Snow was about to have Richard start rolling but then Lucario appeared in front of them and took the camera, telling them that they cannot record this and that he'll give it back afterwards. Both became angry over that but didn't protest. Britney glanced at Richard who looked at her before nodding.

" **What's he doing here?!"** asked Joy but Ash didn't answer her. Instead he glanced at her before locking eyes with Richie **. "NO!"** shouted Joy as she figured it out. She grabbed Richie and made him look at her. **"You don't need to do it! It's done! It's over!"**

" **It may be over Joy…but I have to do this,"** replied Richie and he moved to Ash and Edmond. Joy made to stop Richie but was then held back by Misty, Dawn, Serena and May. The local nurse tried to get free but they wouldn't let her. She begged them to let her go but they shook their heads, replying back that he needs to do this or he will forever be haunted by it. They had learned themselves from what they went through and what their love went through that certain things must be done. Some other people, including the parents, Oak, Diantha, Steven and some of their friends got involved but were kept back by Mewtwo bringing up a barrier.

 **"Do not attempt to stop this,"** said Mewtwo. **"Certain things must be done."**

The group watched, unable to do anything else. Ash kicked out Edmond's legs from behind him, making the leader of the Skull Brothers drop to his knees when Richie reached them. He had his eyes glow blue and a sword made out of aura was brought into existence from thin air, floating in front of Richie with gasps made from some among the group at this. Ash ignored the pain that shot up his body at that moment. Lucario glanced at him but said nothing. Richie looked at the guardian and then he grabbed the sword's handle. It was light as a feather but also felt sturdy and solid. He readied the blade in his hand, pointing it at Edmond, causing the ex-leader to tremble in place and Richie noticed. He then raised the sword above his head but held his position. **"What are you waiting for you cunt?! Do it if you have the balls!"** shot Edmond, tired of waiting to see if he was going to die or not.

" **AAAAHHHHHHHH!"** shouted Richie as he brought it down hard with both hands. Joy closed her eyes and so did many others. The sound of metal hitting cement shot through the air that made them open their eyes. They saw Edmond still alive and the balcony floor had a deep cut made by the aura sword. Edmond looked at the young man who let the blade fall from his hand to the floor.

" **You fuckin pussy! You can't even kill the man who would've raped and beaten your girlfriend without care or thought when you had the chance! You have no balls! You're no man! Maybe you should let me show her what a real man is like before you kill me since you aren't one! I'll teach her-"** Edmond was silenced by a fist to his jaw thrown by Richie and he was sent crashing to the floor. Richie kept hitting him and hitting him, each strike connecting against his face. He ended it with a last punch that broke Edmond's nose, causing blood to gush out before stepping away, panting. His right hand was twitching a bit from the impromptu knuckle sandwich he just served many times. Richie panted, catching his breath before he spoke.

" **Say what you want. I don't care. I got my revenge. You cowered at my feet and you got a taste of how much of a man I am. You are nothing to me and have no control over me anymore,"** said Richie and Edmond glared at him, ignoring his bleeding broken nose, angry that his taunting didn't work. Richie looked at the pathetic excuse of a man in front of him on the floor before looking at his friend. They locked eyes and Ash nodded at Richie who returned it. He turned away and went to the pink haired nurse and stopped in front of her. The girls had let her go when they saw Richie not kill him with the sword and Mewtwo had dissipated the barrier. **"I'm sorry Joy. I…I had to. It would've...plagued me. And I couldn't let it go unanswered…for what they did to you."**

Joy looked at him with saddened eyes for a moment. She then reached over and took his hurt hand into hers. She looked at his bruised knuckles before encasing his hand in both of hers. She raised her gaze to look at him again. **"I understand but please don't ever do that again. C'mon, let's get some ice on this,"** she told him. Richie's eyes watered and hugged her tightly. **"I love you Richie."**

" **Thank you for understanding and I love you too Joy. More than anything else in the world,"** replied Richie, relieved that she understood and wasn't holding anything against him.

" **THEN DIE TOGETHER LOVEBIRDS!"**

Edmond had recovered enough to grab the aura sword and flung it towards the hugging couple, wanting to take someone down with him. What better way than to use the very weapon of the guardian and against his close friends to cause him some pure agony? He watched the glowing blue sword spin in the air towards the two with a sadistic expression on his face. Screams and shouts were heard and Richie shielded Joy with his body. He waited to feel the blade pierce him but it never came. He turned around slowly and found the blade to be stopped in mid air.

A furious tone of voice was then heard. **"Did you honestly believe you can hurt the people I care about and love with a sword made from my own Aura?!"** asked Ash in disbelief. He stepped towards the vile man, the sword moving to back to the Aura Guardian and hovered beside him.

Edmond was beyond scared now but would still be defiant till the end. " **You think you're better than me?!"** shouted Edmond. **"You're fooling yourself! You're family and friends don't know do they? You killed just like I did! You're no better than me! You're as evil as I am! You're heart is impure!"** spat Edmond. These statements made the guardian's family and friends look at him, wanting to hear his reply. He had told them he wasn't going to show mercy, that he was going to end the Skull Brothers. But did he really kill them?

" **You're right. I did kill. I killed your brothers,"** replied Ash calmly. His admittance, even though they were expecting it, sort of, still shocked everyone. Even though they had seen what they did to the poor red head, they had heard what Leaf and Joy told them about what they did to them and they were told that they were given a chance to repent but they didn't, it still surprised them. **"But there is a difference between you and me…"**

" **There is no difference! No matter how you do it, killing is killing! Your soul is as black as mine!"** taunted Edmond.

" **That's where you're wrong,"** said Ash. **"Where you and your brothers hurt others for fun, killed for fun…I killed only to protect and when I had no other choice. That is the only time I will kill."** Edmond growled, gathered some energy and threw a wild punch with his non-stubbed hand. Ash caught his strike and snapped his arm in half, making him yell horrifically in pain. What he did made everyone yelp and cringe at what they saw but Ash wasn't done. **"You never know when to stop! That's why your brothers perished and it's why you'll follow them! That was for kidnapping Leaf!"** He grabbed him by the throat and then kicked one of his legs in the knee, breaking it and then kicked the other in the shins, causing his lower leg to snap in half. Edmond screamed out in agony. **"That was for kidnapping Joy and hurting Richie!"** He grabbed the aura sword hanging beside him. **"And this is for what you did to Natasha!"** He let loose a flurry of slashes on the leader, cutting him over a dozen times in just a few seconds. His speed, skill and grace both impressed and scared his friends and family. When he finished, the aura sword disappeared and his hand glowed a bright blue before smashing it against his chest that sent him flying back towards the railings and crashed against it. He ended up leaning against the railings with his back, sitting on the floor of the balcony in a broken heap, slowly, painfully, agonizingly waiting for death to release him from it. Ash brought his hand up, palm open towards the immoral man. His eyes glowed blue, the blue outline appeared around him and his aura flared out tremendously, dancing like a wild fire around him. Many of the newer people in the group and several others who hadn't seen his aura before in person was mesmerized at the sight of it. Lucario and Mewtwo glanced at one another, worried. They could feel the immense strain on his body, the young guardian's heart beating rapidly. **"I warned you! I told you that if you continued down the dark path that I will find you and kill you! You leave me no choice, just like your brothers left me with no choice! Not once did you feel remorse for you actions! I gave you and your brothers a chance to change your ways but you decided to keep doing wrong! This will be for everyone you have ever hurt or made suffer by your hands! By the power trusted to me by the Original One, Arceus, I, Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum, charged with keeping peace and balance in the world, pass judgment on you for your sins in front of these witnesses and that judgment is death!"** Ash concentrated his aura and a bright blue sphere of energy appeared, cackling with sheer power in front of his hand as it grew steadily bigger and bigger until it was large enough to engulf the man. The Skull Brother saw it and could feel the incredible energy from it. The raven haired guardian shot the Aura Sphere at maximum speed. The sheer force of it didn't even let its target scream or cry out in pain as it completely vaporized him on contact, erasing him from existence. All that remained was a smoldering dark spot on the balcony floor. Ash's dancing aura regressed back into him and he dropped to his hands and knees, wheezing, desperately trying to get air into his lungs.

" **ASH!"** cried out many people and they shot to him. The girls got to him first, kneeling beside him and hugged him. They could feel him shivering violently as if he was out in an icy blizzard.

" **What's wrong Ash?!"** asked Misty fearfully but he couldn't answer, taking heavy breaths.

" **Master used up too much aura and he had forced it out before his body had healed fully to battle the Skull Brothers. I need to heal him immediately to undo the damages he has incurred and he must rest,"** explained Lucario when he approached them.

" **Then that's what's going to happen,"** replied May as she and the girls helped him shakily get back up after but then Ash stopped them. **"Ash, you have to rest!"** exclaimed May.

" **I know…and I will…but I have a couple…things to do first,"** replied Ash while inhaling huge gulps of oxygen. It took him a moment to be able to compose himself enough. He willed himself to do what he had to do first, ignoring the colossal pain. He looked up and around at his pokemon. **"Thank you all…for everything, for being there for me…for helping me. I truly appreciate it. I-I will make it up to you all."** His pokémon gave him respectful looks before Mewtwo teleported them back home for them to rest. He turned to his friends and family. **"Where's…Leaf?"** he asked them and he felt something slam into him out of nowhere before he was squeezed tightly. He ignored the pain that he felt from his stab wounds as the brunette unknowingly caused him with her embrace and returned the hug. **"I'm…so sorry Leaf and…thank Arceus…we found you and Joy in time."**

Leaf was crying into his shirt as she held onto him tightly, not saying a single word back. His girlfriends were looking at the two with small smiles, not even thinking about the betrayal, the fight and were not angry or jealous at all. Though that couldn't be said for a few others but they remained quiet. Ash looked at Mewtwo and the purple feline's eyes glowed blue and something appeared in Ash's hand. The two separated slightly and he handed her what was in his hand. It was her blue cap but it was in perfect condition thanks to the purple feline. Leaf formed a large smile on her face, one that reminded Ash of the one he got from her over a decade ago. She placed the hat onto her head immediately. The affectionate gesture between the two made almost everyone around them feel better and smile. As Leaf hugged Ash again, the raven haired guardian turned to Lance, holding onto the brunette tightly.

" **Champion; you'll find a cabin in the middle of the woods besides a small lake. You'll find the four remaining Skull Brothers and their pokémon there. They won't give you any more trouble. Ever. But I thought you should know,"** said Ash and Lance didn't reply back, knowing what he meant.

He would still have to go and see what happened and have it cleaned up. He looked at his fellow Champions and Officer Jenny and they know what he was asking without him speaking words. Britney and her cameraman, who said his name is Richard, also decided to go with them. They all soon left with one Champion left behind; Cynthia had opted to stay and they didn't raise any questions about it. After Lance, Diantha, Alder, Steven, Jenny, Britney and Richard, who got his camera back from Lucario left, Ash told the others he had one more thing to do before he could rest.

With the assistance of May and Leaf, Ash went towards the infirmary. Lucario and Gardevoir followed after them and then waited in the living room for him to return. Mewtwo had teleported back home after he told Ash he'll let him know if anything comes up, not mentioning the microchips yet in front of the others. Misty, Dawn and Serena followed behind him while the others went to the living room, deciding to let them be for a moment. Many of the girls who were in the living room however wanted to be with the raven haired guardian but decided to wait since it wouldn't be good for him right now. Ash and the girls with him stepped inside the room and closed the door where Natasha was lying on the bed.

" **ASH!"** cried out Delia, hugging her son tightly but then let go quickly. **"You look like hell. Are you alright? What do you need?"**

" **You can say that again…but I'll be fine. I'm gonna…go rest soon. But I have a…promise to keep. I will never again break my promises,"** he told her while taking some breaths and his mom smiled at him.

She stepped aside and Ash continued towards the red headed girl who was lying on the bed. The two brunettes didn't assist him this time but took a couple steps after him as well along with the other three girls before stopping behind him. They wanted to give some space to the poor girl. Caroline, Grace and Johanna went to stand beside their daughters while Delia stood beside Misty and Leaf. Natasha had opened her one good eye when she heard the door open and when she saw the raven haired young man enter, she felt safe again. She wasn't fully frightened from the mothers anymore after what they did for her but she was still quite uncomfortable and still didn't trust them fully either. The three older women came into the room to help the raven haired young man's mom out. They cleaned her body with wet sponges and then cleaned her cuts, scratches and the carved word on her back with warm water prior to applying disinfectant and then dressed the wounds with bandages. The medicine they applied on her wounds made her feel sharp stings and hurt badly but all she could do was grit her teeth while whimpering. After that, they helped her wear proper clothes. She was now wearing undergarments with black sweats and a blue shirt that was slightly large on her. She saw their reactions of when they saw her wounds and the carving on her back but couldn't blame then. She herself thought they were horrible. She watched mother and son hug and talk for a moment and then he came to her bedside.

" **Hey,"** he said softly and she looked into his eyes. What she saw before in them, she saw again; concern, worry, strength and kindness. **"I told you I'll be back."** Natasha didn't reply, move or show any type of reaction to his words. All she did was continue to gaze at him. **"I'm going to let you rest and if you need anything, my mother, my friends and I will be here for you. You have nothing to fear anymore."** Natasha's eye watered a bit and he noticed. Ash sat beside her on the bed and gently took her hand in his, making the red head feel some comfort from his touch. The females standing in the room gave small smiles over his caring display. **"Hey, its okay. You're safe here. Those vile men are gone for good and will never again hurt you. I know it will be difficult but please try to relax and don't be afraid. No one will ever hurt you again while I'm around. I swear it."** She started crying but silently since she couldn't make any sounds except for whimpering noises still. She gripped Ash's hand tightly and he understood; she was still afraid, still traumatized. He let her sob a bit until she cried herself to sleep. She was so tired and so weak that it didn't take long. He stood up, lowered her hand down and then raised the covers over her. His actions earned respectful and admiring looks from the females in the room.

He turned to his mom. **"I'll stay with her,"** stated Delia and Ash nodded. He then turned to look at the rest.

" **C'mon Ash. You're hurt and we should get those stab wounds checked out,"** advised Leaf.

" **And you need to rest,"** reminded May and he agreed.

" **Okay. I did what I have to do so alright. Let's go."** He allowed the five girls to take him out of the room. They walked towards the living room where everyone was. All eyes were on Ash now. Some with relieved looks on their faces, others with impressed gazes, some a little frightened after seeing him kill someone right in front of them, some others smiling at him and some had confused expressions, not knowing how to process what they witnessed him do. He leaned against the nearest couch for a moment and the girls at his side drew closer to him and everyone stood up from the couches. He noticed and gave a small smile. Lucario and Gardevoir started moving towards him but stopped when he spoke again. **"I'm fine. No need to worry. I'm just…tired."** He took a couple dizzying steps forward before his vision turned black and then he dropped to the floor unconscious.

* * *

 _ **A/N - The Skull Brothers are vanquished, the girls have been saved but the guardian is a wreck. What will happen next and what consequences will this entail for them all? Thanks for reading! Remember to review, fav and follow! This is Silent checking out!**_


	42. Chapter 42 - Realizations

_**A/N - Hello everyone! Hope all of you are doing well and have you guys watched Deadpool yet? It's fucking amazing! Also, Walking Dead is back and it came back with a** **bang!** **Go watch them if you haven't yet.** **Some quick things before I let you read the chapter;**_

 _ **1\. About Shauna -** Some of you were confused about which Shauna I've been talking about. It's Shauna from Hoenn, the martial artist with blue hair who had a crush on Brawly. Just wanted to clear that up in case more of you were confusing her with the Shauna from Kalos with the brunette hair. Before you ask, the Kalos one will get involved more but after the tournament._

 _ **2\. About too much drama lately -** I get it. I do. Some of you have respectfully and jokingly mentioned that, which I don't mind at all and enjoyed reading it while others were a little bit more 'vocal' about it in private messages. Things have been going down this path and I've been doing my best to explain why it happened and the reasons it had to occur. With so many characters to juggle, so many emotions, feelings, back story, problems and outside forces causing things to happen to them, drama is expected. I can't keep everything going smooth all the time cause that will be boring and I want to make some things 'realistic'. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it; everything I do is for a reason and I'm fleshing out everything little by little. If you want stale 2 dimensional characters with no substance and hardly any plot, then go read some of the other stories that are on here. _

_**3\. About Ash's Harem/girl problem -** I understand what you all are saying. But I promise you, it's all for a reason like I keep saying. I will let you know that I have already figured out which girls are going to end up with him, the reasons why, how, etc. And like I said, he's a celebrity, the last Aura Guardian, powerful, handsome, etc. etc. I don't want to keep bringing this up. Also, there will be a central reason for it all that will be later in the story. It may be...ambitious I guess what I have in mind but I believe I can pull it off well like I've been doing so far and hopefully, you will understand it, like it and support it. _

_**4\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Erazor Djinn -** Thanks dude! I appreciate it and hope I can keep it up. :)_

 _ **Guest -** Thanks buddy. You'll find out some answers to your questions in this chapter. Also, Pikachu didn't really kill all of the evil pokemon that easily; his allies were fighting them before, weakening them and he had been absorbing electricity for a long time before finding the girls. You'll find out a bit more about his 'Thunder Storm' attack later. _

_**Jaguars5 -** It's possible. ;)_

 _ **MANbearPIG1 -** Anush (Pronounced Ah-noosh; means good eating/enjoy your meal in Armenian) Thank you buddy. I'm glad you liked the chapter and the Nazareth reference made me bust out laughing. And thanks for the seal of approval and hope I can 'maintain' it. lol. I'm sorry dude, but I cannot add Angie into the group for the reasons above. No worries buddy. Just be careful when hunting when you're drunk and glad to hear you had a good hunt. :)_

 ** _That's it. Oh wait, one last thing. I have a surprise for you all at the end of the chapter with my ending author notes. Hope you like the news. ;) Alright, without further ado, here's the next part! Enjoy and don't forget to review, fav and follow!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 42 – REALIZATIONS

" **What a massacre…"**

" **You can say that again Steve,"** replied Alder.

" **He wasn't kidding about making them feel his wrath."**

" **No. No he wasn't Diantha,"** stated Lance.

It was evening and the Champions Lance, Diantha, Alder and Steven had gone to the cabin in the deep part of the Indigo Plateau woods to see the battlegrounds. They wanted to see what happened with their own eyes and to find any evidence, if any remained, of who the Skull Brothers worked for. They were joined by Officer Jenny, along with Kanto reporter Britney Snow and her camera man Richard. All seven of them had flashlights in their hands, the light shining over the area with looks of horror on their faces at the carnage. They grimaced seeing the mangled bodies of three of the Skull Brothers and didn't even want to picture just how Ash was able to do that to them. They had yet to go inside the cabin to see the fourth one.

The Unova Champion knelt down beside the charred remains of a Rhyperior and studied the corpse. The others walked around the many lifeless bodies of the pokémon and men, with Britney and Richard recording everything. He saw the scorch marks, how the area around the marks were blackened and the actual injury itself was like something punched a hole straight through its tough hide. He knew an electrical attack when he saw one but this both confused him and made him shudder in his place.

" **Guys…"** called out Alder as he kept his gaze on it. Soon enough, the other six gathered round, Richard rolling away on the camera. **"What do you see here?"** The six looked at the indicated area and after a moment of silence, the Champions becoming wide eyed and the other two just shrugged. **"That is a mark left by an electric based attack."**

" **That's impossible!"** said Britney. **"Ground types are immune to electrical attacks!"**

" **That may be Ms. Snow,"** started Steven and Britney looked at him, slightly blushing that the elegant and handsome Champion was speaking with her. Richard shifted in his spot a bit. **"But if an electric type is at a very high level and has learned how to condense or focus the energy in the attack, it can even harm ground types. Like an armor piercing round going through thick steel. Remember what we saw from the hotel balcony? Those incredible lightning strikes from the clouds? It has to be from that."**

" **And all the other bodies show signs of the same type of scorch marks. And there are craters all over the place too with darkened centers. From what Alder says and what we saw, then that's what caused it. It has to be,"** stated Diantha.

" **All we know is that it was a very dangerous attack and one that only a very powerful and skillful pokémon would be able to pull off. It might have been Raikou or even Zapdos. Who else could penetrate Rhyperior's armor, let alone fry a ground type pokémon with electric attacks and cause the clouds to strike thunder as if it was a toy?"** asked Lance and everyone shook their heads. **"Officer Jenny, would you please contact the cleanup crew and have them come here?"**

" **On it sir!"** replied back the blue haired officer after snapping out of her stupor. She was thinking about how strong Ash is, remembering what he did back at Indigo Lake and the carnage that was left on the ground in front of her. She didn't like that so many lives were taken, but she was a realist and knew sometimes things don't go the way you want them too. She also knew that the raven haired guardian wouldn't just kill for no reason, seeing him restrain himself before. Remembering him at the lake made her redden slightly but she immediately pushed past it and called the required people for the job. She started explaining the directions once she got someone on the other line.

" **Thank Arceus Ash is on our side,"** remarked Alder after standing up.

" **Too right."** The Hoenn Champion turned to the frozen reporter. **"Ms. Snow?"** Britney turned to Steven. **"Are you alright?"**

" **Yes I'm okay. It's not the first time I've been around a horrific scene but it still got to me. Thank you,"** she replied, smiling at him, slightly red and Steven nodded his head. Once again, Richard shifted in his spot slightly.

" **We should check out the cabin,"** said Diantha.

" **Alright. But keep your eyes open and your guard up. This was their hideout and there may be leftover traps or other hidden dangers,"** remarked Lance. **"Britney, Richard and Officer Jenny, please wait outside. We'll let you know if it's safe to enter."** The three agreed and the four Champions cautiously made their way towards the cabin. They each brought out their lead pokémon and explained the situation to them before heading inside. While the Champions and their pokémon searched in the cabin, the other three stayed outside, making small conversations here and there. They were talking about what could've happened as they waited for the Champions to come back out and for the cleanup crew to get there.

Around the same time the Champions had reached the battlegrounds, something was happening at the Indigo Hotel's penthouse suite. Many figures were gathered around in the master bedroom, some sitting, some standing, near a king sized bed that had a young man lying unconscious on it. Two blue and black canine pokémon were next to him with their glowing blue paws on the man's chest. Another being, this one human, had his glowing blue hands on his stomach. The three were pulsing healing aura onto him, trying to undo the damages he had received in his battle against the Skull Brothers and the self-inflicted harm he caused onto himself when he forced his aura out. The minor wounds he had sustained, such as the stomach cut was healed with no leftover scar and the stab wounds were partly healed from before and scarred over. But what was really worrying Lucario was that his Master had used his aura before his body had recovered from his alcohol poisoning. That had severely taxed his body and he hoped that it wouldn't be permanent. He had already suffered through a mental breakdown just a few days before, was emotionally broken last night and if he had to go through his body becoming fragile as well, Lucario didn't know if he would be able to handle it.

While the three were trying to heal the gravely injured and weakened raven haired guardian, the ones in the bedroom were silently watching them as they did so. Gardevoir was standing beside Pikachu's bed, watching over the electric mouse, the aura canine and her trainer. Norman and Professor Oak were leaning against the wall near the bathroom door, each with their arms crossed over their chest. Delia was looking at her son's expressionless face, standing near the top of the bed next to Riley. She was gently stroking the top part of his head while silently letting out tears, praying that he would recover and soon. The four girls, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena, were standing at the foot of his bed with their mothers hugging them, though in Misty's case, her oldest sister was hugging her. The girls' eyes were glued onto him, not making a sound but not crying either. He wouldn't want them to and were doing their absolute best to do so. Daisy was also looking at Ash, hoping he would be alright for Misty's sake. She also felt something stirring within her as she kept her gaze on him but after a couple moments, she pushed it aside. What mattered now was her baby sister, not trying to understand what she was feeling.

Leaf was holding his hand while her tear streaked gaze was on his, standing on the opposite side of Riley. Cynthia was standing behind Leaf with Clair, Liza and Sabrina standing next to her. Each of them had sullen expressions on their faces and thinking many different things. Cynthia hoped he would recover but was wondering how long it would take and whether or not he would be alright when he woke up. Clair and Liza, especially the latter, were deathly quiet, which was surprising. Neither could make a sound, both of them completely lost in worry over the young man. Sabrina was the worst one off out of the four. She was thinking how she shouldn't have agreed with what he said and she should've gone with him. She could've helped him out and prevented him from getting so hurt. She kept insulting herself in her mind for that, beating herself up over it but nobody noticed, not even psychic frontier Brain.

Sarah, Anabel, Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth were standing behind the two Lucarios watching them heal the man they had feelings for. Sarah was saying prayers in her mind and Anabel was thinking about the first time she met him. Giselle was leaning onto the bed post, unable to keep upright by herself, hugging herself. She was shaken to her core seeing him like this since she had believed that he was so strong after their battle together in the tournament. Shauna and Lizabeth were hugging one another with both sets of watery eyes on the young guardian. They were filled with sadness seeing him so vulnerable and weak. Never before had they seen him in such a state and would never have believed it so had they not seen it with their own eyes.

Brock and Lucy were sitting on the chairs against the wall with the Frontier Brain resting her head against his shoulder. Cilan and Iris were sitting next to them, with the dragon trainer hugging her boyfriend. Chili, Violet, Lily and Cress were sitting on the couch against the adjacent wall. The eight of them were quiet, waiting patiently for the raven haired guardian to be healed, many different thoughts going through their heads. Violet and Lily were of course worried about him but were also worried about Misty, wondering how their sister was handling this since she was so quiet. Clemont, Bonnie and Max were sitting on the window ledge near the balcony door with the two young teenagers sitting next to one another. Bonnie was leaning against Max, who would've been embarrassed but was too busy worrying about his friend who he looks up to. Joy and Richie were also in the room but were standing near the room door, crestfallen. Richie was leaning against the wall and Joy was leaning against him with his arms wrapped around her stomach. Joy was feeling useless that all of her medical training and learning was of no benefit right now. Richie was feeling a mixture of emotions. He was happy that his girlfriend and the love of his life was safe and in his embrace. But he was also scared that his close friend was in big trouble. He was also feeling a little relieved that he had prevented him from battling against the Skull Brothers at the forest because he saw the incredible phenomenon in the distance from the hotel balcony.

Gary and Daisy Oak were half sitting, half leaning against the dresser that was placed in front of the opposite wall of where the eight were sitting. Daisy Oak was alternating her gaze from her boyfriend Riley to the young man on the bed. She was worried for both of them. She saw the injuries he had sustained from rescuing the girls and fighting the evil group. She had also noticed the strain Riley was going through with him sweating and his brow furrowed.

Gary was silent with his arms crossed in front of him, having many different thoughts whirl around in his head while his neutral expression was on the bed and the people around it. He was hoping his childhood rival would be alright. He didn't want things to end this way with him. Not after becoming friends after years of competing against one another when they should've been buddies from the beginning. He couldn't just have a half assed understanding and apology between the two as their final one. He may have fought with him, traded insults with him, treated him like shit, let his pride and ego get the better of himself and his rival may have caused the break up between him and his girlfriend by exposing his dirty secret, but he still didn't want this to happen to him. And he couldn't blame him for that though. He was fooling himself. She would've found out one day, sooner or later. Even though he wanted nothing more than to have her in his life, he understood that it wouldn't happen if she didn't trust him.

And there was one more thing as well that he needed to know and it involved him, his rival and the Queen. He wanted to know if he had any feelings for her, if she had any feelings for him and whether or not she felt anything for him anymore. He glanced at the blonde Queen of Rota before moving his gaze so no one would see. Queen Ilene was standing next to Misty and Daisy, her hands clasped together in front of her. She was filled with fear and sorrow over seeing her Knight so injured and weak. And she still felt so horrible and guilty over what she did to him. She hoped he would recover without much issue so she could make it up to him somehow. Whether or not he took up the title of Knight of the Kingdom of Rota, she would always view him as one.

Seeing the process was still going, Delia got up to go check on Natasha. She had promised her son she would take care of her when he wasn't around or able to and would keep that promise. Oak, Norman, Caroline, Grace and Johanna decided to go with her. They didn't want her to be alone and thought that they should get some tea ready for everyone since it would help calm them down and warm them up. They wanted to do something to try and help and that was the best they could at the moment. Riley, his Lucario and Ash's Lucario continued their healing for a while longer but then Riley couldn't go on and stopped abruptly, panting heavily. Daisy Oak appeared by his side immediately, holding him up before he lost balance. **"Are you okay?!"** she asked him with a worried tone of voice. The others in the room glanced at him besides the two Lucarios and were about to move to him but he stopped them by waving his hand.

" **I'm…fine. Just…exhausted,"** he panted. He looked at the four girls. **"I'm sorry…I can't continue."**

The girls merely shook their head slightly. **"No need to apologize. I'm sure you did your best,"** replied Serena.

Before Riley could comment back, his Lucario also couldn't continue. He stopped his healing and took a step back, panting heavily. He looked up at his partner and friend with a sorrow filled gaze. **"It's alright friend. I know you did your best,"** praised Riley and his Lucario bowed his head. **"Take a good rest."** His Lucario nodded and was soon returned to his poke ball. Riley then turned to Ash's Lucario who was still going. **"You should take a break Lucario and continue after you rest,"** advised Riley but Lucario shook his head and kept going. **"We've been healing him for a while now. I think he'll be alright. You can take a break and we can continue afterwards,"** suggested Riley.

Once again, Lucario shook his head and continued pulsing out healing aura. They could see him sweating and straining to keep it up. **"I cannot."**

" **But why?"** asked Daisy Oak.

Lucario thought for a moment, debating whether he should tell them or not before he decided that he should tell them. **"Because Master isn't just suffering because of his battle wounds. He is suffering through alcohol poisoning and he forced his aura out before his body recovered, before the alcohol left naturally. That has damaged him greatly. He wasn't able to sleep at all last night either, both from the pain from his liver and thinking about what happened the night before. I cannot stop until I have healed him enough to prevent permanent damage,"** revealed the aura canine. Everyone gasped with the girls clapping their hands to their mouths, letting out whimpers.

" **This is all my fault. I'm so sorry,"** apologized Leaf. Her lips quivered and her eyes filled up with water.

She was about to break down when her arm was grabbed all of a sudden and pulled towards the youngest Sensational Sister and wrapped up into a tight embrace. That action surprised many in the room, not expecting it all.

" **Don't even think that Leaf. He would've done that for any of us. And there's no point in crying anymore. That won't help anyone and Ash wouldn't want us to. So chin up alright? And…and I'm sorry for being so mean and cruel to you. I really am. It's just…when it comes to Ash…I'll do anything for him. Please forgive me,"** said Misty sadly as the two girls hugged each other. Leaf couldn't take it and she let out some tears.

" **You have nothing to be sorry about Misty. In your shoes, I would've acted and done the same. I don't hold anything against you, Dawn, Serena or May. I just hope you and everyone else can forgive me for what I did,"** pleaded Leaf through her sobbing.

" **We already have."** Leaf withdrew from the hug and looked at the blunette who spoke in disbelief. **"It's true. We have. What you went through with the Skull Brothers, we wouldn't wish that on anyone. And like we said before; we didn't know about your past. We didn't know that your feelings for him are so great and pure. So what happened is in the past,"** said Dawn.

" **But what we spoke about last night is still true. So if that's all good with you, if you still want it and Ash wants it too, then you'll become one of us, become our sister and be with him,"** finished up May with a smile. Leaf looked at her and then at the other girls. They were all looking at her with smiles on their faces and Leaf smiled back at them. Some of the others in the room were astounded but also happy in hearing that. The other girls who have feelings for Ash though were lost in thought about what they just witnessed.

" **I've come to realize that's all I want. Thank you all,"** said Leaf. The five girls entered into a group hug that made the others in the room smile that they were able to bury the hatchet and move on from the ugly things that happened before.

When they finally withdrew from one another, Brock spoke up. **"So that's out of the way, I have something to ask you girls,"** started Brock and the five girls turned to face him. **"So now that Leaf has been accepted along with Cynthia, who's going to tell the families that the group consists of six girls now instead of just you four? And will they be alright with that?"** Brock's questions made the girls' eyes widened and some of the people who didn't know about Cynthia being involved as well had their jaws dropped, who were Clemont, Max, Bonnie and Daisy Waterflower. Three of them was astonished and unable to comment or even form a thought about that. The fourth however was thinking how her baby sister could be alright with all this…

The six girls looked at one another and then at their friends around them. They had forgotten about that. How would their families take it? Would they still support them? Would they try to break them up? What would they say? They thought about it in silence for a bit. **"I don't care what they say or think."** Everyone turned to the one who said it. **"If my parents don't like it or don't support us, I don't care. My best friends and sisters have been there for me and so has Ash. They are my family now as well and we are adults. What we decide to do with our lives is up to us and us only,"** answered the brunette from Hoenn without hesitation.

" **Couldn't have said it better myself May,"** said Serena, making everyone feel that things would be alright though the oldest Sensational Sister thought she would have to speak with her baby sister later. A sudden blue glow caught everyone's attention and they all looked towards the source; it was coming from Ash. Lucario took a couple steps back, his eyes wide.

" **What's happening?!"** asked Bonnie out of fear, grabbing onto Max, who went red.

Before Lucario could answer, the blue glow brightened and expanded until it filled the room, washing over everyone. It stayed like that for a moment before it retreated back to its host. The blue glow faded away but left behind a faint blue outline around him. **"What was that all about?"** whispered Giselle. Nobody spoke but they all turned their attention to Lucario and found him to have a very happy expression on his face.

" **This is great news. Master will be alright. His aura was checking to see if his current position was in a safe place and if the people around him are trustworthy before beginning the healing process by itself. If it deemed the area unsafe, it would have lashed out against everyone,"** explained Lucario.

" **So he'll be alright?"** asked Sarah, not moving her gaze from Ash.

" **Yes, Lady Sarah. Master will be alright. The healing process will take some hours but everything is fine now. We have nothing to worry about anymore,"** answered Lucario.

" **No, we still need to worry about something,"** piped up Gardevoir and everyone looked at her. **"You need to rest now too Lucario."** Lucario looked at her and saw she was not going to let him argue about it, one of her rare stern gazes shot at him. He sighed and nodded his head. Gardevoir took his paw and lead him out of the room towards the balcony since she knows he likes nice views.

" **So whipped. Just like his trainer,"** chuckled Gary.

" **You shouldn't talk Gare-Bear,"** said Leaf and they all laughed at him, but he just shrugged.

" **Eh, you're probably right, but you know me. Can't stop with the jokes,"** replied the young researcher, stealing a quick glance at Ilene but she wasn't looking in his direction. Instead she was looking at the guardian on the bed. He had hoped for her to look at him, even if it was for a second but got nothing.

" **Too bad they're not funny otherwise we wouldn't mind so much,"** jabbed Leaf back, making most everyone in the room laugh again, making Gary feel embarrassed.

" **Damn it Leaf!"**

" **Hey, keep it down!"** shot May and they all went silent. **"Since we know now he'll be fine, we shouldn't have everyone here while he rests."**

" **She's right. All of you except his girlfriends need to get out,"** said Brock as he and Lucy began ushering everyone out. As they did that, Leaf grabbed hold of two girls who were near the end of the group and pulled them towards her and the other girls. When they gave her confused looks, she shushed them and told them to wait. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Sabrina and Daisy Waterflower glanced back to look at Ash before they left. After everyone else left, Brock closed the door after he too left. Leaf turned to Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia with Anabel and Sarah standing behind her.

" **There's something you should know,"** started Leaf and the five girls looked at her with curious expressions, though four of them had an idea what it could be about. The two behind the brunette were looking at her with curious worried gazes. **"Anabel and Sarah are good people. They were there for me, putting my needs before theirs when they could've kicked me to the curb to get closer to what they want but they didn't. I cannot make you do anything or agree with me, but please just hear me out; Anabel and Sarah both like Ash too and I believe they will be great for him and be great sisters to us as well. They should be given a chance too if Ash likes them, even a little bit."** Cynthia was surprised at Leaf's little speech. She didn't think she would do something like that. She then realized that she was changing and for the better. She looked at the two girls and found them to have embarrassed faces at being found out. She then turned her gaze to the four girls who didn't have any look of surprise on their faces and that made her tilt her head.

" **Yea, we know they like him,"** said Dawn after a moment, making the other four girls become flabbergasted. **"I caught you talking with Lucy about it all Anabel."**

" **Damn. Really?"** asked Anabel, embarrassed at being caught so long ago.

" **Yea. And even if Dawn hadn't stumbled onto that, it was kind of obvious what you four were doing,"** said May, making the four flush crimson. **"It wasn't that hard to notice. You guys would blush ever so slightly sometimes whenever you and Ash would talk and we saw the way you were looking at him in the past. Just because we didn't say anything, doesn't mean we didn't notice."**

" **That's right. And we didn't say anything because we thought it was just a crush and nothing more until we found out differently,"** added Serena, making them become confused.

" **What do you mean by that?"** asked Sarah.

" **After Ash told us everything about his mission, Lucario explained some things to him and us about what happened with him going crazy after talking to Arceus,"** said Misty. **"He told us that…"** The four girls then explained everything to them that they were told of, the reasons why they could enter the Guardian's Shield and the rest couldn't.

" **So you knew before. Then when he asked you what he should do about us after finding out why we could enter the Guardian's Shield, you told him to give it a shot if he felt there was something, even when you could've not let him?"** asked Cynthia in surprise, the other three shocked at what they heard.

" **That's right,"** answered Serena. They looked at the four girls with disbelieving eyes.

" **Wow. You girls are something else,"** commented Anabel and the four girls went pink slightly, thanking her for her kind words but told her to not think of them as special or perfect or whatever else. **"But you are! No wonder he loves you!"** repeated Anabel and the four blushed heavily.

" **Wait…is that what he was talking about when he told me that night how he found out some stuff that made him understand how he feels about me?"** asked Cynthia, figuring out what he was talking about that night.

" **Yup,"** replied Dawn instantly.

" **Hold on a second!"** said Leaf as she, Anabel and Sarah looked at Cynthia. **"Are you saying that you told Ash how you feel about him before your kiss with him last night?!"**

" **Hehe…ah yea…and he kissed me then too,"** said Cynthia with a grin.

" **Damn…and you were alright with that?"** Sarah asked the four girls.

" **Yes because like we said; Ash didn't hide it once he realized what was going on after what Lucario explained and what we decided together,"** said Misty.

" **I see…so, I take it this means there's a chance things could work out between us?"** asked Anabel, hope filling her.

" **It means that since Ash does feel something for you and you him, you can try it out and we won't try to stop it. However, you must follow the rules we have agreed on and because of our families being here, we must ask for you to wait to show your affections to him in front of everyone until after my date with him,"** clarified May.

" **Sounds reasonable. I'm in,"** replied Sarah, feeling absolutely joyful.

" **Me too,"** said Anabel with a large smile on her face.

" **Good. I guess that's settled then,"** said Misty and the eight girls nodded. She turned to look at the love of her life and saw him fast asleep, the faint blue glow still outlining him. Pikachu was still curled up in his basket bed, resting as well since he was exhausted. She smiled a bit and then turned to the girls again. She was starting to feel tired. She rubbed her eyes a bit and seeing her do that, made the other girls realize how tired out they were as well. **"You guys too huh?"** asked Misty, noticing them becoming tired all of a sudden and the seven girls mumbled their agreement.

" **Yea. I wouldn't mind sleeping but I also don't want to leave his side,"** said Leaf, looking at her childhood friend on the bed and they all agreed.

" **Well, unfortunately the bed is too small for us all to fit and I don't think it would've been a good idea right now even if it was big enough,"** quipped Sarah, slightly chuckling and they agreed.

" **May, you and Leaf should stay with him,"** said Serena and the two brunettes tilted their heads.

" **Yea. It's your date up next and Leaf should be here too because she and Ash have to talk when he wakes up,"** added Anabel, the other girls agreeing.

While May and Leaf told them goodnight and the six girls left the room afterwards to go to their own beds, several conversations were going on from before in the living room, dining room and balcony of the suite. Delia, Oak, Norman, Caroline, Johanna and Grace were speaking with one another in the dining room. Gary, Daisy Oak, Riley, Ilene, Daisy Waterflower, Violet, Lily, Cress, Chili, Cilan, Iris, Richie, Joy, Max, Bonnie, Clemont, Brock and Lucy were speaking in the living room. In the balcony were Clair, Liza, Sabrina, Giselle, Shauna, Lizabeth, Lucario and Gardevoir.

" **Are you sure you're alright?"** asked Gardevoir while she snuggled up against the aura canine on the lounge chair. They were both looking over the horizon from their seat.

" **Yes. I'll be alright. I have you by my side,"** he replied back and Gardevoir reddened a bit and smiled in response. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in closer, making the psychic fairy feel much comfort in his embrace. They stayed silent as they watched the darkening night sky become decorated with bright dot like stars all over the place.

" **Thanks for letting me borrow some clothes until I go home tomorrow to get some extra ones,"** said Giselle to Liza. She was wearing red sweats along with a red sweater. She was standing next to the green haired girl while the six of them were near the railings.

" **Not a problem. Bring them back whenever. I have extras with me,"** replied Liza. Giselle thanked her again and Liza turned to Sabrina. **"You're too quiet again. Is everything alright?"** Her question made their small group turn their attention to the psychic prodigy.

" **I…I'm not sure,"** admitted Sabrina. She was thinking about a certain raven haired young man. She placed her delicate hands onto the railings and took in a deep breath. **"I never thought I would be so…lost in what to do."** Seeing him so vulnerable made her realize that she couldn't wait forever to tell him how she felt because who knew what the future held. She wanted to tell Ash but didn't know how or when.

" **About what?"** asked Clair but she just shook her head. **"Well, if you need to talk, we're here for you,"** offered Clair, not pressing the issue. She wondered what it could be about, having slight suspicions about it but didn't pursue it because she knew that if she became angry, she could decimate them all. And she had her own issues to deal with right now. Sabrina gave her an appreciative look.

" **Do you think Ash will be alright?"** asked Shauna with concern, breaking the silence over them.

" **You heard Lucario. I'm sure he'll be fine,"** answered Lizabeth and the other girls agreed. **"Even though he looked like he could take on the world, I just hope never to see him so angry again,"** she sighed. That statement made them all think about that. Sabrina had a look of concern and so did Lizabeth and Giselle. Shauna, Clair and Liza were also a bit worried about him but then they remembered how he completely decimated the Skull Brother in front of them. To say they were impressed that he could do that to someone twice his size was the least of it.

" **I'm sure he doesn't like doing that but being an Aura Guardian, he has no choice in the matter,"** reasoned Sabrina and they all agreed before moving on and began talking about the tournament and who's left in it. They then began talking about what this 'war' that Ilene mentioned could be about.

In the living room, the others were discussing about everything that had happened for several minutes before quieting down. **"Why is it that at this one tournament, so much crap has happened?"** asked Gary suddenly. The group with him gave him looks that clearly said that they had no clue.

" **You got that right but who can answer that?"** remarked Iris.

" **Maybe it's…no never mind."**

" **What? C'mon. You know you can speak freely around us Clemont,"** encouraged Daisy Oak. The rest gave him their full attention and he became embarrassed since everyone had locked their gaze onto him. He decided to say what was on his mind.

" **Well…this darkness that is coming that Ash told us about…maybe it's causing all this to happen. Maybe the ones who are going to unleash it are trying to get rid of as much of their opposition as they can before letting it loose. To give them a better chance to take over the world,"** said Clemont and the group had scared looks on their faces.

" **But why attack a tournament?"** asked Lily in a whisper.

" **Think about it sis,"** said Violet. **"This tournament is for the strongest in the world. So if they're able to take out even a few of them, it'll make it that much easier for them in the long run."** The second oldest Sensational Sister's words made them understand, several letting out 'oh'.

" **Sadly, that makes sense,"** expressed Joy. **"But it's a good thing we have Ash here. He stopped them from causing too much damage."**

" **Except for what happened to that poor girl. But he did get her away from those disgusting pieces of shit and made sure they can never hurt anyone ever again,"** remarked Richie. The others shook their heads in sadness.

" **I just hope it doesn't change him,"** said Bonnie and they all looked at her. **"What he did; he killed. He killed five men. The reasons were valid and he did what he had to do. But I just hope it doesn't change him."** Her words made them all think and each of them silently prayed that their friend wouldn't change because of going through that.

" **I don't think he will Bonnie. It's Ash we're talking about here,"** he said kindly and Bonnie half smiled at him but was still unsure.

" **I hope that this awful experience doesn't weigh on our friend too much. I don't even think I can understand what he'll go through or even that poor girl either,"** added Cilan.

" **What do you mean bro?"** asked Chili but Cress answered him.

" **Think about it Chili. We all know how Ash wants to help and protect all of us right?"** They murmured their agreement. **"He saved the girls from the Skull Brothers at first but then he let them go to give them a chance. And what happened next? They hurt Richie, kidnapped Leaf and Joy, almost getting the chance to rape and abuse them. But they already did that to this poor girl who's with us now. Even though he dished out justice, imagine how awful Ash must be feeling or if he's not, how badly he'll feel once he figures out it was his fault that she got raped. Or how she'll feel about it."**

" **Shit…I didn't think about that,"** muttered Chili and Violet grasped his hand.

" **It's alright. Nobody was expecting something like that to happen,"** she said.

" **But is it really his fault?"** asked Daisy Waterflower, playing devil's advocate **. "How was he supposed to know what they would do? How would he know that they would rape her or beat her? Or kidnap Leaf and Joy?"** Even though she was trying to look at both sides, she still didn't believe he deserved to be blamed at all, doing her best to defend him.

Brock shook his head. **"It's not his fault. Just because he can, doesn't mean he should wipe out every single person that we 'think' is bad. Of course, those we know for sure without a doubt should be imprisoned for all their lives at least."** There were some agreements mumbled while they rest stayed quiet. **"Anyway, enough about that as we have something else to think about. We need to change things,"** said Brock, changing the topic of the conversation and they gave him their utmost attention, curious as to where he was going with this. **"No more relying on Ash. No more just sitting on the sidelines. We need to prepare. We need to train. We need to be proactive. We need to become strong like him. Especially if we are to help fight against the coming darkness. I don't want him to feel that everything is on his shoulders like it's been pretty much in the past."**

" **You're right Brock. And I gotta say…I love it when you get all assertive,"** said Lucy, giving him a devious yet sensual grin that made Brock go red and the others to chuckle a bit.

" **The only way to become strong like him is to train like him. Remember what he said? That he'll teach us what he knows and how to defend ourselves,"** said Bonnie, chiming in.

" **Bonnie's right. We should have Ash teach us and then we can take care of things ourselves,"** said Max, backing up Bonnie who appreciated it and there were words of agreement said by everyone.

The Queen of Rota glanced at her advisor and guardian. **"Riley, you'll help too won't you?"** asked Ilene.

" **Of course my Queen. I'll do what I can. But in all honesty, Ash has reached a level I can't even dream about. I can assist him in teaching some things, probably the basics in self-defense but that's about it. I myself need to learn some new techniques from him,"** admitted Riley.

" **Then it's settled. When Ash wakes up, we'll speak with him about all this and we'll go from there,"** said Daisy Waterflower and they voiced their agreement to it. They all got up and went to do their own thing for the time being until soon enough they went to bed, the day's events tiring them out more than they thought it would. Many of them however stayed up long into the night with many thoughts floating around in their minds, preventing them from falling asleep.

The six elders of the group were conversing while they sat on one end of one of the dining tables. Brock had informed them that Ash would be alright and his own aura was healing himself. To say the parents, especially Delia, were happy to hear it was an understatement. They relaxed and drank their tea. **"This tea is really refreshing,"** said Oak after taking a sip. The mothers had made the tea earlier and handed out a cup to everyone before rejoining Oak and Norman in the dining room.

" **You said it. So, what are we going to do now?"** asked Grace after taking a sip herself. They looked at her with questioning looks. **"About Ash, the girls and Leaf…"**

" **Oh. Well, I already told you. Just let them handle it,"** said Delia kindly.

" **I know…but we didn't say anything then because we needed Ash to be focused, to save the three girls. Now that's over with, we need to address this. We need to find a solution,"** said Caroline.

" **And what do you propose that solution to be? And to what problem?"** asked Oak in a serious yet kind tone of voice.

" **Well, we were alright with our daughters being with him after seeing his memories and worst fear and how they love him and he loves them. But Leaf? She betrayed them. She did apologize though but still. I don't know if it'd be a good idea allowing it to happen,"** expressed Johanna honestly.

" **You have no idea what you're talking about,"** said Delia, setting her cup of tea down onto the table, locking eyes with Johanna. **"Leaf may seem like trouble and I know how it looks, believe me. But I've known her since she was a child. She's a good girl with a good heart. She's just easily scared because of what happened in her past when she was young. And remember, her parents divorced and her mother…"** Delia stopped, shaking with fury a bit, startling the others. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. **"Her good for nothing mother never cared about her and always left her on her own. It didn't help either that she brought home a different man every now and then. Because of that, she feels the need to do things on her own or without others knowing but I've noticed that she has changed greatly since coming here. And I did as much as I could for Leaf in the past. Trust me, she may have her faults but she is a good girl."** Delia revealing and reminding them about Leaf's past to the other parents made them shake their heads, disappointed that someone like that would even dare call themselves a parent.

" **That's depressing. No child should ever feel that their parents don't care about them,"** expressed Norman and the others concurred with him. Silence followed after for a couple minutes.

" **You know what, you're right Delia. Let's not get involved. She did apologize from what we were told and they seem to have gotten past it from what we saw between them while waiting for Ash to return from his battle. Let them handle it since they're adults,"** said Caroline with a small smile.

" **I'm sorry Delia. I didn't know. I just want my Dawn to be happy. And Caroline is right. I said before I'll be supportive of them and I still will be no matter what. I promise,"** said Johanna and Grace nodded, showing her support too.

" **I'm glad to hear we're all on the same page,"** said Oak happily. **"With what is coming in the future, we cannot afford to be divided. Look at what a petty fight between two young adults made happen because they let their emotions and rash judgments cloud their minds."** They sighed, nodding solemnly. **"We cannot allow our ego, our pride or our old ways to control us. As elders, we need to be unbiased in our decisions and be strong for them, to council them when they need it and provide help when they ask for it."** The others glanced at one another and promised that they will do that. Oak smiled before he spoke again. **"Good, but speaking about help…how is our newest guest Natasha doing?"**

" **She hasn't made a sound yet and still has fear in her eyes,"** sighed Caroline.

" **Not really surprising don't you think after what she went through? And it's barely a few hours she's with us,"** remarked Delia.

" **Sadly, no. She was whimpering when we came into the room and made to move away from us, but couldn't. She was so hurt and weak. Still is I think. It took her almost until the end of cleaning her wounds for her to understand that we were trying to help. When we dressed her, she was shaking. From the cold or out of fear, I have no idea. Heck it could even be from both,"** said Grace with a frown.

" **It's so horrible what those bastards did to her,"** commented Johanna and they agreed. They were all furious over it. Nobody should ever be raped. And nobody should be beaten for the sheer amusement of another.

However, Serena's mother let a small smile form on her face, making the others tilt their heads. **"I think she'll be alright though and do you know why?"** They all shook their heads. **"The second Ash stepped into the room, you could see her relax and feel safe. The fear in her eyes went away and she was looking at him like he was her knight in shining armor, her guardian angel."** The five parents had understanding dawn on them.

Dawn's mother chuckled before commenting. **"I would too if I was in her place, being rescued by him. Imagine being around so many people that you don't know. You'd feel overwhelmed and scared until you see the person who saved you from before from such a terrible place,"** remarked Johanna.

" **Very true,"** commented Norman. **"I bet something will happen though."** The mothers and professor looked at him. **"I bet she's going to fall in love with him,"** said Norman chuckling and his statement made the others widen their eyes in realization.

" **Damn. How did we not think of that? And how many more hearts is Ash going to capture?"** asked Delia while Grace and Johanna just shook their head but were chuckling.

" **You know what? I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to make half the girls he met on his travels fall in love with him. I mean look at him and the type of man he is. Doesn't hurt either that he's an Aura Guardian, handsome, strong and a celebrity,"** complimented Caroline with a smile.

" **I am right here! That's the second time you did that! Damn it woman!"** said Norman, crossing his arms and glaring at his wife. A second later, everyone besides the gym leader burst out laughing.

" **You're too easy to mess with honey,"** said Caroline as she hugged him and kissed him. Norman grumbled a bit while she did that, trying to stay furious. Yet again, he failed though, unable to stay angry with her. He reciprocated the hug and kissed her back. Oak and the three mothers smiled at the two.

" **Have fun you two. Just make sure to get a private place if you go at it,"** teased Delia as she got up and the two went crimson as they broke apart and the others chuckled. **"I'm gonna go check on Natasha,"** she informed them while heading towards the infirmary they made in one of the empty rooms.

Delia used the excuse of checking on Natasha to not let them see her become sullen. She went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Her eyes had become watery. Even though it's been years, she still missed her husband and had no idea where he was. Being surrounded now with so many couples around her throughout the day now had made her miss being in a relationship. She hadn't thought of her love for over almost fifteen years now, not letting herself think about him so she could stay strong for her son. But it was starting to get to her. Seeing Caroline with Norman, Ash with the girls and the other couples made her think of him after so long. She missed him and wanted him to come back home.

But she knew that was a hopeless dream. She had a feeling he wasn't dead but it's been too long and odds are that he's with another woman. Her lips quivered a bit, thinking that he left her and their son for another woman. She shook her head suddenly. **"I will not cry. He left me and my Ashy. He doesn't deserve my tears."** She washed her face before drying it and exited the bathroom. Only to run into Johanna and Grace who were giving her sympathetic looks. **"Hey. Need something?"** she asked them, hoping they didn't hear her in the bathroom. Johanna grasped Delia's hand and dragged her to their room, followed by Grace. **"What's going on?!"** They didn't answer her until they entered their room and shut the door behind them.

" **We know how you feel,"** said Johanna, making Delia's eyes widen. She glanced at Grace who gave an understanding look. **"I miss my husband too. He was a firefighter and he died saving our daughter from a wildfire that threatened our town when she was just a child. I think about him every day. I miss being in his embrace. I do my best for Dawn, to make sure she's happy. His last words to me were 'I love you and Dawn. Make sure she's never sad' and I promised him I'll do everything I can to keep that promise before the burns took him."** Delia felt saddened to hear that, her eyes filling up with tears again and the same happened to Grace. Before Delia could say anything Grace spoke up.

" **I lost my husband as well but it was due to do him being murdered in cold blood,"** said Grace and that made Delia and Johanna gasp before she continued. **"I was a few months pregnant with Serena when we had decided to watch a movie together at the theater. After the movie ended, we were walking home when a drug addicted fool with a gun stopped us and demanded our money. He…he shielded me while handing him the money but he still shot him before running away but they caught him eventually. I'll never forget his face as he died in my arms, trying to speak but couldn't. That's why I moved away to start fresh so I can be strong for my Serena. I taught myself Rhyhorn Racing because that was his favorite sport and always said I could be great at it. I taught it to Serena as well because I wanted her to have something in connection with him. Even though she kept saying she hated it in the beginning until teaching Ash. I haven't told her the reason why I wanted her to learn yet. I don't know how or when to do it,"** said Grace sadly with tears trailing down her cheeks.

Grace's story was too much and the three started crying heavily. **"Come here you two,"** cried Delia and the three mothers shared a hug together, letting out feelings they had kept bottled up for a long time. They kept crying for a good amount of time before slowly pulling themselves together. **"Thanks you two. I needed that. And looks like both of you did too,"** remarked Delia and the two nodded. Delia wiped away her tears, sniffing and so did Grace and Johanna. **"I'm going to go check on Natasha now. You two can go sleep or whatever."** The two smiled at her and let her go. They knew that she felt better now having let it out and so did they.

Delia washed up first in the bathroom again before heading towards the infirmary. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She glanced at the Blissey who was by Natasha's side who turned to look at her and gave her a soft greeting so as to not wake up the red head. Delia whispered it back and moved to the bedside before looking at Natasha. Her eye was closed and her breathing was somewhat even. Her hair had been tied back into a pony tail to keep it out of her face. Her other eye was still swollen shut and her nose was still broken. She wouldn't let them touch her nose, constantly moving her head, fearing what they would do and they left it alone for the time being, not wanting to force her. There were some bruises on her face and some cuts visible near her collar bones.

She frowned at the sight of her, worried about all of her injuries. She also noticed that the covers had slipped down a bit. She took hold of it and raised it towards her neck to cover her up. As she reached her neck, Natasha opened her good eye, her vision blurry. The moment she saw a figure next to her, she started shaking and whimpering while attempting to move away as she threw up her arms, using up the very little energy she had recovered. Blissey wanted to help keep her down but Delia quickly told the caring pokémon to not get involved.

" **It's okay! It's alright! It's just me!"** said Delia gently as she attempted to calm the traumatized girl. She grabbed hold of her wrists, forgetting that they were bruised and cut, making Natasha feel stinging pain and she started crying and whimpering loudly. **"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"** yelped Delia, letting go of her wrists. She immediately took the girl into a hug and kept repeating that she was sorry and that everything will be alright while the scared girl just sobbed against her bosom. **"Sshh, its okay. You're safe. It's alright. And I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. We won't hurt you and we won't let anyone hurt you. I won't allow it and neither will my son Ash."** The second she said her son's name, Natasha began to calm down and her whimpering gradually went away. Delia noticed this and let a small smile form on her face. _Damn, Norman and Caroline were right._ She started stroking her head a bit before she gently lowered her back onto the bed. Natasha looked at her while she raised the blanket to the bottom of her neck and then she spoke again. **"I know you're scared. I know you don't trust me yet and that's alright. But you're safe here. My Ash will come see you soon alright? He's resting now after his battle with those disgusting men. They will never hurt you again. He has seen to it. So please, try to relax. Okay?"** Natasha looked at her for a moment, then moved her tear stained gaze to the wall in front of her. **"I'll leave you alone and I'll make sure no one bothers you. I'll come by to check on you every now and then. Blissey will stay by your side if you need anything while I'm not here okay?"** Natasha merely tilted her gaze to the kind woman as Blissey gave a soft cry of agreement. Delia stood up, giving a small smile at the girl before leaving the room. _I hope those bastards are rotting in Hell right now,_ thought Delia as she headed towards the living room to see what the others were up to.

Blissey took up a watchful position from the corner of the room, sitting on a chair. The plump pink pokémon took out a soft clean cloth out of nowhere and then took the egg out of her pouch and started polishing it. Natasha watched Delia leave the room and kept her gaze on the door. Before she was startled awake, she was having a nightmare that she was running for her life from the Skull Brothers. She thought that the kind woman was Ed and was trying to grab her and violate her again. She couldn't get over it as her mind kept flashing their images in her head. She kept seeing them standing in front of her and she didn't believe she was out of that nightmare. She started crying again as she realized that they still had their 'hands' on her, not letting her move forward, forget them or leave them behind. That was when she remembered Edmond's words to her; _That's right bitch! You'll never forget us or the happy times we had together! Consider them farewell gifts!_ She trembled as she heard his voice in her head and she let out more tears. Blissey stopped her egg polishing when she saw the girl cry and went up to her. She grasped the girls' hand gently and patted it while the red head just kept crying.

Clair, Liza, Sabrina, Giselle, Lizabeth and Shauna headed back inside and were heading towards the door. They said goodnight to the others that were still awake on their way when Delia walked into the living room. They went up to her to bid her a good night as well. **"Thank you for everything Mrs. Ketchum. We'll be on our way and have a goodnight. If you don't mind, we would like to know of Ash's condition when it changes,"** said Sabrina and the five other girls voiced the same.

" **Nonsense!"** said Delia and the six gave her confused looks. **"For one, just call me Delia. I feel old when you say that. And two, we have enough rooms here and you're more than welcome to stay with us,"** she offered.

" **That's very kind of you Mrs. Ketchum but we'd rather not impose. We're going to stay in our hotel room that's just a few floors down. We'll be alright,"** explained Clair but Delia shook her head.

" **Okay, next time any of you call me Mrs. Ketchum, I will slap you,"** threatened Delia, making the six girls gulp but then she smiled making them confused. **"You're not imposing and I'm sure Ash and everyone else will be delighted for you to stay with us. We really do have the space and there's no need to go back and forth between floors if you're going to be here anyway most of the time,"** she explained.

" **Good point Mrs….ah…I mean…Delia."** Liza changed gears quickly as she saw Delia's eyes narrow for a split second. **"If it really won't be a bother and if it is alright then I guess we'll be happy to stay. But allow us to go pack our stuff and then we'll come back tomorrow."**

" **Okay then,"** said Delia and four of the six girls thanked her before they left to head down to their hotel room. She then turned to Shauna and Lizabeth. **"So you're staying the night?"** she asked them.

" **Thank you for the offer Delia but no, we shouldn't. Not tonight at least. We need to go home and pack some clothes since it's not too late yet. We also need to call our work place and see if we can get a few days off,"** explained Lizabeth.

" **Understandable but it's getting dark out and after what happened with those…monsters…I don't think you should leave the hotel after dark. So please, just stay the night and you can call your work place from here tomorrow and then you can go from there,"** suggested Delia and the two blunettes glanced at one another and then back at Delia.

" **You have a point and you really are too kind Delia but alright, we'll stay,"** said Shauna and Delia smiled at the two. She then showed them to their room that they could use. She opened the door for them and gestured them to go inside.

" **If you need anything, just let me know,** " she offered kindly as they walked inside.

" **Thank you but I think we're just going to call it a night already,"** said Lizabeth and Shauna nodded before both blunettes wished her a goodnight and Delia said it back to them. She exited the room and closed the door. Both Shauna and Lizabeth climbed into separate beds without even changing their clothes, since they had none extra with them and didn't feel like borrowing again like last night. They bade each other a goodnight and lied down to sleep. Yet, both of them were unable to. After about ten minutes of just lying there, Lizabeth turned to face Shauna and saw her awake still. **"Can't sleep either huh?"** she asked her best friend and she nodded. **"I've figured it out,"** she revealed all of a sudden.

Shauna sat up and Lizabeth copied her. **"You mean about how you feel about him?"** she asked.

Lizabeth nodded. **"I do. After seeing him risk it all again for Leaf, becoming injured and how I was beyond worried about him, I know for sure now. It's just like what he did in the past in front of me, risking it all for May and Manaphy. I've realized now why no other guy has held my interest even though I haven't seen him for so long. It's because he's held my heart since then. I know how I feel about him now. I just wonder how and when I could tell him and how the girls will take it. Especially May since I know her better than the others. And I wonder if I could ever tell him,"** confessed Lizabeth. She placed her head into her hands and sighed.

Shauna was surprised that she came clean so easily. But then again, they were best friends and should feel comfortable about telling her at least. She had to do that same too. She couldn't keep it from her either. **"Lizabeth…"** started Shauna and waited for her to raise her head to look at her before continuing. **"I've come to realize I'm in the same boat too. I've never met anyone like him. Even when I had a crush on Brawly, Ash was able to connect with me. After he left and nothing ever happened between me and Brawly, I haven't stopped thinking about him every now and then. What you said is true for me as well and I have no clue what to do either,"** admitted Shauna sadly.

Lizabeth half smiled. **"We'll come up with something together then. And Arceus willing, perhaps things can work out for the both of us. I wouldn't mind sharing him with you. Would you?"** she asked her.

Shauna was quiet for a moment. **"Surprisingly, no, I wouldn't. Cause I'd be sharing him with my best friend. Anyone else and it would've been a no holds barred cage match between me and them,"** joked Shauna truthfully and Lizabeth laughed.

" **Good. But I think you forgot about his girlfriends,"** she replied back with a smirk.

" **Oh right. Shit,"** responded Shauna. She thought about it for a moment. **"I think I can do it. I mean, I know May and the other girls seem to be cool. I guess I'll be fine with it as long as they don't turn out to be bitches."**

Lizabeth laughed and Shauna chuckled. **"I highly doubt that they are otherwise Ash wouldn't be with them let alone have feelings for them. But I'm happy to hear you say that because I think I can too,"** she said before lying back down and drew the covers up to her shoulders. **"Goodnight Shauna."**

Her friend copied her. **"Goodnight Lizabeth."** Soon enough, both blunettes fell asleep feeling a little better after expressing their desires.

" **All clear!"** Steven had come back out of the cabin and told the three waiting outside that they can go inside if they wanted to but not to touch anything. The three were watching the cleanup crew, who were wearing biohazard suites, do their job as they waited. The crew would take a picture of each of the lifeless bodies of the way they rested and then carried them to the large biohazard trucks they came in and placed them in the back of them. Jenny, Britney and Richard turned around when they heard Steven and headed inside the cabin. **"There's mangled body of one of the Skull Brothers inside with his head smashed in but other than that, there's nothing to be disgusted about. Just don't look if you have a weak stomach. Careful now,"** said Steven as he assisted Britney over the broken down front porch. Richard shifted in his spot again but said nothing.

" **Thank you Mr. Stone,"** replied Britney with a smile.

" **You're welcome. And just call me Steven."** The two led Richard and Jenny inside the cabin. Jenny asked him if they found anything that could help them find out who the Skull Brothers were working for while Richard was recording as he followed behind them, videoing them and the place. **"Unfortunately, no. All of their gear or belongings have no way of being traceable. No serial numbers on their weapons, the lock boxes or anything. They had no personal items either."** The Champion of Hoenn led them towards the hall way and stopped near the basement door and stairway that led upstairs.

" **Why'd you stop?"** asked Jenny.

Steven sighed a bit. **"We found some things. In the basement, we found dried blood and torn clothes. In the upstairs bedrooms, we found both of them to have ropes tied to the bed posts, with one of the rooms having torn clothes as well,"** he said and the other three gasped.

" **What kind of disgusting animals were they?!"** shot Britney, unable to control herself and at that moment, the basement door opened and Alder appeared. He took a couple steps forward, not noticing them, placing a small item into a large clear zip lock bag. He took off his rubber gloves and placed them into his pants pocket.

Steven moved to his fellow champion. **"You found something?"** asked Steven. Jenny, Britney and Richard followed from behind.

" **Yes,"** said Alder after a moment, raising his head and realizing he wasn't alone. **"I found a smart phone in the basement in one of the shelves. It's been slightly damaged and there were some interesting things in it. Very few contact numbers, some notes on trivial matters. But there are some pictures and two videos on it. The images are a little blurry and the video has choppy sound. But you could still make some of it out. And some of it is very disturbing to say the least."**

" **Disturbing?"** repeated Steven and Alder gave him a significant look, one that he got to mean that they'll talk later without the press there. **"Alright. Where are Diantha and Lance?"** he asked changing the subject. Alder was about to say that they went upstairs when footsteps were heard coming down. **"Find anything up there?"** asked the silver haired Champion, turning towards the stairs to see the two he mentioned.

" **Nothing that can tell us anything about the Skull Brothers beside the little we know of them or who they were working for,"** said Diantha and Lance said the same. Diantha turned to the other three. **"We haven't found any hidden dangers. Britney and Richard; you are free to look around and record but please don't touch anything. Officer Jenny; please have the crime unit come and do a full sweep here,"** she requested and the three nodded. The two news workers moved to the basement as Jenny called the crime scene unit.

" **Lance, I found something but we should wait until we're back at headquarters to talk about it,"** said Alder and Lance did not object.

Lance sighed, running a hand through his spiky red hair. **"It's going to be a long night."** Alder, Steven and Diantha nodded, agreeing with him. They decided to take one last look around the place before the crime scene unit came, in case they missed anything. They each searched in a place they haven't yet while Jenny went back outside to wait for the CSU while the news duo were recording around the cabin.

A raven haired young man was walking down a very bright road, alone and confused. He had no idea how he got there or where he was going. But his gut was telling him to keep going, to not stop. He walked on and on for what seemed like hours. Right when he began to feel like he was too tired to continue, something caught his eye in the distance. He couldn't make it out but kept continuing forward, increasing his pace. He was beginning to make out a shape but couldn't tell what exactly. That should have worried him but for some strange reason, it didn't. The closer he got to it, the safer and more comfortable he became. He was just about able to make out what the shape was when a bright white light erupted from it that blinded him. He raised his hands to shield his eyes and waited for the light to dim down but it never did.

" **Guardian…"** The voice that said the word was so soft, so soothing, so angel like that for a second he thought he imagined it. **"Guardian…"** Hearing it again made him realize that he wasn't imagining things and the voice was coming from the bright being.

" **Who are you?"** asked Ash, his eyes still shut and his arms covering his face.

" **Guardian…"**

" **What do you want from me?"**

" **Guardian…"**

" **Where am I?"**

" **Guardian…"**

" **WHAT DAMN IT?!"** shouted Ash, losing his patience and becoming angry. The bright light vanished and the voice stopped repeating the word. The young man gulped, knowing he crossed some unknown line that he shouldn't have. He slowly lowered his arms and cracked open his eyes. He couldn't make out anything so he opened them fully and looked around. The road had become dark and the outlined being was gone. Ash looked around frantically and didn't know what to do. He felt something behind him and turned around and he saw…nothing. He shook his head, trying to clear the doubt in his mind and turned back to face forward.

He took a few steps in front of him when he heard it again. **"Guardian…you will have to make a choice soon."** It was the same voice that spoke before but it seemed like it was coming from everywhere. The young man snapped his gaze all over the place, trying to find the source. **"Guardian…you will have to make a choice soon."**

" **I heard you the first time!"** shouted Ash, looking around, moving forward and picking up his pace.

" **Your choice…"** Ash began running. **"Your choice…"** His heart was beating like mad and it had nothing to do with him running. **"Your choice…"** Ash saw a large structure in the distance and sprinted towards it. **"Your choice…"**

" **ENOUGH!"** yelled Ash, getting closer to the structure. He saw it was a pyramid like building with steps made into it that ran all the way to the top. He climbed the steps and when he reached the top, he saw two large golden mirrors. He slowed down to a jog before stopping in front of them, panting. Both mirrors were exactly the same in every aspect, from size, to shape, to design and everything else. He was marveled by how well made they were. The voice spoke again.

" **Your loved ones…"** The left mirror began glowing before it faded away and revealed an image. Ash peered into it. The picture showed him with everyone he loves and cares about gathered around him at his home in Pallet Town. His friends and mother, his pokémon and his girlfriends were all around him, every one of them smiling or laughing along with some other people in the background that he couldn't make out. Some of them looked familiar while others weren't. **"Everyone else…"** The right mirror glowed before an image showed on that one. Ash moved towards it and peered inside. He saw many different people who he didn't know. He saw young couples holding hands walking down the sidewalk, families with young children playing in the playground, elder people sitting on a bench and several small and cute baby pokémon playing with one another in the grass. **"Your choice…"** The voice repeated.

" **I don't understand. What do you mean by my choice?"** asked Ash, alternating his gaze on the two images.

" **Your choice…"** replied the soft voice.

" **That doesn't help!"**

" **Can't save everyone...must choose…"**

" **I will save them all!"** countered Ash.

" **Impossible. You must choose."**

" **Nothing's impossible! I can do it!"**

" **You…MUST…choose!"**

" **I WILL NOT!"**

" **THEN YOU DOOM THEM ALL!"** shouted the soft voice and a bright light erupted from in front of him, engulfing him. That was all he saw for a split second before he blacked out.

A raven haired young man's eyes snapped open and all he saw was darkness. He closed his eyes and opened them again several times and each time his vision became a little better. After doing that, he could see a faint outline of some lamps. He furrowed his brow, confused for a second, until he realized he was looking up at a ceiling. When he made to move his limbs, he found that there was weight on him. He looked down. He could make out a few outlines but couldn't really tell what was putting pressure on him. His pupils turned slightly blue as he used his Aura Vision and that's when he realized what the shapes were. It was Leaf and May. They were sleeping on the bed with him, their auras lighting up the dark room, heads resting on his chest, hugging his arms and their legs were on top of his lower body. He smiled at the sight of the two. He was very glad he wasn't alone. He turned his head a bit to the side and saw the digital clock on the night stand that said 245am. He gazed back at the brunettes on top of him. He could feel their curvy bodies on his and it heated him up but he controlled it. He then felt another sensation that made him widen his eyes.

 _Shit! I gotta go!_

He slowly pulled his arms out of the girls bear hugs, rubbing against both of their chests in the process, making the girls let out slight moans in response. He froze and felt his heart beat madly. He waited a few seconds and seeing them still fast asleep, he continued. He was able to get his arms free with them still asleep. He tenderly lifted Leaf off of him and onto the bed and did the same to May. He shimmied down the bed and the moment his feet hit the floor, he silently bolted to the bathroom to relieve himself. **"Ahh…man that feels good…"** he sighed. He washed up afterwards and looked into the mirror while drying his hands. The images he saw in his dream flashed across his mind's eye and he stopped.

 _Your choice…you must choose…_

He shook his head and put the towel back. He turned off the bathroom light and exited, closing the door behind him softly to not make noise and turned around. Before he knew what was happening, a set of lips was on his. Getting caught up in the moment, Ash returned the kiss. A little bit later, with him knowing who the kisser was from the beginning, the two separated and he looked into the blue eyes of the Hoenn native. **"Hey. You feeling better?"** she whispered.

" **Much,"** he answered, before pulling her into a hug. He held onto her until he sensed something move towards them.

Ash let go of May only for him to end up in a bear hug by Leaf. **"ASH! I'm so happy you're alright!"** she said as she buried her face into his chest. Ash was about to comment when Leaf continued, preventing him from speaking. **"You said we'll talk after but I need you to know this first; I'm sorry for everything! Absolutely everything! Please forgive me! Please give me a chance as I'll do anything! Anything you want me to do, I'll do it to earn your love back! Just don't give up on me! I've done wrong, I know! I messed up many times! But I promise you, if you give me a chance to prove myself to you, I won't let you down and I'll do whatever it takes. You are the best thing in my life. You mean everything to me. I cannot lose you because…I love you Ash,"** she finished up with some silent tears going down her cheeks. Ash was quiet, listening to her words while reciprocating the hug. When he caught May's concerned gaze on him, he smiled at her to show things are alright and she got it as one spread on her face too. Leaf calmed down after a moment of just being in the embrace but didn't move or make a sound.

" **Leaf Green…"** She slowly raised her green eyes to lock with Ash's brown eyes. He gently wiped away the tear streaks from her face. She felt her heart race with her loving his tender touch on her. **"My childhood friend…my childhood crush…"** Leaf blushed but maintained her gaze. **"I should be the one who is asking for your forgiveness. All the things I said to you, the way I behaved towards you, I apologize with all my heart. I never should have done that and I never should have allowed myself to act like that towards you. I hope you can one day forgive me for it. And don't even worry about what happened as I forgive you but if you don't forgive me, I understand. I'll do anything to make it up to you. But I only ask this one thing from you; please apologize to the girls. And as much as I would want things to work out between us if you do forgive me, they need to forgive you first before anything else happens."**

" **Ash, we already forgave her and we already talked to her about everything. We're all good with her and she is with us,"** informed May.

" **Well, thanks for keeping me updated,"** deadpanned Ash and the two brunettes giggled a bit before calming down.

Leaf looked into his eyes. **"I do forgive you Ash. I don't blame you for getting angry. I just hope you can move past it and love me as much as you love them,"** she requested. Ash smiled at her.

" **I promise Leaf to treat you the same as I do to them because…I do love you. With all my heart Leaf."** Leaf let out a happy sound and she hugged him tightly as she buried her face into his firm chest once more, letting out joyful tears and May was smiling at the two. She loved happy events as it made her all joyful inside. **"With me, there is no measure when it comes to me loving you so you shouldn't worry about if it's less or more. And you said you'll do anything?"**

" **Anything."** Leaf responded immediately, raising her head and giving him a fierce look that said she wasn't kidding.

" **Okay. Then can you please wait until after May's date? And then we'll tell everyone, alright?"**

" **It's a deal Ashy. But…can I have one small thing until then?"** she asked and he nodded with a smile, responding with anything. Leaf leaned in and placed her lips onto his and he returned the kiss passionately, running his hand through her long hair and the other was on her cheek while Leaf's hands were cupping his face. The kiss sent a jolt through them both and soon after they separated. She looked breathless and Ash was a bit dazed.

A giggle made them both turn to look at May who went red. **"Sorry. It's just the looks on your faces was too funny,"** commented May, now making Leaf and Ash go red though they smiled a bit. Leaf withdrew from Ash and then walked over to May. **"Leaf what…"**

" **Quiet!"** snapped Leaf and both May and Ash were startled by her sudden remark. The green eyed brunette grasped the blue eyed brunette's hand and then led her to the brown eyed raven haired guardian before pushing her onto him, who caught her in his embrace. **"Enjoy your time alone together you two,"** she said, grinning at them who returned the smile, understanding what she was doing. Leaf turned to the door, talking as she walked. **"Now don't be up too late you two as I'll still wake you up early. Oh and Ashy…"** She turned her head to look at him with her back still to the two. **"We may both be brunettes, but don't be thinking about me when you're with May now."** She gave a playful smirk and wink before exiting the room, leaving behind a chuckling Ash and a slightly annoyed May.

" **Ouch!"** yelped Ash all of a sudden.

May had punched his shoulder. **"Even though we're alright with it, you better not be thinking of her when you're with me!"** she said, her eyes blazing. Ash looked her in the eyes with his caring and warm brown eyes and May felt her anger and annoyance melt away. She hugged him immediately. **"I'm sorry Ash…I just…I've been waiting so long to be with you…I don't want you thinking of anyone else but me right now…I know it's selfish but I…"** May was interrupted when Ash gently raised her head by her chin and kissed her. She felt her body temperature shoot up and her heart beat madly, feeling one of his hands rub her back while the other went up and down her side. Ash felt himself become enflamed and soon he inserted his tongue into her mouth and May reciprocated. They kissed for quite a while until they stopped and both were looking into each other's eyes.

" **No need to worry May,"** said Ash softly as the two looked into one another's eyes. **"I'll never do that. And how could I?"** he asked rhetorically and May let a radiant smile form on her face. **"There's the smile I know and love."** Her smile grew and she kissed him again, making them go out it again until they separated a few minutes later. Ash was smiling at the beautiful brunette in his arms and May was feeling happier than she ever did in his embrace.

She suddenly remembered something and her eyes widened, taking a step back and looked at him with his attention on her. **"Ash, there's some stuff you need to know about that happened after you knocked out..."** She explained what happened afterwards. The healing, how the girls forgave Leaf and they were on the same page, the others leaving, about Lucario and Gardevoir and finally about Sarah and Anabel knowing about the shield event, his feelings and so does Cynthia and Leaf. **"I thought you should know so there aren't any surprises."**

He nodded at her after a moment's pause with a smile. **"Thanks for letting me know what happened."** She smiled and replied back saying it was no problem. " **May…I'm gonna go get some water and then I'll be back. Do you want some?"** he asked her and she said she would. Ash left the room with a blanket. He went to the balcony, found Gardevoir and Lucario fast asleep, snuggled together and covered them with it. He then went to the kitchen. He didn't run into anyone since it was late at night until he stepped into the kitchen and saw that his mother was still up. She looked to be a little tired. **"Mom?"**

Delia turned around at once from the sound of his voice. **"ASH!"** She hugged her son and he felt like he was going to be snapped in two. **"I'm so happy to see you up on your feet again!"** She let him go finally after he tried to get some words out but was only able to mumble. **"Sorry."**

" **It's alright. But what's up Mom? Why are you still awake?"** he asked her, getting two bottles of water from the fridge after he stretched his back from her tight hug. She just shook her head saying it can wait till morning. **"C'mon Mom, you can tell me."**

Delia looked at Ash for a moment before sighing and began speaking. **"Well, it's about the girls' parents…"** She explained everything to him and Ash understood. **"I just want you to know. They're happy and content with everything but they were at first hesitant about Leaf until I explained some things to them. They're okay with it and won't get involved as long as the girls are happy. I know you'll do everything you can to make sure they are happy and safe but if you need anything, just let me know. It's okay to ask for help, especially from your mother and especially when it comes to six girlfriends. Okay sweetie?"**

Ash nodded and hugged his Mom. **"Thanks Mom. I will never make any of them sad ever again or allow anyone to hurt them either. I can't and won't let it happen. I promise."** He hugged her tightly and she returned it. He then withdrew quickly and gave his mom a stunned look. **"Wait, what do you mean by 'six' girls?!"** he asked her and his mom laughed.

" **Well, Leaf is a given. And the others might have missed it, but you can't hide anything from me. I know Cynthia likes you and you like her too,"** she answered and Ash's jaw dropped. He was about to ask her how but then she raised her hand. **"After you came inside from talking to her in the hallway and said your reason why, the girls backed you up instantly. That was a red flag and then when she came to spend the night here? And how worried she was after you showed your memories? C'mon, you can't fool me sweetie."**

Ash shook his head while chuckling. **"Should've known. I'm sorry Mom. But you should know about something."** His mom tilted her head, giving an intrigued look. He sighed before speaking again. **"It's actually eight,"** he said quietly.

Delia's eyes widened and she gasped. **"Eight girlfriends?!"** she repeated back in a whisper. She knew better than to yell it out. **"How? When? Who?"**

" **I'll explain everything later Mom. I promise. I will say that the other two are Sarah and Anabel though."** Delia nodded and also thought that they two weren't bad girls. They were beautiful and also behaved properly. But she also thought how could she have missed it? **"I just…didn't want to make a scene. And I just found out about that recently. The girls know about it of course and I don't want all the extra attention it would bring,"** he admitted.

Delia cleared her head from her thoughts. **"I understand but you can tell me okay? And tell the girls they can be open with me as well. Just don't try to hide things from me anymore. That's all I ask. Alright?"** she requested and Ash agreed. He again promised that he'll explain everything to her later since he was tired right now. He said goodnight to his mom, grabbed the two water bottles and began heading out of the kitchen. **"Oh and one more thing I need to tell you."** Ash stopped and turned around to face his mom. **"Natasha isn't doing well. We need to have her go to the hospital but she won't go. And she's very afraid of everyone, barely allowing us to clean her up a bit and make her wear some clothes. Her nose and eye should be checked and her bruises too. She may have bones broken or fractured or even internal bleeding. She's been crying nonstop, hasn't slept properly and she's still awake."** Ash sighed heavily, commenting that he could heal her but not yet. He may be back on his feet and had some use of his aura, but he was nowhere strong enough to heal someone right now who was heavily injured. And he doubted Natasha would allow Lucario to heal her either even if said pokémon wasn't resting himself after healing him. **"I see. Well, she only relaxes for a moment when I mention your name. You think you can give her some of that Ketchum charm to help her relax and understand that we're here to help and that she needs to go to the hospital?"** requested Delia.

" **Really? Why's that?"** he said confused. His mom gave him a look of disbelief before connecting the dots for him. **"Oh…I didn't realize that could happen but that makes sense. Okay Mom. I'll give it a shot."**

" **Thanks sweetie. And it's alright. You help people without expecting anything in return, which is why you probably miss these kinds of things sometimes. You think you can go talk to her now since she's probably still up? I just checked on her a little while ago."**

" **Yeah, I haven't really been noticing it in the past but I'm starting to now, like Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia but I still miss it sometimes. I guess but I have to...AH SHIT! May's been waiting for me,"** exclaimed Ash, looking at the two water bottles in his hand before dashing to his room. Delia stayed behind, waiting patiently with a smile, knowing he'll come back. She occupied her thoughts while waiting with the possibilities the future may hold for them all.

Ash entered his room and began uttering out an apology. **"May, I'm so sorry for taking so long!"** He looked around and saw no one in the room and the bathroom door was open with no light on. **"May?"** A pair of hands covered his eyes from behind.

" **Guess who?"** asked a soft voice in his ear, making him gulp and his heart to beat faster.

" **Hmmm…beautiful voice…soft hands…great rack pressed against my back…"** That last comment earned him a knee to his leg but she didn't stop pressing against him. He winced but continued. **"Short temper if you know how to push her buttons…"** A growl was made into his ear. **"Can make very cute growls that make you want to just kiss her nonstop…"** The growl turned into a purr in his ear. **"And when she purrs, you just want to keep making her purr so you never stop hearing it."** The purr turned into a slight moan. **"And the slightest moan from her can turn you on and make you want to just be with her all night. Has to be the Princess of Hoenn; May Maple."** The soft hands were lowered and then Ash was made to turn around and felt a pair of lips smash onto his. Their kiss erupted with passion, the water bottles dropping to the floor as Ash moved his hands down her body, making May shiver in delight before he rested them against her round butt. He squeezed them, making her moan again before picking her up from her ass, causing her to squeal into his mouth. They continued their kiss for a bit until they stopped, their faces barely an inch apart. **"I love you May."**

May's lips curled up into a smile before she spoke. **"I love you Ash."** She leaned in slowly and gave him a simple kiss filled with all her feelings for him. When they withdrew again, he looked into her sparkling blue eyes to have her see how much he cares for her. He lowered her back down. She smiled again before hugging him and resting her head against his chest.

" **I'm sorry I took a while. My Mom was in the kitchen and we ended up talking a bit."**

" **So that's why. I was starting to wonder what happened to you. But it's alright. Just try not to have that happen again without at least giving me an update,"** she joked.

" **I'll try."** They chuckled a bit. **"May, there's also one more thing…"**

He explained to her what he and his mom talked about them, the girls and how Natasha needed some help. When he finished May looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. She never liked seeing anyone being hurt or sad. **"Understandable about our parents but we'll deal with that if need be. About Natasha, that's depressing. It's going to take a while for her to open up to us. I understand her though. I would probably feel the same way in her shoes,"** she said and Ash nodded solemnly. **"Go. Go and convince her to go to the hospital tomorrow and see if you can make her sleep too. I understand if it takes a while. I'll be right here waiting for you. I can't be childish about this. She's hurt, frightened and traumatized. That's more important than cuddling up next to you, no matter how much I want it,"** she said, her voice completely serious and with no trace of hesitation.

Ash gave her a respectful and admiring look. **"You truly are one of a kind May and when you get an idea in your head, you don't let anyone stand in your way. That and your motherly personality are two of the many things I love about you. You are my Passionate Princess,"** he told her and May gasped at his pet name for her. She kissed him lovingly.

" **Thank you my Knight. Now go and take care of Natasha. And come back as soon as you can,"** she told him and he nodded, saying he'll come back for sure to spend the night with his princess. May gave a radiant smile again that made Ash's heart skip a beat before he left the room. He went back to his mother who was waiting for him in the kitchen still, slightly out of it. **"Sorry Mom. Had to explain to May."**

Delia shook out of her imagination of all the possible grandchildren she could have if everything went well in the future. **"No problem sweetie. Anyway, c'mon. Let's take care of things,"** she said and he nodded. Delia led the way and Ash followed his Mom to where Natasha was. She made him wait outside the room until she called for him, saying she wanted to check something first. She stepped inside and found the red head still awake like last time she checked. **"Hey Natasha, how are you doing?"** she asked but she didn't get a reply back except for a tired and fearful look plastered all over a tear streaked face. **"Are you feeling any differently? Any new pain?"** she asked, choosing to not 'see' the tears as she thought it may embarrass her or make her cry again but again no answer. Delia sat down on the edge of the bed but yet again Natasha didn't react. Her good eye, which was bloodshot from all her crying, was open part way and it was filled with fear and pain. **"It's okay sweetie. You can tell me. I want to help."** All she got was a slight shake of the head. Delia sighed but let a small smile form on her that made Natasha become both confused but also became more afraid, with the latter showing on her face. **"Oh no, don't be scared. I'm smiling because I have a surprise for you."** She kept her gaze on the red head, trying to see if her expression will change after what she says next. **"Come in please!"** she said.

The room door opened and Natasha moved her gaze to it and Delia witnessed the sudden transformation in her. The fear in her eye was instantly replaced with security and her body visibly relaxed. She could see the way the traumatized girl was looking at her son; a look of admiration, respect, gratitude and something else that she couldn't quite put a word on. She didn't think it was love because she could usually see that a mile away if she looked for it. But then again, she missed it with Sarah and Anabel. That made her wonder suddenly if she may have missed it with anyone else? She focused back at what was happening in front of her. Natasha's gaze was close to it but what was the word for it? She also noticed how he was able to calm her just be being in the same room with her. She smiled in remembering how the other parents were right about her becoming smitten with Ash. Was that it? Was that the word? Maybe. When he came up to the bed, Delia got up to make room for Ash and he sat down beside her. She then said goodnight to them both before leaving them alone.

Before the kind mother entered her room again, Natasha was crying a bit. She had fallen asleep for a few minutes and had woken up abruptly after seeing another nightmare. She couldn't stop seeing the Skull Brothers in her head and couldn't stop hearing their horrible voices either. _Please Arceus! Make them stop! I don't want to see them! I don't want to hear them! Please make it stop!_ Despite her pleading and prayers, the images and voices continued in her head. She couldn't make them stop their haunting. She kept feeling the pain they inflicted on her, the humiliation they made her suffer through. No matter what she tried to do to overcome it, she failed. It was so bad that she wanted to just die right there. She looked around for something to use to help her take her own life in her hysterical state but found nothing. She then noticed the Blissey right beside her, who was gazing at her sadly. She thought maybe the pokémon can put her out of her misery…

Before she could dwell on it, the room door opened and she saw Delia enter again. She was checking in on her almost every half hour or so. She saw the woman give her a kind expression and then she talked a bit to her but she kept quiet mostly, shaking her head once to something while she was feeling fear fill her. Natasha knew she was just trying to be kind and help but she was just too scared to let anyone in close. _Please just leave me be or help me end this suffering,_ she thought until she saw the woman smile. _Why is she smiling? What could she be happy about? Wait…I knew it! She's going to hurt me! Why?! What have I done to you?!_ Her fear was shown through her face and the woman started talking again but she didn't hear her until she said 'surprise for you' and she felt herself start trembling. She had enough surprises for the rest of her life. _I don't want any surprises from you! Please just leave me alone or end my suffering by…_ Her thoughts was interrupted when she glanced towards the door when it opened again. She felt her fear evaporate and felt herself stop shaking. She opened her eye fully and gazed at the person who entered. It was her savoir, her hero. The one who rescued her from the horrible clutches of those sadistic and lust filled bastards. She watched him walk closer and closer to her, the older woman of no concern to her anymore. She saw her guardian angel come to her bedside before taking his mother's spot on the bed, sitting beside her. She didn't notice his mother leaving the room after wishing them a good night since her gaze was fixed onto the raven haired young man.

" **Hey Natasha."** His voice soothed her again just like it did the first time she heard it. The concern in it, the strength in it, the soft way it reached her ears. **"How are you feeling?"** he asked her.

Natasha could feel the compassion in his words and it made her react. She opened her mouth to respond, to talk to him but no words came out. Her vocal cords were shot and she just now realized that she couldn't speak. She thought she was just tired. But no, her voice was actually gone. She whimpered and her lips quivered before her reddened eye began to overfill with water. Ash grasped her hand gently after seeing her reaction and she squeezed it as tightly as she could. _I can't talk! I can't talk! Arceus! My voice is gone! Why is this all happening to me?!_ She closed her eye and sobbed, her mouth open, taking in shuddered breaths with only her whimpering and crying the only sounds she could make. It was very disheartening to see for Ash.

" **It's okay Natasha. Let it out. All of it,"** he told her and she seemed to be heeding his words as her crying became more intense. Ash, without ever letting go of her hand, got up and repositioned himself to sit at the top of the bed, leaning against the headboard. Natasha leaned her head against him, moving her arm across his stomach and sobbed into his chest, her tears staining his shirt but he didn't care. He wrapped his free arm around her and gently stroked the top half of her arm. He waited for her to just cry it out for a bit until he decided to speak. **"No one will hurt you ever again Natasha. I promise. You have nothing to fear while I'm around and nothing to fear from my family and friends. They just want to help. Okay?"** Natasha's sobbing continued for a while before they eased up a bit, attempting to pull herself together. Ash sensed she was trying to overcome it and he smiled a bit. **"That's it. Don't let it keep you down. I know you can do it,"** he said, encouraging her.

When she hugged him and he her, she couldn't help but feel safe. The voices and images in her head had become less pronounced, fading away more and more as time passed with her in his embrace. _Thank you! Thank you for saving me! Thank you for getting me out of there! Thank you for making the bad things in my head go away!_ She tightened her grip on him as much as she could, afraid that she was imagining him beside her or that he was going to vanish from sight. She heard his encouraging words but she didn't believe she could do it, especially not on her own. _Please don't ever leave me! You're the only one who can protect me from the bad stuff! I can't do it by myself anymore! Please never leave me!_ Ash felt her grip tightening on him and figured it was because of two reasons; first was that she was scared and the second was that she didn't want him to leave her. And he was right on both counts.

" **Natasha,"** he said softly and waited for her to react in some way. Her sobbing finally ended after a long time. She slowly raised her head to look at him. Ash saw that her eye was very red and her cheek had many tear streaks on it. He slowly raised his hand, making sure she could see what he was doing. **"I'm not going to hurt you. Will you trust me?"** he asked her. After gazing into his eyes for a moment, she nodded. He moved his hand slowly closer to her and gently wiped away her tear streaks. His tenderness towards her was something she had never received from anyone and she felt so much emotion from that single action she didn't know how to process it. When he finished, she lowered her face, resting her head against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her again. **"I won't ever leave you. You can stay with me for as long as you want. I'll do anything and everything within my power to help you, to keep you safe. But you need to let me in okay? I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do but if you allow my mom and me to help you, we can make things better little by little. We want to take you to a hospital so you can get checked out and make sure you're alright. We can't do that here. Okay? Will you let us take you?"** he asked her.

Once again, Natasha was stunned at how he was waiting for her answer, for her permission, for her acceptance. He wasn't forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do, even though he was right. She was in so much pain from all her injuries but she was too afraid to go to the hospital right now. _He doesn't want anything from me but is offering everything to me. He can't be serious. Is he?_ She looked up into his eyes again and what she saw before was still there. The concern, the worry, the kindness and the compassion in them for her; she never, ever, had anyone look at her like that in her life and nothing even came close from all the objectifying looks she had received in the past, even from her own partners in the organization. _He is…he is being serious. He truly does care._ She nodded her head ever so slightly but enough for him to see. She then rested her head against his chest again. Her extreme tiredness was beginning to overwhelm her, her eyelid beginning to fall. She let it happen since he was here with her. Ash noticed this and smiled a bit.

" **Thank you for trusting me Natasha,"** said Ash softly. **"I'll wait by your side until you fall asleep before I go back to my room."**

Natasha's eye snapped open and she hugged him tightly again, indicating that she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want her source of safety and comfort to leave her. And once again, Ash was stunned. _NO! Don't leave me! Don't let the bad things come back! Please!_ She started whimpering again and he quickly took control. He raised his hand to her head and gently stroked her head through her hair.

" **It's okay Natasha. You're safe here. I know you don't want me to go and I'm not. I'm just going to my room okay? Someone is waiting for me and that way you can sleep more comfortably. And you're not alone. My Blissey is here. She'll take good care of you,"** he told her but Natasha just shook her head.

She forced herself to whimper more loudly to make him understand that she didn't want him to go. It hurt her throat to do that but she didn't care. _Please don't go! Don't leave me unprotected! She may be your pokémon but she's not a fighter like you! Only you can protect me! Please!_ Fear was starting to fill her again at finding out he was leaving. Even if he was just going to his own room, she didn't want him to go. Ash didn't want to leave her like this but also didn't know if he really should stay. He was worried that it may cause more harm than good. He then got an idea that may work.

" **How about you do this for me and I'll be the one who takes you to the hospital and I'll stay by your side throughout the whole process. Okay?"** he offered. She stopped whimpering after hearing him say that and she thought about it. Knowing she was thinking about it, he decided to sweeten the deal a bit. **"I'll do all that and I'll have one of my most powerful pokémon stay with you. He was the one who found the cabin in the woods. He has even taken down Legendary pokémon all by himself and he is very protective and proper. Would you like him to stay by your side as you sleep?"** he asked her. She didn't believe Blissey could protect her, another reason she wanted him to stay. But hearing him speak about another one made her think about it. She had seen how powerful his pokémon are from the stadium attack and he said this one was one of his most powerful and protective. She nodded her head, agreeing to it. **"Okay Natasha. Allow me to introduce the master of stealth."** He held out his hand and a blue glowing orb appeared that made the red head gasp silently before it faded away to reveal a poke ball. It opened and the powerful water and dark type pokémon appeared. Greninja stood up straight immediately before bowing to both. **"Greninja, this is Natasha. Would you kindly please watch over her as she sleeps?"** Greninja nodded without hesitation. **"And would you protect her from any and all threats?"** Again Greninja agreed.

He gave a kind look to the red head and saw she was scared. He wanted to help her or do something to show he would help her and he got an idea. The water starter then brought his hands together to form a sphere and a bluish white glow appeared in between them. Natasha tightened her grip on Ash, afraid of what he was doing. The glow faded away and the ninja frog lowered his hand for them to see what was in it. A bloomed ice flower is what they saw and Natasha gasped again, thinking that it was beautiful _._ He slowly extended it to the red head to not scare her anymore and he stopped when he was close to her hand. Natasha looked up at Ash who gave her an encouraging smile. She looked back at the ice flower. She had to concentrate to raise her hand as she was so weak and tired. She had used up most of her energy before when she thought Delia was Ed. It was much harder to do than to slide it across Ash's stomach. Her hand was shaky and she felt like she was trying to raise a ton but kept going. She almost reached it before she couldn't continue anymore and her hand dropped down onto the soft bed. _I failed. I can't even do that. What have they done to me?!_ Natasha whimpered and Greninja had a sad look appear on his face and Ash was feeling horrible. She had almost got it. The water starter placed the ice flower on the bedside dresser.

" **It's okay Natasha. You were very close. You'll get your strength back and you'll be stronger than ever,"** he reassured her but she just shook her head. He didn't know what to say until he got an idea. " **You will Natasha. I believe in you and because I'll tell you a secret that proves you can. A secret that almost no one knows about me. Do you want to hear it?"** Natasha went silent and looked at him, unable to believe that he was willing to tell her something so personal so soon. **"I'll take that as a yes. Now, I was nowhere close to being this 'good' at pokémon in the beginning. When I first started my pokémon journey, I tried to catch a Pidgey using my jacket. It…didn't turn out the way I wanted it to."** Natasha's eye widened. Unable to control herself at hearing such a ludicrous story, her lips spread into a small smile before the unmistakable sounds of laughter were heard, though they were barely audible. She couldn't believe she was laughing right now after everything she had gone through just recently. Even Greninja had a smirk form on his face before chuckling and his trainer noticed. **"Yea, yea, laugh it up Greninja."** Natasha continued on for a little while longer before calming down. **"Feel better?"** he asked her and she nodded. **"Glad I could be of service. But now, it's time for you to rest."** He made to get off the bed but she held him back down. **"Hey, we had a deal remember?"** he reminded her gently but the way she was looking at him was too much. He could almost never refuse the puppy dog look or anything similar to it when he wasn't angry. **"Alright, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. But then I have to go to my room as I have someone waiting for me and so you can be more comfortable but Greninja will still watch over you. And I'll take you to the hospital myself. Deal?"** He told her and she nodded.

He repositioned himself on the bed and Natasha rested against him, holding onto him like he was her lifeline. Greninja quietly moved to the corner of the room to watch over them. It didn't take too long, since she was so tired out and she was feeling safe, sleep came to her but not before she thought of one last thing; _thank you…for saving me…Ash Ketchum._ She fell asleep and after waiting about fifteen minutes, seeing that she was alright, Ash tenderly moved her onto the bed and raised the covers to her shoulders. He looked at her for a few minutes, waiting to see if she would continue sleeping peacefully. He then faced his pokémon who nodded at him from the corner. Ash smiled and thanked Greninja quietly before leaving the room.

He bumped into Daisy Waterflower when he entered the hallway. She had gotten up to get some water, her thirst having woken her up, holding a water bottle. **"Oops, sorry Daisy,"** apologized Ash, helping her get her footing again.

" **No problem Ash. I should've been careful too,"** she replied back, balancing out. **"I'm glad to see you on your feet again,"** she said with a smile and he thanked her. **"Everything okay?"** she asked him, seeing the worried expression on his face.

He took a breath before answering. **"I hope so. I was just checking on Natasha and convinced her to go to the hospital in the morning,"** he said.

Daisy smiled at that. She always saw him as a caring person and this proved it again, just like his other actions. **"That's good Ash. I knew about that from what your mom was saying before. I'm guessing she told you huh?"** she asked him. He confirmed that, explaining how he bumped into his mother in the kitchen earlier. **"Anyway, well done. No wonder my baby sister loves you. You're one of a kind and I'm glad you're the one she chose,"** she said sweetly.

Ash hugged her all of a sudden, catching her off guard but she returned it. **"Thank you Daisy for your kind words and approval. And you know, I'll do anything for Misty,"** admitted Ash, relaxing a bit in her embrace. He wondered about that but then decided that it was just because he was comfortable around her and knew her a bit.

Daisy was starting to feel something strongly inside her too. For some strange reason, she didn't want to get out of the hug but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she replied back. **"You're welcome and I do."** The two separated and the two happened to look into one another's eyes for a split second that made her heart beat faster. **"Have a good night Ash,"** she said all of a sudden and began walking to her room.

He tilted his head a bit at that but then thought she was probably tired. **"Good night Daisy and thanks for listening to me,"** he told her. She glanced back at him and nodded with a smile. She faced forward and headed to her room with Ash turning around and headed to his own where May was waiting for him and entered it. He saw her in bed already, the cover drawn up to her shoulder, her eyes closed. He smiled seeing her so peaceful and calm. He went to use the bathroom, washed, brushed his teeth, changed into his sweats only pajamas and then climbed into bed. He decided not to wake her, letting her rest and just being able to look at her was enough for him for the moment, both facing each other while lying down on their sides.

" **You gonna make a move or what?"**

" **I should've known you were just pretending."**

May opened her eyes and saw Ash smirking at her and she grinned back. **"Yea, you should've. Took a while. I'm guessing it was pretty bad huh?"** she asked him and his smirk went away and a frown replaced it.

" **Very. I had no idea how scared she is. It took me a long time to just get her to agree to let us take her to the hospital tomorrow and again to go to sleep. I promised to take her myself and to have my Greninja watch over her as she slept. And I bumped into Misty's sister Daisy and she asked me if I was doing alright. We talked a bit and I thanked her when she said she was glad that Misty chose me,"** he explained to her.

" **Oh I see. And how did you thank her?"** she asked with a grin and he just chuckled before saying he just hugged her and said thank you. May giggled. **"I trust you my Knight. I was just messing with you."** Ash commented back that he knows and has no problem saying what he did. May smiled at him, feeling her heart flutter that he wouldn't hide anything important from her anymore. **"What was she doing up so late though?"** asked May. Ash said she was most likely thirsty since she had a water bottle in her hand. **"Makes sense. Well, you did what you had to do regarding Natasha and I'm very proud of you. You were able to get a traumatized and scared girl to open up a bit to you. I bet she could feel that you were being genuine and that you weren't just playing a game, that you actually care,"** she told him. She stretched out her arm and caressed the scar on his chest. **"No one can doubt that you care and if they do, this is proof."** Ash felt himself shiver at her touch but enjoyed it.

" **Thank you May,"** he said, giving her an appreciative look. She could see that he was tired out and decided that he should rest but also wanted to tease him just a little bit more before letting him sleep. She smiled at him before grasping his hand, interlocking their fingers together. She then turned to lie on her other side while also bringing Ash closer to her body. She backed up into him, her firm round ass up against him and she moved their interlocked hands towards her chest, having his finger tips graze against her breasts over her thin semitransparent red night gown. **"May…"**

" **Yes? What is it?"** she asked, feigning innocence while turning her head slightly. Ash didn't say anything but snuggled in closer, pressing against her back and butt, making her tremble in delight, feeling him up against her. He raised his head towards her face and gave her a loving kiss. Blue and brown eyes found one another after and they smiled. **"Sweat dreams my Knight,"** said May.

" **Goodnight my Passionate Princess,"** said Ash. They both placed their heads back onto the pillows and snuggled up against one another even more before closing their eyes. And soon enough, both of them were fast asleep, feeling content and comfortable in their close embrace.

When Daisy Waterflower entered her room, she quickly got into bed. She faced the wall since her bed was next to it. She was feeling and thinking many different things. _Why did I feel that way? When he hugged me, why did I not want to get out of it?_ She was lost, not knowing what she was feeling. She glanced at the Squirtle doll that was sitting on her bedside dresser. She smiled, reached for it and pulled it into a hug. _Why did my heart beat faster when I we made eye contact? That's never happened to me before._ She looked at the doll in her embrace, seeing its goofy and adorable smile. It reminded her of Ash's trademark goofy grin and that made her chuckle a bit. _I'm probably just over analyzing this. It's probably nothing and most likely I'm just tired. And I just felt good to know someone cares. That's probably why I felt that way._ She decided that's what it was and hugged her doll tightly until she fell asleep a couple minutes later.

A couple hours ago, in one of the other hotel rooms on a different floor below the pent house suite, there were three girls sleeping in their beds, each of them seeing dreams. The fourth was taking a shower, having been in there for a bit already. Her hair would always take some time to shampoo and rinse out. She had just begun to wash her body when her thoughts drifted onto the raven haired guardian. She froze in her place as her mind pictured him, his charming smile on his face that sent shivers down her body. She shook her head, pushing the image out. She continued her shower and when she started on her lower body, she froze again as the picture formed in her mind once more. This time though she was picturing him from the club, without his shirt on, the scar on his chest. She became so heated all of a sudden and it wasn't from the hot water.

She couldn't help herself and her hand began sliding down her lower body until it reached her womanhood and begun rubbing over it. She imagined being in his embrace in her home, with him kissing her. He picked her up suddenly and then placed her onto a bed as they continued to kiss. Both of them assisting the other in taking off their clothes and when finally in the nude, he pushed himself into her. Slowly, intimately, teasingly, making her go crazy from it. She started panting and moaning, diving two of her fingers into her opening, pumping in and out without care. She pictured them becoming one, with him picking up the pace and turning the slow love making into an animalistic fuck.

" **You're mine. Now and forever."** He said while growling into her ear, making her tremble from his husky tone of voice, her heart beating wildly. After some time, he climaxed into her, making her squeal out in joy in imagining how it would feel. She felt herself go in real life. She leaned against the shower wall, sliding down it as her legs became jelly like, unable to support her for the time being. She was panting, out of breath while her mind was working to catch up with what she was feeling, the hot shower water still falling onto her. After a few minutes, her mind having caught up, she thought of what this could mean.

 _Why did I imagine this? What is going on with me? Why can't I get him out of my mind?!_ She thought about that a bit more, seeing him appear in her mind's eye periodically. **"Damn it…what have you done to me Ash?"** She went quiet and saw him in her mind again, giving her his trademark goofy grin. **"Damn it…why don't you like me? We danced in the club…and I felt your body against mine that night…what do those girls have that I don't? Why won't you look at me the way you look at them?"** Her outspoken thoughts saddened her and it took her a moment to gather enough energy and stood back up. With many thoughts rushing through her mind, she quickly finished her shower, dried herself, wore her undergarments, then pajamas and got into bed. She glanced at the other girls who were fast asleep.

Giselle was sleeping peacefully and silently, not making a single sound. Liza was also fast asleep but was also making low moaning noises. She stared at the green head, wondering who on earth she could be dreaming about. She heard her mumble a bit. **"Oh…oh…"** She went quiet until she heard her say 'faster' a bit later. But what really shocked her was what she said next a little later. **"Make me yours Ash."** Her eyes widened at hearing her close friend say that in her sleep. That she was dreaming about being with him.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the sudden feelings of jealousy out of her and was about to draw the covers over her when she saw the happy expression on Sabrina's face. The psychic prodigy had the largest smile she had ever seen on her and that made her very surprised and very curious. Before she could snap out of her state, she saw her lips move ever so slightly, saying a single word very quietly but she heard it in the dead silence of the room. **"Ash…"**

Clair couldn't believe it. Liza and Sabrina were both dreaming about Ash, one of whom was picturing herself having sex with him and the other, who knew what was going on her head. She glanced at Giselle again, wanting to see if she would say anything or show any emotion on her face, remembering that she had asked him out after their battle and tried to get with him in the club. She didn't notice anything but got up and went closer to her to be sure. She peered over her and saw the dark haired beauty's hand under her pillow. She noticed the bulge on the pillow, indicating that it was her hand but wondered why she would have her hand in a fist as she slept. She knew it was a fist because of her doing it as well sometimes. She slowly raised the pillow end a bit and looked underneath it. She focused her vision in the night, being aided by the moonlight through the window and what she saw made her eyes widen. It was a cut out picture of Ash waving in the stadium from a newspaper, clutched in her fist.

The blunette dragon trainer was at a loss for words, not believing that all three of her closest friends, her new friend and herself had all fallen for the same guy. She lowered the pillow gently, went back to her bed, got in, drew the covers up and faced the wall, her back towards the other three. She stared at the wall in front of her and thought of what she had just learned. Her best friends Liza, Cynthia and Sabrina all have feelings for Ash, with Cynthia actually being with him. Their new friend Giselle has feelings for him too. What's more is that she did too but also realized that it wasn't just some lust filled fantasy that she had for him. She felt herself becoming jealous and envious when she thought of him being with his current girlfriends and her friends having feelings for him too. She had fallen for him and all it took was just a few good interactions between them and a bad one that he apologized for, after years of not seeing one another.

She had fallen for the aura guardian. She had fallen for someone, something she swore that she would never let happen to herself again after what happened to her in the past. She had always wanted someone who would be strong, who could beat her in a fight, who could protect her if she couldn't herself. Who wasn't afraid of her either but also wanted someone who respected her and actually cared for her. She had decided long ago that when she did find that person, she was supposed to make him obsessed with her. She was supposed to make him fall for her, dream about her and think about her. Not the other way around. She had broken her own promise to herself. And what was worse…she had fallen for this particular man, one who was already taken, by five girls nonetheless. Hell it might even be six girls if she counted Leaf and if he accepted her. And there were three other girls who were also head over heels for him, that she knew of and that she was sharing a room with.

 _How? How could this happen? Why did this happen? Why him? Of all the men in the world, why did I develop feelings for him? And why have so many other girls fallen for him too? What makes him so special? He is handsome but he's also one who could be so dangerous and volatile….and yet could be the most protective, the most caring and the most trustworthy...Is that what made us fall for him? Fall for someone who we cannot be with, someone who is out of our reach? Out of my reach? Why?_

That's when she realized that the chances of her feelings being returned were pretty much zero. She felt her heart ache and her stomach twist into knots as she realized that her next love, possibly the one who could've been right for her, was doomed before it even began. The image of Ash's charming smile flashed in her mind, making her lips quiver and tears to escape from her eyes as sadness filled her. She soon realized that when she imagined him saying just five words earlier in her fantasy was true. There was no going back, no chance of being freed, no chance of finding another, as she heard his words over and over until she cried herself to sleep; **"You're mine. Now and forever."**

Champions Lance, Diantha, Steven and Alder were at the Pokémon League Headquarters along with President Goodshow having a late night meeting. They had just finished going over what was on the smart phone that Alder found. The pictures they found were few but all of them were of the raven haired guardian and that worried them as they thought they could have been following him for a time. They only found two videos on the device. One was of the stadium attack and what Ash did to defend everyone. The other was of the group rape of the poor girl they found. Some of the audio was choppy and they were unable to make out some of the words spoken by the red head. They were disgusted from seeing the video, with Alder turning his gaze away from it as he had already seen it. The Champions were furious but also horrified of what she went through.

After seeing that video of what they did, they had no more doubts that they deserved to be killed. As for the contacts, they had no idea who they were as they didn't have full names, only general ones, like 'Boss' and 'J'. They couldn't call them but they thought that they could track their numbers. But when they attempted that, all they got back was an error from their systems. The trace wouldn't go through. They were stumped and didn't know what to do or who to have look at it. They didn't want this to fall in the wrong hands and based on what's been happening so far during this single tournament, they had no idea who to trust to look at it. They decided to sleep on it and inform the guardian and their other fellow Champion when they had some more information. The five of them told each other goodnight and left the headquarters to head home and go to sleep.

In an office building near the Indigo Plateau, most of the lights were off except for a corner office where two people were working very late into the night to try and make the deadline. Britney Snow and Richard were finalizing their report on what happened, editing the visuals and going over everything they had recorded. He clicked the mouse button once more and the report was saved. Richard glanced at Britney with tired eyes. **"We won't be able to finish this in time for the next airing. Not if we want it to be the best it can be,"** he said and Britney sighed.

" **Well, next day news then. Are you sure you want to go down this route though?"** she asked him.

Richard nodded. **"Yes. People need to know what he's capable of,"** he responded.

Britney was hesitant. She thought for a moment. **"Alright. You have a point. Let's get some sleep,"** she said. He agreed and copied the report onto a flash drive to have a back up before turning off the computer. They made plans to meet up tomorrow around mid day and left the office. When they reached outside, the two bade one another a good night and left. Richard watched Britney get into her car and leave before he too left the area.

* * *

 _ **A/N - Many things happened in this chapter regarding many of the characters but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more is incoming and I hope you're all ready for it. I've hidden some clues about what's coming and I wonder if any of you will catch it. Remember to review, fav and follow! Silent is out!**_

 _ **SURPRISE NEWS!** The next chapter will be Ash and May's date since many of you have been asking about it. But that's not the surprise. The surprise is that I've already started working on it. It looks like it will be a LONG CHAPTER since there is much I need to say and I will post it up next Friday on February 26 as thanks for helping me get over 400 reviews and 200 follows! Thank you all as I really do appreciate it as it keeps me motivated to continue working on this even with so much going on in my life (and I'm sure you all have your own things going on as well so thank you for taking the time to read it). So keep it coming please and hope you all are doing well. Take care and hope to hear from you all! :)_


	43. Chapter 43 - The Princess and Her Knight

_**A/N - What's up my readers! As I promised, here is the next chapter of my story posted up on February 26, 2015! Many of you have been waiting for this one and I'm sorry it took so long but I hope you like it. Just a couple quick things before you read it;**_

 _ **1\. Long Chapter Warning -** I just wanted to let you know that this is a very long chapter. Easily double the length of my more recent ones. It's more than 40,000 words and 60 pages in Word before my author notes. (I know, WTF right? I can't even believe it) However, this doesn't mean that all my chapters will be this long. It just happened to end up that way because so much has happened and so there was so much that needed to be said. And I had to treat everyone and everything with justice. I couldn't find a good breaking point to split it into two chapters. No matter what or how I tried to do that, it ended up being bad. So, instead of two chapters, you guys get one longer one that I believe will keep you glued to it until you finish since I'm proud of this chapter because I believe it's that well written (I hope). _

_**2\. Special Shout Outs and Thanks -** Wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the support! I've broken past 200 favorites and follows with over 400 reviews! Thank you for that! (Another reason why you get such a long chapter and a post up quickly; wanted to show my gratitude for it.) :D Also, some special shout outs to some who've been reading and leaving reviews for a while now (though I do appreciate you all);_

 _ **irmadbro/MANbearPIG1 -** Thanks for the funny ass reviews and out of the box comments. And thank you **irmadbro** for the confidence on your profile page. :)_

 _ **Darkboy18/Fooster123/LegendaryWriterS/stevexclax/XDiamondX90/Xerzo LotCN -** Thanks for the long and detailed reviews. You're thoughts, reminders and suggestions have helped me to keep my mind on track and focus. _

**_3\. Replies to some reviews;_**

 ** _Erazor Djinn -_** _Thanks buddy and hope you enjoy Ash and May's date day! :)_

 ** _Jaguars5 -_** _Ash and the girls will train and the second part...not sure yet._

 ** _MANBearPIG1 -_** _That quote's from COD Zombies isn't it? I love playing that! Hahahaha...messing with people. Maybe and thanks for the support buddy and the Spanish lesson! Yes, Natasha will need new pokemon but first we have to see if she stays. And I'll think about the pokemon pairing you suggested..._

 ** _4\. Time Travel Training -_** _Some of you mentioned this and though it would be a good idea, it would completely negate Ash's hard work for three years. There won't be any time traveling in this story. Sorry about that._

 _ **5\. Character Ages -** Some of you were asking about the ages of the characters. These are the official ages for the characters in this story. I will go back and fix some of the earlier mentioned ages within the story itself when I have some free time. You may think some are too old or too young because of how they look in the canon stuff but this is what's been decided because I l figured that some will have matured faster than others and so will cause them to look older or younger than they really are. The ages have been adjusted to fit the story better but are also logical and should make sense still if compared to the anime/manga/canon. I'm only showing characters who've been mentioned more than once. I've been wanting to post this up for a while now and keep forgetting to do so but here you go;_

 _ **Ash - 20**_

 _ **Misty - 20**_

 _ **May - 19**_

 _ **Dawn - 18**_

 _ **Serena - 20**_

 _ **Leaf - 20**_

 _ **Sarah - 18**_

 _ **Anabel - 23**_

 _ **Cynthia - 25**_

 _ **Clair - 23**_

 _ **Liza - 23**_

 _ **Sabrina - 25**_

 _ **Shauna - 22**_

 _ **Lizabeth - 22**_

 _ **Giselle - 20**_

 _ **Natasha - 24**_

 _ **Brock - 25**_

 _ **Lucy - 25**_

 _ **Gary - 20**_

 ** _Ilene - 23_**

 ** _Riley - 28_**

 ** _Daisy Oak - 25_**

 ** _Richie - 20_**

 ** _Joy - 21_**

 ** _Cilan - 25_**

 ** _Iris - 22_**

 ** _Cress - 25_**

 ** _Lily - 24_**

 ** _Chili - 25_**

 ** _Violet - 25_**

 ** _Daisy Waterflower - 26_**

 ** _Max - 15_**

 ** _Bonnie - 13_**

 ** _Clemont - 25_**

 ** _Delia - 39_**

 ** _Professor Oak - 62_**

 ** _Norman - 42_**

 ** _Caroline - 41_**

 ** _Johanna - 38_**

 ** _Grace - 39_**

 ** _Officer Jenny - 25_**

 ** _Lance - 33_**

 ** _Diantha - 31_**

 ** _Steven - 29_**

 ** _Alder - 52_**

 ** _Britney - 27_**

 ** _Richard - 30_**

 ** _Damian - 26_**

 ** _Paul - 26_**

 ** _Tracey - 25_**

 ** _Kenny - 18_**

 ** _Rudy - 26_**

 ** _Drew - 20_**

 ** _Giovanni - 46_**

 ** _Domino - 28_**

 ** _Ragnarok - Unknown_**

 ** _Alright. Now with that all said and done, I hope you guys and gals are ready for the next chapter! Enjoy and remember to review, fav and follow!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 43 – THE PRINCESS AND HER KNIGHT

A red haired girl was sound asleep in her bed not seeing any dreams at the moment. She wasn't alone though since a round pink egg pokemon along with a tall blue frog pokemon were in her room, each in a different corner. The pink egg pokemon, Blissey, was resting while the bipedal frog, Greninja, was wide awake, standing with his arms crossed. Not once did he move his gaze from the girl or fall asleep. He had given his word and he would keep it. His discipline and honor was second to none, though equal with his comrade Lucario. He was thinking about how unfortunate this poor girl was, having to go through such terrible experiences. He wanted to help her in some way, his trainer's personality having rubbed off on him, as well as on all of his other comrades in arms. But he had no idea how to help her except by following his trainer's orders.

Natasha's sudden whimpering made his eyes widen and the second he took a step towards her, she began to toss and turn. In the process, she hit the ice flower on the bed side dresser and it went flying into a nearby wall and shattered. Greninja shot to her and Blissey woke up from the sound of the ice flower breaking, immediately going to the red head to help out. But neither knew what to do. Should they wake her up or let her go through it herself until she wakes up? Their choice was made for them when she stopped and her eye opened, to reveal it filled with fear, her whimpering continuing as tears fell. Greninja attempted to calm her by gently holding her hand but she withdrew from him. Even Blissey's attempt was rejected and both pokémon's expressions turned sullen. They glanced at one another and the taller of the two quickly left the room to go get the one who could help her.

The sun was shining through the balcony curtains, hitting a brunette girl in the face. She grumbled a bit and moved her head to get the shine out of her face but was unsuccessful. She opened her eyes, squinting a bit from the sun's rays. She was about to get up and stretch but felt something weighing her down. She moved her sight to it and found an arm wrapped around her, its hand interlocked with hers and on her chest, though over her red night gown. That was when she remembered that she was in bed with her love and they had cuddled together before falling asleep. A happy smile spread on her face as she looked behind her and gazed at his face, watching him sleep peacefully. She had been patient for so long while her 'sisters' had their turn but now it was her time. That was when she remembered what one of them said last night who just joined the group; that she would be waking them up early. Seeing how she hadn't done that yet, she decided to beat her to the punch and wake him up herself. But she also wanted to have a little fun while she was at it.

A wicked grin appeared on her face as she felt his body against hers. She began moving her lower body, grinding against him. She could feel his reaction, something beginning to grow and press against her rear. It turned her on and she started moving faster and with more pronounced movement, causing him to let out a groan but was still asleep. She became enflamed, wanting more and to experience some of the pleasure herself. So she moved his hand onto her breast and made him squeeze it, making her moan as a result. She felt movement from him and the moment she turned her head, she felt a pair of lips on hers. They kissed for a moment before separating, blue and brown eyes finding one another.

" **Talk about a wakeup call,"** whispered Ash and May smirked.

" **I wanted to beat Leaf to the punch,"** confessed May. **"But with a twist."** Ash grinned, saying he doesn't mind at all and kissed her again. They were about to get into it again when the door was swung open abruptly, catching both of them off guard, making them yelp and draw up the covers over them instinctually.

" **What the hell Greninja?!"** asked Ash in alarm, seeing who barged in but then saw the worried look on his pokémon's face and understood. **"Is it Natasha?"** he asked and May became concerned as well. His pokemon nodded and the raven haired guardian turned to the brunette. **"May, I..."**

" **I'm coming with you,"** she said and he nodded, not even attempting to argue. They got up, quickly changed their clothes, with May borrowing some of Ash's and went with the water starter to Natasha. They entered her room and saw her wide awake and crying. The moment she saw Ash, she tried to extend her hand to him but couldn't. The raven haired guardian hurried to her and grasped her hand, sitting beside her. May went around and sat on the other side of the bed.

" **It's alright Natasha. I'm here,"** whispered Ash, holding her hand. Her crying intensified and that made Ash take her gently into a hug. She slid her arm around him as much as she could and cried into his chest. She had seen another nightmare about the Skull Brothers and what they did to her. Both of them felt horrible seeing her in such a state. After some time of letting it out, she slowly started to calm down as she started gaining a feeling of comfort and a sense of security from her embrace with her savoir. **"There you go Natasha. You're safe here. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you ever again."** Natasha sniffed in response, tightening her grip on him. May smiled a bit and nodded at Ash when he glanced at her. She wasn't angry or jealous. She knew that this poor girl needed support and the only person that can give it to her is Ash right now. **"Hey, I want to introduce you to someone Natasha. This is May Maple and she is my girlfriend,"** he told her. She slowly turned her gaze to the brunette while still in his embrace. May gave her a gentle smile and a nod of her head. **"She's going to come with us and my mom when we take you to the hospital. And we're going to go in just a little bit. Okay?"** She didn't react but kept looking at May, who was starting to feel a little embarrassed from the attention. She was used to it in her coordinating but not this way; it was a blank look. Ash turned to his pokémon. **"Blissey, can you get my mom please?"** Blissey gave a cry of her name before leaving the room. He then turned to Greninja. **"Thank you for your service buddy. Take a good rest."** He returned the blue frog after he gave him a curt nod. **"I'm going to go write a note for the others so could you watch over her for a bit May?"** he asked and she replied saying it was no problem. **"Thanks. I'll be right back Natasha."** He lowered her back onto the bed and she surprisingly didn't make much fuss over him leaving. Ash was glad when he noticed that. He left the room to write the note for the others.

May was looking at Natasha, seeing the way she was looking at him as he left the room. She smiled, understanding the how and why. **"Hey there,"** she said softly, catching the attention of the red head who turned her gaze to her, slightly fearful now since she didn't know her and was alone with her. **"No need to be afraid of me or anyone here. Ash only surrounds himself with people he can trust and people who would do anything for him, as he would for them. And I just wanted to let you know that I'm so sorry for what you've been through. Even if it takes time for you to open up to us, we're here for you. So please, don't be afraid of us at least,"** she said softly.

Natasha listened to her words and thought about what she said. _She seems nice but is she being genuine? He did say that she's his girlfriend. I just hope she doesn't turn out to be a back stabbing bitch like all the whores back at base. But, then again, would he choose someone like that to be his girlfriend? After what I've seen him do in the news and what he did for me?_ Natasha studied May a little bit and looked into her eyes, trying to find some sort of hidden agenda in them. May gave her a warm smile, commenting that if she needs something to let her know. _I can't find anything. Is she for real? I guess she is. Why else would he pick her?_

The door opened a moment later and both Ash and Delia entered with Blissey right behind them, making Natasha and May look at them. **"Thanks for everything Blissey. You should take a rest."** The pink helpful pokémon smiled before she was returned and Ash turned to Natasha. **"Time to go. Are you ready?"** he asked her and she nodded. She felt with him that she would be able to go through with the hospital process. Delia lowered the covers and both her and May helped her sit up and assisted her in standing up. She tried to take a step forward but almost immediately pain shot up her legs. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground but Ash caught her in the air. She was breathing hard, trying to overcome the pain and stand up but couldn't when she tried again. She whimpered and shook her head. Instantly Ash took her up into his arms, carrying her in his arms. **"Let me,"** he told her and she grasped his shirt tightly, her eye closed as she felt so ashamed and worthless that she couldn't even stand. **"We're going to teleport,"** he said to the red head and she barely responded by slightly nodding her head. He glanced at May and Delia before the four of them teleported to the hospital.

A while after the four of them left, one from the group woke up and entered the kitchen dressed in their pajamas. The woman took out a teapot, poured some water into it and then placed it on the stove before turning on the gas. She adjusted the level to about half strength for the fire and then leaned against the kitchen counter. She was about to think of what to make for breakfast when she spotted a folded piece of paper propped up on the island in the kitchen. She took it and saw it said 'Everyone' on the outside flap. She opened it and read what was written inside. **"Bless that man,"** commented the woman with a smile after finishing her reading. She thought about what was written in the note when suddenly her eyes widened. **"Shit. If May's with him so early then that means she spent the night with him. Norman's going to have a fit,"** she said out loud to herself.

" **Why am I going to have a fit?"** Caroline's stomach churned, slapping herself mentally for saying that out loud. She thought she had left her husband sound asleep in bed but looks like he had woken up as well. Before she could respond, the letter was taken from her hands without protest. She faced her husband as Norman read it. When he finished he looked at his wife. **"Why would I be upset about this? If anything, this is quite chivalrous of him, no?"** he asked her.

Caroline's eyes widened in astonishment. She wasn't expecting him to say that. **"Yea, I guess you're right."**

Norman chuckled. **"Really? You guess you're right? Weren't you the one who wouldn't stop talking about how great a man Ash is to annoy me?"** he asked her laughing a bit, making Caroline chuckle weakly. **"I swear woman. Sometimes I think you just do things to annoy and tease me on purpose. But that's one of the things that I love so..."** He trailed off, not finishing his sentence because the wheels in his head started turning. He looked back at the note. Then at the digital clock on the stove. Then at his wife Caroline who tried to display a neutral expression but couldn't. His eyes went to the note again. Then his wife. Note. Wife. Note. Wife. **"Son of a bitch!"** he rapidly said suddenly, making Caroline jump. **"May spent the night with him didn't she?!"** he asked her.

Caroline quickly took control to keep him from exploding again. **"Now, Norman, just because she did doesn't mean they did anything. And if they did, they're of age. And they are in love. We can't really stop that. And I thought you said you'd be supportive of them?"** she asked him.

" **I AM!"** he retorted back loudly, making Caroline jump again, startled but also became a little angry herself with his outburst. He noticed her angry expression and changed his tone. **"I am Caroline. It's just…"** He let out a long sigh to calm down before continuing. **"May's my baby. Max is younger but he's a boy and soon will be a man. I don't have to worry about him too much."** Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. Norman waved his hands in front of him quickly and explained. **"You know what I mean Caroline! With males, it's different. Females are the ones who get DNA shot up into them, making them change and become pregnant! It's like a part of another person that becomes a part of them for the rest of their lives whether they become pregnant or not!"** Caroline relaxed her expression a bit and Norman felt it was safe to continue. **"Max is our son and has to be careful too but he's still a guy. With May…she's my first born and my daughter. She'll always be my baby. I remember when I would hold her in my arms. I remember when I had to tell that green haired piece of shit Drew-what's-his-face to stay away from May because she told us how he's bothering her all the time."** Caroline nodded at that, remembering how May was both disgusted and slightly afraid of that particular person because of his constant advances after traveling with him some. " **Even though she loves Ash and he loves her, I don't want her to move too fast. I'm supportive of her decisions but I don't want her to act rashly and impulsively. And I want them to wait till they're married,"** admitted Norman.

Caroline had an understanding look form on her face. **"I know honey. But this isn't like the old days anymore. Many don't wait until they're married."** Norman sagged his shoulders and hung his head. Caroline hugged him with him returning it and continued speaking. **"I know that you're old fashioned. That's a good thing and I love that about you. And you know so am I. Though a little bit more open than you are though,"** she teased him as they separated and Norman smiled a bit. **"But you know that you don't have to worry about May getting hurt by Ash. He saved her so many times, helped her find her calling, encouraged her. He did so much for her and for the other girls. He loves them and they love him. He attacked Palkia for Arceus's sake when the Lord of Space threatened his loved ones for crying out loud!"** Norman's eyes widened and let out a gasp. He had forgotten about that. **"If there's anyone who's worthy of our daughter…worthy of the other girls…worthy of having multiple girlfriends and so many good friends…worthy of our support and trust…it's the man that May has fallen in love with so many years ago and is with him right now; Ash Ketchum,"** finished Caroline while looking into her husband's eyes.

Norman was quiet for a moment, thinking about everything that his wife said. She was right. Ash is the only man good enough for his daughter because of who he is and what he's done for others and for their daughter. **"You're right Caroline. Everything you said is true. But…I just can't help it. Maybe I've forgotten what it's like to be a young adult who's in love,"** he admitted.

Caroline nodded in agreement. **"I know honey. But I do remember how we waited till we were married. How others waited that we knew of as well. I remember how special and intimate the joining of bodies and souls was meant to be. How kissing was all that we did and was considered to be alright. Now it's just backwards,"** she sighed, shaking her head. **"Kissing is now thought of being intimate but the joining of two bodies and souls as one is considered to just be an itch to be scratched every now and then. I don't like it either. Society is really crumbling."**

Norman scoffed. **"You can say that again,"** he told her.

Caroline chuckled and smiled afterwards. **"But the good news is that May and Ash…their situation is different. They've had feelings for each other for years and would do anything for each other. You and I both know they will never separate. With that in mind, I think it's alright for them if and when they take the next step, even without being married right now."**

Norman took in a long breath before letting it out. **"I hope so Caroline. I hope so,"** he said.

Caroline grasped his hand, getting an idea to cheer him up. **"C'mon. Let's not think about that right now. Tea won't be ready for a bit and I still don't know what I want to make for breakfast. That gives us some time,"** she told him with a sly look.

Norman's face lit up and he smirked back at her. **"You've never been this active before. You trying to have another kid?"** he asked her.

Caroline just grinned. **"Maybe it's all this lovey dovey stuff in the air with all the young couples around us that's getting me into the mood more often. And would that be so bad if we had another kid?"** she asked him.

" **No. But I don't know if I can keep my sanity if we had another girl,"** admitted Norman with a laugh. Caroline just shook her head while chuckling as she led her husband back to their bedroom.

While Mr. and Mrs. Maple went at it in the privacy of their own bedroom, a young teenage boy was staring at the ceiling while lying in bed in his own room shared with a couple others who were still asleep. His glasses were on and his hands were behind his head. He was thinking about what he saw his idol and friend do yesterday. How he killed that horrible man in front of him like it was nothing. How he had an army of pokémon with him. How his powers were so strong as an Aura Guardian that it even made Riley become concerned and how the world itself seemed to tremble when he unleashed it. He felt goose bumps on him and a slight shiver go down his spine. **"Am I scared of Ash?"** he asked himself quietly after that feeling passed. He thought of why he felt the shiver until he realized the reason for it. **"No. I'm not scared of him. I'm scared of what he has to do because of what's coming,"** he told himself. He thought of Ash and his burdens and how he's been doing his absolute best to become strong so he can protect everyone he loves and cares about. That made his respect and admiration for his idol grow.

His thoughts about that made him eventually think about what his sister said last night. That she doesn't care if her family didn't approve when they reveal that both Cynthia and Leaf are accepted into the group of Ash's girlfriends. Max remembered how he was so in shock that he couldn't even comment on it at all. He couldn't believe it. Not only had his idol won several girls' hearts, including his sister's, but also that of the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia Shirona. It was rumored that she couldn't be won over. But Ash did somehow. **"Luckiest guy I swear."** He chuckled a bit, thinking about how Ash had several incredible girls to be his girlfriends and how his sister was one of them. He thought of how May had a crush on Ash from practically the very first time they met. She would never miss a chance to speak about him every chance she got when they separated after their travels together throughout Hoenn. It did get rather annoying sometimes, which he called her out on and teased her for it by saying that he and everyone else knows how much she's in love with him. And that would cost him a smack or punch against the back of his head every time.

He didn't mind that though since he knew that her hitting him was just proof that he was right that his sister May loved his idol Ash. He also knew that Ash had traveled before with other people and other girls as well. He thought of his memories and what he saw Ash do in them. He even thought about all the things he saw him do with his own eyes to help and protect others. He always saw Ash as a caring person. Someone who would do right no matter what and would always be there for his friends and family. Even with him getting angry or losing it sometimes, you could still count on him when shit hits the fan. And how he was so good with pokémon; taking care of them and battling with them. That's what made him his idol at first. He also knew that Ash would do anything and everything for May and the other girls Misty, Dawn, Serena, Leaf and Cynthia. He was actually happy that he and her are together. He could think of no one better for his sister and doubted there would ever be one. **"Good thing Ash isn't so blind around girls anymore,"** he said out loud but quietly so as to not wake up his roommates. **"I think May would have killed him by now for not noticing,"** he joked darkly, chuckling.

That made him remember how he used to be oblivious as well around the opposite gender. How he would think girls are weird and icky. But after starting his own pokémon journey and traveling around some, he met a few girls who he considered good friends and even developed a small crush on one of them after growing up some. But that was extinguished when he found out she was in love with someone else and wouldn't ever be seen as more than just a friend to her. He became a little depressed, thinking about his first crush that didn't end well until a certain blonde girl's face appeared in his mind, making him smile. **"Bonnie,"** he said in a whisper towards the ceiling and his smile grew wider. Sure, she was a couple years younger than him. He's fifteen and she's thirteen. But they were both still in the teens. And he was surprised how easy it was to be around her. How they had so much in common. He felt like he was alive when he was around her. He wanted to do things for her and show her how much he cared about her. And she wasn't afraid to show that she liked him back. Hugging him, hanging out with him, doing things together and their very first kiss in the arcade. Thinking about all that made him realize something suddenly. **"Is this what…May was feeling all the time for Ash?"** he asked himself another question again. He shook his head slightly, letting out another chuckle. **"Damn. I know now why you acted that way sis over Ash in the past. Cause I feel the same way for Bonnie and want to do everything I can for her. And don't worry sis. Even though I doubt they'll do so, I got your back if mom and dad try to break you and Ash apart."** He swore to Arceus that he wouldn't let his parents break up his sister and his idol no matter what. After that promise, he started thinking more about Bonnie until his bedroom door was opened and he was told to get up for breakfast a good while later by his mother.

Three blue glows appeared in the lobby of the Indigo Hospital, startling several nurses and patients. As soon as Ash, May, Natasha and Delia appeared, the brunette immediately got hold of a nurse and told her of what they needed. The nurse quickly checked them in and led them to any empty room. Ash lowered Natasha onto the bed and Delia drew up the cover over her while the nurse turned on the equipment. She turned around after that and rummaged through some supplies in a cupboard. She took out an IV bag and a needle. She drew closer to the red head, whose eye widened at the sight of the needle. She felt ghost pains of being cut and saw them laughing again at her in her mind's eye. The raven haired guardian sensed her fear spiking. He grasped her hand and talked to her, telling her it's alright. She looked into his eyes, which was locked onto hers. She moved her arm a little out towards the nurse who understood the gesture. The nurse drew closer, grasped her arm, tapped on it a bit to make the vein more visible and put the needle into her visible vein. The red head kept her gaze on Ash, wincing a bit at the split second sting she felt from the nurse's action.

" **I'm proud of you Natasha. Good job,"** he told her softly, and she tightened her grip on his hand in appreciation over the praise. It may have been pathetic and pitiful for her to like hearing him praise her for something like that, but right now, she'd take whatever she could get.

" **That's all I can do for the moment. I'm going to get one of our top doctors,"** the nurse told them after attaching a sensor to her finger to display her heart rate on the monitor and the three thanked her before she left. Ash told them he was going to go use the restroom and be right back. As the three females stayed in the room, Delia and May tried to have Natasha talk with them or react in some way back to them but weren't very successful. The red head was keeping her gaze on the door, waiting for him to return. They decided to leave her alone for the time being and had some small talk until the door opened. It wasn't Ash but the nurse along with a doctor.

" **Good morning, I'm Doctor Ned Wilson,"** introduced the doctor as he drew closer to his patient on the bed. **"My lord, what happened to her face?"** he asked, seeing the rough state the red head was in. **"She looks like someone used her for a punching bag,"** he commented.

Delia and May scowled at him at his lack of tact and Natasha felt humiliated. _Why did my doctor have to be such an asshole?!_

" **Look here, if you're just going to talk without helping, you might as well leave and we'll have another doctor help us,"** shot Delia. Natasha glanced at her, agreeing whole heartedly and thanking the kind mother in her head before returning her gaze back to the doctor.

" **I'm sorry but you should relax Ms. I was merely caught off guard,"** replied back Wilson. Delia's nostrils flared in annoyance but didn't comment back. **"Now, what happened to her?"**

" **What do you think?"** asked May heatedly. **"She was beaten and raped for the sheer amusement of others and we brought her here to get treated! So get to it!"** Her explanation of what happened shocked the doctor and his nurse.

 _You didn't have to tell them…but then again, I guess they have to know,_ thought Natasha, but was feeling humiliated a bit.

" **Beaten and raped?"** he asked, his eyes wide. **"What is the world coming to?"** he asked to no one in particular, shaking his head. **"Nurse, get some x-rays ordered, an MRI and get the rape kit. On the double."** The nurse left the room to schedule the procedures as he hovered over, peering at her wounds, noticing that her nose was broken but it looked like it could be fixed without surgery. **"Who did this to her?"** he asked.

 _Do you really have to be so close to me?!_ The red head was feeling uneasy and uncomfortable with him leaning over her and being so close to her. She was reminded of the Skull Brothers looming over her as they violated and abused her. She felt like she was going to be attacked and her heart started beating faster, which showed on the monitor. **"It's normal for rape victims to be scared,"** remarked the doctor without emotion when Delia and May pointed it out. Both mother and girlfriend didn't like the doctor and neither did Natasha. Even though he was here to help, she didn't like his vibe and didn't like him at all. She doubted she could ever like let alone trust any man in the world ever again either because of what she's been through. She wanted her savior to come back immediately, knowing he'll protect her. That's when she realized that perhaps there may be one man who she could actually trust…

" **It doesn't matter who as they've been served justice. So will she be alright? Can you help her?"** asked Delia.

" **Of course I can help,"** replied the doctor, becoming offended a bit as he continued looking over her. **"The swelling around her eye will go away on its own and I believe her nose isn't broken to the point of needing surgery. We can snap the bones back into place and have a nose guard placed over it for a couple weeks at least. I will have to wait on the x-rays to confirm that but I'm pretty sure about it. Also, the x-rays, the MRI and rape kit results will let me know what else needs to be done regarding anything else."** Right when he finished, the nurse came into the room along with Ash.

The second Natasha saw him, she calmed down, knowing he would make sure she didn't get hurt. Her heart rate even relaxed, the beeping on the monitor slowing down. The others in the room glanced at it before the doctor commented it's normal again. Delia however, wasn't so sure, having noticed how she changes with her son around her. She may have gotten her first real indication that Natasha truly does feel comfortable and safe with her son around. This could also be a clue to how the red head feels about him too and how she may actually fall for her son. _If that's true, add another one into the group,_ thought Delia, chuckling inside her mind while keeping a straight face.

Ash introduced himself to the doctor who mumbled out a hurried greeting in return. He took the rape kit from his nurse and placed it on the nearby table. He washed his hands with soap and had his nurse put on some hospital gloves before turning to back to them. **"I'm going to have to ask you all to leave while I administer the tests from the rape kit."**

Hearing that they had to leave her while this unknown man, even though he was a doctor, performed tests on her, touch her, made Natasha become scared and she looked at Ash. The monitor showed her heart start to beat faster. _NO! Please don't leave!_

Ash turned his attention to her, sensing she was looking at him and her aura had become filled with fear. He also noticed the increased beating the machine picked up and went to her and spoke softly. **"Hey, it's alright. You said you trust me right? He's going to help."** Her eye was focusing onto his and was trying to communicate with him, opening her mouth to speak but no sound came out. She attempted to convey her desire with her facial expressions while talking in her head.

 _Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone! I don't want him to touch me! I don't care that he's a doctor! Please don't let him touch me! Please don't leave me!_

Ash turned towards the wall to his side with a confused look, making them all look at him. He could've sworn he heard someone talk as he heard a couple words. _What the hell?_ He glanced at the other four in the room besides Natasha. **"Did you guys hear that?"** He asked them and they shook their heads, concerned. **"I could've sworn I heard someone say 'alone' and 'don't care'..."**

Natasha's eye widened after hearing him say that. He had heard her thoughts. But how? He wasn't a psychic as far as what she knew about him and there was no evidence or stories about Aura Guardians being able to read minds. But maybe he can and maybe she can make him hear her again. _Please hear me again! Don't leave me! Please! Don't let him touch me!_

" **I'm sorry but none of us heard anything Ash,"** said May with concern.

" **I guess I'm just imagining things,"** he sighed. He looked at the red head and gave a kind smile to her. **"We'll be waiting right outside the door alright? You'll be safe and he won't hurt you."** Wilson glanced at the young man, about to say that the process may actually hurt but stopped himself in time. He didn't want to drag this out any longer. He had plans later on that morning and wanted to finish up quickly. He glanced at the nurse and gave her the signal to get the kit ready. As the nurse got the contents in the kit ready, Natasha gave him a few whimpers while speaking in her head but he didn't catch it. Ash, after wishing her luck, headed towards the room door with his mom and May. The heart rate monitor began showing even more frantic heart beats.

 _No! Please don't go! Please don't leave me!_ They reached the door and May opened it. _Please hear my thoughts again!_ May left the room. _I don't want any man but you to touch me!_ Delia left the room and the doctor took a couple items into his hands and went to her side. Ash glanced back and saw the doctor about to start, moving towards her. _No, stop! Please!_ He gave Natasha a reassuring smile before he turned around and exited the room, the door swinging shut behind him. _COME BACK!_

Ash froze in front of the door in the hallway. He heard it again. Someone shouted. He glanced around, confused and worried. May and Delia saw the concerned look on his face. **"I heard it again,"** he told them and the two tilted their heads, becoming troubled over his behavior. **"Someone shouted 'come back'. I heard it. I'm not crazy as I'm sure this time. It was a girl's voice and she sounded scared and…wait…"** Ash focused on the voice that said it and realized that he heard it before since it was similar though it was weaker and hoarser. His eyes widened all of a sudden. **"Damn it!"** Ash whirled around and barged through the door, throwing it open in the process and it hit the wall startling the doctor, nurse and red head. **"Get your hands off of her!"** growled Ash, seeing the nurse pinning her down with the doctor attempting to forcefully give her an anesthesia shot to make her sleep. Delia and May were right behind him and both of them quickly became angered as well over what they saw, narrowing their eyes at the two.

" **We're only trying to do our job. She resisted so we had to, we had no other choice!"** said the doctor. **"Now leave before I call security on you. I have a patient who needs me."** He turned back to the red head who was giving Ash a look of betrayal that made his heart sink.

" **I said get away from her!"** he repeated, his voice now booming with power. The doctor and nurse glanced at him in time to see his eyes glow blue. The nurse let out a gasp, now realizing why he looked so familiar and the doctor was scared still, realizing who the young man is as well. Natasha's fear faded away and was now looking at him with awe. The doctor and nurse backed away immediately while the guardian quickly moved to be beside the red head and grasped her hand, knelling beside her bed and is eyes turned back to brown. May and Delia walked in to the base of the bed, glaring at the doctor and nurse before turning their attention back to the red head. **"I'm so sorry Natasha. I just understood you. I promised I'll stay by your side and I will stay no matter what if you want me to stay while they do the tests. I just didn't want to embarrass you or anything in case you didn't want me around."**

Natasha looked into his eyes and spoke in her mind again, hoping he'll hear her once more and more clearly. _Please don't leave me again. I can't do this without you. No man but you can touch me. No male doctor. Please hear me. Please understand me._

" **She doesn't want a male doctor. She wants a female doctor. And she doesn't want me to leave from her side. Have your best female doctor come do everything,"** stated Ash without even looking up from the red head.

 _He heard me! He heard me! Thank Arceus!_ Ash heard that as well and smiled at her, nodding and she felt better.

" **Do I look like your servant? I'm one of the best doctors and surgeons here! You don't order me around and this is my hospital! What I say goes! And I say you need to leave and not bother us again so I can help her!"** he countered back.

Ash grew angry at that and he stood up straight, locking his gaze onto the doctor. He strode towards Wilson and stood a foot away from him, his eyes glowing blue once more, scaring him. **"You say you're a doctor?"** he asked him and continued without waiting for him to respond. **"Then shouldn't such a grand doctor like yourself respect the wishes of his patients?"** Wilson stayed silent. **"She wants a female doctor. Now get one to come here and have her do the tests and I'm staying with her unless she wants me out. Do that and maybe I won't file a complaint or charges for assault on you trying to force her. Got it?"** he asked him and Doctor Wilson sweat dropped before saying he'll get their best female doctor to come immediately. Ash stepped aside to let him go. He glanced at the nurse still there and told her to leave as well, to have someone else come instead of her.

" **I'm surprised you didn't threaten to kick his ass, Ash,"** stated May with an impressed look.

" **I could've but doctors like him are more scared of being sued,"** he said and his mom and girlfriend chuckled a bit. He went back to Natasha and sat down on the bed beside her. **"I'm sorry Natasha. I didn't know what you wanted. Please forgive me for not understanding you,"** he pleaded. The red head managed to move her hand towards him and she grasped his hand. He smiled at her, relieved that she wasn't angry with him.

" **How did you know what she wanted?"** asked Delia for both her and May. They wanted to know where this came from.

Ash was quiet for a moment, thinking about the possible reason why. **"Remember how I mentioned Lucario say that I might be able to communicate mentally with my aura? I guess I can hear her when she tries to communicate with me. I'm going to ask him how it just happened all of a sudden. Let me try with you two. Try to talk to me mentally,"** he told them. Delia and May thought for a bit before both said some things in their minds towards Ash as he tried to hear their thoughts.

 _I'm very proud of you my son._

 _So when are we going to finish what we started in the morning?_

Ash smiled at his mom after hearing her mental words but then started chuckling after hearing May, going a bit red. **"Thanks mom and later today May. I have big plans for us."** Delia smiled and May went red while smiling sheepishly. Natasha was looking at Ash in wonder.

 _He can even hear them too. Is it always or just when he's focusing?_ When Ash continued talking with Delia and May, oblivious of her thoughts, she got her answer. It looked like he could only communicate mentally with someone when focusing on them. A moment later, the door opened and a female doctor that seemed to be around Delia's age, perhaps a bit older, stepped inside with a nurse who was a few years younger than the doctor.

" **Hello. You must be the Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum. You gave Doctor Wilson quite a fright."** She and her nurse smiled while Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"My name is Lilit Swanson. This is my good friend and one of the best nurses here, Adrine Johansen."** She introduced themselves to them and shook each person's hands. Ash sensed she was being genuine and was glad that she was here. He could tell that Natasha was feeling better about who her doctor now was as he didn't sense any major disturbances in her aura. She was still afraid but not overly so.

" **Thank you for taking over for Doctor Wilson. Natasha didn't want a male doctor and he had a hard time hearing that,"** said Delia after introducing herself and May.

Lilit nodded before brushing it off. **"No worries. He may be arrogant and annoying but he's also one of the best in the world. That doesn't excuse him for his behavior though. A doctor must always respect his or her patients' wishes. Now, he gave me a quick rundown about what happened and what we're doing. I'm sorry to hear that Ms...I'm sorry, there's no last name here,"** she remarked, looking over the paperwork. **"Can you tell me?"**

Ash glanced at Natasha who had turned her gaze back at him. **"Her last name is Dobrev,"** he said.

" **Okay thank you. Now, when is your birthday?"** she asked.

" **Can't we take care of this stuff later?"** asked May.

" **I guess we could. But please make sure we do as it could get me in trouble later,"** she requested and they agreed after glancing at Natasha who slowly nodded. **"So, Ms. Dobrev…my colleague gave me very little information. Can you tell me what happened and where exactly you feel pain? Besides your cuts and bruises I mean? Places where it hurts more than the others?"** Natasha shook her head slowly and glanced at Ash who looked at her. It was silent for a little bit as she told him mentally where the most pain is located that she is feeling. She felt embarrassed in telling him but had no choice and she had a feeling that he wouldn't make her feel worse about it. Both doctor and nurse glanced at one another but said nothing, waiting patiently.

While she was attempting to communicate with him, Ash's eyes were locked onto hers and his brow was slightly furrowed. May couldn't help but smile at his concentrated gaze because it looked so cute to her. Delia noticed her doing that and nudged her a bit on the side. The brunette glanced at her and saw her beloved's mother smirking at her and she went red before looking away, a sheepish look on her face. Delia just kept her smile on her face as she turned to face her son again.

After a couple minutes, Ash turned to the Doctor Swanson and Nurse Johansen. **"She can't speak,"** started Ash. **"Something happened to her voice but I can communicate with her mentally somehow with my aura. She prefers to be called by her first name, Natasha. She was beaten and raped by some thugs, cutting her and bruising her all over. She has pain all over, but the greatest amount of pain is in her lower body, throat and back where they carved a word into her back. She's been traumatized and she's easily scared and is afraid right now. I'm the only one she feels comfortable with since it was me who got her out from where she was trapped,"** explained Ash, making them become horrified.

" **Oh my Mew,"** commented Adrine, clapping her hands to her mouth as Lilit shook her head. **"You did well Mr. Ketchum,"** she added after lowering them, giving him an impressed look.

" **Please, just call me Ash. I'm not one for such formalities,"** he requested and the two medical professionals nodded. Delia and May were smiling and Natasha was awed at this humbleness.

" **Alright. Well, an x-ray and MRI has been ordered. I see the rape kit is here. And I take it you're going to stay with her throughout everything?"** asked Doctor Swanson to the young man.

" **Yes, unless it's very personal, like if you have to undress her,"** he stated. **"If and when it comes to that, my mom will stay with her during those times. I don't want to cause her any more embarrassment or discomfort."** Ash turned to look at the red head. **"Sound good to you?"** he asked her. Natasha nodded and gave him an appreciative look that he thought about that for her. Even though he had already seen her in her birthday suit and she trusted him more than anyone else at the moment, she would like to keep at least some dignity, if there's any left. And she was starting to warm up to his mother after all she did for her, checking in on her and being here right now. Even though it was only a little bit, it was enough for her to not be so scared of his mother.

" **Alright. Looks like everyone here is on the same page unless someone wants to add something?"** asked Lilit. Nobody made a sound or movement. **"Let's get to work then. Let's first check on her nose, eye, cuts and bruises then we'll do the rest."**

Sometime later, back at the Indigo Hotel, many in the penthouse suite at the top floor were awake and getting ready for breakfast. A certain brunette with green eyes was feeling especially giddy. She had finally been able to fix things with the love of her life and they would soon get together and let everyone know. She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror in the bathroom after washing up. She had just woken up. _I can finally be able to leave my past behind me and walk a path towards a much better future. A future with my childhood friend who has become the man of my dreams._ Her smile became larger as she thought that, putting on the blue cap onto her head. She was going to put that specific hat on everyday for the rest of her life because he had bought it for her when they were kids. Speaking of said man, it was time for her to wake him up. And she knew just exactly how to do that.

A playful grin spread on her face as she went to his room, giving the others she saw already awake with joyful greetings. They gave her amused looks, seeing her in such a happy state, knowing the reason why but didn't comment. She entered his room without knocking, wanting to see if Ash and May were up to something naughty. What she wasn't expecting was for the bedroom to be empty. She then saw the bathroom door closed. _Maybe they're in the bathroom? They might be going at it in the shower like Serena did with him after she told us about their date. Hehehehe….I got you two now!_ She readied her Poketch to take a picture of them in the act. She opened the bathroom door and took a quick step inside, camera at the ready. She was expecting to hear noises or the shower running. She wasn't expecting for the bathroom to also be empty and nothing happening in there. **"What the hell?!"**

" **What's wrong Leaf?"** Leaf turned around to see it was Misty.

" **I was going to wake up the lovebirds with a small prank but Ash and May aren't here. Do you know where they are?"** she asked.

" **Should've known. Some things are hard to change huh?"** she asked, teasing her and Leaf laughed a bit, turning a bit red bud didn't deny it. **"Ash left a note in the kitchen. He, May and Delia took Natasha to the hospital to get her checked out."** Leaf relaxed, finding out everything was alright. **"What were you planning on doing?"** asked Misty, curious.

" **Should've known. Always has to help doesn't he?"** she asked rhetorically but Misty still nodded with a smile. **"Well, nothing grand, just scare them or something, but they weren't in bed so I thought they'd be in the bathroom together doing something so I thought maybe take a picture but that didn't work either,"** admitted Leaf.

" **I see. You know, I want in. I need to get Ash back for his stunt back at the lake,"** replied Misty .with a smirk and Leaf's eyes widened.

" **You want to play a prank on Ash?"** asked Leaf in disbelief.

" **Who's playing a prank on Ash?"** asked another girl. The two turned to see Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Anabel and Sarah standing behind them.

" **We are Anabel. Want in?"** asked Leaf. The new arrivals glanced at one another before having wicked smiles form on their faces. **"Looks like you are. Alright, what are we planning on doing?"** she asked them. The seven girls began brainstorming together as to what they could do to prank Ash without getting him too angry over it and something that would be remembered for a long time. While they thought of their grand prank, the cooks of the group were preparing breakfast while a few others were getting the dining tables set.

" **So how long do you think it'll take for them to come back?"** asked Lizabeth while she put plates on the table in front of each chair. She and Shauna had woken up before even Ash and his small group went to the hospital. They went to their place, got some extra clothes and also called their work place and asked for some time off, saying there was a family emergency. They had come back a short while ago and volunteered to help set the table.

" **Probably a while,"** answered Joy, who was placing utensils next to the plates. She requested some time off from work as well from Goodshow after what she went through. **"Natasha had many injuries on her and they have to do several tests as well and each one takes some time. Hopefully there's nothing too serious and they'll be back by mid day."**

" **Man, I would hate being tested on all day. Hell, I can barely stand my annual checkup that lasts half an hour,"** commented Shauna. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching the others do their tasks. She had already finished her job of placing the condiments and bread on the table.

" **Good thing you're not there with them. You'd probably drive them crazy and have that poor girl die from annoyance,"** quipped Iris, making several people snigger and her to huff out some air.

" **Is the table set?"** asked Johanna from the kitchen.

" **Pretty much,"** replied Daisy Waterflower after placing some napkins around the table.

" **Good. Tell everyone to come for breakfast, or should I say brunch as food's ready."** They told Johanna that they would and went to get everyone else. Soon, everyone was gathered in the dining room to enjoy their meal. As they ate, they conversed in smaller groups. The parents were speaking with one another and the seven girls were whispering with each other in the corner of the table. Gary and Ilene were unnaturally silent though, having many thoughts go through their head about each other and their raven haired friend. The others were speaking with one another normally.

In the hotel room a few floors below them, three girls were busy packing while a fourth was sitting on her bed, lost in thought. Giselle and Liza were gathering their belongings and putting them in their travel bags. Sabrina was using her psychic powers to fold her clothes and pack her luggage while relaxing on her bed, leaning against the headboard.

" **So lucky,"** whined Liza, seeing the psychic prodigy get her stuff packed neatly without lifting a finger. She looked at her own suitcase and saw her clothes were just haphazardly thrown into it.

" **Don't be such a sour puss,"** said Sabrina with a grin, finishing up and had her luggage zip up by itself, ready to go. She was feeling ecstatic that she would be seeing a certain someone again soon.

" **Okay, I gotta ask; what's up with these words you use?"** asked the green haired girl. Sabrina tilted her head. **"Sour puss? Wusses? You're using words that haven't been used in years. Don't you know any newer insults or the lingo that's used today? Are you that sheltered?"** she asked while teasing her.

" **Shut up and you know why,"** answered Sabrina, her eyes narrowing but went her cheeks flushed with color as well.

" **Whatever Sab. Keep using that as an excuse if you want but you know you're just hiding behind it because you're afraid and don't have the guts to go out there, to try and learn new things,"** remarked Liza while continuing her packing.

" **I'm not afraid of anything or anyone Liza!"** countered Sabrina.

" **Right. Is that why you hide in your home all the time and barely come visit us? Keep doing that and you'll never find a man,"** replied Liza as she looked at her friend with a smirk.

" **Shut up! Look who's talking! As if you've ever found one while staying in your cabin in the valley all the time! And that's none of your business!"** snapped Sabrina, her face reddening even more while a pink glow appearing around her.

That made Giselle look at her with fear. She heard rumors of how powerful she was, being the only human in the history of mankind to have so much psychic power that she can cause everyone, pokémon or human, within a half mile radius to have skull crushing headaches. And that was if she was feeling merciful.

Liza became embarrassed as well but also scoffed. **"Whatever Sab. At least I'm not scared to go try to see if a man's worth it or not."**

The dark haired psychic growled. **"Oh so a few dates with some losers and now you're miss queen of the world and knows everything? And I'm not like you Liza to just let anyone get into my pants."**

This time the green haired girl growled back. **"Screw you Sab! You know I've never done anything with anyone! At least I have the so called 'balls' to show off what I got and go out with a guy before casting judgment! All that power you have and yet you're such a…such a…wait, what word would you use? AH! I got it! You're such a scaredy cat!"** shot Liza with a triumphant smirk.

" **Shut up Liza! Keep this up and I'm going to hurt you!"** threatened Sabrina, levitating off her bed.

" **Is that so? So why don't you come here and try to do that without your powers?"** asked Liza, crossing her arms and giving her a challenging look. Sabrina glared at her and was just about to use her powers to lift her into the air…

" **Can you two quit it and shut the fuck up?!"** yelled out Clair abruptly, surprising the other three. Sabrina floated back down onto her bed and her glow faded away while giving her fellow gym leader a startled look, Giselle had her jaw drop and Liza was looking at her in shock. **"You two never stop messing with each other every time we're together and it's driving me crazy! Nobody here gives a shit if you've been with one man, a dozen men or none at all! Life isn't about just finding a guy! And both of you are as clueless about it all just like everyone else!"** She stood up on both her feet and pointed at Liza. **"You talk so much shit yet you've never done anything with anyone so I wouldn't be talking!"** Liza went red and Clair then pointed at Sabrina. **"And you! You keep bringing up excuses all the time as to why you can't do this or that!"** Sabrina's white face turned scarlet. **"I've had enough of your constant bullshit about this damn topic!"** Clair finished by throwing both her hands down and giving both of them a glare.

" **Whoa, what's up your ass?"** asked Liza, trying to shift the light away from her and Clair narrowed her eyes on her but didn't respond back. **"Oh I'm sorry, you don't have something up your ass that's why you're so moody,"** continued Liza laughing and Clair fumed. The green haired girl was now just messing with her, knowing how to push her buttons, thinking this was just another time she annoyed the gym leader.

" **Something's wrong Liza,"** stated Sabrina suddenly in a concerned tone of voice. She had sensed that Clair was emotional at the moment. That was something that didn't really happen to her and that worried her, which also caught Liza's attention.

" **Don't you dare enter my head!"** snapped Clair suddenly, catching the psychic off guard. **"You have no right! And there is nothing wrong! I'm just sick and tired of you two going at it all the time over this when both of you have about as much experience as a damn teenager! Grow the fuck up!"** She glared at them again before heading into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

" **What the hell was that about?"** asked Liza, turning to Sabrina, who didn't respond as she had no idea. She wanted to know what the problem was but didn't and wouldn't enter her friends' minds without permission. She wasn't like that. Most of the time. But wouldn't ever do so when they were emotional.

" **Ah, will she be alright?"** asked Giselle and the two older girls looked at her before sighing.

" **Yea, she should be. We just tend to piss her off a bit sometimes like this but it rarely happens. She'll cool down and be back to herself soon. I hope,"** explained Liza and Giselle nodded, thinking about what she just heard but Sabrina didn't comment. She was unsure even though this would happen once in a great while but something was off about her friend this time and she didn't need her powers to notice that.

But something was nagging Giselle. She really wanted to the answer to a question and she couldn't help herself after a moment. **"Does she really like taking it up her ass?"** asked Giselle suddenly. Liza and Sabrina stared at her with looks that clearly said 'did you just ask that?'. The black haired young girl became embarrassed as she just realized that Liza was joking. **"Oh, you were kidding. Right."** Giselle turned her crimson face away, hoping they would just drop it. Sabrina and Liza glanced at one another and did their absolute best to keep their laughter in to not embarrass their younger friend. Though they had such a hard time keeping it in that they just burst out laughing. Giselle felt humiliated but when Liza threw an arm around her shoulder and commented that she never laughed so hard, the academy alumni merely smiled back a bit.

Clair was looking at herself in the mirror, leaning towards it with her hands on the counter. She was ready to go before the other three, having gotten out of bed early since she couldn't sleep anymore because of her dreams and waited for them. She knew how her two friends acted with one another and it usually doesn't bother her. They would've finished up their pointless 'fight' soon too with the usual lifting up of Liza into the air but why did it unhinge her even more so than usual this time? She was confused as to why she became so angry at them all of a sudden. She hung her head, taking a deep breath and began thinking about that when an image flashed across her mind's eye, causing her to stop her thoughts and her heart to race. She shook her head, trying to get the image out but instead of it going away, it became clearer. It was of the raven haired guardian, smiling charmingly at her. She raised her head and the instant she looked into the mirror he appeared in it. His mouth moved as she heard his voice in her head; **"You're mine. Now and forever."**

Her lips began to quiver and her eyes watered as she realized why she was feeling so angry, so annoyed and why she had snapped at her friends. She was angry because of many things. She was angry because of the topic they were arguing about since it reminded her of her past and what she was feeling now. She didn't want to remember what she went through and she was angry at herself, for who she fell for, the reasons why and how he had captured her heart, her friends' hearts. That she now belonged to him without the others or him even knowing, how she wouldn't be able to move past it, how he would never know and how she would never be able to tell him. How her friends had feelings for him too even though they wouldn't admit it right now. And how if she ever had the courage to pursue it, that she would have to compete with her best friends for his affection. Her best friends who were there for her in her darkest hour…

That's what caused her to lash out at her friends and she felt like an asshole for that. It wasn't their fault of how she felt or what he made her feel or how he made them feel. She turned on the faucet and washed her face, cleaning up the tear marks on her cheeks before drying up with a towel. She looked herself in the mirror again, looking for any signs that may indicate she had cried a bit. She didn't find any except for her slightly puffy eyes but she could play it off as not having slept well and exited the bathroom. When she entered the room where the three where, she saw them packed and ready to go, waiting for her. They turned their gazes onto her and Clair felt embarrassed. **"Look, I'm sor-"**

" **Shut up,"** interjected Liza and Clair went silent. **"It's alright. Let's just forget about it."** Sabrina and Giselle nodded at Clair when she looked at them and she gave them an appreciative look. **"C'mon. Let's go. They probably have breakfast ready and I'm hungry,"** said Liza without shame. The four girls left the room, the luggage following from behind, levitating in the air thanks to the dark haired psychic.

At the Indigo Hospital, Ash and May were sitting on a bench together in the hallway right next to Natasha's room. **"You think she'll be alright?"**

" **I'm sure she will be Ash. Your mom is in there with her and Lilit and Adrine seem like good people,"** assured May.

" **Thank you for cheering me up my Princess."** The raven haired guardian gave her an appreciative look. He slipped his hand into hers and they interlocked their fingers.

" **You're welcome my Knight."** She closed the barely existing gap between them and gave him a simple kiss before leaning her head against his shoulder and he leaned his head on top of hers. The two stayed like that for some time before the door next to them opened and three females stepped out. They talked a bit before two of them left and Delia turned to Ash and May. She smiled at the sight of them, making the two lift their heads and look at her. **"Any good news?"** asked May and Delia's smile faded away.

" **And bad news,"** answered Delia. " **Good news is Doctor Swanson and Nurse Johansen finished up the examination. The blood work, x-ray, MRI and the rape kit results should be in soon. Natasha is also resting. The bad news is they found multiple worrying things. Some of her cuts have become infected, there are tears…uh…down there and her throat seems to be damaged even worse than we thought. But they won't be sure of the extent of the damage until after the results."** Ash and May both shook their heads and sighed before one of them started worrying and the other became angry.

" **I should've killed those bastards the first time I saw them. I shouldn't have given them a chance. This is all my fault,"** said Ash, leaning forward and holding his head in his hands. He felt so awful that he had let it happen because he gave them a chance to repent but they didn't and instead tortured and violated this poor girl after he let them go. He may have prevented that from happening to Leaf and Joy, but Natasha still suffered through it. May started rubbing his back and tried to comfort him.

" **It's not your fault Ash. It's alright giving people a second chance. You didn't know that they were such evil people. And it's not like you told them to do that. They did that of their own free will. You have done nothing to be guilty of and you're not responsible for what they did to Natasha or anyone else."**

" **She's right sweetie,"** added Delia as she sat on the other side of her son. **"It's not your fault so don't ever think it is."**

He remained quiet for a minute until he raised his head and stared ahead of him. **"That may be true, but from now on things are going to be different. No more just handing out second chances. If someone wants a second chance, then they're going to have to prove that they deserve it."** Both Delia and May said nothing since they agreed with him. They sat together in silence for a while until Doctor Swanson and Nurse Adrine came back. The three of them stood up. The doctor gestured for them to enter the room where Natasha is and they all entered it. The red head opened her eye when she heard footsteps. She wasn't sleeping but was resting her eye. Ash, Delia and May gathered to one side of Natasha while the doctor and nurse stood on the other side.

" **We have some news,"** started Doctor Swanson. **"Even though I have my best handling everything, it's going to take some time to get the results from the more complex tests to come in. As of now, I can't comment on those except for a few things."** At this, Natasha glanced at Ash who sensed her become worried. He held her hand again to give her support and she tightened her grip on his hand so greatly that anyone else would have winced. **"The good news is that the x-rays confirmed that her nose can be fixed without surgery. We can do that in just a couple minutes and she'll just need to have a nose guard on when she sleeps to keep it from moving until it heals for about two weeks at least. The other good news is that the MRI shows that even though she's been bruised badly all over, there is no permanent major harm to upper body organs or brain. She will recover from those in time and we'll give her some pain medicine for that to use when it's unbearable."**

" **That's good to know,"** said Ash as he glanced at Natasha and gave her an encouraging smile. Natasha felt a bit better, finding out she'll recover from those but she was still worried about the other things.

 _Thank Arceus. But what about my voice and throat? And what about…_

" **Yes it is,"** assured Lilit, cutting off Natasha's thoughts. **"That's it for the good news for now I'm afraid. The bad news is we are unsure about her voice and throat, her lower body organs and she has infections on many of her cuts, especially on her back. We have cleaned them up as much as we could and bandaged them up but they still pose a problem and it is very serious. We'll prescribe some anti-bacteria medicine for her that she must take once every four hours with a meal. Also, we still cannot say for certain whether she has become impregnated yet and if she has contracted any sexually transmitted diseases either until we get the results."** Natasha whimpered at this and Ash cupped her hand with both of his hands, trying to comfort her. May noticed his action. Even though she was upset over what Natasha went through, she couldn't help but feel moved by his caring display. That was one of the things she loves about him; his caring nature. **"If it comes to either of that, we can schedule an abortion and most diseases we have the vaccine for it. Hopefully it doesn't come to either of those."** The three of them nodded slightly with Natasha became worried about that, not knowing what to think or feel about that. **"About what she eats, I recommend a diet of soft foods, like soup, eggs and cheese along with no carbonated drinks, mostly water or tea without sugar for a few days. That'll give her body, especially her throat, some time and the needed nutrients to recover a bit before eating more solid and complex food. Other than that, after we fix her nose and finish filling out some paperwork, you can leave. We'll contact you once we get the results back."**

" **Thank you Doctor Swanson. I'll make sure she gets everything she needs,"** assured Ash.

" **And I'll be there to remind you and help you,"** added Delia.

" **So will I,"** chimed in May. The doctor and nurse smiled at the three before they said they'll finish up everything soon and then they could go home.

Back at the hotel, mid way through their brunch, there was a knock on the door and Cynthia went to get the door. It was Sabrina, Clair, Liza and Giselle. She greeted them and told them to leave their stuff in the living room for now and to join them for breakfast. The four girls followed after the blonde Champion and greeted the rest that were eating before sitting down and helping themselves to some food. They all ate and talked for some time longer until they all finished and then they sat around for a little bit, letting the food settle in their stomachs.

" **Alright,"** started Brock standing up and everyone looked at him. **"I hope you all had a good meal. But, I wanted to tell you all that when Ash comes back after taking Natasha to the hospital, we are all going to come back here and speak to him about helping us train."** He glanced at their new arrivals. **"If you'd like to join us, you're welcome to do so."** They gave their thanks for the invitation. Not even a second later, unknown to them, three blue spheres appeared in the living room. A sudden call from the living room made them jump a bit. **"Speak of the devil,"** remarked Brock while chuckling as he headed out the kitchen, the others getting up and following him. They went into the living room to see Delia, May, Ash and Natasha, who was being carried by the former in his arms. They were only able to see her face for a quick second before she buried it into his chest out of shame and fear but they did notice some things. Her swelling on her eye had gone done a little thanks to Lilit applying some ointment on it and her nose was fixed. There were some bandages on her as well.

Even though she saw how critical her condition was when she first arrived, Clair couldn't help but feel intense jealousy fill her at the sight of the red head being carried by Ash. Some of the other girls who were hiding feelings for him were also slightly jealous yet mostly envious but hid it. They knew that she needed help and only Ash could do so now. Clair however, had a hard time seeing him with his arms wrapped around her, her cheek against his chest, her hands around his neck. She glanced over at his girlfriends and was surprised at what she saw; they didn't have any expression remotely near what she was feeling. Instead they looked concerned. _How? How could they not feel anything at him holding another girl? Are they blind?! Are they that naive?! Or…do they trust him that much? Are they that much more mature than I? Or is it…because they know he is theirs and no other girl can get him?_ Clair shook her head a bit while letting out a quiet sigh, trying to clear her mind. She felt a little disgusted with herself that she was feeling this way towards the poor girl. She had done nothing wrong and she needed help and support. _I have got to get myself under control_ …

" **Is everything alright?"** asked Misty, drawing closer to them.

" **Yes, everything's fine Mist,"** said Ash, smiling at her **. "I'm gonna take Natasha to her room. Mom, can you get some soup ready please?"** he asked her as he walked away with the red head in his arms and his mom replied back saying it was no problem before she moved to the kitchen. The parents followed after Delia to get an update while the others asked May.

" **Well, she's a bit better now and they did a lot of tests. She should be fine but we're just waiting on some results that's gonna take some more time,"** she told them.

" **Well, at least she's not alone,"** said Dawn. **"We can help take care of her."**

" **Yeah and hopefully the results will be something good,"** added Sarah.

" **I hope so too but she had so many cuts and bruises,"** stated Joy sadly.

" **She's right and honestly, she looked so weak, so out of energy, that every breath she took seemed to rob her of life than to give her life,"** said Leaf in a low voice.

" **Good thing Ash's pokémon was able to find the cabin in time where you all were,"** said Serena and they all agreed. They continued to talk while following after the parents into the dining room once more.

Ash entered Natasha's room, which was still the infirmary so to speak. He lowered her onto the bed and drew up the covers onto her to reach her stomach. **"How are you doing?"** Natasha gave him a look of gratitude. _Better. Thank you._ Ash smiled at her. He was getting better at hearing another's thoughts directed towards him, especially when he concentrated. He had a lot of practice at the hospital. And she was starting to relax more, especially with him around. **"You're welcome. I know you'll get past this and I'll be there to help whenever you need it."** She moved her hand towards his and he held it. She gave him a small smile. **"There you go. I don't ever want to see you sad again."** She felt her heart beat a little faster at his words. _Why do you care so much about me?_ Her sudden blunt question caught him off guard, making him pause for a second, rubbing the back of his head before answering. **"That's just who I am. I care for others. Whether I know them or just met them. I want to help people where and when I can. To give second chances to those who deserve it."** _I see. But you didn't fully answer my question._ Ash sighed, looking away before looking at her again. **"Because I feel responsible for what happened to you Natasha."** Utterly confused, she tilted her head. _Why would you say that?_ **"Because I could've dealt with the Skull Brothers before they did this to you as I ran into them before finding you. But I decided to give them a chance to repent, to change their ways. I didn't know that their hearts were so dark. If I'd had known what they were capable of and what they would've done, I wouldn't have let them go. I would've finished them off right then and there. I'm so sorry Natasha. Please forgive me and if you don't I understand."** Ash looked down at his feet when he finished, unable to keep looking at her.

Natasha couldn't believe it. Once again, this young man who she had never before met until barely a day ago had stunned her. He didn't know that she was responsible for everything involving the Skull Brothers and yet, he was taking the blame. He was putting it on himself. She had never even heard of such a person existing and would've called anyone who said there was someone like that a damn fool. But here he was, sitting right beside her, apologizing and asking for forgiveness for something that he was not at fault for. She squeezed his hand and he slightly turned to look up at her. _You saved me from them. It's not your fault what they did. You saved me, took care of me, took me to a hospital, showed me respect, kindness and was concerned about me. You've done nothing wrong and everything else right._ She felt guilty for making him feel this way for her since she had caused things by doing what she did. She hoped her words would make him feel better.

" **You're wrong Natasha,"** he told her, turning his head to fully face her and she felt sadness start to creep up on her. **"Not 'was', 'is'. I'm still concerned, will always respect your wishes, will still take care of you and will continue doing all that in the future too until you don't want it anymore."** Her sadness washed away to be filled with something else entirely that made her feel…special. Before she could respond, the door opened to reveal Delia holding a bowl of warm chicken soup. " **Hey Mom. Thanks for bringing that. I'll feed her and you can go eat,"** said Ash as he got up and took the soup from her.

" **Are you sure sweetie? I can feed her and you can go eat. I don't mind."**

" **I know Mom. But it's alright. I'm not that hungry yet and I want to keep some room for when I take May out for our date tonight. You and May haven't yet so you two should eat at least,"** he told her. Delia smiled at him and reminded him about the medicine to give her after she eats and the nose guard when she rests afterwards. He thanked her for the reminder. Ash went back to Natasha, the bowl of soup in his hands. He sat down on the bed and started stirring the soup with the spoon to cool it down a bit faster. Natasha was moved by him even more by what she just saw.

 _You're so considerate._ Ash looked up at her, pink circles appearing on his cheeks and rubbed the back of his head. **"Thanks, but others would do the same."** _No, they wouldn't. You're different. I see that now. And you don't have to. You should go eat._ Ash's cheeks flushed with color. **"Thanks but seriously, I'm not special. And I'll be fine. As Dawn always says; no need to worry."** He smiled at her and got a spoonful ready. **"Let me know if it's too hot."** He slowly raised the spoon to her lips and waited for her to take a sip. _It's okay._ Ash nodded and placed the spoon in her mouth when she opened it a bit more and she swallowed it. _Who's Dawn?_ **"Dawn's my girlfriend. The petite but mischievous blunette,"** he answered without thinking. Talking about Dawn made him remember how she would flirt with him, making his heart beat faster and a smile to form on his face while getting another spoonful ready. Natasha became confused from his answer. _I thought you said May is your girlfriend?_ Ash looked up at her, his brow furrowed, lost for a moment. Then it hit him. **"Oh. Hehehe. Sorry. I should've mentioned that I have more than one girlfriend. I have eight actually."** Natasha's eye went wide. **"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot from those who find out."** He laughed a bit before raising another spoonful to her mouth. She automatically opened her mouth and took it. _How? What? When?_ **"Whoa, slow down. I'll explain things to you if you promise never to tell anyone and if you really want to know."** _I do and I promise._ Ash smiled and gave her another bite. **"Well, this kind of goes back a bit but I'll just give you a summary of it…"**

As Ash fed Natasha and gave her a very quick rundown about his past with the girls and how they got together, everyone else was still back in the dining room. They had cleaned up the tables and were speaking with May and Delia while they gave them complete details now about their hospital visit. Delia was eating but May wasn't. The brunette wanted to wait for Ash after Delia told her what he said and would eat with him. It didn't matter to her if it was then or when they went out for their date. They were listening to them speak for a while now. Their friends and family were angry at this Doctor Wilson, were impressed at how Ash handled the situation and were glad that Doctor Swanson and Nurse Johansen took over and did what needed to be done without any complications between them. They were also awed when they found out Ash heard Natasha's thoughts and their own.

" **Wow. It seems Ash is getting more and more powerful as time passes,"** commented Bonnie.

" **That's good, especially since there's a war coming in about two years against the darkness and that monster he's going to have to face,"** said Max without thinking.

" **MAX! They don't know!"** shot Caroline, pointing at Liza, Clair, Sabrina, Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth who had shocked expressions on their faces. Max just shrugged while mumbling out a **"My bad"**. He was smacked upside the head by his mother for his big mouth, making him yelp and Bonnie to giggle.

" **Okay, what's this 'war' about? This is the second time we've heard this mentioned. And what monster are you talking about?"** asked Sabrina. Everyone went quiet and nobody knew what to say. **"You know I could just read your minds but I don't want to do that to you."** They gulped and glanced at one another, wondering who should explain things.

" **There's no need for that."** Everyone turned towards the dining room entrance and saw Ash standing there with an empty bowl in his hands. Delia asked about Natasha. **"She's fine. She finished the soup, I gave her the medicine and told her to rest and the nose guard is on her. Greninja is watching over her,"** he explained, walking over to the head of the table and placed the bowl onto it as he did so. Many of them smiled a bit after hearing what he did for her. **"You want to know about this war? I'll tell you. But you must promise not to tell anyone else."** The newer members swore to keep quiet. **"Alright then. This war is the reason why I disappeared. It started when…"** Ash then explained everything, with some people who heard it already still getting goose bumps and the newer members of the group to gasp and yelp at certain parts. When he finished up, they were silent for a bit. To say the six girls were beyond stupefied was an understatement.

" **I can't believe it. It's like Armageddon coming,"** commented Giselle, breaking the silence and shaking her head, shivering with fear.

" **This…Ragnarok…he sounds like the Devil,"** remarked Liza in whisper. **"Spreading darkness and evil wherever he goes…"**

" **That's why you're so damn strong…you've been training to fight against this evil,"** said Shauna, looking at Ash as if he was something else entirely instead of just a man. Lizabeth was too frightened to even say anything but she was looking at Ash as if it was the first time she's seeing him.

Clair was also silent, speechless. This young man, who she hadn't seen in years and has stolen her heart without him even knowing about it, had sacrificed much to reach new strengths so he can be able to protect everyone. And what had she done? Absolutely nothing important. Her mind became full of thoughts about him until her friend speaking snapped her out of it.

" **But you said it's on your and Mewtwo's shoulders…How are you going to fight against it? What are you going to do about it all?"** asked Sabrina in a worried tone, making everyone look at her before looking at Ash again. She didn't want him to face something so evil, so dangerous. She had seen what he had done in his life when bringing out her memories and she didn't know that he had done so much to prepare for this ugly future. And she didn't want him to face this by himself. She had allowed him to go alone to fight the Skull Brothers and had ended up hurt by it. She would not allow it to happen again.

" **That's what I wanted to talk to all of you about,"** he told them. **"There are some things I need to do that I will tell you but not right now. After the tournament."**

Some confused looks we're given to him about that. **"I thought you said you're not competing anymore?"** asked Ilene.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"Well I still am because I wasn't able to tell Goodshow about leaving yesterday so I'm still in it. I will finish the tournament and see where I stack up against the strongest in the world before continuing with my plans for the coming war."** Everyone in the dining room nodded their heads. They thought that was smart and several, including his girlfriends and mother, were happy that he wasn't quitting. **"Also, I want to apologize."** They all gave him confused looks. **"I want to apologize for scaring you yesterday. For passing out like that and for…killing the Skull Brother in front of you."** Understanding dawned on their faces. Some of them had already moved on from it, knowing he had to do it but others were still a little afraid. Not of him but of what he did. Before anyone could comment on that, he continued. **"If there's anyone who's uncomfortable around me now, if you wish to go home or want me to stay away from you, I don't blame you and I understand. Please tell me now before I continue with the other thing."** Nobody moved or said anything. Even though some of them were still uneasy about him killing and especially right in front of them, they knew that he had no choice in the matter and that he wasn't the type to like doing those types of things. Ash waited a bit for someone to speak up but nobody did. **"Thank you. But if you ever want to talk, to let out your thoughts and feelings, please don't hesitate to do so with me."** Several nodded while others didn't move but had neutral expressions on their faces. **"Okay. Now, the other thing is I said I'll teach you ways to defend yourselves and help you train. I meant it and still do. It may save your life when I'm not around. Whoever wants to learn, meet me in the balcony in half an hour. And be prepared to sweat, to struggle and to work hard if you do."** He glanced around the room before he began heading out towards his room. **"Mom, can you check on Natasha for me while we train? She already knows and should be alright with Greninja there but just in case."**

" **No problem. I'll set an alarm for the medicine in four hours as well,"** she replied back and Ash thanked her. After he left, the others glanced at one another before they all got up and went to their rooms to get dressed in their exercising clothes except for the new arrivals and the parents, who had their own agenda. **"I'll show where you can stay,"** said Delia, getting up to show Giselle, Sabrina, Liza and Clair. **"We have two rooms left. Do you want two to a room or all four of you in one?"** she asked them and they commented saying it doesn't matter. **"Well if that's the case, how about we keep one room empty just in case and you four take the larger one?"** They agreed and thanked her for that. Delia showed them to their room and told them if they need anything to let her know before leaving. The four girls began to change into their work out apparel.

When the raven haired guardian left the red head in her room with his pokémon watching over her, Natasha closed her eye to rest. The nose guard was on her and it was at first annoying but soon enough she stopped noticing it. She wanted to sleep but instead, she began thinking about everything that had happened to her. She couldn't believe how things turned out to be. The original reason as to why she was even at the Indigo Plateau was to somehow get into the guardian's inner circle, find out all she could about him, leave before the attack happened and inform her boss of everything that she learned. But now? She was cut off from Giovanni while losing all of her achievements and belongings that was given to her by him and she was raped and beaten by the same thugs she hired to pull off her plan to gain the guardian's trust that they botched. And the irony of it all? She somehow still ended up in the guardian's group with him taking care of her with no idea who she really was or the real reason as to why she was there in the first place.

Her mind latched onto that. Or more specifically onto the young guardian. She couldn't believe that such a person existed. He had rescued her from her nightmare of being the Skull Brothers' play thing and done so much for her. She never had anyone do even a fraction of the things he did for her. _Then again maybe he's just being nice because he found me broken,_ she thought. _There's no way someone that compassionate and caring could exist._ As if to prove her wrong, her mind brought up how he fought off Giovanni's invasion of the stadium after the fifth round match ups. Then she remembered the way he held her, spoke to her, covered her up when he found her naked and weak, encouraged her, fed her, soothed her and stayed by her side throughout almost the entire hospital tests except for when it became too personal. _No...I'm wrong. Because someone like that does exit…and he's the one who saved me._

She took in a small breath before thinking about something else now. How Giovanni was planning a huge attack that would wipe out pretty much everyone at the closing ceremony of the tournament. She didn't know what to do as every option or path she came up with spelled trouble for her. _If I tell Ash, if I confess to him, he'll be furious with me. He'll probably kick me out of the group if he doesn't kill me the second he finds out it was because of me that the Skull Brothers were even here._ She felt fear fill her at that, thinking how her guardian angel could possibly kill her for bringing those thugs and how it was her fault that they kidnapped his friends. _But if I don't tell him, then he'll probably die. I don't think even he could survive or fight back against what's coming._ She felt even more fear fill her at the thought of him dying because of that and that startled her. _Am…Am I afraid of him dying?_ She thought about that a bit before pushing it aside and did her absolute best to keep her mind clear so she can go to sleep. Luckily for her, she was so tired out from her hospital visit and the tests that she fell asleep without much trouble. But her dreams were a mix of all her thoughts…

When Ash entered his room and saw Pikachu still sleeping, he smiled a bit. His starter had used the most powerful attack he could ever use yesterday. It had taken them a full month to get it right, to learn how to attract and redirect lightning strikes. Their training for that was sped up thanks to Mewtwo, Raikou and Zapdos forming thunder clouds out of nowhere to practice with and it was the purple feline who created the lightning clouds yesterday for him to use. Though Ash's anger and aura made the blue streaks of lightning appear. Raikou and Zapdos could use the same type of attack in addition, with it being far more powerful, affecting a much larger area but that made it far more dangerous, especially if they charged up like Pikachu did before the battle. The electric mouse had the perfect balance of power, accuracy and control to use that ultimate electric attack. He just needed to work on his stamina and endurance so he won't faint after using it just once. In the end though, Pikachu did an incredible job in Ash's eyes and felt he deserved the rest for today and didn't wake him. As for the other two in his room however…

Lucario and Gardevoir were sleeping on the couch in the bedroom, cuddled up together. Brock had woken up the aura canine after Ash had left, explaining the situation to him. He also suggested that the two rest in Ash's bedroom so they don't get bothered by the others. Lucario had agreed and gently lifted up the still sleeping psychic fairy into his arms before going to the room and laid down onto the couch. He made sure that his mate was comfortable and not in danger of being poked by his sharp appendage on his chest. Ash gently shook Lucario to wake him up and he opened his eyes.

" **Master?"** asked Lucario. **"Are you alright? Do you need anything?"** He tried to get up but was stopped.

" **Slow down buddy,"** said Ash in a whisper. He pointed at Gardevoir and Lucario saw her eyes were still closed. **"I'm good but I wanted to ask something but if you don't want to do it and stay with her, I have no problem with it. Will you help me teach them self-defense and train like we did? Though at a fraction of the toughness for now,"** he joked. Lucario let a grin form on his face.

" **I would love to. But I don't want to leave her."**

" **Quit your whining and just go do it,"** mumbled Gardevoir but her eyes remained closed and Ash chuckled. **"But can we do something later on tonight? Just us two?"** she asked, still snuggling against him. Lucario looked up at Ash.

" **Hey, I just need you for a few hours right now and even that you can refuse if you want to. What you want to do later is up to you. I keep telling you, you're my friend as well and free to do as you please,"** he told his pokémon.

Lucario smiled. **"Alright Master and yes, I promise we'll do something together later tonight Gardevoir."** The white and green fairy hummed in appreciation before moving off of the blue canine who stood up. She laid back down onto the couch and Ash placed a blanket over her. He took out his workout clothes consisting of black sweats and black shirt and changed into them. The two then left the room and headed into the balcony. Ash sent a mental message to Mewtwo and the psychic feline appeared. A second later, right before their eyes, all the furniture, game tables and other things that were in the balcony vanished into thin air and the large pool was covered with a solid and sturdy purple floor.

" **Thanks buddy and nicely done,"** praised Ash.

Mewtwo just nodded. **"I know. And you still owe me a full blast training session Ash,"** reminded the legendary.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, commenting that he remembers but if he could wait a little more. Mewtwo huffed but said no more. Ash then turned to Lucario. **"I almost forgot to tell you something. At the hospital something happened to me. Basically…"** Both Lucario and Mewtwo listened to Ash explain what happened. That he was able to communicate mentally with them and how it was because of Natasha that it started. **"How did it just happen like that? Didn't I need to learn how and practice first?"** he asked him. Lucario was silent for a moment, going over what he learned on the Lore of Guardians and Aura in his mind. Mewtwo was interested as well, waiting patiently.

" **Usually yes, but what happened is normal under the circumstances. Lady Natasha was in such a horrible place, both physically and mentally that when you saved her, her aura latched onto yours."** Ash was stunned and Mewtwo was surprised. Neither knew that aura could do that. Lucario noticed the worried expression on his face. **"It is no cause for alarm Master. That can happen even between other people in similar situations where one is very emotional to the point of no return. She feels safe, secure and comfortable with you yes?"** he asked and he nodded. **"Just like in movies, when one is saved by another, it creates a bond between the two. Just like with having a bond between your mates, you developed a bond with her as well but differently. It's not a bond made with love but a bond based on security and comfort that she feels with you. Because of her feeling scared, vulnerable and helpless when you found her, your protecting nature allowed your aura to determine that she needed your help. As a result, it allowed her aura to be able to latch onto yours. Because of that, she is drawing strength from it, from you and you are slowly opening the channel that allowed you to use your ability to hear one's thoughts since she is unable to speak."** Ash remained silent, thinking about what he just learned from him. When Lucario continued he paid attention to his words. **"This bond has mutually benefitted both of you. This has allowed you to unlock that skill without much difficulty and use it with anyone and everyone and gives her strength in return. But you will still need to focus to hear another's thoughts and only when they're directed to you. Am I correct?"** he asked him and Ash said he was. **"With some practice, you'll be able to communicate with others mentally to them with ease and as you become stronger, it'll become easier to hear and speak with another human's mind without needing to concentrate on it like you do with your pokémon."**

" **I see. Thank you buddy for explaining it in a way I can understand,"** he told him. The three of them then waited for the others to join them in the balcony. As they waited, they took up meditative positions, sitting on the floor, cross legged. After about ten minutes, everyone except for the parents and of course the resting red head joined the three in the balcony.

Ash, Mewtwo and Lucario stood up after a moment and looked at everyone. They were all dressed in exercising apparel. The guys were wearing workout shorts along with sleeveless shirts. The girls were all wearing training shorts along with training sports tops but some of the girls had tops that exposed their midriff. There were some embarrassing moments when some of the couples looked at one another, turning red. Bonnie and Max were especially embarrassed, seeing each other dressed like that, turning crimson. Others however, merely commented on their lover's looks, like Lucy and Brock. Ash took in the sight of his girlfriends and smiled at them, making them smile back but also become slightly red. The raven haired guardian took a step forward, catching everyone's attention and they all faced him. **"Thank you for allowing us to teach you what I have learned. Lucario will be your training Master in everything regarding the body and Mewtwo will be your training Master regarding the mind. I will assist the both of them during it all. Even though the training won't be the exact same as mine, it will not be easy and you must listen to every word they say. Any questions?"**

" **What about our pokémon? Will they be training as well?"** asked Bonnie. The group glanced at her before looking at Ash.

" **They will but not yet. Today, we will focus on ourselves today and maybe the next one as well before adding our pokémon into the mix,"** he answered and the group murmured out some understandings. **"Any other questions?"** he asked them. The group went silent and Ash turned towards Lucario and nodded at him. The aura canine stepped forward.

" **During the training, you will hate me. You will want to hurt me. You will want to quit."** Lucario's words made them all gulp, wondering just how extreme it's going to be. The ones who saw Ash's memories were wondering if it would be as harsh as what he went through. **"But, we will start slow for today. We don't have much time or room to go fully into it yet while we are here. At the very end of the training though, you will be able to combat multiple opponents at once on your own and with each other. You will be faster, stronger and wiser. But it will take time until we reach that point. For now, I will show you several important strikes to use in a life or death situation until we can go deeper into it."** Complete silence as all eyes was on Lucario, who signaled to Mewtwo. A purple dummy in the shape of man appeared next to the aura canine. **"If you ever find yourself in that type of situation, where your life is on the line or you feel threatened, remember what I will show and teach you now as it can and will save your life by giving you an opportunity to either flee or take advantage."** Lucario went to the dummy, turning to face it, the large group now on his right side. **"The eyes, the spots next to the eyes on the outer sides of the head called the temple, the nose, the throat, the middle of the chest where the bottom part of the sternum is located and the groin."** As he said each location, he threw a strike at the spot, making sure they could see. **"There are other critical spots but those are harder to reach. Each of these spots I just mentioned is easier to reach and are very vulnerable areas. It doesn't matter if your opponent is male, female, large or small. If you must, target these areas and use as much strength as possible when you strike."**

Lucario struck the spots again while repeating it to make sure they got it. He then glanced at the psychic feline whose eyes glowed blue. Many purple dummies appeared, spaced out evenly in the balcony. **"Now, each of you move to your own target."** The group spaced out and each moved to be in front of their own dummy. **"Good. Now, copy me. The eyes."** He struck the eyes and so did the others. **"The temple."** He struck the temple with the side of his hand and they copied him. **"The nose."** He punched the nose and so did they. **"The throat."** Again, he struck and they followed suit. **"The sternum and finally the groin."** They copied the aura canine and in the process, when they struck the groin, some of them were unable to hold it in and started to giggle or laugh out loud. Lucario snapped his attention to the area where the sounds came from and found the culprits; it was Max, Bonnie, Lily, Daisy Oak, Chili, Giselle, Dawn and Liza. Lucario vanished from sight and reappeared in front of them within a second, startling them. **"You find this amusing do you?"** he asked them. The eight gulped and started stuttering out apologies. **"Silence!"** he barked and they went quiet instantly.

Ash smirked at the sight of Lucario hounding on them. It was surprisingly amusing seeing someone else receive Lucario's treatment during his training. Unfortunately for him though, Lucario sensed it and didn't see the humor in that either and decided to teach all of them a lesson at once. **"As punishment you will each give me twenty pushups after Master demonstrates how these techniques can save your life."** Ash's eyes went wide at hearing that and Lucario gave him such a quick feral grin that only he and Mewtwo caught.

" **Damn it,"** mumbled Ash quietly but he was still heard.

" **Because of your whining, you're going to do so against three opponents,"** added Lucario. **"And you know who they are."** Ash cursed at Lucario in his head while Mewtwo chuckled and the others waited to see who he was going to demonstrate against. Three poke balls appeared in Ash's hand after the blue glows faded away and they opened to reveal Machamp, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. The three of them gave a shout of their name when they appeared. **"Comrades, the three of you against Master; life and death fight, scenario one. Go!"** The three fighting type pokémon advanced on Ash without hesitation. The young guardian had his eyes glow blue in response. **"No aura!"** commanded Lucario, startling everyone, their eyes widening as they watched the three fighting pokémon getting closer to their friend.

" **Ah come on!"** shouted Ash, the glow fading away while glaring at him. Lucario smirked and pointed at Machamp. Ash looked at the superpower pokémon in time to dodge the fist that was flying at his head. As they 'fought', Lucario began explaining what his Master was doing while they watched with anxious yet impressed gazes. Some of them were worried that Ash would get hurt. They knew he could do it and could take it but they still couldn't help feeling worried.

" **As you can see, Master is outnumbered, overpowered and cannot escape. He is quicker than them but he will eventually tire out. He must find an opening and strike the moment he sees it. Whenever you're up against a stronger opponent, you must out think and out maneuver them like Master is doing."** Ash was dodging and evading against all three of the fighting pokémon's strikes, some easily and some of them close calls, making them gasp in awe. **"Now, he has been dodging and evading for a while. During this time he has been paying attention to how they fight, how they move and so should have you. And soon he will counter attack and watch how and when he does so."** Lucario said no more so they could watch and perhaps learn from the demonstration.

Ash ducked under Hitmonlee's roundhouse kick and delivered a strike in between his eyes where his nose should be making the kicking fiend drop to the floor in agony. He then lunged to the side to avoid Machamp's four fists coming crashing down from above before delivering a strike with the side of his hand against his temple. Machamp cried out and stumbled backwards, dazed. Hitmonchan threw a punch that he side stepped. He then threw a hard straight punch to Hitmonchan's sternum, causing the boxing pokémon to gasp and drop to his knees. Gary winced at the sight, remembering how Ash hurt him too like that when they fought.

Lucario turned to the group before speaking. **"Did you see how Master did that? He kept calm even against stronger opponents and being outnumbered. He didn't randomly throw strikes. Instead he waited for his time to strike back, conserving energy. And he did not attempt to go toe to toe with them. That is something you must all learn if nothing else; never go toe to toe with a stronger opponent and never attempt to copy them."**

Clair felt a little embarrassed about that last statement. She had studied multiple different martial arts and was a black belt in many of them. Yet none of it prepared her for when Ash completely dominated her, without breaking a sweat. It reminded her of how foolish she was, trying to stop an angry, drunk and strong fighter. She wanted to fully hate that she was so easily dismissed as a challenge and what it caused her to feel. But she couldn't because it led her to open her eyes to the type of man that Ash was and how he's the type of man that she not only wants, but needs…

Lucario turned back to them all after the three fighting pokémon got back up and bowed to Ash who bowed back to them. He thanked the three before returning them. **"Did I make my point clear?"** asked Lucario. Everyone nodded and the eight apologized. **"Good and apology accepted. I still want those twenty pushups."** They groaned. **"Do you want to make it fifty?"** he asked them and the eight had their eyes widened. They immediately started doing the pushups in front of them all. **"Good."** Lucario was about to walk back to the front when he stopped and glanced at Gary. **"Twenty. Now."** Gary didn't argue or complain as he started doing the pushups. He was sniggering a moment before and thought he wasn't caught but was wrong. Ilene smirked at Gary for a split second as he did his pushups, thinking it was hardly a punishment. Lucario glanced at her as well and her eyes widened. **"You too."** Ilene went crimson before lowering herself down to do her pushups. Riley raised an eyebrow at that in surprise. He had never seen the Queen not complain about someone trying to order her around.

After they were done with the pushups and Lucario had reached the front again, he looked at them all before speaking. **"You will practice against the dummies in front of you until I say stop. Master and I will go around checking on each of you. Remember the locations; eyes, temple, nose, throat, sternum and groin. Afterwards, we will test your strength and your endurance to see where you stand in that regard. And that will be it for today. Do not bother anyone and focus only on yourselves and your dummies for today. Anyone who is caught not practicing or bothering someone else will be doing pushups. And they start at fifty."** Nobody commented or argued. They began practicing on their dummies after Mewtwo spaced them out a bit more so they could walk between them.

As everyone practiced the strikes on their dummies, the purple psychic feline was in front of them all, eyes closed and meditating but was keeping awareness of everything going on around him. The black and blue canine and the raven haired guardian were going to each person to check on them. The two were looking to make sure they were hitting the right spot and the strike itself was with proper technique. Power for the strike would be later as the former two are far more important at the moment.

Lucario demonstrated the proper way to land a punch to Max and Bonnie. After seeing them using proper punches now, Lucario finished up with the two younger teenagers and then moved towards Lily and Violet. Ash finished observing Brock's and Lucy's training. He gave the two a few tips on how to improve their technique in order to use less energy and speed up their strikes. Both of them appreciated the tips and quickly integrated them into their next strikes. They could immediately feel the difference and smiled at Ash afterwards. He smiled back at them and then moved on to Giselle, Liza, Clair and Sabrina. He saw that they were working hard and were looking pretty good in their exercising clothes, making him stare for a little bit but quickly gathered himself, pushed past it and observed their training. He felt pride surge over him seeing them take the training seriously and do their best. Especially Clair who he knew wasn't a beginner at all.

After observing them for a bit, he found out some things. One of them showed proper skill and technique. He wasn't surprised about Clair, because of her multiple black belts in different types of martial arts. **"I know you're capable of doing more but still, nicely done Clair."** He gave a nod of approval to the blunette dragon trainer.

She nodded back at him, keeping her face neutral but inside her stomach felt like butterflies flying around in it. **"Thanks Ash and that's true, I can,"** she said, grinning a little, making Ash grin back. **"But every serious trainer and fighter knows that all types of training is beneficial. Even the basic ones."**

" **I expected nothing less from a martial artist,"** he told her with a smile, making her redden slightly, her heart beat increasing but thanked him for the compliment. **"And I haven't forgotten what I promised you. I will show you some of my moves but later. Okay?"** he told her.

" **I look forward to it,"** she replied back with barely contained glee at the thought of private training with him. She smiled at him that he returned before focusing on her training once more.

Ash turned to face the green haired girl and black haired girl. Liza showed good technique and Ash wondered if Clair had taught her or if she learned on her own. He still give a couple tips but also complimented and nodded at the green haired girl as well, making her feel heated from his charming smile, remembering her erotic dreams about him and her together but didn't show it. Instead, she smirked back at him right before striking the groin. Ash raised an eyebrow at her but she just grinned and continued her practicing. He shook his head, slightly chuckling before turning to Giselle. She was bad but each strike thrown was looking better than the last. Her guard kept dropping though and her biggest problem was her stance as it didn't give her any balance. **"Stop Giselle,"** he said and she stopped and looked at him. **"You're stance isn't giving you any balance, you're dropping your guard and your strikes are getting better but they're inaccurate,"** he told her.

She hung her head, feeling embarrassed and sullen that she was doing so poorly. **"I'm sorry Ash. I...just haven't done anything really physical in my life except for some P.E. classes in school,"** admitted Giselle.

" **It's okay and I'm sorry for making you sad. It wasn't my intention. But you need to know so you can get better. I'll try to not be so direct with the training,"** he said.

Giselle shook her head before fully facing him, turning her body towards his. **"No Ash. Don't baby me. I need to get stronger and what you're saying is true. I can't be so sensitive about this stuff."** Ash gave her a respectful look and a nod before showing her how to fix her problems. She heeded his advice and kept her guard up and fixed her stance afterwards, copying what he showed her. After watching her next several strikes, he nodded in approval and she smiled at him, feeling all jittery inside. Ash then turned to the last of the group, giving his full attention to Sabrina.

The dark haired psychic was having some…issues. Her strikes were using up too much energy and it looked like she was hurting herself because after every hit, she would wince. Ash wasn't too surprised since he had a feeling that Sabrina might have traded physical prowess for mental. She had no equal in mental ability except for legendary pokémon. But Ash knew that only focusing on just one thing would leave them vulnerable to everything else. He observed her a little more carefully for a bit longer and that's when he noticed another thing that was holding her back. There was a very faint pink glow outlining her hands as she struck the dummy. He moved towards her, but Sabrina kept going, not stopping her practice. She threw a punch towards the sternum but instead of hitting the purple dummy, her fist was caught in Ash's palm. She gave him a confused look, lowering her hand. **"Why'd you stop me?"**

" **Your technique is poor. And…you're using your powers,"** said Ash. Sabrina's eyes widened. She didn't think they would notice as she was barely using any. She was wrong about that since Ash did and so had Lucario and Mewtwo long before he did. Both pokemon were waiting to see if the young guardian would notice it since they wanted to test him too. **"Why?"** he asked her and she sighed.

" **It's kind of embarrassing,"** she started. **"I have so much psychic power yet…my physical strength and ability is like a child's. I hurt and bruise easily if I don't protect myself when I physically hit something or something hits me."** Her white face turned red at revealing that to him but Ash didn't comment on it.

" **I see. Well, it's understandable."** Sabrina tilted her head a bit. **"I'm not that surprised to hear you say that because it makes sense. You probably focused on your mental abilities far more than your physical ones, trading one for the other. Am I right?"** Sabrina gave him a guilty look. **"I thought so. But now, you must not use your powers. You may get bruised and you'll feel some pain. But soon enough, your body will get used to it and become stronger. Just start off slowly. No need to try to throw a knockout punch. Alright?"** She agreed and the faint pink glow vanished from her hand. Sabrina didn't want to disappoint him at all and wanted to show that she could become stronger. She was about to continue her training when he stopped her again. **"I also mentioned your technique. Let me show you the right way."** Ash stood next to her and showed her the proper way to strike the areas and she mirrored his movements. She could feel herself using less energy and yet the strike felt like it could do much more damage after spending some time with him showing her the right way. **"There you go!"** complimented Ash after seeing her use proper strikes.

" **Thank you Ash,"** smiled Sabrina, feeling elated over his encouragement. He observed her for another couple minutes as she punched the dummy properly now. She winced even more after each hit, making Ash worry. Sabrina sensed that and glanced at him to give him a reassuring smile and continued on to show she was alright. Ash praised her determination and toughness, making her heart race before he left to check on the rest.

As the aura canine did, the raven haired guardian gave out suggestions and tips to several of his friends, such as Daisy Waterflower, Lizabeth, Clemont, Cilan and Cress. He also showed them proper ways to strike, to use less energy and how to stand with balance so their punches won't throw them off. The three guys thanked him for the tips and focused on what he told them. Daisy and Lizabeth beamed at him after praising their improvements. Lizabeth was feeling intense feelings over his approval on her training and she wanted nothing more than to thank him with a kiss but controlled herself. It was a good thing she knew how to control her urges and desires, her parents teaching her to be patient. Daisy felt pride surge through her when he praised her but also felt a similar feeling from last night. That confused her again but quickly pushed past it and focused on her training though her mind would go back to that every now and then.

Ash then went up to Ilene who was training in the far corner. He saw that she wasn't bad but wasn't great either. He suspected that Riley might have shown her some defensive moves to at least give her some time to run or get help. He watched over her training for a bit before speaking up. **"Not bad,"** he told her.

Ilene stopped and straightened out after throwing a strike to the temple and faced him. **"Thank you,"** she said solemnly.

Ash tilted his head, wondering why she was sad at first before instantly remembering the possible reasons as to why. **"Queen Ilene? Are you alright?"** he asked her, taking a step closer.

Ilene shook her head and then looked out into the horizon over the railings. **"I'm fine Ash. And you don't have to call me Queen anymore."**

" **Not until you tell me what's wrong. It's my duty as a Knight of the Kingdom of Rota to protect you and to make the things that sadden you to go away,"** he told her. **"That's if you you'll have me back as one,"** he added in the end.

The young blonde queen faced him, her mood changing suddenly. **"I would love for to have you be my knight of my kingdom once more Ash,"** she told him with a smile. She hugged him tightly with the raven haired guardian becoming a little surprised from her actions but reciprocated it. **"Thank you for that and for forgiving me so easily."**

" **No worries,"** he told her after they separated. **"I'm just glad you're not angry with me anymore. So will you tell me what's wrong?"** he asked her.

She sighed a bit before speaking. **"It's about Gary, me and our relationship. I can't talk about it. Not until I figure out what's going on myself,"** she revealed, looking down.

Ash felt intense sadness fill him at once. **"I understand and I'm very sorry Queen Ilene. I...I was drunk and lost in my emotions. But that's no excuse. I didn't mean for things to end up this way. I'm so sorry,"** he apologized to her. **"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me and I'll do it. I promise,"** he told her.

Ilene looked up into his eyes and saw that he was genuinely sorry for what he did even though it was the right thing. That he didn't want to hurt her but had to have her know the truth. She felt a lump in her throat form from thinking that. She swallowed it, though with some difficulty, so she could speak once more. **"I understand Ash and I told you before that I'm not angry with you about that anymore. I know you were just trying to protect me. But I need some time and space to figure out what I want and what I'm feeling. Whether or not Gary and I can still be. And my own problems and shortcomings as Queen."**

Ash nodded. **"Fair enough. But if you don't mind me saying this, Gary has done wrong in the past. Yes. But I think he has changed for the better. But take your time, don't rush anything but don't be afraid to speak your heart and mind. If you need something, just let me know. Alright?"** he advised her.

" **Okay and I know. Thank you Ash,"** she said. She smiled a bit before facing her dummy again and taking up her battle stance. He watched over her training while giving out some pointers and advice which she quickly applied into her training before he left. Ilene watched him move away for a moment before looking back at her purple target and continued on.

The raven haired guardian assisted a few of his other friends in their training before heading towards his childhood rival Gary. Ash was feeling a little tense, since he hadn't really interacted with him after spilling his secret. He wanted to fix things and he had promised his mother that he would. He silently approached the young pokemon researcher and spoke up. **"Not bad Gary."**

Said person glanced back at the speaker before looking at his target and punched the sternum. **"I think you mean to say 'you're awesome Gary!' but it's okay. I forgive you this time Ashy-boy,"** he said while continuing his training. His voice was slightly covered in an annoyed tone. He had seen the interaction between Ash and Ilene since he was stealing glances at the blonde queen every now and then.

" **Yea right,"** replied back Ash sarcastically, chuckling. **"That will never happen."** He went quiet for a few seconds, watching his old rival train a bit before speaking, noticing his emotions slightly on edge. **"I'm sorry Gary."**

Gary whipped around all of a sudden. **"What?!"**

" **I said I'm sorry. I just..."**

" **Shut up!"** snapped Gary at once quietly so others wouldn't hear him, cutting him off and startling Ash. **"Don't start as I don't want to think about that right now. Just let me be so I can train in peace,"** he told him before facing the dummy once more.

Ash was expecting something like that and so wasn't truly surprised but still was saddened over it. He was hoping to patch things up with his old rival and friend but it looked like some more time was needed. He sighed and gave some advice to him before moving away. Gary glanced at his old rival's retreating form before using the information he was given to improve his skills.

The young guardian went around and complimented on a few others on their skill, such as Shauna, Richie and Chili making them feel proud of themselves. Shauna was feeling especially ecstatic at his compliments since she knew he was a great fighter from the stadium attack. The blunette Hoenn native wanted nothing more than to hold him in her arms and kiss him as thanks for his compliments. She almost did that too but stopped herself at the last second. She took in a deep breath, startled that she almost lost it like that. She cleared her mind and continued the training but kept glancing around every now and then to look at the raven haired guardian.

Everyone was sweating profusely and panting as time passed but they kept going. None of them wanted to throw in the towel and didn't want to disappoint Ash even though they were going at it for a while now. Most of them had seen snippets of his brutal training and what they were going through was child's play compared to it. If they gave up now, how could they help him or protect themselves when the war begins? They had more than just their well being riding on this.

After checking on a few others, he moved towards the area where his girlfriends were. He become dazed for a moment as he watched them train dressed in workout apparels that left half the body exposed, moving while covered in sweat. He snapped out of it and gave seven out of the eight some pointers and praise. After speaking with Cynthia, who knowingly teased him a bit with her movements, making him pout, Ash then moved towards the brunette from Hoenn.

May's face was shining from all the sweat she was letting out. She was wearing a red sports tank top that covered her stomach along with tight black training shorts, which was mostly the same as the other girls but just colored differently. Both pieces of clothing were drenched with sweat. Her long brown hair that was tied into a pony tail was swishing back and forth as she moved her curvaceous body to strike the dummy. Once again, Ash was momentarily stunned at the sight of his girlfriend training hard. He pulled himself together and watched over her training. He saw that she wasn't half bad, thinking that Norman probably taught her a bit. There was room for improvement like the others. However, she was a bit further along than most of the other girls except for Clair, Cynthia and Shauna who were better, but equal in skill with Misty, Liza and Sarah. He watched her punch the sternum again before closing the distance between them.

" **Hold up May,"** he said and she turned to look at him, taking advantage of the break to take in some much needed breaths, her chest heaving and her shoulders going up and down. **"You're doing well and you're good."** May smiled at him while also blushing some at his compliments. **"I have some tips for you though."**

" **Sure. What you got?"** she replied back enthusiastically. Ash explained what he saw and what she could do to become better. She understood it all. **"Ok. But can you show me too?"**

" **Of course. Here, watch me."** May stepped aside to allow Ash to move in front of the dummy. She watched him hit the fake purple man with incredible skill. She could tell he was even doing it slowly so she could see it since she had seen him move much faster before. When he finished up he glanced at her. **"So, did you get it?"** he asked.

" **I think so. Let me try."** May moved to be in between Ash and the purple dummy. She took up a fighting stance, which caused her body to graze against his unintentionally, making both of them become hot all of a sudden. Good thing they were able to control themselves and it only lasted for a split second. " **Like this?"** asked May as she punched the area in the middle of the dummy's chest using the advice he just gave.

" **Yea, that's better,"** said Ash. **"But you're losing your footing when you're punching."**

" **I know. I'm trying but I just can't get it to stay,"** admitted May, looking down at her feet.

" **Here, let me guide you,"** he told her and he closed the distance between them. He stood behind her and grasped both her hands from behind, making her blush again but he didn't see that. He raised both her hands in front of her chest with the left hand extended a bit out with the right hand closer to her, gently forming them into fists. **"Now, move your right foot back to where mine is."** May looked down at his foot that was just a short distance away and placed hers next to it. **"Good. Now you have balance. See?"** he pressed against her from behind, pushing her upper body a bit forward but her feet didn't budge from their spot. Feeling his toned body against hers made May heat up again and she wanted nothing more than to just turn around, push him onto the ground, get on top of him and kiss him…but she didn't. Ash was in a similar predicament. Feeling her against him, especially her ass against his crotch made him become enflamed. He controlled himself though by thinking of ugly and disgusting things but it was becoming increasingly difficult as time passed. He took a silent, deep breath before continuing the lesson. **"Good May. Now, let's hit the target."**

Ash speaking brought May back to her senses from her imagination. She was thanking Arceus that he couldn't see her embarrassed as she was blushing furiously from her daydream and at their position. **"O-Okay Ash."** The raven haired guardian extended out the brunette's right fist and had it collide into the sternum but not too hard. He asked her if she noticed the difference in the strike now, using proper technique and keeping her balance. May was only half aware of what he did. **"I do. I can…feel it,"** she replied back with her words carrying double meanings.

" **Huh?"** That was all he said before he suddenly groaned into her ear, though thankfully not loud enough to catch attention from the others around them. She had started rubbing her ass against the bulge in his sweats again. **"May…stop…"** he whispered into her ear in a pleading tone of voice. She didn't listen, instead being turned on from his pleading. She continued, loving the sensation she was feeling while grinding against his crotch. With him moaning lightly into her ear and the chance of being caught in the act by the others, it made her become enflamed. She continued the charade of training, punching the dummy with his hands still on hers while still grinding against him. **"May…"** Ash whispering into her ear made her shiver. **"Keep this up…and you won't be able to blame me for what happens next which will be everyone getting a surprise sex lesson in addition to this training."** As much as she didn't want to stop, she knew he was right. She couldn't continue otherwise they wouldn't be able to control themselves for much longer. And she definitely didn't want an audience when they became intimate. Reluctantly, slowly, she stopped grinding against him. Both of them took several long breaths to calm down. **"Thank Mew you stopped. I was this close to ripping off your clothes,"** he whispered into her ear, making her shiver from his bold statement. He decided to get back at her by giving her a quick covert kiss against her neck while he brushed against her chest with his fingers when he took them off her hands. His teasing made her moan quietly before moving away from her, leaving her trembling with anticipation.

" **Damn it Ash. You tease,"** she mumbled. In order to not draw attention to herself and to keep her mind occupied on something else, she continued her training. Though her mind would periodically imagine the two of them together in bed, letting their animalistic urges out, making her grin while her face was crimson. Luckily for Ash and May, nobody noticed their teasing interactions under the cover of training. Except for one…

After a little while longer of them training with Lucario and Ash going to each person at least once, the two went back to the front of the group. **"Alright, practice is done!"** said Lucario and every single person stopped instantly, taking huge breaths and thanking Arceus they were done. **"Take a breather until your strength test begins."** Lucario turned to Ash as everyone rested, speaking quietly so only he would hear it. **"While they rest, speed training with Mienshao for fooling around with Lady May. Get to it."** Ash huffed out some air while summoning a poke ball to his hand. **"Pushups after you call her and before you train until I say stop,"** he added because of Ash's less than enthused response, getting an annoyed look from Ash. After Mienshao appeared, Ash dropped to the floor and started doing his pushups, catching the groups' attention. **"On your fingers!"** barked Lucario after a while and Ash went from his palms to the tips of his fingers. **"Good. Now on your knuckles!"** Ash went on his knuckles now. **"Faster!"** Ash moved quicker. The others were staring with their jaws dropped at what he was doing. Even though Lucario was barking up commands left and right, Ash was doing the ordered exercises without missing a beat. **"Left hand!"** Ash raised his right hand behind his back and kept going. **"Right hand!"** Ash switched hands. **"Slap hands!"** That made the group tilt their heads in confusion until they saw what he did. Ash went back to two hands and pushed off the ground with more strength to give him time to clap his hands before going back to the floor to catch himself. He kept that up for a while until Lucario nodded. **"Good Master! Now defend!"** barked Lucario.

The others were confused as to why he would say that when he was doing pushups but what they saw next made them widen their eyes in disbelief. Mienshao shot to Ash with her arms glowing white but Ash pushed off the ground quickly, intercepting the sudden strike in time and the two continued. Mienshao moved faster and faster, trying to hit Ash but he was deflecting and blocking her strikes. **"Excellent! Now, even counters! Alternate between fist and palm!"** ordered Lucario. Ash began countering each of the fighting type's strikes with his own, having fist hit fist or fist land into open palm, their pace quickening, going faster and faster.

What they were seeing was unbelievable. Some of them have seen him training with Lucario and Lopunny but seeing him keep up with Mienshao, who was one of the fastest fighting pokémon, made them become beyond astonished. The girls who studied martial arts were being turned on at seeing Ash go toe to toe with the powerful fighting pokémon, being so impressed at his speed, skill and power. They had never before seen such an incredible human fighter before. **"Finish!"** barked Lucario, making them all jump. Both Mienshao and Ash threw one final strike that ended up hitting each other, making both go sliding back a few feet. They composed themselves and bowed to one another before Ash thanked and then returned his pokémon. **"Good Master. You're speed is still top notch. But we can make it better."** The aura canine turned to the others, seeing them still dumbstruck. **"Attention!"** he shouted and they jumped before standing up straight. **"Now, we will test your strength."** Lucario nodded at Ash who brought another pokémon with his aura. Snorlax appeared over the purple floor. The large, round and heavy white and bluish grey pokémon gave a lazy greeting and scratched its belly. **"Each of you will give your hardest punch to Snorlax's stomach,"** said the blue and black jackal, making them all gasp.

" **Won't that hurt Snorlax?"** asked Bonnie and Max together. They glanced at one another, attracting the attention of their friends and family, making them become embarrassed.

" **Unless you can hit as hard as Machamp, Snorlax will be fine. It'll actually be like a massage to him,"** said Ash and they calmed down.

" **But how will this determine our strength level?"** asked Riley, curious.

" **Snorlax can judge the strength of anyone or anything by how much he feels from their hit and can let us know where each of you stand. So, line up and each of you give it your best shot,"** said Ash. His friends lined up with Bonnie being the first with Max right behind her and the rest behind the two. Almost everyone was feeling a bit anxious and excited to test their strength. Except for Sabrina. She was worried that she might not even get a rating from her strike, knowing how weak she is. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if Bonnie was able to hit harder than her...

Speaking of the young teenager, Bonnie stepped toward the large round pokémon who towered over her and gulped. She glanced back at Ash, who nodded at her before glancing at Max. He gave her two thumbs up with both hands that made her smile. She felt encouraged and thanked him in her mind. She faced Snorlax and thought how she should do this. **"Um, how should I go about this?"** she asked, turning around to face Ash again.

" **Pretend you're hitting the dummy's sternum again,"** advised Ash. Bonnie nodded and Sabrina took that advice to heart too. At least she won't look like a fool when attempting it.

" **Okay."** She took up a stance and readied herself. She concentrated, trying to put as much power as she could into her strike, just like Lucario showed her before punching the great round white circle in front of her. Her fist did not cause Snorlax's stomach to react at all but the pokémon felt something, but barely. He felt like something poked him very quickly and weakly. It did feel nice to him though. " **His stomach didn't even jiggle!"** cried out Bonnie and the others chuckled.

" **It's alright Bonnie. Snorlax told me he through our aura bond that he felt something like a poke so good job,"** complimented Ash but Bonnie was still disappointed in herself.

" **You did great Bonnie!"** said Max, going up to her and trying to cheer her up. **"You made Snorlax feel something and they almost never feel anything when something hits them, unless they're strong enough."** Bonnie smiled at his attempt to cheer her up.

" **Thanks Max,"** she said, giving him a quick peek on the cheek in addition, making both of them go red.

" **Hey, hey, hey! Easy now! Don't go crazy lovebirds!"** teased May, seeing her chance to get some payback on her little brother Max, causing the others to laugh and the two young teenagers to go crimson because of being embarrassed.

" **Alright, let's leave the two alone,"** said Ash and the group calmed down. **"You're up Max."**

Max went up to Snorlax and just like Bonnie before him, took up the stance he was taught and put as much power as he could into his punch. But yet again, Snorlax barely felt a poke like sensation. Max glanced at Ash, to see if Snorlax felt anything and Ash told him it was the same as Bonnie's; a poke feeling. Feeling proud, he went to where Bonnie was standing and the two watched everyone else take their turns.

As they all got a turn, most of them had the same reaction as the two young teenagers; Snorlax barely felt a poke. Even Sabrina was able to make him feel a poke. She was so nervous because she didn't want to disappoint Ash, seeing how he believes in his friends. She put all the strength she had into her punch, using the technique that he had taught her. After her strike she glanced at him and saw him nod with a smile. She couldn't believe it but felt so happy that she was able to do that that she beamed back at him before moving to the others who had already taken their turn.

As they continued their turns, Ash noticed some things. Some of them were able to make the spot tickle from their hit, making Snorlax let out a chuckle. Even fewer still actually made him feel like he was hit, rubbing the spot he was struck but it still didn't hurt him. After everyone got a turn with Snorlax relaying the information to Ash through their aura bond, the raven haired trainer asked for their attention. **"Good job all of you. I'm actually very impressed. All of you were able to make Snorlax feel something and that's good news,"** he told them, repeating it and it made them feel good that they are strong. Even Sabrina was feeling good about herself. **"But there are still differences in the levels of strength between you all and that's alright. We all start somewhere but we will all become stronger. The training will mostly be the same for all of you, especially while we're here at the Indigo Plateau. But once the tournament is over, and if you decide to come with me to my island, we can get into more specialized training."** They all became excited, wanting to go to the island he had stayed at mostly for three years to become so strong. **"With the strength test done, it's time for your endurance test. We will be…"**

" **SNOR!"** roared out the loud round pokémon, startling everyone except Ash, Lucario and Mewtwo.

" **No, buddy,"** answered Ash, shaking his head, making his pokémon grumble.

" **What does Snorlax want?"** asked Giselle for everyone, her curiosity getting the better of her again.

" **He wants Master to hit him. He wants to judge his strength after the last time since he's much stronger now,"** revealed Lucario, making them all want to see. **"Why don't you?"**

" **I don't want to hurt him,"** replied Ash, making some of the group gasp and the others to burst out laughing, not believing he could hurt the large pokémon. Snorlax became annoyed and growled. He smacked his belly a couple times while roaring, taunting his trainer. Ash's eyes narrowed. He walked up to the large pokémon with Lucario and Mewtwo grinning as they watched the young guardian get closer to the large pokémon. Ash took up a fighting stance in front of Snorlax and looked up at him. **"You sure you want this?"** he asked and Snorlax taunted him again by smacking his large belly once more and laughed at him. **"Well, you asked for it. Don't say I didn't warn you."** Ash concentrated and then struck the target in front of him. His fist dug into the pokémon's belly, making it go inwards. Snorlax's squinty eyes widened in shock and he let out a whizzed gasp. Everyone was flabbergasted at what they just witnessed. Ash withdrew his arm, the pokémon's belly bouncing outwards again and looked up at his pokémon's face. **"I did warn you."** Ash turned around and walked back to his spot to stand next to Lucario and Mewtwo.

Seeing him make a powerful pokémon like Snorlax become still from a single strike made many in the group have their jaws drop. All of them were in disbelief over what he did, with several girls becoming enflamed by his display of strength, especially the fighters Clair and Shauna. A moment later, Snorlax recovered and rubbed his belly. **"Lax lax snor lax."**

" **Thanks Snorlax and I hope you learned your lesson in underestimating others,"** replied Ash and Snorlax nodded. **"Good. And thanks buddy. Have a good rest and you can have a buffet tonight back home. You know what to do. But only today! Got it?"** He made sure to include that final part since his Snorlax was crafty and would look for loop holes when it came to eating. Snorlax frowned before nodding his head and then he disappeared in a flash of red light before his poke ball disappeared in a blue glow. Ash turned to the group. **"Alright, like I was saying. Time for your endurance test. Two mile run."** Some of them groaned at that but then Lucario narrowed his eyes, making them go silent instantly. Ash turned to Mewtwo. **"Would you be so kind?"** Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and they all disappeared from the balcony and reappeared in front of the woods near the hotel. A purple path appeared leading into the woods. **"Follow the purple path so you don't get lost. It will go through the woods and come back out in front of the hotel there,"** said Ash pointing to the right and they saw the purple glow at the tree line. **"You will be timed but don't think about it too much. It will only be to see where you stand and where to start you off for the specialized training. Do your best, but don't kill yourself. And don't worry if someone passes you or if someone falls behind. Mewtwo, Lucario and I can sense all of you and where you are at so you have nothing to fear. Are you all ready?"** he asked them. He got several nods and some replies back. **"Okay. On three you start. One…two…three!"** and the group ran forward. After the group disappeared into the forest, Lucario turned to Ash.

" **Who do you think will be the first to emerge?"**

" **Misty,"** answered Ash instantly. When Lucario asked why, he explained. **"She traveled for two and half years with me. We were always walking and running everywhere, same with the other girls but like I said, we traveled around longer with each other. And she swims almost every day, not counting the last couple of weeks. No doubt in my mind. My Mystic Mermaid will be first."**

" **What are you willing to bet on that?"** asked Mewtwo

" **I want in on that,"** added Lucario.

" **When did you two start gambling and betting on things?"** he asked the two, surprised.

" **Since you came to the tournament, and there's no training going on back home, we started betting on each other in practice battles, displays of strength, endurance, humor and other things to pass the time,"** informed Mewtwo. Ash's jaw dropped before shaking his head. He couldn't believe how his pokémon turned into gamblers and betters.

" **Alright fine. So what's the bet, conditions and reward?"** asked Ash, deciding to partake in it.

" **We each pick who's going to come in second. Not first because after what you said about Misty, it's obvious now. Whoever has their pick come second wins and the other two each have to do one thing that the winner says to do and no matter what, you have to do it,"** said Mewtwo.

" **Okay. Since they just started, pick one right now!"** replied Ash and the three of them said their pick immediately. Satisfied with that, they waited for them to finish up the two mile run. After some time passed, just like Ash said without any hesitation, his Mystic Mermaid was the first to emerge from the woods, panting but not out of breath. She had jogged at an even pace, passing everyone with ease. Ash went up to her and gave her a hug. **"Nicely done Mist. I knew you would be first,"** he told her and she smiled while in their hug.

" **Thanks Ash. I guess all that running away from legendaries with you paid off,"** she teased when they separated.

" **It sure did and so did all your swimming my mermaid,"** chuckled Ash, making her chuckle too. As Misty relaxed, waiting for the others to come, the three were waiting anxiously for the second place runner to show. They had agreed to not use their senses to check where their pick was, focusing on the others instead. A short while later, the second runner showed up. **"Ah Tauros crap!"** exclaimed Ash, seeing it wasn't his pick.

" **This is not good,"** said Lucario shaking his head since it wasn't his either.

" **Looks like I win,"** stated Mewtwo with a smirk. Ash had picked Cynthia, Lucario had picked Riley and Mewtwo had picked Clair. The Blackthorn City gym leader was the second to appear. About thirty seconds later, Shauna appeared with Cynthia right behind her. The psychic feline started laughing at the two, making the four girls glance at the three. Ash and Lucario were annoyed with Mewtwo laughing at them so loudly and obnoxiously.

" **What's so funny?"** asked Shauna, hands on her hips and panting a bit harder than Misty had done when she emerged from the forest but alright for the most part.

" **They just lost a bet to me,"** chuckled Mewtwo.

" **Bet? What kind of bet?"** asked Cynthia, making Ash go wide eyed. Before he could tell Mewtwo to shut his mouth, he told them the conditions of the bet. Three of the four girls became angry while the fourth felt happy.

" **You told them I would finish first without thinking?"** asked Misty, her heart fluttering over the fact that he believed and thought so highly of her.

" **You didn't think I can come first?!"** shot Clair, insulted.

" **You didn't bet on me?!"** snapped Shauna, peeved.

" **You bet I would come in second place?!"** growled Cynthia, advancing towards him.

" **Whoa, whoa, hold up!"** cried out Ash, taking some steps back, his hands up and waving them in front of him like a white flag. **"I said Misty would be first no matter what because I've traveled around longer with her and know her well and she swims every day! I know you all are strong too but I don't know what you guys do every day! But I know Mist has great endurance and stamina and almost no one can run away from her! C'mon Cynthia, wouldn't you have decided the same?!"** Cynthia stopped advancing, hearing his words but kept her eyes narrowed. Ash glanced at the other two. **"And I'm sorry but I had to pick Cynthia because I know her better than you two, I've hung out with her more than you two and know more of her feats than yours even though you're both accomplished fighters. It's nothing personal!"** he told them. The two calmed down but they growled at him before turning their angered gaze to the side and crossed their arms over their chests. Both of them were thinking that it was personal because they each wanted to impress him, though he was unaware of that. But hearing him say that they weren't better than Misty or Cynthia made them feel a little hurt, though they were acting a little childish over it. Ash let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his head. A few of their friends arrived just then as well, panting and Lucario's pick was among them. He shook his head, disappointed in his choice.

Cynthia walked up to Ash and he faced her. He tilted his head, not knowing what she wanted. She leaned in towards his ear to whisper into it. **"When it's my turn, we'll see just how great your stamina is my Champion."** Ash's eyes widened and he felt his heart thump loudly. Cynthia raised her head, winked at him and smirked before walking away, leaving a dazed Ash behind. Misty saw him entranced, watching Cynthia's every move. She walked up to him and smacked his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

" **Thanks and sorry Mist,"** said Ash sheepishly, rubbing where she struck him.

" **You're welcome but you may not want May to see that. She's been waiting for awhile you know,"** she told him. **"I hope you have something amazing planned for her."**

" **I do,"** said Ash confidently. **"Thanks for helping me Mist and for looking out for me. I don't know what I'd do without you,"** he told her, causing her to form a beautiful smile on her face while blushing a bit.

" **Anything for you Ash,"** she told him. **"I know you try your best for everyone and I'll be there to help you out with anything and everything, including what happens between us. Having several girlfriends can be quite a challenge to keep happy and take care of. But I know you can do it because if anyone can, it's you."**

" **Thank you Mist for believing in me,"** he told her. He then pulled her into a deep hug that Misty returned. The two stayed like that for a few seconds, loving the feeling of the other in their arms before separating and gave each other a quick peck on the cheek. He mentioned to her that his mom knows about everything and that they can be open with her about everything. The water trainer thanked him for letting her know and that she'll tell the girls as well. A little later, they saw two brunette girls exit the forest.

Ash went up to May and Leaf when they arrived. Leaf grinned at him, while May raised her hand to show thumbs up, that she was alright. Both of them were panting heavily. Ash smiled at the two and complimented them both. **"Well, what'd you expect from us? To not make it? Some boyfriend you are, not believing in your girlfriends,"** teased Leaf after catching her breath, smacking his shoulder in the same spot Misty hit. Ash rubbed the area again, pouting. **"Ah look, poor little Ashy is hurt and sad. Why don't you make him feel better May?"** suggested Leaf. Before May knew what happened, Leaf pushed her onto Ash who caught her in his embrace.

" **LEAF!"** yelped May, annoyed by her stunt but didn't withdraw from Ash. She glared at the other brunette who didn't care about the annoyed look, laughing as she moved away from the two. Ash wrapped his arms around the Hoenn native tightly. **"Ash, I'm all sweaty. Even more so than before. And I stink,"** she said quietly, turning pink from embarrassment.

" **I like it,"** he told her, drawing her in closer to him and she let him while turning as red as her sports tank top. **"It shows that you worked hard, that your body is strong and that you're not afraid to sweat."** She slapped his chest playfully, calling him a dork. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in and gave him a kiss. **"Hmmm…salty,"** commented Ash after their kiss, getting a taste of her sweat off her lips. May stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and leaned in for another kiss but she turned her head to the side and he ended up kissing her cheek.

May smirked at him when he pouted. **"Call it payback for upstairs,"** she said. She pressed against him and leaned in closer. Ash was heating up from feeling her body against his. **"But I'm not done yet,"** she said, leaning in to kiss him. At the last second though, she moved to his neck instead of his lips and gave him a slight hickey while running her hand down his chest to his stomach. Ash trembled from her actions and she withdrew from him, now leaving him unsatisfied by walking away towards the other girls.

" **Damn it May!"** remarked Ash and May glanced back at him with a playful smirk before giggling. **"That's it! Come here you!"** shouted Ash and he shot after her. May squealed and started running away while unable to stop laughing. The ones who were there watched the entertaining scene between the lovebirds running around. As the chase continued, more and more were finishing their run, emerging from the woods. Every time Ash got close to her, May would make a sudden turn and make him slide to a stop before chasing after her again. He could've caught her each time but where was the fun in that?

" **Can't catch me!"** taunted May in a sing song voice after another failed attempt made by Ash.

" **Oh we'll see! No more games!"** said Ash and he picked up the pace. Seeing he wasn't kidding around anymore, May yelped and dashed to the group waiting for the rest and hid behind the girls. She hid behind Misty, Leaf, Clair, Cynthia, Serena, Sarah, Daisy Waterflower and Liza. **"Hey, no defenses allowed!"** whined Ash as he tried to reach her through the wall of girls but they kept blocking his attempts and May kept moving behind another one. Everyone was laughing as Ash attempted to snag the Princess of Hoenn through the 'wall' of girls.

Ash kept trying to reach through but was thwarted in each attempt. He made one final attempt, extending his arm through between Daisy and Sarah. He swiped the spot where May was but missed as she ducked. **"Damn it…"** He withdrew his arm, taking a step back and in the process brushed lightly against the chest of one of the blondes, making her blush heavily. He felt that and knew for certain that she felt it too. **"Sorry,"** he told her quietly so no one would hear since no one else noticed from the wall of girls. The now scarlet colored girl didn't say anything but nodded. Ash turned his attention to the brunette hiding behind the 'wall'. **"I'll get you back for this May. Just what until tonight,"** he told her before walking away. The girls laughed harder, with May turning crimson thinking about what he'll do to her later on that night. The reddened girl was still for a moment before snapping out of it, hoping no one noticed anything.

Within the next five minutes, almost everyone else reached the end and was given approving smiles and nods from Ash, Lucario and Mewtwo. But there was one person who still hadn't finished yet. **"Where's Sabrina?"** asked Liza, the fist to notice, looking around and so did the others.

" **She's still on the path, near the end but stopped moving. Looks like she's tired,"** informed Mewtwo.

" **Okay. I'll go after her. We're done for today's training anyway so why don't the rest of you go back to the hotel to rest and I'll go get her. Lucario, Mewtwo; thanks and you guys are free for the rest of the day."** They watched him sprint down the exit of the purple path before teleporting back to the hotel.

Ash was looking for any sign of the Saffron gym leader. He quickly made his way down the still purple path before he rounded around a corner. Mewtwo sent a mental message to Ash that he would keep it there until they left the forest and to not forget about their deal on the bet. The young guardian replied back, telling him his thanks and that he won't and to just let him know once he figured out what he wanted.

Ash took a turn after he traveled a short distance on the purple path. As soon as he faced down the path he turned into, he saw her. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, shaking and panting heavily, covered in sweat. Ash went to her quickly and knelt down beside her. **"Sabrina? Are you alright?"** he asked her with fear. He looked over her to see if she suffered any injuries but she looked fine. The dark haired girl turned her gaze to him, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she took quick short breaths, feeling nauseous.

" **I-I'm…fine…j-just…exhausted…and queasy…"** she said to him in between her breaths. **"I'm sorry…I tried to keep up...with the others…to push past the pain…"**

" **I told you not to kill yourself Sabrina,"** he told her and she lowered her gaze to the ground.

" **I… was scared...that if I didn't finish…you would think…I'm weak…without my…powers…and…be disappointed…"**

" **What I said before Sabrina wasn't that I thought you were weak. I would never think that you're weak and that's no reason for me to be disappointed in you. How could I ever be disappointed with you?"** he asked her. She looked at him over what he said before looking back down again. **"Why would you even be scared of something like that?"** he asked her, absolutely confused as to why she would feel or think such a thing. She didn't answer him but turned her gaze to his again and gave him a look. He was so worried about her that he did not notice the look. **"It's alright. Let's get out of here. Can you walk?"** he asked her. Seeing him not get it, she looked away, crestfallen. A moment later, she slowly nodded. He helped her stand back up and assisted her down the path with one arm wrapped around her waist. She felt herself turning red and burning up with him holding onto her. But she also felt pathetic and not good enough for him to even touch her, especially when she stumbled a couple times. Seeing her struggling a bit, Ash went to pick her up but she stopped him.

" **No Ash. I have to do this. Alone,"** she told him. _I can't be weak. I can't fail. I have to prove that my body is strong and not just my mind. He didn't notice what I was trying to show him with my gaze but maybe he'll notice this._ Ash didn't hear her thoughts because of two reasons; her mind was almost always shielded and he had to concentrate to hear it even if she had allowed him. She made him move away and she took some steps forward. Ash could hear her gasping for air, her conditioning very poor.

That was when he realized how right he was; even though she looked beautiful, her body was fragile since she had traded her physical strength for absolute mental superiority. And that perhaps his comment before about that may have triggered her to push past the pain. He felt responsible for what she was going through, becoming worried because she was pushing past her limit but dangerously. He went to her side again when he saw her almost fall but she caught herself. **"Sabrina, you don't need to do this. You don't need to prove anything to me or to anyone else. Please stop. Please let me help,"** he told her. He took her hand gently and her heart fluttered at it and wanted nothing more than to let him help, let him carry her. But she couldn't do that.

" **No."** She slipped her hand out of his and continued, barely walking and her breathing becoming ragged. **"You made me…open my eyes Ash. I can't…just focus on my powers. I…need…to become strong. I'm doing this…for myself. To prove…to myself…that I can take the pain…and go the distance."** _And to show you that I'm worthy_ , she finished in her mind _._ Sabrina kept going, leaving Ash behind who was rooted to his spot from what she said.

It made his heart ache to see her push herself so much because of what he said to her earlier. He called out to her from his position while she continued. **"Sabrina, what I said before, I didn't mean for you to kill yourself to become stronger over night. It's not like that and you know it. You will get stronger; I know you will as I believe in you. But this isn't the way. So please, stop this. I can't watch you do this to yourself,"** pleaded Ash. Sabrina heard him talking from behind and the words washed over her. She stopped for a moment. She felt emotion fill her like it never did from his concerned tone of voice. She knew he was right but she didn't want to admit defeat, to admit she was weak. Ash thought she was done but then she kept moving forward. **"Sabrina, please stop,"** begged Ash, seeing her practically hurt herself for something that she didn't have to do because of what he told her.

 _I can't stop Ash. I can't. I have to keep going. To prove to myself…and to you….that I'm not weak. That I don't need my powers for everything. That I can do this without them. That I am strong enough to be worthy for you._

Sabrina kept taking one step after another, forcing herself to keep going even though she was out of gas, even though she was gasping for air, even though her legs felt like heavy bags. Ash watched her continue down the purple path, struggling, not giving up, no matter what he said to her. She was being stubborn, but it moved him and it made his respect and admiration for her to grow over seeing her determination. She reminded him of himself, how he would push on even when he shouldn't.

Something stirred inside the young guardian at the sight of the psychic prodigy pushing past her limits, past her pain but he didn't notice what exactly it was, his worry for her overshadowing the sudden feeling. Yet it led him to decide to help her reach her goal. He sprinted after her and luckily caught up to her in time to keep her from falling after reaching her. **"Sabrina…"**

" **Don't...tell me...to stop,"** she interrupted, glancing at him with tired but determined eyes, taking heavy breaths.

He smiled at her, throwing her off guard. **"Then let's finish this together."** It took a moment for her to register what he just said. She nodded and allowed him to wrap his arm around her again and she wrapped an arm around him. He assisted her down the rest of the purple path. It made things a little easier for her but she still felt some pain with every step she took, breathing heavily. When they finally reached the end of the purple path, emerging from the forest, the purple path disappeared and Ash glanced at Sabrina. **"Well done Sabrina. You did it."**

Sabrina raised her tired gaze to his. **"Thanks to you,"** she replied back sullenly, disappointed that she couldn't do it but Ash shook his head.

" **No; it was all you Sabrina. All I did was hold you up. You're the one who made us move,"** he revealed to her. Her eyes widened when she realized it now; he didn't take any steps until she did. She flung herself onto him, hugging him tightly out of appreciation and also leaning against him for support.

" **Thank you Ash. Thank you for believing in me,"** she told him and he returned the hug. Her heart beat increased in speed as she felt his body against hers once more like back in the club. She didn't want to ever withdraw from his embrace. But knew that would unfortunately come to pass, sooner or later….

Ash was feeling something familiar as well from back in the club, the stirring feeling that had awoken a little before becoming stronger. He became confused by it but didn't dwell on it though. **"You're welcome Sabrina."** When they separated, he smiled at her, making her smile back. **"How about we go back home and relax huh?"** he asked and she agreed. The two disappeared in blue glows and reappeared in the living room where the others were. Seeing the two there with the psychic alright made their friends smile, glad that she wasn't hurt. Sabrina almost dropped to the floor after taking a step, making several shoot to her but Ash was the one who caught her and kept her up. **"Whoa. You're past exhaustion. You should lie down,"** he told her. She didn't argue, unable to speak since she was busy trying to regain her senses and catch her breath.

" **We'll take her to lie down,"** offered Liza. She and Clair stepped forward to help her. The two assisted their close friend to their room and while they walked away from him, Sabrina glanced back at Ash who gave her a concerned look. She faced forward again in time to keep them from seeing her face redden.

May walked up to Ash. **"What happened to her?"** she asked.

Ash looked at her before answering. **"She was exhausted, pushing herself past her limits in a dangerous way. She wanted to prove to herself and to us that she didn't need her powers for everything. That she wasn't weak, that she wasn't a disappointment."** Some concerned expressions were shown by the group and he saw it. **"I tried to explain that none of us saw her that way, to make her stop but she wouldn't listen. I then offered to help her finish at least and she allowed me to do that. That's why it took so long for us to come home,"** he told her and everyone there.

May frowned a little. **"Why would she think that or do that? She doesn't need to prove anything. She's Sabrina, the psychic prodigy! Everyone has heard of her, even in Hoenn!"** Ash sighed, shaking his head, indicating that he doesn't know why.

The others were lost as well until someone spoke up. **"It's because she doesn't want to just be known as a psychic prodigy. And she doesn't want to be a burden in the future."** Everyone turned towards the person who said it. It was Professor Oak. He and the other parents had joined them in the living room. **"During your training, I was watching you all train and noticed some things about each of you. About Sabrina, even though it was barely the beginning, she saw that even though her mental powers are formidable, her physical being is less than stellar. She doesn't want to be kept back and doesn't want to be vulnerable or be a liability."** Oak moved towards Ash, seeing him becoming sullen over his words. He placed his hand on his shoulder. **"You are not at fault Ash. You opened her eyes, showing her that one who focuses on only their strengths, leaves their weaknesses to be targeted. You showed her how she had been limiting her growth by only 'living' as the psychic prodigy."** Ash nodded slowly but he was still upset. Oak turned to face everyone else. **"I hope her example shows that you must not place too much pride or trust in your abilities or to only see yourselves as what the world sees you. I'm not saying to not be confident, or to deny what is true but don't become cocky and don't be content. There is always room for improvement and there will always be someone stronger or faster or smarter. Possibly all three or more. But that does not mean to kill yourselves in order to reach new levels. Understood?"**

Oak's words were heard by everyone and they all thought about what he said. But the one who was impacted the most was the raven haired guardian. He had been coasting through the tournament, with hardly any challenge until the stadium attack. He had been placing too much faith in his and his pokémon's level. He should be because of all of their harsh training for so long, trusting in himself and his pokemon, but he was being too cocky and over confident. And was viewing himself as mostly just a pokémon trainer with aura powers and being content in his level of strength.

But now he realized that he was wrong and acting like another arrogant trainer. He had to continue. He had to become stronger. And he had to fully embrace who he is and what he's capable of. Hearing Professor Oak's words and watching Sabrina push past her limit dangerously, made him realize that no matter how strong he is now or how he is viewed by others, he can still get stronger and change, adapt. He had to. He had too much riding on it. He had to protect everyone he holds dear and many others. He wouldn't and couldn't let them get into danger because of his contentment with his abilities and his inability to be more than what he or others saw himself as…

" **Ash?"** He snapped out of it and glanced at May. **"Are you alright?"** she asked worryingly. He had been standing still and silent for a couple minutes, his gaze looking ahead of him in a trance after Oak finished his speech. The group was looking at him, concern on their faces. Ash let a small smile form on his face.

" **Yea, I was just thinking about what Professor Oak said,"** he replied and she understood. He glanced at his Poketch and saw that it was about 545pm. **"May, I'm gonna go check on Natasha and then shower for our date. Be ready by 7pm."** She smiled at him, feeling all giddy inside before leaving to shower herself and get ready. Ash headed towards Natasha's room. Most of the group broke up and went to shower since they stunk, taking turns to do so while doing different things as they waited.

When Ash stepped inside the room, he saw Natasha still sleeping, his Greninja watching over her from the corner. **"Hey buddy. How you doing?"** whispered Ash. Greninja gave a slight shrug while whispering out that he was alright but bored in his poke speech. **"I know buddy but this is important too. Thank you for doing this."** The ninja frog gave him a curt nod. Ash turned to the red head who was still sleeping.

The door opened after a moment and Delia came in with another bowl of soup ready. **"Hey sweetie. Four hours has passed. We need to wake her up so she can eat and take her medicine again,"** she said. **"I'll feed her so you can go get ready for your date with May. But since you're here, maybe you can wake her up?"**

" **Sure Mom."** He moved closer to Natasha's bedside and softly spoke to her. **"Natasha…Natasha…wake up please…Natasha…"** The red head turned her face towards the faint sounds she heard from her sleep before opening her eye. Her other eye had its swelling go down more but she wasn't able to open it yet. When she opened her eye, she thought at first that someone else had come, her vision blurry. Her heart jumped, beating madly with fear once again filling her. But then she felt her hand grasped gently and that voice that would instantly soothe and calm her down, speak. **"Hey, no need to be scared. It's me, Ash,"** he said, sensing her fear. She blinked a few times, her vision getting clearer each time and after the last one, saw that it was him. _Thank Arceus. I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else._ **"It's alright. I don't blame you. I know it's going to take some time and that's okay. Just try to remember that you're safe here okay? And sorry for waking you up but it's time for you to eat again and take your medicine after. My mom is going to take care of that this time. Alright?"** _Okay. Thank you for understanding and caring about me._ He smiled at her, making her feel comforted a bit. He got up and Delia sat down with the bowl in her hands. **"Thanks Mom. I gotta go shower and get ready."**

" **No problem sweetie. Have fun with May on your date,"** replied Delia. Ash thanked his mom before telling Natasha that he'll be back later but Greninja and his mom will be here for her. Natasha didn't want him to leave but she didn't want him to become annoyed with her either. She did feel safe with his Greninja around and she had warmed up to his mother Delia a bit. She thanked him again mentally and told him she'll be fine. After Ash left the room, Delia turned to Natasha getting a spoonful ready of some soup. **"I may not be able to hear your thoughts, but I think we can make this work right? Anyway, let me know if this is still too hot by shaking your head if it's not or nodding if it is."**

Ash entered his room and saw Gardevoir awake with Lucario sitting beside her, talking. When they noticed him, Lucario requested that they be returned so they can have their time together at their island. Ash smiled and returned the two and then glanced at Pikachu. He was still snoozing away and he chuckled. _Snorlax…I swear._ He moved into the bathroom to take a shower. Afterwards, he got dressed and was ready with a few minutes to spare. He sat down on the bed, thinking about where he was going to take May.

He hoped that what he had planned and set up way in advance was still there and not messed up. He was worried since it took longer to have his date with May than he thought. Then again, Mewtwo had promised to keep the areas he set up in advance hidden, safe and the food to be teleported there once they went. He had worked hard on setting up each of the dates for the four girls and he had set them all up on the same day. The day he and Misty were together, he left on Pidgeot to prepare for their night together. He was surprised that it didn't take him long at all and so he decided to get his date areas ready for May, Dawn and Serena as well. It cost him some time with Misty but he was glad he did that because things had become so hectic while staying here that he wouldn't have been able to otherwise. And Misty hadn't once complained about it. He made up his mind to make it up to her, since he wasn't able to spend much time with her on their date day unlike the other three. He had taken Dawn to the lake, Serena to Rhyhorn Racing and he trained with May extensively today while fooling around with her a bit. He did swim with Misty in the lake but not as much as she probably hoped for and that's when he suddenly got a great idea to make it up to her. **"That will be perfect,"** he said to himself.

" **Pikapi, pika pika!"** Pikachu had jumped onto his shoulders after waking up.

" **Hey buddy. Rested?"** he asked and Pikachu nodded. **"Glad to hear it. Pikachu, I'm gonna go out with May tonight so hang out with Misty and the other girls okay?"** Pikachu nodded but then let a devious grin form on his face, making Ash tilt his head.

" **Pikapi...pika pika pi pi pika pi chu pika,"** he said while holding up a finger on one paw and a circle with the other hand.

" **PIKACHU!"** yelped Ash, embarrassed and astonished at what his starter just did. Pikachu slid off his shoulder, laughing so hard that he didn't even notice when he hit the floor. Seeing him not stop, laughing harder while holding his stomach, Ash got an idea and a devilish smirk appeared on his face. **"Just you wait till I tell May to let out her Glaceon and Dawn to let out Buneary."**

Pikachu stopped his laughing immediately and looked up at Ash with a scared look. He liked both of them but was shy and scared as to how touchy affectionate they are. **"Pikapi! Chu! Chu! Chu!"** cried out Pikachu. Ash just shook his head and began walking out of the room. **"Pikapi!"**

" **Sorry buddy, but you asked for it,"** said Ash and quickly left the room. Pikachu dashed after him, his cheeks sparking, getting ready to shock him into next week. But when he entered the living room, he saw the two pokémon who he liked and liked him right there, confused until they saw him. Both pokémon had their eyes light up.

" **Glaceon!"** cried the blue ice cat pokémon.

" **Buneary!"** yelped the brown bunny pokémon.

Pikachu's eyes widened, skidding to a halt in front of them. He was not ready for this at all since he didn't know what to do. He attempted to turn back and run for it but both pokémon tackled him. They hugged him and snuggled against him, not letting him out of their grip while Pikachu cried out for help since they were choking the life out of him.

" **Just like his trainer,"** remarked Sarah giggling and making some of the others laugh.

" **Hey, has anyone seen my Buneary or May's Glaceon?"** asked Dawn as she stepped out of their room. She stopped after seeing Pikachu being squeezed by the two pokémon's hugs. **"Huh…how'd you two get out?"** she wondered but did nothing to help the electric mouse. She knew how much her Buneary and May's Glaceon loved Pikachu.

" **Thanks to Mewtwo,"** answered Ash and everyone who was in the living room understood. **"Pikachu just missed Buneary and Glaceon so much that I had Mewtwo teleport them out of their poke balls so they can spend some time together."** Pikachu shot a dirty look at Ash from under the two female pokemon, thinking of all the ways he was going to electrify him later.

" **Yea, whatever you say my Guardian,"** giggled Dawn, returning back to her room. She knew why he did that but didn't comment, leaving her pokémon alone. Ash just chuckled in response before he and others started laughing out loud at seeing Pikachu being dragged away into an empty bathroom by the two pokémon.

" **Pokémon egg incoming!"**

" **Very funny Gary,"** replied Ash, shaking his head while others continued to laugh.

" **Looking good Ashy,"** commented Leaf, entering the area from her room and seeing him dressed in his black tux with red long sleeved buttoned shirt and black tie. He thanked her with a grin and she winked at him. The newer girls that have feelings for him just entered the room and were unable to look away, staring for several seconds until they hurriedly composed themselves. Luckily for them, no one was paying them any attention for something else had their attention who was the gym leader of Petalburg City in Hoenn walking into the living room with his wife.

" **So…you're taking my daughter out huh?"** Ash turned to face Norman in time to see Caroline elbowing him, telling him to quit it with his tone. Norman grumbled but didn't argue back. **"Alright, alright."** Norman cleared his throat and spoke again, but this time more calmly but still had a serious tone to it. **"I want her home by 9pm and no funny business or I will make sure you are in a world of pain."**

Caroline elbowed Norman harder this time that made his eyes bulge. **"Remember what we talked about!"** shot Caroline.

He glanced at his wife who was giving him a look of rage that he had only seen once before. That was when he had to sleep on the couch in the living room for a month with no 'fun' stuff either. Many in the group were chuckling at seeing him become afraid from his wife's death glare. **"Ah, I mean, you better treat her right and don't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. Just be safe, enjoy your time together and you can stay out as long as you like. However, if you do anything that upsets her, then I have free reign to kick your ass from dusk till dawn. Understand?"**

" **Yes and I promise to take care of her Mr. Maple,"** said Ash, not joining in on the laughing and that was a good call otherwise Norman would have punched him. Norman nodded at him and the two shook hands. Caroline smiled at her husband when he glanced at her.

" **So whipped,"** quipped Gary, still chuckling.

Norman snapped his attention onto him. **"Are you dating my daughter?"** he asked him, his eyes narrowed. Several people, including Ash had a feeling of foreboding come upon them.

" **Ah no,"** answered Gary, becoming worried and wondering where he was going with this.

" **That's right. You're not and you never will. And that means you're not protected by my wife,"** explained Norman, cracking his knuckles.

Gary gulped and took a step back, waving his hands in front of him. **"Just kidding around! You know me!"** Gary took another step back and Norman advanced. **"Ah guys, a little help here,"** he pleaded, looking around but nobody was helping him out. Instead they had amused looks on their faces and were waiting to see what happens. **"REALLY?! Mrs. Maple? Caroline?** " he asked, glancing at her now.

" **Sorry Gary, but I can only protect the man May loves from my husband. Anyone else, and it's free game. You're on your own,"** she explained seriously. Gary's jaw dropped and looked at Norman again, seeing him getting closer and closer with a wicked grin on his face.

He called out to his grandfather. **"Ah Gramps? Wanna do that special talk thingy you do where you make people understand somehow?"** he asked and Oak just shook his head, smiling. It was time that his grandson learned to keep his mouth shut or at least learn when to open it. **"Are you kidding me?!"** he asked him, utterly surprised.

" **Now, how should we begin Gary?"** asked Norman after he reached the young pokémon researcher.

Seeing no way out and that he had to own up to this mouth getting him into trouble again, Gary sighed before replying back. **"I'm sorry Mr. Maple. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just kidding around. But if you have to hit me, I guess I deserve it,"** he said. He braced himself for the strike.

" **I'll give you points for taking it like a man,"** said Norman. His fist shot forward and Gary tensed up, closing his eyes. A second passed, then another. After a few more seconds, Gary cracked open his eyes and saw the fist an inch away from his face. A finger extended from the fist and flicked his nose hard, making him cover his nose with his hands, his eyes watering. **"Gotcha,"** said Norman before laughing out loud.

" **That was cruel,"** replied back Gary, making the others burst out laughing.

" **Eh, you'll live,"** remarked Ilene after catching her breath. She thought it was hardly a punishment for what he did. She also believed that he was being a drama queen right now. Gary snapped his gaze to her, not believing she just talked to him, even if it was just a few words. Ilene's eyes locked with his for a second before she turned her gaze away, still smiling a bit.

Gary was smacked against his back suddenly and saw it was Norman. **"Hope you don't keep a grudge against us kid,"** said Norman. **"Just 'messing around' right?"** Gary glanced at Ilene again, who turned her gaze back to him for a split second before looking away.

" **Wouldn't think of it,"** replied Gary, a smile forming on his face while keeping his gaze on Ilene a little longer before looking away. **"I can handle a joke."** The two shook hands and moved on, with the young pokémon researcher feeling a little better. _I might still have a chance to fix things with her. But I still need to know if there's anything between her and him…_

A honey blonde haired girl spoke up all of a sudden. **"Ahem. Can I have your attention please?"** asked Serena and everyone who was there, turned to face her and the girls with her, shielding May from sight. **"Introducing the spunky brunette…"** she started.

" **The talented Top Coordinator…"** said Misty.

" **The beautiful bottomless pit…"** added Dawn. Her comment was to get back at May for her comment during her date day, which also earned her a punch in the back.

" **The Princess of Hoenn, May Maple!"** finished the three girls together before moving away to show May in her red dress she wore at the club the other night, with two straps going over her shoulders and a diagonal cut from one leg's knee to the other leg's thigh. She was also wearing a red long sleeved but thin jacket with the brown flower hair clip in her hair. Her hair was flowing down with some curls at the ends. She looking even more beautiful than usual and Ash had a hard time not staring at her.

" **Take a picture, it'll last longer,"** teased May, making Ash snap out of it while their friends and family laughed. Ash moved to her and grasped her hand.

" **No picture will ever do you justice,"** he replied back, making her heart beat wildly and the females in the room to 'aw' at his words.

Before anyone could say anything else, Max walked up to Ash and May who looked him in the face. **"Ash, I just wanted to tell you something."** Ash nodded, waiting patiently for his friend who he viewed as his little brother as well. Max took in a breath before continuing. **"I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you are the one who my sister likes and is going out with. I don't think anyone else will ever be good enough for her. She deserves the best and so do you. So with that being said, I hope the both of you have a great time tonight and know that I support you two in whatever you do,"** said Max to them both.

May smiled at her little brother before hugging him and he returned the hug. **"Thanks Max. That was the nicest thing you've ever said to me,"** she replied.

" **Eh, don't get too used to it May,"** remarked Max. They chuckled and so did many others.

The two siblings separated and Ash raised his hand towards Max who shook it. **"Thank you Max for giving me your approval to date and be with your beautiful sister May,"** said Ash with respect. Max nodded at Ash before the two stopped. Ash wrapped an arm around May's waist and she did the same to him. **"See you guys later."** And with that, both Ash and May disappeared in blue glows. Several of the newer girls let out quiet sighs, each of them wishing that she was in May's shoes right now...

" **Wish I had a super powerful psychic pokémon to do that whenever I wanted,"** commented Liza, making the group chuckle.

Bonnie went up to Max and he looked at her. **"That was sweet of you Max,"** she told him. Max's cheeks flushed with color before letting out a stammering thank you. **"You up to play a game?"** she asked him.

He smiled at her, relaxing a bit. **"Sure! I'd love to!"** he replied back. The young couple sat on a couch in the living room after grabbing some console remotes and soon enough they were playing a co-op game together. The others separated into smaller groups and split off to do something with several even going it alone as they had many things to think about.

A giant waterfall was flowing down the side of a large mountain that had many craters from many meteor strikes over time along with many waterfalls in and on it. It was because of those reasons that this area was called Meteor Falls. A particular large waterfall also continued into the mountain, separating into multiple smaller ones as it flowed through it until they all reconnected into a larger one again when it exited. This mountain also had extensive tunnels, caverns and chambers built into it. An ancient tribe of people that are still alive to this day use this place for one of their homes but it was very hard to find them. They were called the Draconids, because they kept the Lore of the Dragons as well as several prophecies, some of which had come true already.

Two glowing blue spheres appeared on the side of the mountain where a large cliff was that overlooked the entire area around it while also offering a wonderful view of the waterfall nearby. The two glows disappeared to reveal a young brunette woman and a raven haired young man. The girl's blue eyes widened with surprise as to where they came to.

She had an idea of where they were but wanted to be sure. **"Are we really at Meteor Falls?!"** she asked, breathless at the gorgeous view in front of her view that consisted of mountainous areas, forests and small towns in the distance with a small lake nearby at the foot of the mountain. The sun was setting in the horizon that caused the sky around it to be colored in many different shades of red. He chuckled a bit, seeing her reaction. He tightened his arm around the girl's waist and pulled her closer to him.

" **Yes we are May,"** he said, confirming it. May's face reddened at being up against Ash so much but she also placed her free hand onto his chest. They stood there for a few minutes, looking at the view. He then gestured to follow him and he led her to a small circular table that was set up for two in the middle of the area. He assisted her in sitting down on her chair before taking his seat.

When Ash bent down to take out the food boxes and drinks from underneath the table, May watched him prepare their meal. She propped her elbows on top of the table and rested her chin on top of her clasped hands, a smile on her face. She was so happy, her heart beating for the man in front of her. She couldn't help but feel so lucky, feel so blessed, to be with someone that would do anything for her. Someone who had helped her find her calling, achieve her goals, her dreams. Someone who would move mountains for her and even attack a deity for her. She hadn't forgotten how he stood up to Palkia for her and her sisters. She kept her eyes on him, watching him finish setting the table, taking in his every move. She started feeling really hot even though the weather was fair and leaning a little towards the cooler side. Her mind had wondered to when they were in bed that morning and then of them fooling around a bit while training together. She kept her gaze on him while continuing her imagination, becoming redder and feeling hotter with each passing moment. **"May?"**

She snapped out of it, raising her head from her resting position, feeling a little embarrassed but glad he didn't say anything, whether he noticed or not. **"Yes?"**

" **Coke, Dr. Pepper, juice or water?"** He had already poured them some red wine and wanted to know what other drink she would like.

" **You should know that by now,"** commented May.

Ash grinned. **"Dr. Pepper it is then."** May smiled at him for remembering her favorite drink. After he poured them both some, he held up his glass with red wine. May copied him. **"Let our lives be filled with as much happiness as possible."**

" **And let the good times never end,"** she added with a radiant smile. Ash returned the smile before the two clinked their glasses and drank.

" **I hope you're hungry May,"** commented Ash after setting down his glass and started opening the food boxes.

May's stomach grumbled almost as loudly as Ash's right then. He snapped his attention away from the food because of the noise and looked at her, causing her to blush heavily. **"I'm starving. I haven't eaten at all,"** she admitted.

" **You haven't eaten all day?!"** asked Ash. May shook her head. **"Why?"**

" **I wanted to wait to eat with you too after your Mom said you were going to hold off until our date."**

" **Wow."** Ash was stunned and May blushed even more. **"You did that for me? That's the first time I've ever heard you saying no to food."** May gave him a sheepish look that made him chuckle. **"Thank you May. I guess that just makes things ever more perfect."** He spread out the food boxes, opening all but one very large one in the middle of the table. The ones he opened were a veggies platter consisting of carrots and celery sticks, some onion rings and some fries. All food that May loves to dip into ranch and munch on.

" **What do you mean by that?"** she asked, tilting her head.

" **Well, I think it's time we had our rematch. And since we're both hungry, that just makes things better,"** he said and opened the last food box. At the sight of what was hidden in the box, May's mouth watered and her eyes grew wide. It was chicken wings. A bunch of chicken wings in two very big piles. She had never seen so many for just two people. Then again, she reminded herself that she and Ash were almost bottomless pits. One pile was lemon pepper flavored and the other was spicy barbeque flavored. May licked her lips and was just about to grab one when Ash smacked her hand away.

" **HEY!"** she cried out. **"You know better than to get between me and food!"**

Ash chuckled at her furious expression. **"I know. I just wanted to tell you something before we dig in."** May's expression relaxed a bit but narrowed her eyes at him. He was being very cruel right now, making her wait even more before she could have the delicious chicken. **"There are exactly two hundred wings here."** May took in a sharp breath as she thought something; _so many chicken wings!_ **"This will be the contest to end all other contests. This will decide once and for all who the Champion of eating is."**

May smirked and took off her thin red jacket before placing it over her chair. Ash felt a little hot seeing her without the jacket on, exposing some more skin. He did the same thing as her with his jacket and rolled up his shirt's sleeves afterwards. She became a little stunned from seeing him without the jacket and his sleeves rolled up with a tie. It just seemed to make him even more eye catching somehow. She shook her head and readied herself. **"You ready Ketchum to face defeat?"** she asked.

" **Are you?"** he asked her with a grin. May gave him a mock glare and his grin went wider. **"On three. One…two…three!"**

Both Ash and May snatched a wing and tore into it. It only took a few seconds for both of them to completely clean the meat off the bones, drop the uneatable remains onto their plate and grabbed another. They maintained eye contact the whole time as they devoured their next wing. The two couldn't help but smile at the sight of their beloved in such an amusing scenario; all dressed up elegantly and yet eating their food like rabid animals. If it wasn't for the competition they had going on, they would've ended up laughing out loud after a couple minutes.

As they continued their battle of the stomach, the large piles of chicken wings was shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller as they quickly demolished them. After some time, the two were starting to slow down, feeling themselves fill up. They groaned a bit when they started to notice that. They had forgotten to pace themselves, so hungry were they that they just let their gluttony take over them. They didn't even touch the other food, so focused on the wings.

After biting into another wing, both Ash and May stopped, taking a breather. **"You alright? Feeling full?"** he asked her.

" **Yea, unfortunately,"** she answered, rubbing her surprisingly still flat stomach with her clean hand. That was one of the things she prided herself on. No matter how much she ate, she still kept her figure. **"It's so delicious I don't want to stop but I don't want to make myself sick,"** she said, eying the wing in her other hand.

Ash chuckled. **"I know what you mean. How many did you eat?"** he asked.

May looked at the bones in her plate. She quickly counted them and looked up with a triumphant look. **"Eighty one. I doubt you ate as much as me,"** she said with a triumphant look.

Ash gave her multiple impressed nods. **"Not bad, not bad. Let's see…"** He counted his pile of bones and when finished he started laughing. May started getting worried. **"Wow…I can't believe it…"** He shook his head before looking up at May. **"It's a tie…eighty one."**

May's eyes widened. **"No way! I ate more than you!"** she got up and went over to his side and started counting the bones. Ash couldn't help but take in her figure next to him, having bent over a bit to count his bones and that accentuated her curves. When she finished counting, she sighed. **"Eighty one. I guess it is a tie…"** She turned her head to him and found him staring at her. **"Ash?"**

He grabbed her and pulled her to him all of a sudden, making her yelp before silencing her with a kiss. May returned the kiss and soon it erupted with passion, tasting each other's lips and of the wing sauces that was coated on them. They withdrew a few minutes later, looking into each other's eyes. **"Hmm, lemony spice,"** quipped Ash, licking his lips, making May giggle and slap his chest.

" **How charming,"** she replied back sarcastically before placing her finger on his lips. She moved her finger over his lips and then a bit against the area around them. Ash wasn't moving, confused as to what she was doing until he saw what she did afterwards. She wiped off some of the wings sauce stains from his lips, removed her finger that was now covered with sauce and put it into her mouth, sucking on it. Ash gulped and he felt his pants become tighter as a bulge grew. **"Hmm…tasty,"** she said in a sultry voice after removing her finger that made him heat up.

" **You little tease,"** he said, making her laugh.

" **You know you enjoyed it,"** she said before giving him a short but loving peck while still sitting on his lap.

" **How can I not?"** he asked with a grin and she grinned sheepishly, blushing. He reached out and grabbed a few moist napkins that were contained in the small white square packages and opened two of them. He handed one to May and both started wiping their hands before drying up with a towel he pulled out from underneath the table. They wiped each other's mouths clean with the towel after as well.

" **Prepared for everything huh?"** she asked him, impressed.

" **I try to be,"** he said. When they finished he stood up with her in his arms, making her wrap her arms around his neck before lowering her onto her feet. **"There's something I want to show you."** He went around to her chair and got her jacket, holding it up for her to wear.

" **Thank you and alright,"** she said as she wore her jacket. Ash put his back on, grasped her hand, interlocking their fingers together before leading her to the mountain. They were surprisingly still able to move around comfortably even with full stomachs. **"Ash, why are we going here? It's a dead end."**

" **You'll see May,"** he told her. They walked up to the side of the mountain and stopped. Ash placed his free hand on the mountain and pulsed out some aura. A blue wave of energy flowed over the mountain wall before disappearing. The ground shook a bit as an outline of a doorway appeared on the side of the wall that made her gasp loudly. The makeshift stone door sunk in a bit back before sliding to the side. May gasped at what he just did, unable to speak. Ash stepped inside, his aura outlining him to give them some light. May snuggled up against him because she was cold, she couldn't see anything and she was slightly scared. Ash noticed all three and hugged her tightly. **"It's alright May. I won't let anything happen to you. It may be a little scary but it's worth it. I promise,"** he told her.

" **I know and you know I trust you. I just can't help it,"** she said, hugging him tighter. Ash just smiled at her and they continued walking a bit.

They reached another dead end but the path was opened up by Ash pulsing out his aura once more. The dead end was removed to reveal a large circular area. As they walked in, Ash let some Aura Spheres fly up into the middle of the area to light up the chamber with its blue glow while they hovered above them. What May saw made her widen her eyes and take in a sharp breath. There were carved images on the walls of many things but also of several of the legendary pokémon and the largest ones were of the weather trio deities of Hoenn; Rayquaza, Kyogre and Groudon.

" **So beautiful,"** commented May, letting go of Ash to walk closer to the walls. **"What is this place?"** she asked, brushing her hand against the carvings.

" **This is one of the ancient prayer rooms of the Draconids,"** answered Ash and May glanced back at him with shock.

" **The Draconids?! Are you serious?"** she asked. She had heard of them but never met anyone who claimed to be a Draconid or anyone who met one. Until now. **"How do you know and how did you find this place?!"**

" **I found out about this place when I was training my aura here with Lucario. We felt something calling out to us and after searching around a bit, we couldn't find anything. That was when Lucario remembered something in the Lore of Aura, how it can guide guardians to hidden places. It was the Aura Guardians of the past who helped the Draconids make this room for them. You need to use aura or a special key that only they have to get in. We used our aura to find this place and when we did, we met the Draconids,"** he told her.

" **You met them?! How could you tell they were Draconids?!"** she asked, her voice loud and echoing in the large area. He chuckled while nodding his head.

" **Yes. Draconids have a certain vibe, certain aura around them. And they told us that they are Draconids after getting to know one another. Though they were slightly annoyed and angry that we had accidently interrupted their yearly ritual. We met two of their elders and their Lore Keeper, Zinnia. She's a heck of a battler and a very cool girl to know,"** admitted Ash, making May become a little jealous.

" **Is that so? Did anything happen between you two?"** she asked with a slight accusing tone of voice, making Ash chuckle.

" **No May. How could it? I was thinking about you, Misty, Dawn and Serena all the time. And even if I wasn't, she's not for me and I'm definitely not for her. Plus, she looks like she's in her early twenties but she's actually about a thousand years old,"** he revealed. May's jaw dropped.

" **How is that possible?!"** she asked.

Ash just shrugged. **"Never told me. She said she can't reveal all their secrets to me even though they felt like they could trust me. Anyways, we got to know one another a bit more and then we battled. I barely won a three on one handicap match; my Charizard, Sceptile and Pikachu versus her Salamence."**

" **She must be really good to cause three of your best to almost lose against just one of her pokémon,"** commented May, impressed at this Zinnia and no longer feeling jealous.

" **She is,"** agreed Ash, nodding his head. **"Being alive for that long let her get a lot of experience and that's needed to control Dragon types. And this was during my earlier months of training. I could probably take her now no contest."** May rolled her eyes but didn't comment, since it was probably true. Ash just chuckled before continuing. **"As a reward for being one of the few to beat her though, she gifted me with a pokémon egg that hatched into a Bagon who now has evolved into my very own Salamence."**

" **Wow. That's kind of her. How come he hasn't battled in the tournament yet and you only used him to look for Leaf?"** she asked.

" **Well, I don't want people to know about all of my pokémon just yet even though Salamence is almost as battle hungry as Charizard. And it's a she, not he. Oh and she did fight against the Skull Brothers,"** he corrected her.

" **Ah okay, I gotcha."** She looked at the carved images again, walking beside the stone wall until an image made her stop. She brushed her hand against it, her eyes watering. **"Manaphy…"** May felt a gentle but strong hand grasp her shoulder. She leaned her head against it. **"I miss him so much…"**

" **I know May. I tried to find him for you,"** said Ash and May turned to look at her beloved. **"And I did find him. But he couldn't leave the temple and we couldn't go to him. It's the time where the temple is at the lowest point in the oceans for a few months now. I'm sorry May."**

May hugged him, keeping her tears at bay. **"It's okay Ash. At least I know he's alright. You tried and that means so much to me,"** she told him. She raised her gaze to his and gave him a loving kiss that sent electricity through them both. When they separated, they smiled at one another before the brunette turned her gaze back to the carvings on the mountain walls to keep her thoughts off of the small blue pokémon. **"What's that image?"** she asked, pointing to what looked like a ball of fire with a tail that was carved above the weather trio. She separated from Ash and walked closer to it.

" **Ah, if I remember correctly, Zinnia told me it's a meteor but it represents more than just that,"** he said. **"She spoke of how the Draconid legends said of how once every thousand years, a great tragedy will befall the world from the sky. She also said that the world can be saved but only if the guardian rises from its slumber to protect life."**

" **That sounds horrible…"** replied May before she had her eyes widen all of a sudden as something clicked in her head, making her look at Ash with concern. **"Why does everything have to deal with you? Why so much burden on your shoulders?"** asked May, her eyes becoming watery again and fear completely filled her. She went back to Ash and hugged him tightly, letting out some tears over what she heard.

Ash hugged her back and spoke. **"It does sound horrible huh? But it's alright. This isn't about me. For once. The guardian she was speaking about was Rayquaza, who did that a thousand years ago. And I don't think we have to worry about that as I don't think this darkness is coming from the sky,"** he told her, lightly chuckling to keep the mood light.

" **Even so Ash, I worry so much about you,"** she said looking up at him with teary blue eyes. **"All the things I've seen you do…all the incredible, risky and dangerous things that you've done…"** He felt so terrible for making her become so scared and upset over what he's done. He rubbed her back with both hands gently while tightening his hug on her. May felt some comfort over it but didn't stop, keeping her gaze on his. **"I won't be able to live or move on with my life without you. Promise me that you'll never leave me. That you'll never leave us. That you'll never let anything happen to you so you can always be with us…with me,"** sobbed May, letting it all out. She had been holding that in for a long time and after what she just learned, she couldn't anymore. She lowered her gaze and leaned her head against his chest.

" **I promise May,"** he told her, now gently stroking her head through her hair. **"Nothing will keep me from you. From the girls. No one and nothing will be able to prevent me from keeping my promise. Not this darkness…not a meteor…not Ragnarok…not even Arceus himself…nothing can prevent me from being with you all for the rest of my life. I promise."** Ash let her sob it out a bit more until she calmed down. He gently raised her gaze to his with his hand. Blue and brown eyes found one another, not wanting to ever look away. He leaned in slowly and gently placed his lips onto hers. May felt the love he has for her through the kiss and that made her heart beat wildly. He slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out a thin box after separating. **"For you May."**

May formed her beautiful smile that Ash loved seeing and took the box. She opened it with slightly trembling hands and gasped. Inside it was a white gold necklace with a red diamond crown that had the points of it look like flames against a black pendant background. She turned it over and saw the inscription on the back;

FOR MY PASSIONATE PRINCESS

MAY MAPLE

May flung herself on top of Ash suddenly, making him drop to the ground as she cried out with happiness. **"I love it! I love it! Thank you my Knight!"** she said while showering him with kisses all over his face. Ash felt himself heating up from all the kissing. When she finally stopped, she looked at her doing. Ash's face was covered in lipstick and it made her giggle. He smiled before sitting up and May ended up sitting on top of his lap.

" **I'm glad you like it May. Here let me put it on you,"** he offered and May let him. After he put the necklace on her, she asked him how it looked. **"Perfect only because it's on you."** She blushed and got off of him before standing up and helping him up too. Ash grasped May's hands and closed the distance between the two. **"May…you are an incredible girl. I love your appetite, your motherly personality and I love that you're passionate about everything. Those are just a few things out of the many that I love about you and can't get enough of."**

Ash's compliments made May melt as her heart fluttered. She was looking into his eyes as he said that to her and she could feel the emotion behind them. She also closed the distance between them. **"Ash, you are the man of my dreams. Since the very first time I saw you, I believed you to be special and unique. And I was right. You're protective and caring nature, you're refusal to back down when the going gets tough and how you've always been there for me…not to mention the only guy who has an appetite like me."** He grinned at that and she giggled a bit before continuing. **"No other can ever measure up to you. I love you and only you."**

The two leaned in and shared a simple yet deep kiss that sent electricity through them both once again. When they separated, Ash sent a mental message as the two hugged each other tightly. They disappeared into a blue glow and reappeared in his bedroom. It was late, almost midnight, with everyone else fast asleep. They entered the master bathroom connected to the room, washed up, with Ash getting some help from May to get the lipstick off his face and brushed their teeth before they exited. Ash took off his jacket and placed it on the nearby chair, with May doing the same. He went to open the dresser drawer to take out some pajamas but then May moved in front of him.

" **Let me choose what we're wearing,"** she said, slapping his hand away before digging through the clothes. Ash chuckled and was about to step away when May stopped him. **"Oh no. You're not going to be able to prank me. You're staying right behind me."** She flung her left hand back, grabbed his shirt and brought him up against her as she continued looking through for clothes.

Ash knew what she was up to but before he could mention anything, he froze while letting out a hiss of pleasure. May had started rubbing against him again. Hearing Ash do that, May stopped her 'search', focusing on that instead and continued, making her movements faster and more pronounced as the bulge she felt against her rear became bigger. She couldn't help it, loving the feeling of him against her, especially from behind. She felt a pair of strong hands clamp down on her waist before they slowly traveled up her sides, making her shiver in anticipation from the message. The hands kept going up and then moved forward before grabbing onto her well developed breasts over her dress. She let out a moan as they were squeezed. She become so heated she thought she would burst into flame.

May whirled around, surprising Ash. She grabbed him from his shirt's collar with both hands and pushed him backwards until he hit the wall. She then leaned in and kissed him furiously with him returning it. Both of them were becoming enflamed beyond control but before they lost themselves in it, they separated. Blue and brown eyes looked into one another. **"You ready for this?"** he asked her in a whisper.

" **I am. I love you Ash. With all my heart. I want to experience the next level with you. It's time for us to continue what we started in the morning. And before you ask, I'm on the pill,"** she said quietly, without any embarrassment. He let a charming smile form on his face.

" **I love you May,"** he said.

The two leaned in and kissed, tasting each other's lips before their tongues got involved. May had one hand cupping his face with the other on his chest, rubbing it. Ash placed one hand in her hair while his other hand with up and down her side. Both of them became enflamed and soon they couldn't take it anymore. May started unbuttoning his shirt with both hands and Ash fumbled a bit with the zipper on the back of her dress. Both became impatient at the same time and did something in the heat of the moment; May had yanked his shirt open, making the buttons go flying everywhere and Ash had ripped apart her dress from behind, the zipper not yielding to him.

" **I'm…sorry…May…"** he moaned into her mouth as they continued their passionate kiss.

" **Don't…care…"** she replied, before taking off his tie and pulling his shirt off of him to reveal his muscularly lean body. **"You'll…buy me…another…one…"** she said in between her kissing as her hands began to unbuckle his belt.

With May not caring, Ash decided to completely forget about the dress. He pulled the clothing apart from the tear he caused using his strength and the red dress split in two. May was startled a bit from the tearing sound but didn't stop her affectionate display. The brunette allowed the now useless item of clothing to fall to her feet at the same time her raven haired lover had his pants drop. Both of them kicked away their clothes and dug a hand into their lovers' underwear. They moaned with pleasure at feeling the other's hand on their most private and sensitive of body parts, rubbing against it. May had her other hand massaging his chest, loving the feeling of his firm body against it. Ash had his other hand behind her back, fumbling around with her bra strap for a bit before finally getting it released. He yanked it off of her and grabbed her now free breast, making her moan into his mouth.

May had kept him up against the wall this whole time and loving it. She stroked his shaft alive, making it stand at attention and harden while still in his boxers. Ash was enjoying it all, letting her take control in the beginning as he played around with her breasts and rubbed her womanhood under her panties. A short while later however, he decided to take control.

He switched their positions around, now pushing her up against the wall, causing her to squeak in surprise before continuing. He started moving down her body, bombarding her with kisses until he reached her magnificent breasts. He licked her nipple before he started to suck on it, making her gasp and then moan loudly. She had really sensitive breasts. She couldn't handle the new sensation and the heat inside her was becoming unbearable now. Ash felt her shivering from his actions and her womanhood became wet. He stuck two fingers in at once that made May jump from it before starting to let out high pitched sounds in between her moaning.

" **Ash…oh my god…Ash…"** she panted, arching her back against the wall. He was unable to reply, his mind focused on the task at hand. And mouth. He continued his ravenous assault on her tits while he kept fingering her for several minutes, making the brunette tremble from it. She grabbed his head with both hands and pushed him against her supple mounds more, making him bite down onto them. The brunette squealed in joy at that and she felt herself getting hotter and hotter until she felt like she was going to burst. **"Ash…I'm going to...to…ah…oh god…oh…I'm gonna..."** May was just about to go over the edge from just these sensations alone, her feelings and emotions already over the limit because of his experienced touch. But then he stopped all of a sudden, making the heat slowly die down. **"Why'd you…stop?!"** she panted, mostly angry and unsatisfied, a little exhausted and a tiny bit relieved.

He raised his head and looked into her eyes. **"Because we're just starting,"** he whispered to her, making her shiver in excitement from his playful tone of voice. He grasped her panties and pulled them down her legs and had her kick them away. She then did the same to him with him kicking away his boxers as well. May then got an idea and grasped his hand before they could get a good look on each other and Ash followed her. She led him to the bedroom balcony door, opened it and went outside with him right behind her. She let go of his hand, walked up to the balcony railings, turned around and leaned against it. Her hands clasped together over her flat stomach, with a sly look on her face, her skin glowing under the moonlight.

" **Like what you see?"** she asked him with a smirk. Ash couldn't help but stare at her body, more curvaceous than the other girls but still proportionate. Her fair skin, larger than average breasts with pink nipples, her firm round butt and exposed womanhood. He couldn't take his eyes off of her and she couldn't take hers off the sight of his fully nude body either. No matter how much Misty, Dawn and Serena told her, no matter how descriptive and generous they were in their stories, it didn't do him justice. His six pack abs, his firm chest, broad shoulders, toned legs and his well endowed shaft. Hell even his scars looked good. After hearing from her 'sisters' how much pleasure he brought them, she couldn't wait to experience it too. It took a moment for Ash to snap out of it but when he did, he grinned at her and walked towards her.

" **I don't like what I see…I love it,"** he told her before leaning in to give her a kiss, their bodies rubbing against one another.

When they separated, she looked him in the eye, burning with heat. **"Show me how much you love me,"** she told him as she grabbed his shaft and started to stroke it, making him hiss with pleasure.

" **What my Princess desires, she will get from her Knight,"** he told her, making her heart skip a beat.

He lifted her up from her legs, spreading them open while having her lean against the balcony railings. He drew in closer with her guiding him towards her opening. He pushed the tip of it into her slit, making her quiver from feeling the hot shaft in her while the cold wind blew over them. He slowly made his way in until he felt her barrier. He glanced up at her and she nodded. He broke past it and went all the way in, in one swift motion. That caused May to bite down on his shoulder to prevent herself from screaming out loud from the pain and waking up the others. Ash winced from her bite but didn't stop her or comment on it. He stood still for a moment, giving her time to get used to it. When he felt her loosen up on her bite, he slowly moved his lower body, making her let out a moan against his shoulder. That caused him to feel the vibrations from her quivering lips against his skin and that made him want to just thrust into her like there's no tomorrow but didn't. Not yet. He had to get her used to it first.

May was feeling like she was going to burst into flames from feeling him moving in and out of her, becoming so heated from it. She felt so much pain when he broke her hymen at first, her sisters' stories not doing justice on that either. It slowly went away to be replaced with something else completely opposite of pain. His warm member heated her up from inside, preventing the chilly night air from making her feel the cold, though her nipples had stiffened from them cold air blowing past them. **"Oh Ash….hmm...it feels so good…"**

" **The way…you're hugging me…it's making me go crazy!"** he said and picked up his pace.

" **OH GOD!"** cried out May, feeling him increasing his speed and power. **"Oh my god! Ash…I don't know…if I…if I…can take this…but don't stop…no matter….what I say…don't stop!"** But Ash had no intention of stopping. He continued his pace and even though it was making her feel so overwhelmed, May loved every second of it, feeling like she was in heaven. Or so she thought. When Ash bent down towards her chest and took a stiffened nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue a bit before sucking on it, her feelings intensified and now she believed she was in heaven. **"Hmm…"** she moaned. She grasped his head with her hands and pushed him down onto her tits again and held him there. **"That's…it…Ash…Oh god…hmmm…you love my breasts don't you my Knight…never stop…ah…giving them attention…"** she moaned. He mumbled back, his mouth full of her perky tits. Ash kept sucking on her nipples and would bite her breasts every now and then, alternating between the two while also licking once in a while. He kept up his pace as well, moving in and out of her. This continued on for some time before both of them started to feel like they were about to explode. He stopped his assault on her tits, raised his head and looked into her eyes.

" **May…I…I can't hold it back anymore!"** warned Ash.

" **Do it! Fill me up! Make me feel like a real woman!"** she ordered. He kissed her and with a final ram that went all the way into her womanhood, he exploded into her. Feeling his seed inside her made her go over the edge and May released. The two separated from their kissing, letting out groans. She leaned forward onto Ash, tired, who was still holding her legs up, frozen in his position. **"Oh my god…that was…that was amazing…felt so incredible…but why…why did it have to end?"** she whined a bit, her cheek against his chest, hearing his heart beat slowly return to normal.

" **Who said…anything…about it ending?"** panted Ash a bit. May looked up at Ash in surprise, wondering what he meant. Then she felt it. His shaft was still inside her and still hard. He pumped into her a couple more times, making her moan before he slowly withdrew from her.

She protested it but he didn't listen. She tensed up when she felt the cold breeze flow over her exposed womanhood now. **"You're such…a tease,"** she whined at him while in his embrace, feeling cold, hollow and empty without him inside her.

" **You're so impatient…and I'm a tease?"** he asked her, making May redden slightly though she grinned at him. **"Which reminds me,** _ **you**_ **tease. Time for payback for today,"** he lowered her legs back onto the balcony floor, spun her around and had her lean against the cold metal rails while he pressed against her back, his shaft against her ass and his arms wrapped around her stomach. Feeling his warm body behind her with the cold metal against her front, the two opposite sensations made her go ecstatic. **"You ought to be punished for all the teasing you did to me today."** He rubbed a bit against her ass with his shaft, making her go crazy from feeling it against her rear. **"You want it don't you? You want to be punished. Is that right?"** he whispered into her ear with a playful growling tone of voice.

She turned her head back towards him, giving him a begging look. **"Please Ash…Make me whole again. Put it back in. Put it in and fuck me hard. Punish me for my teasing,"** she pleaded, grinding against his shaft with her ass. Ash lined up his shaft to her opening again before entering her once more, making May let out a loud moan. She felt complete once more and pleasure coursed through her body instantly. He pushed all the way in before slowly pulling back out and then went back in slowly. He kept going like that, making May go insane from the leisurely yet fulfilling pace. **"Ash…that feels amazing…but please stop teasing…go faster…harder…"** But he didn't do that. Instead, he raised his hands and grabbed her breasts and started to play with them while continuing his slow pace. Even though she wanted him to go rougher, this slow pace with his hands on her tits sent her pleasure levels higher, especially when he pinched her nipples. **"Hmmm…that feels so great...oh..."** She then felt one of his hands move higher and then cupped her face. He gently turned her gaze back towards him and she felt a pair of lips against hers. Their tongues immediately got involved and tasted each other. Ash couldn't control himself anymore and started picking up his pace, pumping into her like a wild man, slamming into her from behind, making her breasts and her necklace that was still on her to bounce from his actions.

May squealed loudly at the new pace before it caused her to moan and pant loudly into his mouth as they kissed. **"Yes...yes…YES!"** They separated a short while later and their eyes locked. **"Ash! That's it! Fuck me! Teach me a lesson!"** she said with zest with their gazes so close to one another, feeling the other's hot breath land onto their face.

" **You're gonna be sore in the morning!"** he replied back cheekily while thrusting into her powerfully.

They continued like this for several minutes longer. May was feeling so much joy from the slightly rough yet pleasurable movements inside her that she didn't think she could survive it all. Ash was losing himself from the way she was hugging his shaft, her body against his, the cold wind blowing over them and started to go even faster and harder, making her let out high pitched moans. He grabbed hold of her tits tightly, squeezing them while using them as something to hold onto while plowing into the brunette that he loved so much. That made May become even more heated and she started letting out very loud lewd noises from it. The two kissed at once to keep her from waking up the others.

When it came to the point of almost no return, they stopped their kissing, blue and brown eyes looking into the other. **"Oh God! Ash…I'm almost…there…but…oh damn…too much…Ash…I can't…"**

" **You asked…for this!"** replied Ash. He lowered his hands, clamped down onto her waist and summoned up the last of his energy. He started ramming into her like he was possessed from behind, slamming against her rear with no remorse, causing smacking sounds to cut through the quiet air and forcing May to grab onto the metal railings to keep herself up.

" **OH SHIT! ASH! I'm gonna…"** she couldn't continue, panting and moaning so much from his movements, feeling the heat inside her overwhelming her senses.

" **MAY! I'm about to…to…"** stammered Ash before going silent, focusing on the task at hand, feeling all of his essence gathering to a single point in his lower body. Both of them felt like they were going to explode, their emotions and feelings so over the limit.

" **FUUCCCKKKK!"** exclaimed the two together all of a sudden after one final deep thrust. Both of them had released at the same time with Ash feeling hers wash over his shaft and May felt his seed once again fill her and warm her up from the inside. Both of them stayed frozen from the blissful feeling for a bit before they dropped to the balcony floor, unable to stay standing but remained connected. They panted loudly, trying to regain some energy back. May slowly glanced back at him and Ash looked at her. Both of them smiled sheepishly before leaning in and finished their lovemaking with a kiss.

" **You were…heavenly,"** said Ash when they separated and May formed her beautiful smile that he loved seeing so much once more.

" **You were out of this world,"** complimented May and Ash formed his goofy trademark smile.

A gust of wind shot over them, making both of them shiver. They nodded at one another and May got up, his shaft slipping out of her, making her feel even colder now as well as a little hollow again but was completely satisfied from their love making. She helped him up onto his feet and afterwards, he instantly picked her up into his arms, making her squeak in surprise. She thought he would be exhausted but it looked like he still had enough energy to do that.

He walked back into the bedroom, closed the balcony door, opened the bed covers and lowered her gently onto the bed. He followed in after her and drew up the covers. May had him snuggle up against her again like the previous night, with her butt against him and his arm wrapped around her. Both of them started warming up, lying against one another's bare bodies. The brunette glanced back at the raven haired man and gave him a simple but long kiss filled with her love and he did the same.

" **I love you. Goodnight my Passionate Princess,"** he whispered to her after separating.

" **I love you too. Sweet dreams my Knight,"** she said to him.

They laid their heads onto the pillow. May interlocked their fingers together before resting their hands against her bare breasts. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep after a few minutes. Ash watched her sleeping for a bit before he lifted his head to look at her face. **"I swear nothing will keep me from you May. I will never leave you or the girls. You all are my life. My heart will cease to beat if anything happened to any of you."** He leaned in a bit and kissed the side of her forehead gently, making her hum in response before quieting. He smiled before lowering his head back down against his pillow and closed his eyes. It didn't take too long since he was so tired out but also because he felt so comfortable as well. He fell asleep feeling happy and content with everything regarding him and his girlfriends.

As the couple drifted into their dreams, a single person was wide awake in her bed, tears going down her cheeks. She had woken up a short time ago, after the couple came back home. She was tired out and very sore from the training she partook in that day. But she got out of bed anyways and made her way to the kitchen to get some water. After drinking some and taking a bottle from the fridge, she was about to go back to her room when she thought she heard something. She moved closer to the sound, expanding her psychic powers to sense who or what was causing it. She stopped, rooted in her spot the second she realized who was making it.

She felt her heart shoot up to her throat and her stomach start churning as if she was poisoned. She couldn't stop 'seeing' what was happening behind the nearby closed door of the master bedroom thanks to her psychic powers. Words, emotions and images flashed in her mind. She saw him and her going at it, like animals in heat, panting, moaning, grabbing, caressing and kissing. She saw him in her mind attack her, teasing her, pleasuring her, making love to her and she saw her loving every single second of it. She saw them finish and saw them tell each other how much they love one another. She saw them cuddle in bed, telling each other their pet names for one another. But what she saw at the end of it all, when he made that promise after his lover fell asleep, that he would never leave her and that she was his life, the dark haired beauty broke out of her trance and shot to her bed in her room.

Sabrina stayed up for a long time, crying silently into her pillow. She had thought he had seen something in her earlier that day, when he helped her finish her run. The way he held her, the way he spoke to her with concern in his voice. Could she have been fooled once again? She couldn't read his mind to find out if she was wrong or right. She couldn't tell how he felt about her. The only person she ever truly had any feelings for, the only person who ever did anything for her and she couldn't get him to notice her. Even after their dancing in the club, even after sharing some of their most personal secrets with one another, even after training together…he still didn't notice her.

 _What do I have to do?! Why won't you notice me Ash? Why won't you speak to me like you did to May? Why won't you hold me, kiss me, love me like you did to her? Why? I thought…I thought you meant what you said in the forest…I thought…_ Sabrina stayed awake a little while longer, thoughts swirling in her head with tears freely falling from her eyes. Finally, after snapping herself out of it, composing herself again, she had decided on something. _What I thought can't be wrong or false. I've never felt this way before and I didn't sense any falseness in his words. He does care. I just need to show him, to make him notice me, to make him realize that he does want me, need me. I swear to Arceus…I will do everything within my power to show him what he means to me…and to prove that I'm worthy to be with him…to have him say to me what he told her…that he loves me and can't live without me either._ After she made that promise, Sabrina slowly fell asleep, seeing dreams of her and the only person she had ever cared about…together.

* * *

 _ **A/N - Hey there! Glad to see you survived! Hahahahaha Hope you guys really liked the chapter. I went crazy over it, rewriting it so many times and going over it even more. It was pretty long huh but I hope it was entertaining and interesting enough for you to not notice it. I will post up the next chapter as soon as I can but can't promise a date of when I'll have it up. Thanks for reading and hope to hear from you all! Remember to follow and favorite as well! Take care and Silent is out!**_


	44. Chapter 44 - Consequences

_**A/N - Hello guys and gals! Hope you're all doing well. So I started watching Archer to kill time until some of my other shows start airing again (Game of Thrones anyone?) and damn, that show is hilarious (and not for kids)! Archer is such a damn idiot and some of the things in that show make me go WTF?! Hahaha! Anyways, sorry I haven't posted for a while. I was out of town for a few days and had several job interviews and stuff lined up to go to. I think I may have finally found a job but I'll know for sure within a week or so. Because of that, I couldn't really focus on writing until a few days ago. Thanks to everyone for the support, understanding, your patience, the praise and compliments. I'm very humbled by all that you said and I hope I can not only keep meeting your expectations, but surpass them. Especially after that colossal last chapter (I don't know if my chapters will be that long again haha). Now a couple of things before you read the next chapter...**_

 _ **1\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 -** I'm not sure if Ash will have kids but he and his girlfriends will be more affectionate towards one another in public starting in this chapter. _

_**Guest 2 -** Look below for the harem group information. _

_**Nightcore -** Been a while buddy since you reviewed. Yea, it was a long chapter but hope you liked it. :)_

 _ **MANbearPIG1 -** LMAO! So did you make sasquatch pay? You're welcome and yes, Natasha will be around for now and what you mentioned about what pokemon she could possibly get...those aren't bad ideas and I was actually thinking about something like that. And giving Norman a Tauros was a very good idea that I didn't even think about. Maybe I will and if I do, I'll let you know. I didn't know Dr. Pepper was a Texas thing at all (I'm in California but I love the stuff). Max and Bonnie will stay PG-13 since I will not include any underage/minors in the more adult relationship stuff so no worries about that. Good advice; I'll try to incorporate that more of the affectionate displays between the parents and their children/loves. Hey no problem and thanks buddy for the praise and compliments. I don't mind long reviews at all as long as they're not flames so don't worry about it. And I try to update quickly but don't want it done without going over it a few times and taking a break here and there to keep my mind fresh and not burn out. Thanks and hope you enjoy the next chapter buddy. Oh and I'll think about the threesome thing. _

_**2\. Cross overs/Beta readers -** I want to say thank you to those who offered to become my beta readers and also thank you to those who suggested cross overs and gave some ideas for it. As cool as that would be, I want to try to do this one story without doing that so I can see if I have it in me or not to complete a story with the way I have envisioned it. So no cross overs for this story and I will not take any beta readers for this story either. Maybe for my next stories I will do so, so just remind about that then. Thanks! _

_**3\. Aura Healing -** Aura can only heal so much and I don't want to use it like a "Cure All" type of thing. And it costs a great amount of energy to use it to heal others. Ash and Lucario are getting stronger but that doesn't mean that they will be able to heal anything and everything. There are limits to what it can and can't do which will be explored in this chapter._

 ** _4\. Changes -_** _With the last of the original dates ending with May's date, the group starting to train, some hidden things surfacing and many subplots, there are going to be some changes and some certain situations that I'm going to experiment with and see whether it's good or not. Certain characters who I've neglected will be brought into the spotlight more often and there will be more character development for them and for everyone else. I'm getting everyone ready for what's to come and to have my readers feel for what they are going through._

 _ **5\. Ash's Current Harem Status -**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia. _

_**Not in the harem but have feelings for Ash -** Liza, Clair, Sabrina, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn)_

 _ **6\. Character Ages -** Putting this up again just in case once more. These are the official character ages for this story and should make sense/be logical because of how young/mature they look. Also, I figured for Ash traveling around the world, it would take one year traveling through each region, half a year for the orange islands, some breaks in between the traveling and Ash's three years of training would make sense. _

_**Ash - 20**_

 _ **Misty - 20**_

 _ **May - 19**_

 _ **Dawn - 18**_

 _ **Serena - 20**_

 _ **Leaf - 20**_

 _ **Sarah - 18**_

 _ **Anabel - 23**_

 _ **Cynthia - 25**_

 _ **Clair - 23**_

 _ **Liza - 23**_

 _ **Sabrina - 25**_

 _ **Shauna - 22**_

 _ **Lizabeth - 22**_

 _ **Giselle - 20**_

 _ **Natasha - 24**_

 _ **Brock - 25**_

 _ **Lucy - 25**_

 _ **Gary - 20**_

 ** _Ilene - 23_**

 ** _Riley - 28_**

 ** _Daisy Oak - 25_**

 ** _Richie - 20_**

 ** _Joy - 21_**

 ** _Cilan - 25_**

 ** _Iris - 22_**

 ** _Cress - 25_**

 ** _Lily - 24_**

 ** _Chili - 25_**

 ** _Violet - 25_**

 ** _Daisy Waterflower - 26_**

 ** _Max - 15_**

 ** _Bonnie - 13_**

 ** _Clemont - 25_**

 ** _Delia - 39_**

 ** _Professor Oak - 62_**

 ** _Norman - 42_**

 ** _Caroline - 41_**

 ** _Johanna - 38_**

 ** _Grace - 39_**

 ** _Officer Jenny - 25_**

 ** _Lance - 33_**

 ** _Diantha - 31_**

 ** _Steven - 29_**

 ** _Alder - 52_**

 ** _Britney - 27_**

 ** _Richard - 30_**

 ** _Damian - 26_**

 ** _Paul - 26_**

 ** _Tracey - 25_**

 ** _Kenny - 18_**

 ** _Rudy - 26_**

 ** _Drew - 20_**

 ** _Giovanni - 46_**

 ** _Domino - 28_**

 ** _Ragnarok - Unknown_**

 ** _Alright, with that done, here is the next chapter of "The Blue Spirit!" Enjoy, and don't forget to review, fav and follow! :)_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 44 – CONSEQUENCES

The Kanto news reporter Britney Snow and her cameraman Richard were standing outside their chief editor's office. It was late at night and they had just finished editing their news report that involved Ash and what's been happening around him in the past few days. They glanced at one another, nodded and Britney knocked on the door. **"Come in."** She opened the door and the two stepped in to see their boss sitting in his chair and looking at some photos he was sent from his other employees. He was in his late fifties, with graying hair, medium build and average height, wearing a white collared shirt and black pants. He glanced at the two when they sat down for a second then shifted his attention back to the photos. **"So what brings you two here at this late hour?"** he asked them.

" **We finished it Tom."** Tom turned his attention back to Britney. **"You have to show this. It'll win report of the year for sure."**

" **You're not bull shitting me are you?"** he asked. The two shook their heads. **"Because after his message through the sky like a god, the rumors of his club antics, the stadium attack…this has to be more than that."**

" **We're not Tom,"** spoke up Richard. **"Just take a look at the report."** He took out the flash drive from his shirt's pocket and handed it to Tom. The chief editor took it, inserted it into the spare USB port on his desktop, opened the file and played the report.

" **THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS. WE'VE ALL SEEN AND HEARD OF THE HEROIC ACTIONS OF THE AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM WHEN HE DEFENDED THE PEOPLE OF THE STADIUM FROM AN ATTACK SENT FROM UNKNOWN ORIGINS. WE ALSO HEARD OF HIS MESSAGE THROUGH THE SKY LIKE A GOD ASKING FOR OUR HELP TO LOCATE TWO GIRLS HE KNOWS WHO HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED. I WAS EVEN THERE MYSELF AMONG HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHEN HE FOUND WHERE THEY HAD BEEN TAKEN AND SAW HIM BRING THEM BACK SAFE AND SOUND ALONG WITH A THIRD GIRL THAT WASN'T EVEN KNOWN ABOUT. BUT IS THERE MORE TO HIM THAN THIS RIGHTEOUS SIDE? IS HE HIDING A DARKER ASPECT OF HIMSELF?"** Tom paused the report at that moment and then glanced at Britney at this moment, wondering why she would say that. She motioned back to the report and he continued watching it.

As the chief editor Tom continued watching the report, his eyes grew wider and wider. When he finished it, he was stunned still for a moment. **"Were all those pokémon…"** he started to ask but unable to finish, his gaze still on the monitor.

" **Yup,"** answered Britney.

" **Did he really just…"**

" **Yup."**

" **Is he responsible for the clearing massacre you…"**

" **Yup."**

" **Were those images and videos from the club he…"**

" **Yup."**

He turned to fully face the two. **"How did you get this? Why'd he let you record it?"**

Richard explained how. " **The club pictures and videos were taken by a friend who was at the club and sent to me. His Lucario didn't let me video when they came back to the hotel, taking my camera. But, nobody knew of this one I have that's running at all times when on the job."** Richard pointed to his glasses that he was wearing and Britney gave a small smile. She had known about that long ago. She felt it was wrong to use sometimes but other times it saved their asses.

" **There's a camera in that?!"** asked Tom, surprised.

" **Yes. Nobody can tell since there's no noticeable lens or circle on it,"** explained Richard.

Tom let out a whistle, impressed. He looked at the report again. **"This is an incredible report. But…I don't know if we should show this…"** His uncertainty astonished the two.

" **What?! What do you mean?! Do you know how hard we worked on that?!"** asked Richard.

" **Why not?! People deserve to know the truth!"** added Britney.

Tom shook his head. **"And what truth is that? That he killed to protect? That he has an army of pokémon with him? That he has several legendary pokémon with him? That he saved three girls lives and in the process completely massacred five men and their pokémon, with a complete execution made in front of you in the process? Do you really want the public to know all that? How would they react? How would they see their savior now? Most of the public has finally united behind one person. And you want to divide them again? And what of the dangerous people still out there that will learn of this information too? What will happen to him, his family or his friends? Their lives and of their privacy? Is all that really worth just some stupid report of the year?"** he asked the two.

Britney and Richard faced each other, their faces neutral, before looking back at Tom. **"It's not just for the report of the year Tom. People need to know who their 'savior' truly is. It won't be right to not show that,"** explained Britney.

Tom sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair. He went quiet for a few minutes, thinking hard. **"No. I won't show it. It may be the report of the year…hell it might even be the report of the decade…but it will cause too much damage. The people need someone to follow, to believe in. What he did was for the greater good. And he has done far more good than bad. And him killing the Skull Brothers? They've been wanted for a long time and they've finally been dealt with. I won't show it. I'm sorry."** Tom closed the report and handed the flash drive back to Richard.

" **Alright. You have a point,"** said Britney. She and Richard bade Tom a goodnight before leaving his office. **"This sucks. All that work for nothing."**

" **Not really,"** remarked Richard and Britney looked at him, confused. **"You really believe I'm going to let that stubborn old fool not let us show the world our greatest work?"**

" **But how would you get it shown? Tom has influence and connections with all the news agencies and he and Goodshow are good friends. And he has a point. Imagine the damage it could cause and what it could cause him, his family and his friends to go through."**

" **Doesn't matter. We worked too hard on this to just hide it away. I know a way we can get it shown to everyone. Someone who can broadcast it with ease. Even if they try shutting him down, they won't be able to and everyone will see,"** he told her. Britney was unsure if they should and was having second thoughts. Richard saw the worried look on her face and gave a reassuring smile to her. **"People should know. I'll take care of it in the morning and let you know when it's done. When we get the report of the year, you'll owe me one."** He told her goodnight before leaving. She stood standing for a moment, worried about what could happen before leaving the office and went home.

A young man was restless in bed, unable to sleep peacefully. It was morning now, the sun rising. He kept having images form in his head. A gorgeous girl he had met in the club the other night. He spent more time with her than he would've liked but he was so close to making her his. But he was thwarted in his attempt at the last second. He kept dreaming he was about to ravage her and turn her into his very own senseless, lust filled property. But this one would be for keeps. That is until a certain piece of shit came between the two. And it wasn't just any piece of shit. Oh no. It was the Aura Guardian and he was the same person who took his Charmander away from him after he realized how much potential the fire type actually had. And now he had taken the girl he wanted to make his by banging her into the night. One of the most gorgeous brunettes he had ever seen in his life was stolen from him when he was just an inch away from having her. He was scared awake when in his nightmare the guardian had his Charizard spew out flames towards him. **"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"**

Damian shot up in bed, sweating, panting. **"What's wrong my love?"** Damian glanced towards the person who spoke. It was a pink haired punk girl that was lying in bed next to him. He had picked her up from some bar the night before. He played his cards right and brought her back to his hotel room. He had his way with her, trying to forget the brunette but couldn't. He was picturing her while he fucked the shit out of the punk girl before making her finish him off with her mouth. She rose to kiss him but he stopped her and pushed her away.

" **Not in the mood,"** he said, getting up. She felt saddened by his rejection, confused by it but didn't say anything. She watched him get dressed and walk to the door. He stopped and glanced back at her. **"Get dressed and get out. I don't want you here anymore."** He left the room, leaving the hurt girl behind who now realized she had been used. Her eyes watered and she started sobbing as she got dressed.

Damian walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. He took a sip, making his way over to the living room and plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV. He was joined a few minutes later by another male who had purple hair **. "How many fucking times do I need to tell you to keep it down whenever you bring a whore for the night?"** said Paul angrily.

Damian smirked at him. **"Say it as many times as you want, I'm never going to change,"** he replied back, making Paul scowl. **"Has Shamus woken up yet?"**

" **No. He's still asleep. He brought a girl over last night too,"** informed Paul with an annoyed tone of voice but Damian also noticed the slight envy in it.

He had learned how to distinguish the slight changes in his friend's tone of voice. **"Jealous?"** sneered Damian and Paul growled at him. **"You know you could've joined us when we went to the bar last night and maybe you could've found some action too."**

" **I had better things to do,"** grumbled Paul.

Damian laughed. **"Right. Moping around after your defeat to that bothersome idiot Ketchum is something better to do?"**

" **Fuck you. I wasn't moping around. I was thinking of how he came up with those strategies and how he became so damn strong,"** clarified Paul. **"Unlike you whose been complaining like a little bitch that he 'stole' a girl away from you when you've been with so many already. You never had her and there are more in the world so get over it."**

" **Fuck you,"** snapped Damian to the low blow. It was quiet for a few minutes. **"You're obsessing over a guy who beat you though. You sure you're not gay?"**

" **You sure you're both not gay because all I've been hearing the past couple days from you two is 'Ash did that' and 'Ash did this'. I swear you two are turning into fucking females with the amount of complaining you do."** Paul and Damian turned around in the couch to look at their other roommate and friend Shamus. He had just woken up, already drinking from a soda can. He was the same height as them with dark brown hair and dressed in a grey buttoned down shirt with black pants. He had an air of superiority and smugness coming off of him, though his friends ignored it. **"I swear you two are fucking obsessed with the douche bag."**

" **Fuck you Shamus,"** replied the two at the same time.

" **No thanks. I don't roll that way. Hey Pauly, how come you never banged that blunette in Ash's group? She had a nice body from what I saw in the club and you said you knew her a bit after I asked ya."**

Paul scoffed at the question. **"Like I told you, she's annoying as fuck. Always happy and cheerful and sticking her god damn nose where it doesn't belong. I mean what the hell man? Bitch needs some medicine to calm the hell down. You know I can't stand that kind of shit and don't even get me started on how she doesn't shut the fuck up,"** growled Paul.

His friends shook their heads. **"Nobody's telling you to marry the bitch but if that's your reasoning then you could've shut her up with your dick in her mouth you pansy. You could've had some fun instead of giving up free booty,"** suggested Shamus.

" **I don't deal with trash. My standards are higher than yours,"** remarked Paul.

Damian scoffed. **"Whatever man. You can't bullshit us. We know you suck when it comes to girls."**

" **I don't bullshit,"** stated Paul seriously. **"I don't waste my time with weak pokémon or weak girls. You know I only get with a girl who is powerful and not a damn air head. Like that martial artist Tiffany I picked up and fucked last month. She was good and is always up for another round. But I want my next girl to be better. I have my sights set higher."**

" **Like?"** asked Shamus before taking another sip and Damian waited quietly to hear him.

Paul wouldn't answer but the two kept nagging him about it until finally he snapped. **"Fine damn it! My sights are on girls like the Champions Cynthia and Diantha or the gym leaders Clair, Elesa, Korrina and Sabrina or one of the Elite Four like Malva, Lorelei and Karen."**

Shamus choked on his soda, unable to keep himself from reacting from his friend's new targets but Damian burst out laughing with no trouble before commenting back. **"Cynthia? Diantha? Pfft. No man has ever gotten Cynthia to do anything, not even kiss. Hell I think she might be a lesbian. And Diantha is probably at least ten years older than you. Sabrina is a shut in who only leaves to do Lance's bidding. Hell, he probably turned her into his own personal slut. I would if got the chance. Clair doesn't date at all as far as I know, probably another closet lesbian. Korrina hates your guts. You're only shot would be Elesa but she's too busy with her modeling and fashion line to even look at a guy. And her uncle Lt. Surge would rip your head off before you can even ask her out. Don't even get me started on Malva, Lorelei and Karen since they would sooner pulverize you with their pokémon than speak with you from what they've done to all the other guys who bother them. There's no way you can get with any of them."** Paul started grumbling with his expression twisted in annoyance. **"Oh, you think differently huh? Tell me, how are you going to get with any of them when most of them hate your guts, not interested in men from the looks of it or taken and you can't talk worth a damn?"** asked the blue haired man while the brown haired man laughed at the purple haired man.

" **Fuck off and don't worry about what I'm going to do!"** yelled Paul, making his two friends laugh harder. **"And since when do you care if a girl is or isn't available?"** he asked in annoyance.

" **I don't,"** replied Damian coolly. **"What Damian wants, Damian gets."**

" **Except for that gorgeous brunette from Club Indigo. Man, I would've loved to fuck her. You were so close but you fucked up in the end. Rejected!"** jabbed Shamus as he dropped onto the other couch. Damian growled as Shamus and Paul laughed at him. **"By the way Damian,"** he started, making him and Paul turn their attention to him. **"I think you might be surprised about the girls you mentioned. Remember when I took some pictures in the club?"** The two nodded. **"Well, I took some pictures of…"**

A door opening interrupted Shamus, catching the three's attention. The three males turned their heads to see the pink haired punk girl Damian had brought last night. She looked at Damian with hurt in her eyes but he didn't care. **"Bye Felicia,"** he said, turning his gaze back to the TV. She burst into tears before running out the hotel room, commenting that Felicia isn't even her name.

" **She's never going to call you back,"** remarked Shamus.

" **Don't care. She wasn't that good anyways."**

" **Did you fuck up another girl's day again Damian?"** Once again, the three males turned their heads back to see that it was their friend Richard who just entered their hotel suite. He knew both Damian and Shamus for years but only knew Paul for a short while, having met through their mutual friends.

" **You're just jealous, Dick, that I fuck a new hot girl every couple of days while you've been trying to get into Britney's pants for the past five years. How's that working out for you or do you like being in the friend zone?"**

" **It's Richard, not Dick, asshole,"** responded Richard while they laughed. **"And fuck you. It's none of your business."**

" **Whatever man. Don't get a stick up your ass,"** commented Damian before looking at the TV again.

" **Did you get the pictures and videos I sent ya?"** asked Shamus.

" **Yea I did, thanks. But I need your help Shamus,"** said Richard.

" **With what?"** he asked.

" **Can you upload a report to the internet and keep it from being shut down?"** he asked.

Shamus scoffed. **"Please. That's a piece of cake man. But why do you need to do that? Unless it's…"**

" **Yea, its one of those. It's about the Aura Guardian and all the things he's done. Some good, some bad and it also involves the Skull Brothers. Including the club stuff you sent me."** Paul, Shamus and Damian had their eyes widen as they sat forward. **"I'll let you see it if you want before you upload it."** Richard pulled out his lap top from his satchel, turned it on and put his flash drive into it. The TV was turned off as he started the report and three gathered round to watch. While they viewed it, they became increasingly more astonished at what they were seeing. When they finished viewing it, they couldn't believe what they just saw, being quiet for a minute until…

" **How the fuck did he get with so many hot girls?!"** asked Damian, absolutely shocked that he was dancing with so many famous, popular and beautiful girls.

" **Holy shit! Screw the girls! Did you see all of his pokémon and that he has several legendaries?!"** asked Paul with jealousy coating his words, not believing how many powerful and rare pokémon he has.

" **Fuck that! He killed someone and it looked like he didn't even care!"** remarked Shamus with fear that he had actually took a life. He didn't care about the girls since he had taken them but he saw how Damian and Paul had stunned looks when they saw it. Shamus turned to Richard. **"I'm posting this and making sure no one can take it down,"** he said. He was about to go to his room to get his laptop to start but then stopped. **"But I got a better idea."** The three other guys glanced at Shamus. **"Why don't I…"** Shamus started explaining to them what he just thought of.

Right when Shamus finished saying what he could do, a loud beep sounded off in the room. Damian had received a message on his Poketch. He glanced at it and an evil grin formed. **"Well what do you know; his next match is against me today at 5pm. What perfect timing."** He turned to face the others. **"That sounds like a plan Shamus. Oh this is going to be glorious how I get back at him."**

" **Just make sure you win against him. He has many pokémon to choose from and they all look strong. I can't believe I lost to his fucking bleeding heart,"** spat Paul.

" **That may be, but I have many as well,"** reminded Damian. **"He stole my Charmander and he stole that girl from me. I will get my revenge. Even if he has killed and his powerful, he won't be able to fight against the public. And I'll get it for you two as well. And you won't owe me because I'm going to enjoy doing it. Nobody messes with Damian Daisuke."** Paul and Shamus both nodded. They hated that they had lost to Ash in the past and that he had taken in their Charmander, Chimchar and Tepig after they abandoned them and unlocked their hidden potential. Though Shamus lost to Damian in this current tournament, he was only pissed at Ash.

" **So, you'll take care of it then?"** asked Richard. He turned off the lap top and took out the flash drive.

" **Consider it done. And as a thank you for helping us get revenge on that piece of shit, I'm gonna give you a gift. Why don't you follow me Richard?"** He followed after Shamus once he gave him the flash drive towards his bedroom, slightly confused. When he entered the room, he saw a beautiful naked blonde girl sleeping on the bed with the blanket covering her lower body. Shamus woke her up by shaking her. **"Hey, wake up,"** he said and she stirred a bit before opening her eyes. She looked at him and smiled. **"Nice to see you too. I need you to do something for me. I need you to fuck my friend."**

" **WHAT?!"** she snapped, shooting up in bed and covering herself with the blanket and looked around wildly, spotting Richard. **"Do you think I'm some hooker?! Some whore of the street?"** she shouted at him.

" **No, just a slut out of a bar,"** he said, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it to her. She caught it out of instinct and her eyes went wide. She flipped through the bills and saw they were all high notes. It must've been at least a thousand bucks in her hands. She glanced up at Shamus, seeing him smirking at her and then at Richard who looked harmless.

" **Fuck it. Why not. I'm getting paid and I'm still a little horny from last night anyways,"** she said, placing the cash in her purse and beckoned Richard to come forward and he did so without thought.

" **Have fun Dick,"** quipped Shamus, smacking his back as he left the room. Richard didn't comment back on the name this time. He was already being undressed by the girl. Shamus rejoined Paul and Damian in the living room and the three began to plan their revenge out on the one who caused them so much humiliation in the past.

At the penthouse suite of Indigo Hotel, while everyone else was sleeping, the Saffron City gym leader was awake and training in the balcony, having moved some of the balcony stuff out of her way so she can do so. Mewtwo had brought back the items in the balcony after their training finished yesterday. She was practicing the strikes Ash had taught her against the stone wall that he had punched a hole into when his anger had engulfed him. Each time she struck the wall, she winced and cried out as great pain shot up her hands and arms. **"That's it. No pain, no gain,"** she whispered to herself, trying to push past it. **"I have to become stronger. I can't be weak. Or he won't ever notice me and he won't love me. "** She kept punching the wall, hurting herself, thinking about everything that happened between her and him from the very beginning.

She remembered the first time she saw him and that was when he came to her gym when she was a monster. How he lost badly but came back for a rematch. How he wouldn't back down from her, even after she turned his friends into dolls. How he helped her by bringing Haunter to battle her but instead the ghost pokémon made her laugh, allowing her to finally break free. He then left to continue his journey and she hadn't seen him for years but heard of his exploits from all over. She would think of him every now and then but didn't realize why until recently. She would wonder where he had gone, what he had achieved and who he was with. After many years of not seeing him, their paths crossed again when Lance called her, saying he needed her and she saw Ash once more. But she ended up hurting him, making him go on the verge of dying. That made her break down and cry for the first time since she was a child.

She was miserable until she found out he was alright from his next match but got angry at Lance for not telling her. The best decision she ever made was to confront Lance about it after speaking with her parents and pulling herself back together. That led her down a path to see her few close friends, Cynthia, Clair and Liza before seeing Ash again. She watched him competing live in the stadium and it was a spectacular battle even though it was a short one. He had become so strong that she felt proud of him. She ended up seeing him again later that day again in a club. She talked to him, apologizing for what she did and felt great relief when he told her it wasn't her fault. They spent some quality time together, sharing personal things between them while they danced together. She remembered feeling so good in his embrace, not wanting to ever be out of it. Everything seemed to be working out little by little…

But no, fate would not be so kind to her after what happened. He wanted to leave after what Leaf did to him and he was only taking Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Cynthia with him. That was when she realized how she truly felt about him. He may have come back and not left, helping her train and become stronger, but she wanted to be with him as well. Though he hadn't noticed the look she gave him when he came back for her when she couldn't finish the run by herself. Yet he had helped her finish the run and the way he held her and spoke to her was enough to make her fall even more in love with him. Seeing him becoming intimate with May last night made her long for him to be by her side.

That was why she had woken up early; she had seen a nightmare with her running towards him but never being able to catch up to him. She kept moving after him but each step she took would push him further away from her instead of closing the distance until he just disappeared. She screamed for him to come back but he had simply vanished, causing her to wake up in a cold sweat. The Saffron gym leader couldn't go back to sleep so she decided to do some of her own training to become stronger. The dark haired girl wanted to surprise and impress him enough for him to see that she is worthy of him.

When she went into the balcony to start some of her training, she saw the hole that Ash made and that gave her an idea. It wasn't a grand one but it was simple enough that she figured that she could make herself stronger and more resistant to physical impacts. She copied his action by punching the stone wall repeatedly to build up endurance and strength while using the strikes he and Lucario taught her. She continued on for a bit until her mind brought up the images of him and May going at it from last night, making heated love to one another. Her heart beat increased and she took in an uneven breath. A lone tear escaped from her eyes, but she didn't stop, punching the wall again. A sickening sound shot through the still air and Sabrina felt excruciating pain. **"AAAGGGHHHHHH!"** She dropped to her knees, holding her broken right hand. The pain was overwhelming. She had never before experienced such pain. It was horrible and it felt like her hand had turned into mulch. Heavy and fast tears escaped from her eyes and she sobbed loudly because of it.

" **Sabrina?"** The dark haired psychic beauty glanced behind her and saw Liza standing a few feet from her with a confused expression. How did she not sense her? Was she that distracted? Liza knelt down by her side. **"What happened?"** she asked but Sabrina just shook her head while she kept crying. The green haired girl looked at her hands. They were bloodied, bruised and the skin on them was torn in some areas. She saw her right hand swelling up like a beach ball right before her eyes. **"What the hell are you thinking?! What made you do this to yourself?! Why?!"** Liza was beyond scared and very worried. She had never seen Sabrina act like this. Her close friend didn't answer her. **"C'mon, let's go to a hospital and get this taken care of."** She helped Sabrina stand up and started walking together while supporting her.

" **No hospital,"** said Sabrina through gritted teeth, having stopped her sobbing as they neared the balcony doors. Liza glanced at her.

" **Look at your hand! It's broken! It needs to be looked at!"**

" **No hospital,"** repeated Sabrina. **"And don't tell anyone. No one can know."**

" **I can't keep this to myself Sab,"** replied Liza.

Sabrina looked up at her friend. **"No one can know."** Liza heard the slight pleading in her voice and looked into her eyes. She saw them showing something she never thought she would see in the psychic prodigy's eyes; fear.

" **Alright,"** sighed Liza, wondering what on earth could she be afraid of? Sabrina looked back at the wall and so did she. They saw the red marks on it next to the hole. **"I'll clean it up after I take you to our room and wrap up your hand,"** said the green haired girl and the dark haired girl thanked her quietly.

They were lucky that it was early morning and nobody had awakened yet. After Liza took Sabrina to their room, wrapped up her hands in bandages, she gave her a pill for the pain. Afterwards, she made her lie down before covering her with a blanket, telling her to try to sleep, to rest. Sabrina didn't argue, closing her eyes at once, attempting to ignore the pain in her hand while waiting for the medicine to kick in. Liza sighed and then went back to the balcony with a scrub and a bucket of soapy water. She took a look at the spot that had the bloody marks. **"What the hell caused you to do this to yourself, Sab?"** she asked out loud. She shook her head before cleaning the area so the evidence would be gone.

When she finished up, sweating like crazy, she went to the bathroom attached to their shared room and dumped the now dirty red water down the bath tub drain. She opened the water to make sure the tub didn't become stained. She left the water on, figuring she should shower since she stunk already. She cleaned the scrub as well before placing both it and the bucket back underneath the bathroom sink. She stood back up straight, letting out a groan. **"Ah man…I'm sore and that scrubbing didn't help. Lucario and Ash worked us pretty hard yesterday."** She undressed and then arched her back, fully stretching it out as she extended her arms up into the air while looking at herself in the mirror. She then checked her body over for any problems. **"Still smooth as silk. Looking good girl,"** she said to her reflection after finishing up her 'check'. She winked to herself and then got into the shower.

While she showered, Liza started wondering why Sabrina went postal. Why would she hurt herself by punching a wall repeatedly? And why doesn't she want anyone to know? She was stumped and became even more worried when she thought of the fear in her eyes. _What happened to you Sab? What made you go berserk? What's scaring you? Were you trying to copy Ash and punch a hole into the wall or something?_ Liza chuckled at that but then began thinking about Ash, which also made her become hot all of a sudden. She was thinking of how he went toe to toe with Mienshao, how he took on three fighting pokémon at once, how he made a powerful pokémon like Snorlax stop in his tracks with a single strike and pretty much turned rock into dust. Thinking about all that got her turned on. Her heart beat increased at once and her body temperature sky rocketed. She slid her hand down her front, slipped her fingers into her opening and started pleasuring herself. The images of Ash training and then having fun with her while he was all sweaty played in her head with the hot shower water falling down onto her. This went on for a bit and she was just about to climax when a sudden knock on the door made her stop instantly and the heat died down from within her. **"Are you done yet?"**

 _I was just about to be done. Horrible timing Clair,_ she thought angrily. She let out a breath to calm down before answering. **"Yea, I'm coming out in a few,"** she replied back in a slightly annoyed tone of voice but her friend didn't catch it. She finished up her shower, on edge a bit because she wasn't allowed to properly finish. She wrapped herself in a towel and exited the bathroom and the gym leader entered it. _Enjoy your shower, you fun stopping bitch you,_ commented Liza in her head to Clair when they passed each other.

While Liza dried herself and dressed, almost everyone else in the suite was starting to wake up and get ready. Leaf got dressed and washed up quickly so she could go do what she usually did, which was wake up Ash and his current lover. She missed her chance yesterday but wasn't going to miss it today. She had fun doing it. And this time, she was going to do it differently. She may have planned something to prank Ash with the girls but this was still her own thing. She poked her head into his room and saw him and May still asleep, cuddled against one another.

A devious grin formed on her face. She closed the door behind her and sneaked up to their bedside. While making her way to the bed, the brunette noticed something; a peculiar piece of clothing that caught her attention and she went up to it. It was May's red dress in a heap near the foot of the bed. She noticed that the dress was torn in two and that made her eyes widen. _Damn. Where you that impatient Ash?!_ She turned red a bit, imagining him just ripping it off of her. Leaf glanced around, seeing the other clothes thrown all over the place and then saw Ash's red shirt thrown onto the dresser with some buttons missing and a few tears of its own where the buttons should have been. _Holy cow; did May do that?!_

The newcomer in the room turned her gaze to the sleeping and cuddling couple on the bed and moved to them. She was still intending to carry out her plan of waking them up but was thinking about what they could've done last night. Her red face turned crimson as to what she saw next. The cover had gone done a bit from Ash and she was able to see the top half of his muscular body. She saw the diagonal scar on his back that he got protecting Serena. She smiled a bit, remembering what he did before her eyes roamed down his back and saw 'it'. It was the stab scar that he received when he came after her to rescue her. She was transfixed at the sight of it, unable to move, with sadness filling her.

May stirred a moment later, waking up from the sunlight hitting her eyes once again. She mumbled a bit as her senses sharpened. She felt Ash against her and holding her. She instantly remembered what happened last night during their date. Where he took her, their chicken wing contest, the Draconids prayer room, what they talked about and the incredible love making. She felt so happy that she couldn't explain it in words. She felt so complete, so content with him, in his embrace that she never wanted to leave it. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now that she was fully awake, she decided to wake him up as well. She thought about doing so in a teasing way but first wanted to look at him.

She turned her gaze back towards him and saw someone else she wasn't expecting to see. She saw Leaf standing there by the bed side with her eyes wide. May was instantly filled with embarrassment since she and Ash were still in the nude and in an intimate position, their bodies against one another. She was about to reprimand her for not giving them any privacy but stopped herself in time though it left her mouth open when she noticed her state. Leaf was teary eyed and her expression was one filled with sadness. **"Leaf?"** she whispered, making the green eyed brunette glance at her. **"What's wrong?"** she asked.

It took a moment for her to respond. **"St-stab….s-scar…on his b-back…"** she barely stuttered back in a whisper.

May understood instantly. She had probably come to wake them up as usual with a prank or something but ended up seeing Ash's scar of the stab wound he got in the process of saving her. She knew right then that her sister needed some comfort and reassurance over her feeling guilty over it. May gently shook Ash awake while Leaf was still mostly paralyzed at the sight of it, though she was letting out some tears now. Seeing him not react, she shook him a little harder. **"Not now May…I'm tired…maybe later…"**

" **ASH!"** yelped May, turning scarlet.

He snapped his eyes open over her yelp and gave her a confused look. **"What?"** he asked her gently. **"It's true May. I'm tired. I haven't gone twice before in one night. We can go again later if you want. But I don't think the girls would appreciate…"**

May silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand, her scarlet face darkening with every passing second. **"That's not it and would you stop talking?!"** Ash had a hurt look appear on his face. **"I'm sorry but look behind you and don't freak out."** He furrowed his brow in confusion and turned his glance behind him. When he saw Leaf his eyes widened, but he didn't freak out. He didn't sense her at first because he was still a bit sleepy and tired. He was embarrassed but quickly saw the sad state she was in.

" **Leaf? What happened? Did someone hurt you?"** he asked with concern, sitting up. When he sat up, the blanket slipped down and revealed the scar of the stab wound on his stomach as well. She started crying harder, burying her face into her hands. **"Leaf?! What's wrong?!"** Leaf raised her head from her hands a bit and then extended her hand out to point at his stomach. He looked down and saw the scar and it clicked in his head. He glanced at May.

" **Do something,"** she said. He gave her a wide eyed look and then gestured to himself, reminding her that he's naked. **"She's gonna see you naked eventually! Just comfort her!"**

She had a point but Ash didn't want to cause Leaf more distress and him trying to comfort her while naked would probably do just that. But he also didn't want to piss of May so he did the next best thing. He grasped Leaf's outstretched hand and pulled her down on top of him with the blanket acting as a barrier between the two. He wrapped his arms around her and she cried into his bare chest. **"Sshh, it's alright Leaf,"** he said softly, rubbing her back with his hands.

" **I can't believe I forgot about that! I'm so sorry Ash! If it wasn't for me, you would've never gotten hurt! I'm so sorry!"** sobbed the brunette on top of him.

" **Hey, it wasn't your fault. The only fault there is lies with the Skull Brothers and they've been dealt with. And I'm sorry for pushing you away so much that it caused you to end up in their clutches. The important thing is that you're fine and I was able to find you before anything happened. Like I promised before Leaf, I will never again leave you and will do all I can to be there for you. And don't even mention what happened in the past as I have forgiven you. I just hope you have forgiven me. You understand?"** Leaf took a moment before raising her tear streaked gaze to his. He wiped them away gently, with her loving his touch, her heart beat increasing. **"Remember this always no matter what happens Leaf; I love you."**

Leaf's lips formed into a small smile as she slowly calmed down. **"Thank you,"** she said quietly after pulling herself back together. **"Thank you for not being mad at me anymore. I forgive you too and I love you too Ashy."** She leaned in a bit towards him but then stopped, remembering where she was and who was there.

" **Why'd you stop? Keep going woman!"** Leaf and Ash snapped their gazes onto May who was grinning at them with her head leaning against her hand that was propped up against the pillow from her elbow. Even with the blanket covering her up to her neck, she looked so amazing in that position that it made Ash stare at her and Leaf was stunned at what she just said. **"Well? If you're not going to do anything, wanna move over so I can?"** Leaf smirked at her and then turned to face her beloved. She cupped Ash's still stunned face, made him look at her and smashed her lips against his, kissing passionately. May formed a delighted smile on her face, watching them kiss. She really did love seeing others happy as that made her happy too. Especially when it was her beloved and her 'sister'.

When Ash and Leaf separated, both looked like they had gone to the moon and came back. That was when Leaf felt something against her. **"Is somebody excited?"** she asked in a teasing tone of voice, making May giggle and Ash to blush slightly while also chuckling.

" **Sorry Leaf. Kind of hard for a guy not to get excited with two beautiful girls in bed with him. Especially when he's naked,"** commented Ash, making both brunettes blush heavily.

" **Good point. I'll let you two lovebirds get dressed. But first…"** She gave Ash another kiss before getting off of him. **"See you guys at the breakfast table. Make sure you don't come naked, to clean up your torn clothes and to move your asses. I don't think the chefs would appreciate you being late for their meal. Even if you did go twice in one night,"** she said at the door. She left the room laughing and closed the door behind her. Ash glanced at May who looked back at him. Both of them had crimson faces but were also laughing.

" **I think it's going to be interesting with Leaf,"** said May while laughing.

" **I do too,"** he said, smiling.

The two shared a kiss before getting out of bed. May stumbled a bit as she went to stand up, almost falling but caught herself in time by using the bedside dresser. She just realized how sore she was and her legs felt a little wobbly. **"Damn,"** she said out loud, turning to face Ash and saw him giving her a look of concern. **"You weren't kidding about me feeling sore in the morning,"** she said, with her face gradually turning redder by the second.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, turning red as well. **"Sorry May."**

The brunette however just smiled back deviously. **"It's alright. Just make sure to keep at it."**

The raven haired guardian laughed a bit. **"Alright my Princess. I promise."**

She sat back down onto the bed, unable to stay standing. **"Good. Could you hand me my bra and panties?"**

" **Sure thing."** He grabbed the requested items and gave it to her, but not before teasing her a bit by making her try to reach for it. Getting annoyed, May punched him in the stomach and Ash grunted with pain before giving her the requested apparel. May put on her undergarments and Ash went to put on his boxers. A moment later, May finally felt she could walk though with some difficulty and went to the drawer where she was pretending to search for pajamas last night and actually rummaged through it this time for some clothes she could borrow since Ash destroyed her dress last night. Ash's gaze was on her, unable to look away since May was bent forward a bit. He sneaked in closer and then…SMACK!

" **OOH!"** May jumped in surprise from the slap against her rear. She almost fell again but held herself up from the dresser. She rounded on Ash and slapped his chest. **"ASH! You know I can barely stand right now!"** she said.

" **Sorry May but I just couldn't resist,"** he told her with his trademark goofy grin.

She couldn't be angry with him at all. She wagged her index finger at him with a mock glare though. **"I get it that you love me and I'm hard to resist but you need to be punished for that. I'll get you for that, just you wait."** Ash just grinned at her and she gave him a playful glare before smiling. **"Come on, let's get ready for breakfast."** While the Princess and her Knight got dressed and washed up for breakfast, with some slight fooling around here and there, their bedroom door opened again and a small yellow mouse entered into it very slowly.

" **Pikachu?"** asked Ash, stopping in mid process of tickling May who also turned her attention to him.

" **Pika…"** replied back the electric pokémon tiredly. **"Pikapi…pi pika pi chu…"** Pikachu's gaze was on his basket bed, wanting to go to sleep. He had a long night with both Glaceon and Buneary. Both females didn't let him sleep all night but instead gave him a night he'll never forget. And surprisingly, he didn't want to. He just wanted to knock out for three days since he was so drained.

Ash started laughing, unable to hold it in and May gave him a curious look. Pikachu however, gave him a dirty look before telling him that he was going to be shocked later before he dropped into his bed and instantly fell asleep. **"What happened to him?"** asked May.

Ash finished up laughing and then explained. **"Pikachu said not to bother him while he tries to get some sleep. I've never seen him so tired. Even after a hard day's training. You're Glaceon and Dawn's Buneary must've given him a wild night,"** chuckled the raven haired guardian and May giggled.

The couple continued getting ready while the others were gathering in the dining room. Cilan, Cress and Chili had prepared the meal while Caroline, Grace and Johanna set up the table. Delia was with Natasha in her room, checking on her. After Natasha had warmed up to her and calmed down a bit, instead of checking every half hour, Delia was now checking every hour instead. She was pretty exhausted, having not rested properly at all because of her constant waking up. But she didn't complain as Natasha's need was greater than hers at the moment. She had promised her son that she'll take over for the night while he had some alone time with May and he said he'll make it up to her somehow. She also planned to catch up on her sleep later that night. She noticed that the red head's swelling had completely gone down thanks to the ointment she was given. It looked like she could now open both eyes with no problem when she woke up. After seeing that Natasha was alright and that she was still sleeping, Delia left the room to get some coffee and a fresh warm meal.

Everyone gathered round in the dining room and dug in to their breakfast with conversations going on between almost everyone. Ash was sitting between Anabel, Sarah, Leaf and Cynthia, the five of them talking about what other kind of training they might do and about the tournament. May was sitting between Misty, Dawn and Serena. The four of them were whispering to one another, no doubt speaking about May's date night with Ash last night since they were blushing and grinning during it. As they talked, something would shine off of them every now and then. All four of the girls had put on their necklaces that he had bought for them and would put them on everyday from now on, only taking it off when they had to, like when they showered, trained or slept.

When Norman saw his daughter May, his eyes widened seeing her wearing Ash's clothes. He was about to say something but before he could even get a word out, he was elbowed hard in the stomach. He grunted and turned to look at his wife who was giving him another look of rage. He gulped and said nothing. Caroline leaned in closer to whisper into his ear. **"It's okay honey. Remember what we talked about yesterday. They're not like others; they won't ever separate."** Caroline looked into her husband's eyes after saying that and Norman nodded with a slight sigh. Both of them continued with their breakfast while making some small talk as they periodically glanced towards their daughter. Each time they did so, she seemed to be even happier than before.

Gary was sitting between his sister Daisy who was speaking with Riley next to her and his grandpa Oak who was speaking with Norman and Clemont. He was glancing at Ilene every now and then, catching her gaze sometimes but she would look away immediately. He knew that she thought of him and might want to fix things but he had to be patient. He had been given a glimmer of hope from last night when she spoke to him and made eye contact. He had to think of a way to have her listen to him so he could speak to her, explain things and perhaps start over. And he had to talk to her about Ash at the same time as well to see if there was anything going on between the two.

Daisy glanced at her brother and saw him quietly eating his food. She knew what was going on in his head but didn't bother him. She glanced at Ilene and saw her looking at Gary but quickly turned away when she saw that she was looking at her. Daisy didn't comment or do anything and just went back to speaking with Riley, finishing up her meal in the process. Though she did have doubts that the two would get back together, she hoped they would for her brother's sake. But she also thought that they were very different so if they did, would it last?

Cilan, Cress, Chili, Iris, Lily and Violet were joking around and talking, being the loudest out of the whole group but nobody minded. The six of them were tired out and a bit sore from yesterday's training but wanted to do something together that day if they weren't going to train. They shared ideas like going for a swim again, go dancing at the club again or play some games at the arcade. Max and Bonnie were talking, wondering what they should do together. They were eavesdropping on the six, trying to get ideas. When they mentioned the arcade, the two young teenagers glanced at one another.

" **What do you think? Should we go again?"** asked Bonnie.

" **Well we've been there recently but I don't mind going again if you want to go,"** replied Max.

" **I like going to the arcade. I'll never get tired of it,"** she said quietly, slightly blushing.

" **I'm like that too!"** responded Max. Both of them had wide smiles appear on their faces, happy that the one that they liked and had feelings for had similar interests. They agreed that if they went to the arcade, that they would join them if they didn't mind. Until they found out if they did though, they decided to come up with a backup plan for what they should do in case they don't go to the arcade.

Lucy and Brock were talking to one another while she was massaging his shoulders a bit. They had finished their meals and Brock had complained a bit. His muscles had tensed up from yesterday's training. **"Man, there are so many tense areas. When was the last time you exercised Brock?"** she asked. She rubbed the area hard with her thumbs.

Brock let out a slight gasp. **"It's been a while Lucy. Haven't had much time when I was in school."** He let out a yelp that made her and the ones around them to chuckle a bit. She had hit a soft spot.

" **Don't be such a wimp Brock. Isn't the gym leader of rock types supposed to be as tough as rock themselves?"** she teased him.

Brock grasped her hand and pulled her onto his lap, making her let out a squeak in surprise. She slapped his chest in return and he laughed. He then leaned in closely to her. **"I'll show you how tough a rock trainer can be later tonight,"** he whispered into her ears. Lucy felt delightful shivers go through her body and she smirked at him when he looked at her face.

" **I guess we'll see. I hope you're ready for a wild night,"** she replied back quietly, making him smirk back.

" **Hey, perverts! Get a room!"** shot Liza loudly and the two went red in embarrassment while some of their friends laughed. They thought they weren't heard.

" **Shut up!"** said the two at once.

Liza just laughed before taking another bite of her breakfast. She glanced around to see what the others were up to. She was sitting between Giselle and Clair. Giselle was speaking with Daisy Waterflower about the Sensational Sisters' water plays and how they practiced for it. Clair was speaking with Shauna about some of their martial arts experiences. She looked at Lizabeth and found she was speaking with Delia, Caroline, Johanna and Grace about her travels after leaving home.

Liza smiled at all the interactions going on around her. It felt good to be around so many interesting and good hearted people for once, hearing them talk and joke. She did miss being around people when she was at the Charicific Valley. She loved being the trainer and caretaker of the place but she wanted to be around people too. Her once a month visits to the nearby villages to get some supplies and catch up with some acquaintances was nice but it wasn't enough. Though she did get asked out on some dates and went out with a few suitors because of it but nothing happened as they were all dull, uninteresting and she didn't feel connected to them at all. The only times she had some fun was when she spent some time with Clair, Cynthia and Sabrina though. They were her best friends and the four knew each other better than others. Speaking of her best friends…

" **Hey, where's Sabrina?"** asked Ash. He had finished up talking with the girls around him and happened to glance around. When he didn't notice a certain dark haired girl, he looked around again but didn't see her. His question caught the attention of everyone.

The caretaker of the valley tensed up a bit. She couldn't let them find out what happened in the morning with her friend. She decided to cover for her. **"She's not feeling well so she decided to sleep in a bit,"** informed Liza. Cynthia and Clair glanced at her and then at one another with raised eyebrows. Sabrina never gets sick. Something was up.

" **That sucks. Does she need anything? Maybe I should go check on her,"** said Ash standing up.

" **Don't!"** snapped Liza. Everyone stared at her because of her sudden outburst but she didn't let it phase her. **"She gets cranky if someone wakes her up, especially when she's not feeling well. She might use her powers on you,"** made up Liza, giving Clair and Cynthia a covert look when Ash turned his gaze away from her.

Ash just waved his hand. **"I'll be fine. She can't do worse than Mewtwo."** He took a step.

" **Don't go Ash. Liza's right and she'll be cranky all day and that will be annoying. Just let her wake up on her own and then you'll go check on her."** Ash turned and looked at Clair.

" **You sure?"** he asked her. She nodded and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. **"Alright. I just wanted to make sure she'll be alright because I feel responsible cause of the workout yesterday. But I guess I'll wait to find out."** He sat back down on his seat and the instant he did two things happened at once. Their hotel phone rang and Ash got a message on his Poketch. Delia went to answer the phone and he read the message. **"Looks like my eight match is scheduled for today at 5pm and it's against…"** Ash stopped talking, his eyes growing wide.

" **Who is it? Who are you facing Ash? Is it Tobias?"** asked Misty.

Ash turned his gaze to her and shook his head. **"No. It's Damian Daisuke."**

Everyone who was at the club and witnessed the altercation went quiet. They looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces before they each turned their gaze onto him and the brunette from Pallet Town. Leaf glanced at Ash and grasped his hand, making him turn to her. **"Ash…I…"**

He shushed her and allowed a small smile to form on his face. **"You have nothing to worry about. Like I said before, I'm not angry with you anymore."**

She smiled a little but knew there was more to it. **"Thank you Ashy. But I can tell there's more. Why does he bother you so much?"** she asked.

" **You mean besides him trying to make a move on you at the club?"** Leaf nodded and Ash sighed. He glanced at Misty and Brock who had angry looks form on their faces that everyone saw. He turned back to look at Leaf after looking at everyone else. **"Because he's an egotistical, arrogant and lying asshole who mistreats others, including Pokémon. My Charizard used to be his Charmander at first. He had abandoned him on top of a large boulder because he thought he was weak. He lied to him by saying that he'll come back for him. I found Charmander weak, hungry, hurt, shivering from the cold rain and being attacked by wild pokémon during my early days as a trainer."** Everyone in the room became angry at what they heard. **"Even after I saved him and told him that Damian wasn't coming back, Charmander had gone back to wait for him."**

" **How did you know that Damian abandoned him because he thought he was weak and wasn't going to go back?"** asked Giselle. She didn't believe that Ash would ever lie but wanted to know how he knew or found out.

" **Because we heard him brag about it with his friends at the pokémon center we ran into to escape the rain,"** answered Brock, making their group become even angrier with several commenting on that with not so pretty words.

Ash waited for them to calm down a bit before continuing. **"Good news is that at the end of it all, Charmander figured out that Damian wasn't coming back and that we really cared about him. He came to help us when we ran into Team Rocket. Damian saw what he did, beating Team Rocket and tried to get him back by lying and saying he was going to come back for him. But Charmander saw through it and came with me instead,"** finished up Ash.

It was silent for a few minutes after he finished explaining why he despised him so much. Everyone was thinking about how it was disgusting that such trainers existed and how they acted. Pokémon shouldn't be abandoned just because they were thought to be weak. **"Crush him Ash."** They all looked at Leaf, her expression filled with anger. **"Crush him into the ground. I can't believe I ever let someone like that dance with me, let alone touch me. I should've known the type of person he is, the way he was talking to me, taking advantage of how I was feeling. Teach him a lesson. And I'm so sorry."** She hugged Ash tightly and he returned it, with some smiles shown at the two.

" **It's alright and I promise Leaf. I'll teach him a lesson that he won't soon forget,"** he told her.

He looked around the group while in the hug, seeing their smiles. He was happy that none were angry at Leaf. That's when he realized that now would be the perfect time to say what he and the girls had decided. He separated from Leaf and gave her a reassuring smile before standing up.

" **Everyone, there's something I need to say,"** and they all went silent to listen. Delia stepped into the dining room at that moment and they noticed. She wanted to tell him what she found out from the phone call but decided to wait until after he said what was on his mind. **"What I'm about to say is very important. It regards me and the girls I love so much."** It became so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping onto the floor. The four girls glanced at one another and then at their families. They knew what was coming and wondered how they would take the stuff that they didn't know about. **"Like I said, I love them with all my heart. I will not choose one over the other and they have admitted to loving me fully as well."** They glanced at the four girls who went pink but also smiled. They got up and went to stand beside Ash, a sign of support and agreement. **"Because of our special situation, we have discussed many things together and decided to let you know of our decision after all the dates were done. We would like you all to know that we five are officially together, with the girls sharing me between them."** Some cat calls and wolf whistles were made from their friends, making some of the others laugh and the parents to shake their heads chuckling while the five became embarrassed, flushing with color. When they finally calmed down, Ash continued. **"There are also a couple more things to be said. We ask that you don't spread this information around to everyone just yet. Of course if someone asks us directly, we will tell them ourselves if we deem it necessary. Though we won't hide it anymore, we don't feel the need to parade it around. Each of us could use less attention."** They all laughed a bit over that statement. **"The other important thing is this…"**

He glanced at Leaf, who went red. He walked over to her, extending his hand to her and she took it before he helped her stand. He had her walk to where the four girls were and had her stand beside them. He then moved to where Cynthia was and extended his hand to her as well. She took it without hesitation and stood up. He escorted her to the girls. He then moved over to Sarah and Anabel and extended his hands, one to each. The two girls gulped, feeling embarrassed at being put on the spot so suddenly but took his hand regardless. He walked them over to the group of girls and after they too stood among them, Ash stood in the middle of the group. During this whole time, everyone was watching silently, though some had funny looking expressions shown on their faces.

" **You should all know this,"** started Ash. **"I have come to realize that my feelings for Leaf have never died since we were kids as I still love her and she has told me that she loves me back. As for Cynthia, Sarah and Anabel; I'd rather just have you know this now. I have admired them for their abilities, kindness and the way they treat everyone. Because of that and our interactions in the past together, some more recent than others, I have developed loving feelings for them and the three of them feel the same way towards me and we decided to give it a shot with the girls approving of it."** The four girls went crimson and almost everyone had their jaws drop at the news.

" **WHAT?!"** shouted out the girls' parents together at once, absolutely shocked. **"I figured Leaf would join but Cynthia, Sarah and Anabel too?!"** stated Norman, his eyes locked onto Ash who stepped forward.

" **Mr. Maple, I know this is a huge thing to hear and understand but please try to,"** he told him, the room completely silent. **"I didn't notice or realize my feelings for them because my attention was primarily on Misty, May, Dawn and Serena but thanks to them…"** He glanced at the four mentioned, who smiled at him and he smiled back before turning his attention back to everyone else. **"What happened after speaking with Arceus and me going crazy, they and Lucario helped me to open my eyes a little more and made to understand what was going on and happening."** He explained what had happened that night, why they could enter and the rest couldn't. Everyone was listening silently as he gave out details of the why, how, what it means and so on while alternating his gaze onto the four parents' faces as he spoke. The newer members of the group were awed at what they were hearing. When he finished explaining, he went quiet for a moment, allowing the parents and the group to process what he just said before he spoke again. **"If you are angry with me, disappointed with me, disgusted with me or anything else, for whatever reason, I don't blame you. If you have anything to say to me, if you want to hurt me, I will not stop your attempt and neither will anyone else here. But I will say no matter what you say or do, or what others say or do, whether things work out between us or not, I will never stop caring for them, having feelings for them and will do everything I can for them."** He turned his attention to the girls beside him. **"And I know that they'll do the same for me."** The eight girls around him smiled and hugged him tightly in a group hug.

Seeing them in a loving embrace made many from their group think about what he said and what they were seeing. Many of the other couples glanced at their beloved and embraced one another as well since Ash's words resonated with them. They would do the same for the one they love. Gary glanced at Ilene who was looking at the hugging group. He hung his head, missing when Ilene glanced at him. She felt saddened a bit but when she turned her gaze back to Ash and the girls she became envious of what they have, wishing she could have something like that again. She wasn't the only one to have a reaction though. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower felt their hearts skip a beat, yearning to be with him as well. But one of them was absolutely startled by her feeling that, making her become both confused and scared of what she was feeling.

Sudden movement made them all snap out of their trance and the nine to break apart from their group hug. Norman, Caroline, Johanna and Grace had stood up and were looking at the group with blank faces. The four walked over to them. The young man and the girls stood their ground in front of the four parents, waiting for their reactions and so was everyone else.

Johanna turned her attention to Dawn. **"Is this what you want? Are you happy with this?"** she asked her daughter.

Dawn smiled and nodded. **"It is Mom. We talked it over and…"** she glanced at the four new girls who looked back at her with smiles. **"They are our friends and we like them,"** she revealed, wrapping an arm around Cynthia's arm and the two beamed at one another before facing everyone else.

" **Are you sure?"** asked Grace and Caroline together, looking at their daughters.

Serena and May stepped forward and the two threw an arm around the shoulders of Sarah and Anabel before speaking. **"We know they won't betray us and will be loyal, respectful, honest and help us in whatever we need,"** said Serena, making Sarah and Anabel blush heavily since the attention was on them but so did Cynthia and Leaf.

" **And we'll do the same for them without hesitation cause they are our sisters,"** added May and the four new girls smiled and nodded.

Misty went up to Leaf, the brunette facing the red head. " **And even though we had our problems in the past at first,"** started the water trainer, with everyone looking at the two. **"We've moved past it and come to realize that each of us want this with pure intentions."** The two smiled at each other and hugged, making many in the group smile at the display. They separated and the two glanced at the raven haired guardian with the other girls doing the same. **"And how much each of us cares for and loves this dense head in front of us…"** Some laughs sounded out in the dining room and Ash shook his head slightly while chuckling, rubbing the back of his head. **"Who loves and cares for us so much that he would risk it all for us."**

Ash smiled at the red head before he turned to the parents again. **"This is what we want,"** he told them. **"We've talked it over and we truly believe it can work out for us. Especially if you support us as that would make things much easier."**

Norman and the mothers were quiet for several moments but everyone else's attention was on May's father, wondering if he would explode or attack Ash again. The parents glanced at one another. They then looked at Delia who had her neutral gaze on them. They looked at her for a moment before glancing at one another again. Norman thought long and hard before he took a step forward to Ash. He raised his hand and placed it on his shoulder. **"If there's any man in the world who can pull this off, whose words I can believe, it's you. We've seen your memories. We've seen how you will do anything for the ones you love and care about by risking your life for them, both in the past and during the stadium attack. We've seen you let them go to pursue their own dreams and even helped them achieve it. You kept my daughter safe, happy and did everything you could for her and you did the same for the others as well. We've seen you do many incredible things and go through much suffering. And you did it all not just for your own goals, or to fight for the world, but to protect them. You put them before you and that is the trait of a true man and that's the type of man I want for my daughter."** Norman's praise made many in the room become wide eyed, especially Max. He had never seen his father compliment anyone else outside of their family, let alone so much. **"If the girls want this as much as you do, if this truly is based on pure intentions, if they are truly comfortable with it, you all have my support."**

May had a large smile form on her face before hugging her father after he and Ash shook hands. **"Thank you Dad for supporting us,"** she said.

He smiled, hugging his daughter back. **"If this makes you happy, then that's what I'll support."** After their hug, the parents, including Delia along with Ash and the girls exchanged hugs and gratitude for understanding and supporting them.

When they finished with that, Ash made everyone look at him as he turned to face the parents and spoke. **"I just wanted to say thank you for your support and not fighting with us over it,"** he told them.

The parents smiled at him and the girls. **"You're welcome since we figured it would be better to just embrace this since we talked about it a bit last night,"** revealed Norman, making the group become surprised.

" **You did?!"** asked Ash and the girls at once together, making their family and friends laugh at their sudden outbursts at the same time.

" **Well we kind of went into it a bit but it was mostly about Leaf,"** said Norman but didn't elaborate though the brunette from Pallet Town went red. **"Anyways, I do have to say this."** They all went quiet at once to hear what he was going to say. **"You do anything to hurt my daughter or any one of the girls, for any reason and you don't even want to think of the horrible torturous things I will do to you,"** promised Norman, making many of the males gulp and have fear fill them for Ash's sake at the way he said it with a menacing tone of voice.

Ash however, stood his ground and didn't react to it. **"Understood Mr. Maple."**

He raised his hand for the two to shake once more but instead May's father took him into a hug again and clapped his back a few times before separating. **"Welcome to the family son. But I must say, good luck with taking care of eight girls,"** he said with a chuckle and everyone else chuckled too.

" **Thanks, I'm going to need it,"** he replied back while chuckling a bit. He heard several growls from behind and he turned around to see the eight girls with narrowed eyes, glaring at him. **"Ah, you know I was just joking right?"** he asked them.

" **Sure, let's go with that because so are we,"** said Misty, taking out her mallet. Ash took a couple steps back with the girls moving towards him.

" **Hey Ashy-boy,"** said Gary, making his rival look at him. **"Run."**

Ash faced the girls again and started walking backwards with his hands up in front of him, waving them like a white flag but the girls didn't stop. They advanced and the guardian bolted into the living room towards his room with the girls after him, their friends and family howling with laughter at the hilarious situation. There were a few who were bummed out in not being part of the group but didn't show it. Delia decided to tell Ash about the call later, not wanting to ruin the girls' fun.

" **Is everyone finished with breakfast?"** asked Caroline after they left. Nobody said otherwise. **"Okay, let's clean up then. Chop chop!"** She started to clean up and so did the others. After they piled the dirty dishes into the sink, put the leftover food into the fridge and pantry, they split up into smaller groups to take care of some things after while some of them volunteered to do the dishes who were Chili, Cress, Violet and Lily.

Liza was about to go check on Sabrina when Clair caught up to her. **"Hey, what's wrong with her?"** asked the blunette. Liza tried to ignore the question. She wanted to check on her before saying anything but Clair gave her a look. **"Really? The silent treatment? Don't try that with me. I know her just as well as you do,"** she reminded.

Liza sighed. **"Alright fine. But wait till Cynthia comes back from torturing Ash with the other girls. Then we'll go together so you two can ask her,"** she advised and Clair reluctantly agreed. The two went to the large balcony to find Giselle there, staring at the horizon over the railings. **"Hey you alright?"** asked Liza as the two drew nearer to her.

Giselle turned around and saw her two new friends in front of her. **"Yes, thank you. Just thinking about some things."**

" **Like what? If you don't mind us asking,"** asked Clair and she went to stand on her right side and leaned against the railings with Liza doing the same on her left side.

The black haired girl copied them and let out a sigh. **"Just about what's happened in the past few days. I mean, so much has happened and it all seems to revolve around Ash."** Liza and Clair nodded, agreeing with that and commenting on it as well. **"I mean, he's an Aura Guardian. My school has almost no information about them except that that they were Arceus's chosen Knights to keep balance, peace and deal justice. And what he told us about this coming war…this darkness…this Ragnarok…it's scaring me."** Again the two older females nodded, understanding her. **"But that's not the only thing that's scaring me…"**

" **What else is?"** asked Liza, curious while Clair remained silent.

Giselle glanced at her, then at the blunette before looking at her hands on the railings. **"I'm afraid…that all my studying, being valedictorian and few smaller tournament wins was a waste. I thought I was strong but Ash completely sweeped me like I was nothing. But he had trouble fighting against the stadium attackers who he said were corrupted by this Ragnarok. If he has trouble, how can I fight against this evil? I'm scared that I won't be able to protect my parents. They're well off but they have no idea about this at all. They weren't the best of parents, shipping me off to school immediately but they still were there for me. Sort of. Even though they put so much pressure on me to succeed, I'm scared that I'll lose them."** Giselle's eyes began to water, unable to hold back the sadness from filling her. Liza and Clair both felt bad for their young friend. **"And I'm scared for…Ash…he has so much on his shoulders. How could anyone possibly be able to function let alone laugh, go out on dates, live with killing people even though they were evil, worry about other people's small problems, help us train, take care of eight girlfriends and so much more? How is he able to do all this and not crack from so much pressure?!"** she asked them. Liza and Clair looked at one another, frowning.

Liza spoke up first while Clair remained quiet. She was better at this kind of stuff. **"That's normal to feel this stuff Giselle,"** said the caretaker of the valley and the younger girl glanced at her. **"You suffered a bad defeat and that opened your eyes. And you found out that there are other things happening in the world that made you realize that there are more important things. And all of this happened in just a few days. It seems overwhelming, and it is. And you have every right to feel scared."** Giselle hung her head, her eyes letting out a few tears but hurriedly wiped them away. **"But you need to look on the bright side of things…"**

" **What bright side?"** asked Giselle suddenly, catching the two off guard. **"I'm nowhere near Ash's strength. I can't protect my parents from this coming evil. My friends from school aren't really my friends. They only contact me when they need something. And even though I finally saw the guy I fell in love with a long time ago, he barley interacts with me, is taken and I can't move on. And…."**

Clair and Liza gasped. **"Whoa, hold up!"** exclaimed Clair. Giselle realized what she let slip, clapping her hands to her mouth while turning beet red. **"What do you mean by that?!"** asked the blunette.

" **Nothing! Just forget I said it!"** snapped Giselle and made to run but was prevented from doing so since both girls grabbed her by her upper arms and whirled her around. **"Let me go! Please!"** she cried.

" **We'll let you go Giselle but just think about what I say next,"** said Clair and Giselle stopped struggling to get free to listen. **"You can keep running from your problems, forever in fear or you can face them and try to overcome them."** Liza looked at Clair from the corner of her eye, wondering how she was able to say that to someone else when she had her own particular issue but didn't comment on it. It would be no good to their friend right now if they got into it. Clair glanced at her and both of them let the black haired girl go.

Giselle took a step back automatically before turning to leave. She took another step before freezing, hearing the gym leader's words. Images flashed in front of her mind's eye of all the things she went through ever since that one day she met Ash and how he completely shook up her life in less than a few hours. She couldn't keep doing this to herself anymore. She faced the two older girls. **"You're right. I have to face them."** The two nodded, asking what happened. " **I'll tell you, but only after I can tell the person I love about it first."** She began walking away.

" **Is that person Ash?"** asked Liza, surprising Clair that she asked that.

Giselle froze before slowly facing them again, doing her absolute best to stay calm. **"Why…would you think…its him?"**

" **Hmm, let's see,"** started Liza holding up her fist and extended out a finger after each statement she made next. **"You asked him out after your battle in the tournament."** Giselle gasped, wondering how she knew about that. **"You spent time with him at the club, talking, drinking and dancing together."** Giselle's cheeks reddened. **"You decided to stay with us even though you didn't really know any of us except for Ash. You were worried about him fighting the Skull Brothers and were on the verge of crying when he was being healed after his fight with them. And you just said you're scared for him. Am I missing anything?"** she asked her.

Giselle was speechless for a moment. She was filled with embarrassment at being found out so easily and her slip up. She snapped out of it, anger at being found out rising to her defense. **"Well, what about you?! You like him too!"**

" **What?! No I don't!"** snapped Liza, pink circles appearing on her cheeks.

" **Oh really? Then why were you trying so hard to have him do something to you after losing your drinking match?!"** shot Giselle.

" **I was just owning up to losing my end of the bet like a mature adult!"** Liza replied back heatedly but her crimson face completely betrayed her.

" **Right. And who were you fantasizing being with when you decided to have some personal time while we were sleeping and didn't clean up after yourself?"** jumped in Clair, seizing the opportunity to make Liza come clean since she knew she liked him.

Liza burned up at the double team against her, seeing the two smirking at her. **"Oh shut up! It's not like either of you haven't ever masturbated while fantasizing!"** The two girls went quiet, turning scarlet. **"That's what I thought!"** She turned to Clair, pointing at her with her right hand. **"And at least I didn't have an expression of wanting to be fucked by him after being pinned to a wall by him for all to see Clair!"** she shot.

Clair gasped at that but then quickly narrowed her eyes at her, both angry and embarrassed. **"That's not true! I was surprised that he was able to do that to me of all people! That's all!"** defended Clair though her reddened face gave it away just like it did to Liza.

" **If that's your surprised face, you should change it cause it looked to me like you wanted to be fucked right then and there,"** jabbed Liza with a dirty smirk.

" **Screw you! Don't make me kick your ass Liza!"** warned Clair.

" **For what? For telling the truth? I thought you had a weird expression on your face too!"** remarked Giselle and Liza crossed her arms with a triumphant look on her face.

Clair shot the younger girl a dirty look, making her become frightened. **"Look who's talking! It's the little scared friendless girl who thinks she's important just because she went to some expensive school for conceited brats until she got a taste of how the real world is!"** snapped Clair.

Giselle's head hung, shaking, completely demoralized and Liza became angry. **"What the fuck is your problem Clair?!"** The green haired girl hugged the younger girl and tried to comfort her. She locked her eyes with her best friend who was about to apologize for what she said but Liza cut her off. **"At least she wasn't the one who thought about letting some low life douche bag trainer that she just met learn all of her training secrets and almost get into her pants just because he was considered a prodigy dragon trainer!"** shot Liza heatedly, her nostrils flaring in anger. Giselle looked up in shock at hearing that. She wanted to ask if that was true. But she never did do that because her gaze become stuck on the blunette and the green haired girl realized she had crossed the line immediately after seeing how Clair took it….

The gym leader was trembling in her spot, her confident demeanor completely vanishing and instead filled up with fear, regret and shame. **"I…I can't believe…you went there,"** she said quietly, her eyes watering.

" **Clair I…"** stammered Liza but was unable to continue. Giselle was completely lost, not knowing what to do as the sudden comment war just stopped abruptly with both girls staring at one another with sullen gazes. Clair made to leave but Liza quickly stopped her and hugged her. **"I'm so sorry Clair,"** apologized the green haired girl as Clair started to cry. **"I never should have gone there. Please forgive me."**

" **You're…such a…bitch Liza,"** sobbed the gym leader while in the hug. **"Of all the…things to say…why bring that up?"**

" **I know, I know. I'm a bitch. I'm sorry Clair. I really am,"** she apologized again. Clair let it out some more sobs but started recomposing herself slowly after a little bit of time passed. Liza turned to Giselle who was beyond confused. **"Don't ask and I'm sorry for putting you on the spot Giselle."**

The black haired girl was taken aback by the sudden apology but quickly recovered. **"I'm sorry as well for saying those things,"** replied the younger girl.

Clair stopped her sobbing finally and took a step back, wiping away her tear streaks. **"I'm sorry too for what I said to you two."** Giselle nodded and hugged Clair who was momentarily taken aback but then reciprocated the hug. Liza hugged the two as well.

The three stayed like that quietly for about a few seconds until the caretaker spoke up. **"You know, if we were at the club right now, we probably would've had some drunk guys telling us to make out for some money. We could've made a fortune,"** she said. The other two separated from her with disbelieving looks on their faces. Liza started laughing and the two followed after her.

" **Thanks. I needed that,"** remarked Clair after they finished laughing and Giselle agreed. **"So,"** started Clair and the two looked at her. **"You two like Ash huh?"** she asked them. Giselle merely looked down at her feet, shifting around a bit. Her behavior indicated a most definite yes. **"Okay Giselle, we get it. You do but we won't ask again or make you spill the reasons why until you're ready,"** said Clair. The younger girl looked up at the two. She saw them being serious about it and she thanked them before looking at Liza waiting for her answer.

" **I do like him but I don't know what to do about it for several reasons,"** replied Liza after a moment, deciding she should just let it be known between them since they wouldn't go blabbering it out. She still had to say it though. **"Please don't tell anyone. And do you?"** asked the green haired girl to the blunette.

The two agreed not to say anything and Clair sighed. _Should I come clean? Am I ready to let them know?_ She sighed before speaking, thinking that she couldn't be afraid of it. She was a dragon trainer after all and dragon trainers shouldn't be so timid. **"I do like him too,"** she said. The two nodded but said nothing more, making the gym leader feel relieved. **"But you tell anyone and I'll kick both of your asses,"** she warned them.

Liza started chuckling but Giselle looked afraid. **"Right…is that before or after Cynthia shoves her foot up your ass?"** asked the green haired girl.

" **You're afraid of Cynthia?"** asked an astonished Giselle.

Clair sweat dropped. **"Yea but only her so you better watch it."** Giselle gulped and nodded her head while Liza just scoffed. **"And hey, she'll kick your asses too!"**

Giselle had her eyes widened and Liza sighed. **"Shit, I forgot to include myself in that,"** remarked Liza.

" **But what do we do about this very unusual situation?"** asked Giselle.

" **Eh, who knows?"** remarked Liza, shrugging. **"We'll figure something out."** The two sighed in response. Thinking they shouldn't dwell on that right now, Liza glanced over at the foosball table and grinned. **"Bet I can take both of you on by myself though,"** declared Liza, moving to it. Giselle and Clair glanced at one another and then back at their friend.

" **You're on,"** said Giselle.

" **Prepare for defeat!"** added Clair. The three girls began playing a surprisingly even game of foosball while two of them waited for Cynthia to get out so they could go check on Sabrina.

Iris, Cilan, Bonnie, Max, Joy, Richie, Norman, Caroline, Johanna and Grace were in the living room watching a movie together. Delia was with them at first but had gone to check on Natasha. It was about four adoptive brothers who had gone separate ways coming back together to avenge their mother's murder. The movie was entertaining and one of the scenes involving a laundry machine made Norman and Caroline covertly glance at one another, thinking if they should try it next time they were back home alone. Johanna and Grace would comment on the movie every now about the more violent or funny scenes. Iris was leaning against Cilan, watching it earnestly since she never saw the movie before and liked action movies. Cilan was mildly interested in it but thought it was a little too vulgar for his taste. Bonnie and Max had their eyes glued to it, loving the action and the badass brothers working together to find out who their mother's murderer was. Joy was cuddled up against Richie who had an arm around her. He had fallen asleep though, having seen the movie many times before but Joy didn't mind. She watched the movie silently but would let out a gasp or squeak at some of the more exciting scenes but didn't wake him up. A few minutes later, Delia came back and took her seat again next to Grace and Johanna. They asked how she was doing and she replied back saying that she was fine.

Clemont and Professor Oak were once again speaking with one another about new discoveries in the dining room. A couple of the topics that they talked about involved a new electronic device that would help trainers on their journeys and a brand new way to travel involving teleportation between the main cities. That's if they could get it approved by the league because it involved draining psychic pokémon's energies to use as the fuel for it even though it was done harmlessly and wasn't permanent. Afterwards, they talked about a possible new pokémon discovered but the lack of information on it was disheartening.

Daisy Oak and Riley were also in the dining room but they were at the other end of the large table playing Battleship. Riley had three of his ships already blown up but only managed to bring down one of Daisy's. **"B-9,"** said Riley.

" **Miss,"** announced Daisy with a grin. **"F-7."** Riley sighed, commenting that she hit his ship. **"Don't be such a sore loser,"** she taunted.

Riley shook his head. **"I'm not!"** he defended. **"I just can't believe how you get so lucky!"**

" **It's not luck, its skill,"** countered Daisy. He rolled his eyes and she glared at him playfully for a second before announcing her next coordinates. Once again, he said that she hit him and she smirked before it went away. **"Riley…"**

Her soft tone of voice surprised him. He looked up at her from his ships on the game. **"Yes Daisy?"**

" **Do you think my brother and the queen will get back together?"** she asked him.

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. **"Honestly? I have no idea,"** he answered.

" **Yea, me neither. But if they don't…"** She stopped, too scared to continue.

" **You know you can tell me anything,"** encouraged Riley.

Daisy looked into his serious yet caring eyes. **"If they don't, does that mean we won't work out too?"** she asked him.

Riley grasped her hand gently and looked into her fear filled pupils. **"I hope it works out for them. But if it doesn't, that won't mean that we aren't meant to be either. I've never felt this way about anyone else before and I've kept no secrets from you. I truly believe you're the one for me. I only hope you feel the same way,"** he told her softly, ending it with a smile.

Daisy let a large smile form on her face and gripped his hand tightly. **"I do too. Thanks for understanding and helping me not lose myself to my fears."** He nodded at her with a smile before they continued their game. She won in the end and he requested for a rematch and so they played again.

Chili, Cress, Violet and Lily had finished up washing, drying and putting away the dishes before moving together to the living room. They chatted up many different things while they did the chore, such as how their restaurant and water plays were both very stressful but also rewarding since they loved making people happy in their respective professions. The two sisters told their boyfriends that they had to see their plays and they promised to see it while telling them they had to see their restaurant in turn and they agreed. They reached the living room and joined the others in watching the movie.

Brock and Lucy had gone to their room after helping clean up the dining table. The male plopped down face first onto the soft bed. He was still tired and sore from the workout yesterday. Lucy giggled a bit but then got an idea. She went to her luggage in the closet and rummaged through it before pulling something out. She went into the attached bathroom that they luckily had and was in there for a few minutes while Brock just relaxed on the bed. Lucy opened the bathroom door and looked at the tired form of her boyfriend while leaning against the door frame. **"You alright Brock?"**

" **I'm so sore Lucy. I don't want to move at all,"** he answered.

Lucy frowned but he didn't see that, his gaze towards the other side of the room. **"That sucks. What can I do to help?"**

" **I'll be fine babe. Just give me some time to relax please before Ash's match,"** he requested.

" **Are you sure? Because I really can help,"** asked Lucy in a sultry tone.

Brock turned his face while not getting up to look at her and respond back that he was sure but then stopped with his mouth left open and his squinty eyes widened. Lucy was dressed in a very sexy nurse's outfit. She had white stockings that went all the way up to reach the middle of her thighs. A very short white skirt that barely concealed her rear and womanhood and her small blouse showed off her toned stomach and it was just tight enough to show off her bust with some buttons opened to show a good amount of cleavage. She had a white nurse's hat on as well. Lucy slowly moved to the bedroom door, swaying her hips and walking in high heels with Brock watching her every move, unable to look away. She reached the door and placed the two locking mechanisms towards the 'locked' positions. The Frontier Brain then turned her head back towards her love. **"I think you need…a different kind of medical treatment."** She said before slowly moving to him. Brock stayed quiet but turned to lie on his back when she reached the bed. He made to sit up but was prevented from doing so when she climbed on top of him. " **This is a very…heart exciting procedure. Can you handle it?"** asked Lucy. Brock nodded vigorously and Lucy smirked. **"Good. Now let's get started."** She leaned in and kissed him while unbuckling his pants and he clamped his hands onto her waist at the top of her short skirt.

While those two went at it in their room with no one knowing about it, in one of the other rooms, sitting at the top of her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest and staring at a Squirtle doll was the oldest Sensational Sister. Daisy Waterflower was lost in thought. She was thinking about the special situation between Ash, her baby sister Misty, the other girls, how everyone accepted it and what she felt seeing him and the girls in a group embrace. She was astounded about what she just witnessed. But then again, it didn't really surprise her. Ash was an amazing man and he never did hide anything or try to do anything to anyone that would hurt them. It kind of made sense that he would have many girls fall in love with him and he in turn with them.

As she thought about him some more, she started thinking about how she viewed him and of some of the things he did or said when he interacted with her that made her feel something inside. How she felt so happy when he gave her the doll. She thought of how she felt so worried for him when he went to fight against the horrible men when he was in a vulnerable state and also when he was being healed. How she felt proud when he praised her during their training. She thought of how he brushed up against her chest accidentally when he was trying to catch May through the 'wall' of girls. How he apologized immediately after feeling embarrassed and how that made her become embarrassed but also feel something stir inside her. Their quick conversation and hug the other night that made her feel that same stirring feeling inside her again.

She thought about all those things and wondered why Ash of all people, would make her feel so many different things. Was there something wrong with her? Could she just be imagining things? What could be causing her to feel all this? At that moment, she remembered how her heart yearned to be with him when he announced that he had feelings for eight different girls, one of whom was her baby sister and they had feelings for him too. A whirlwind of emotions erupted inside of her, twisting her stomach into knots. She gasped, realizing what it meant but couldn't believe it. **"How could this have happened?!"** she asked out loud to no one. **"How could I have fallen for him? This can't be true!"** snapped Daisy, throwing the Squirtle doll across the room. It hit the wall before bouncing off slightly and dropped to the floor. She stood up from her bed and paced around the room, thinking furiously with her heart beating madly.

" **It's just my imagination!"** she said to herself, while pacing back and forth. **"I cannot have feelings for him!"** She kept pacing, making her walk longer and longer before turning around, eventually reaching the doll she flung and stopped at the sight of it. Seeing it again made all the memories that involved the raven haired young man flow through her mind quickly. From the very first time she met him to the present. She sunk to her knees, picked up the Squirtle doll and then hugged it tightly with her eyes closed. **"I can't believe this. I'm fooling myself,"** she whispered. **"I have feelings for him. I have feelings for Ash."** She started letting out tears after admitting it to herself. She got up and went back to her bed before lying down on her side and faced the wall with the doll in her tight embrace. **"I'm such a horrible sister. I fell for the same man my sister has loved for years. What kind of shallow bitch am I?"** She sniffed, sobbing as she thought of how horrible she was. After some time, she came to a conclusion. _It doesn't matter whether I have feelings for him or not. I will not betray Misty. I will not hurt her! Even if I stay miserable and single for the rest of my life, I will not betray Misty._ She remembered her vow, her promise to Arceus about her sisters being happy for the rest of their lives. **"I still mean that promise Arceus,"** she said out loud. **"My love life and happiness in exchange for my sisters to be happy and fortunate,"** she repeated again. She went quiet afterwards but kept thinking about how she couldn't betray her sister and she would just have to deal with her feelings by hiding them.

Shauna and Lizabeth were heading towards their room. As they were walking down the hall towards it, Ilene stepped out of one of the bathrooms quickly and bumped into them. **"I'm sorry. I should be more careful,"** apologized the queen.

" **No worries,"** replied back Shauna and she made to continue…

" **Are you okay Ilene?"** asked Lizabeth, making Shauna stop and look at the blonde again. That's when she noticed that her eyes were red.

The young queen began feeling nervous and embarrassed. She didn't want anyone to know she was sad and had been crying just now. She was overcome with emotions after Ash and the girls left and she was thinking about whether or not she and Gary could ever be together again and have what they have. **"Y-yes. I'm f-fine,"** she stammered. They gave her a disbelieving look. **"Really, I am,"** she said more confidently.

The two blunettes glanced at one another and sighed. **"Alright. But if you need to talk, we'll be in our room,"** offered Lizabeth and the two left the queen in the hallway, watching them enter their room.

" **She's lying. Something's up,"** said Lizabeth after they entered their room and closed the door.

" **Without a doubt. But about what?"** asked Shauna. The two sat on their own beds and thought a bit before one of them gasped suddenly. **"You don't think this has something to do with Ash do you?!"**

Lizabeth's eyes widened. **"I bet it does. It makes sense."**

" **You think she likes him?"** asked Shauna in a whisper.

Lizabeth was quiet for a moment. **"I don't know about that but I think after Ash spilled Gary's secret, Ilene has become conflicted about Gary."** Shauna gave a look of understanding. **"She's probably trying to figure out if she still has feelings for him, whether or not if things could work out with him and whether or not it should. And she probably still feels horrible for what she did to Ash even though she apologized to him and he forgave her."**

Shauna nodded. **"That does make sense. I mean, as a Queen, she would have to think of more than just herself. That must be a lot of weight on her shoulders."**

" **Yea, just like Ash,"** agreed her friend and the two sighed and went silent for a moment. **"Is it wrong or sad that I'm happy for him though?"** she asked suddenly.

" **You mean that we're not with him as well but we're glad that he's doing alright and happy?"** clarified the fighter and she was answered with a nod. **"It might be. But does it matter what others say? Some might agree and some may not. The only thing that we should ask ourselves is this; will we be truly happy with things staying the way they are?"** asked Shauna.

Lizabeth allowed herself to fall backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Shauna sat at the top of her bed and leaned against the head board. **"I don't know how much longer I can hold it in Shauna,"** admitted Lizabeth and her friend looked at her. **"We need to figure out a way because neither of us will be able to stay content much longer by just staying on the sidelines."** Shauna agreed with that. Both of them were silent for a long time. They started brainstorming together on how to reveal their feelings for him but each thing they came up with was lamer than the last.

After Ilene bumped into the two blunettes, she walked towards the living room, seeing some of them watching the movie. She didn't feel like watching a movie and headed to her room. On the way, one of the bathroom doors opened and just like she did before, the one exiting it bumped into her now. **"My bad. Should've watched where I…"** The person stopped talking after realizing who he bumped in to. Ilene turned to move away but was stopped suddenly when she felt her wrist grasped. It was Gary. **"Ilene, please give me a chance to talk,"** he requested, seizing the unexpected opportunity and hoping she would allow him to do so.

Ilene's heart was beating madly, wondering what she should do. One side of her was saying to give him a chance but the other was telling her not to do so. **"Let go."** He did so and she turned around to face him. Her emotions were all over the place but she was able to control them for the moment. **"Fine. Explain,"** she replied.

" **Can we go somewhere private to talk first?"** asked Gary. She thought about it for a moment but then agreed. **"Thank you. My room is right here,"** he said and opened a nearby bedroom door and held it for her. Ilene walked in and Gary followed after her before closing the door behind him. The two faced each other with some distance between them. **"Ilene, first off, I want to apologize,"** started Gary. **"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have hid anything from you. Even though I told you a general idea of the things I've done, I didn't tell you about the worst thing I've ever done and that was cheating on Sabrina."** Ilene stood there, crossing her arms in front her chest and gave a cold look at him. Gary looked down at his feet, shame filling him. He raised his head to continue. **"I don't know why I even asked her out. I knew she wouldn't give me what I wanted but that's not important. That's in the past. But I also told you that I've changed. All that stuff that I did and the consequences of my actions, have allowed me to realize that's not what I want in my life. I don't want to be known as a player, a womanizer. I want to be known as your boyfriend. As your man, your love. I want to be everything that you need, that I could be for you."** Ilene took in a sharp breath at what he just said, her heart skipping a beat. **"Please give me a chance to prove it all to you."** He slowly moved closer to her.

Ilene's feelings that were already on edge started going haywire but she forced herself to not become lost in it. **"Gary, I don't know..."** He stopped in front of her. **"After everything that's happened…"** He gently grasped her hand after she uncrossed her arms. She felt something stir inside her from his touch, different from her whirlwind of emotions but didn't withdraw from him. **"How can I trust you after hearing about what you did? That you won't do that to me? That you've really changed?"** she asked him.

Gary looked down at their feet, still holding her hand. He took a step closer to her and raised his head to look into her eyes. **"Because I swear on my pride of being an Oak that I will never do anything to hurt you again."** Ilene's lips quivered and her eyes watered a bit. He thought a bit before leaning in forward and placed his lips onto hers.

He felt happy that she didn't reject it. Ilene fell into the kiss, unable to help herself. While they kissed, she felt her heart thumping loudly as she felt his hands slide up the sides of her body before they rested against her back. The feeling stirred more powerfully in her stomach. She thought that things could work out between the two. That they could push past it. She felt that everything would be alright as she raised her hands and placed them onto his chest, enjoying being in the embrace, continuing their kiss.

At first. The powerful feeling in her stomach wasn't a feeling of happiness that she thought it was. No, it was something else entirely as it brought her back into focus. Several images flashed in her mind's eye consisting of many disturbing scenarios. Each one made the powerful feeling in her stomach strengthen even more until finally she couldn't take it anymore. Using her hands that were already on his chest, she pushed him off of her all of sudden, breaking the kiss.

Gary stumbled back some before catching himself. **"Ilene?!"** he asked worryingly, seeing her face in her hands, shaking. He took a couple steps to her.

" **Stop!"** snapped Ilene and he stopped moving. He opened his mouth to talk but didn't when she raised her head and looked at him with a sorrow filled expression. **"This will never work out between us Gary. Not anymore,"** she said sadly and quietly.

Gary felt his heart leap to his throat. **"Why?"** he asked hoarsely, his eyes beginning to water.

Ilene took in a couple breaths before explaining. **"I'm going to be honest with you Gary. I thought perhaps we could work this out the last couple days. But then I learned something important just now. When…when you kissed me just now, I thought I was thrilled. I thought I was happy. But then I felt something inside and started seeing images in my head. Do you know what they were off?"** she asked him. Gary slowly shook his head, not wanting to know but knew he needed to know. **"The feeling inside was that of…I don't know how else to say this…it was of disgust."** Gary felt like he was stabbed. **"Disgust of you kissing me, touching me and of the images in my head…it was of you being with many other girls at the same time without them knowing of it. Of you lying to me. Of you insulting others, hurting others. It was of you believing you're better than anyone and everyone else. It was of you fighting with Ash, trying to prevent him from telling me. Of you cheating on Sabrina and not even caring about it. And you never did apologize to her have you? Even after I found out did you even bother trying to apologize to her?"** she asked him. He shook his head sadly. He never did. Gary started shivering in his spot, her words cutting into him. **"I'm sorry Gary. For what we had, it was good even though it was short lived. You helped me open my eyes a bit and to see how the world is. And for that I thank you. But we will never work out because I've realized I can never fully trust you again as a life partner and I cannot hide what I'm feeling. And I cannot pretend anything just to stay together. I'm not like that and I cannot be like that even if I wanted to because of who I am and the responsibilities I have. I'm sorry. Hopefully we can overcome this in the future and at least be friends once more. But right now, I think it'll be for the best if we give each other some space."** She stood there for a moment, waiting for his reply but Gary didn't move or make a sound.

Ilene began moving towards the door after seeing him not respond. She almost reached the door when Gary spoke. **"Is it because of Ash that things won't work out between us?"** She stopped in her tracks. Gary turned to speak to her back. **"Do you have feelings for him? Is that why?"** he asked her. She didn't noticeably react at all. **"What does he have that I don't? How could you choose him over me? Did our time together mean nothing?"** he asked her. She remained quiet. **"I need to know. You owe me that much."**

Ilene turned around slowly and looked him in the eye. **"Our time together was special. But you lied and kept secrets from me. And you did horrible things in the past."** Gary shook his head about to say something but was cut off from doing so. **"Because of that, I can't. And I don't owe you anything Gary. The only thing Ash has to do with this is that it was because of him that I was made aware of what you did. Whether or not I have developed feelings for him or someone else, choose him or someone else, it's none of your business anymore. It's not the issue either because that has nothing to do with what you hid from me. Did you really believe that everything that you've done in your life will be easily overlooked by a potential love if you try to hide it and not own up to it?"** she asked him, barely containing her emotions.

Gary frowned but didn't feel sadness. Instead some anger filled him up since his pride and ego was hurt that he wasn't good enough for her and that she was trying to hide what she's feeling from him. **"That's real mature. Bringing up someone's past that they're trying to forget and leave behind. You're doing the same bullshit as Ash did to Leaf."** Ilene's cheeks flushed with color. **"And now you're trying to hide something too. You do have feelings for him don't you?!"** Ilene stayed quiet, not saying anything but her heart was hammering. **"You may not say it. You may not even want to admit it. But I get it. I understand. Did you always have feelings for him? Were you just using me to try to make him jealous? To notice you? Is that why you came here in the first place? Is that what this was? Was the honorable Queen of Rota just using me to get into her Knight's pants that she was secretly lusting after?!"** Ilene didn't reply, staying silent but her face turned dark red and her eyes watered so much that some tears fell over how he was speaking with her. **"You don't need to say anything. I saw the way you hugged him before he found Leaf and your interactions when we trained. I'm surprised you two haven't fucked yet. Or have you and just keeping it a secret? You probably are; you're probably just his booty call."** Ilene felt insulted that he would think of her as someone who would play games like that, who would just mess around like that and opened her mouth to say something but Gary cut her off. **"You know what? I don't care anymore. I should've known not to mess with royalty since they're always crazy and don't care about people who they deem inferior to them. Go and be with him, fuck him or a dozen other guys. I don't care. I hope you're happy being one of the rooster's hens,"** he finished angrily.

A sharp slap connected against Gary's cheek, making him yelp and move back a bit. **"How dare you!"** snapped Ilene, angry tears flowing down her cheeks. Gary straightened out, his hand on his stinging cheek, seeing her crying which made him feel much regret over his statements. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. **"I don't want to hear another word Gary! We are absolutely done and we'll never get back together because you just proved it yet again! You're nowhere near mature enough to handle being in a relationship!"** Gary felt like he was stabbed again, his stomach twisting into knots at what she just said. **"And so much for your swearing on your pride of being an Oak that you'll never hurt me again because you just did so again! And I didn't bring up the past! You hid it from me! There's a difference! All you care about is getting what you want!"** Gary was shaking badly. Each thing that Ilene was saying and continued to say was a like a deep cut that slashed into him. **"You know I'm not like that! Just because you are doesn't mean others are! You want to just mess around? To not deal with responsibilities and not deal with the emotions?! Go find some hookers! And just so you know, Ash was trying to help** _ **you**_ **while training! He apologized to me for causing our break up and told me that you had changed and that I should give you a chance if I really wanted it. Even Sabrina told me that you changed and to give it a shot! You're ex tried to help you out even though you treated her horribly because she moved on and your rival tried to help you because he's mature!"** Gary took in a sharp breath, feeling horrible and unable to reply back to that because those revelations made him realize he had just messed up colossally again. **"And I do care about Ash because he's my Knight and my friend! And the reason why I was with you was because I did like you, thinking you were someone special! I chose to overlook all the things you did and do, like making fun of others, boasting about yourself and the things you did tell me that you did before because of my feelings for you! But now I see who you truly are! You are an egotistical, insensitive and conceited prick! I don't have even the smallest bit of feelings for you anymore!"**

Ilene took a few breathers and that's when the researcher finally found his voice and spoke up. He had to try to fix things because he realized he was wrong. **"Ilene, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just angry! But that's no excuse! I know I have problems and I'm willing to own up to them and fix them. I'm just not used to all this. I've never felt this way that it just made me go insane! Please, just give me a chance!"** pleaded Gary, taking a step closer to her.

Ilene raised her hand and signaled him to stop while shaking her head and he did. **"No Gary. We're done. We had our chance and I cannot change the facts. We tried it out, it was good for a bit but as soon as shit hit the fan, we saw that we aren't that compatible. I will never be able to look over what you did and how you just acted now. Call me shallow. Call me a bitch. It doesn't matter. I can't change that part about me. I need to be able to fully trust the person who I love. And I can't do that with you. Look at how you just acted over me explaining things calmly to you. My mind and my heart have made their choice. You may have changed but it's not enough and it's too late for us,"** she explained with her voice cracking throughout it all because of her emotions so on edge.

Gary hung his head, shaking it while speaking. **"This can't be it. It can't just end like this."** He went quiet but something was still bothering him. He had to know. He looked back up at her. **"Can you at least tell me if you have feelings for him and whether or not that had anything to do with this?"** he asked her.

Ilene felt her heart beat increase a bit from his question. **"After all I said, that's the only thing that worries you?! That stayed on your mind?!"** Ilene shook her head as Gary stayed silent. **"I won't lie to you Gary but I won't tell you either. It's not your business at all anymore."** Gary tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat but couldn't. Ilene grasped the knob with Gary looking on with sullen eyes, unable to move from his spot. Before she opened the door, Ilene turned her tear streaked gaze to him. **"I really hope you do change for the better. I truly do. Maybe you'll find that right girl who's meant for you who makes you change or perhaps you may find that special girl who could actually give you what you want and need without changing. I wish you luck either way."** After that, the blonde Queen of Rota turned the door knob, opened the door and walked out of the room. She hurriedly went to her room and locked the door behind her before dropping onto her bed face first and sobbed for a long time. Gary watched her go silently, rooted to his spot before collapsing onto a nearby chair and thought of how everything just turned out while slow tears escaped from his eyes.

When the girls chased after Ash to his bedroom, they tackled him to the ground, making him shout. Pikachu woke up startled and was about to fry everyone but then stopped when he saw what was going on. The girls were torturing the young guardian by tickling him all over. Pikachu grinned deviously and decided to let them punish Ash and left the room to go sleep in the balcony. No sooner had he done so, that he bumped into Glaceon and Buneary who were giving him very happy looks. Pikachu let out a sigh as the two female pokémon once again dragged him away into an empty place.

Back in the bedroom, the girls were still tickle torturing Ash. Sarah was holding his right hand down while Anabel held his left. Dawn was holding his left leg down with Serena holding the right with Misty and May tickling his feet. Leaf and Cynthia had straddled him, the brunette sitting on his thighs and tickling his sides. The blonde Champion was sitting on his stomach who was tickling under his armpits. **"HAHAHAHA! PLEASE STOP! HAHAHAHAHA! I'LL DO ANYTHING! HAHAHAHAHA!"** Ash was laughing so hard that he was having difficulty breathing but the girls didn't stop until he turned purple from the lack of air. They stopped their tickling and he slowly calmed down enough to gulp down some much needed oxygen.

" **Anything?"** asked Cynthia in a sultry tone of voice, leaning over and teasing him with her face hovering an inch over his.

" **Anything,"** he whispered back, making her smile.

" **Good. Then you'll take us shopping,"** said May immediately.

" **Anything but that!"** yelped out Ash. The girls started tickling him again, making him cry out. He tried to wiggle out of their grasp but was unable to get free without hurting them in the process. **"OKAY! OKAY! HAHAHAHAHA! YOU WIN! HAHAHAHA!"**

They stopped the tickling and Ash was able to calm down a bit. He and Cynthia looked into one another's eyes before the Champion of Sinnoh leaned in closer and placed her lips against his. When she withdrew she saw him smiling at her, making her blush but also smile.

" **HEY!"** Both Ash and Cynthia looked at Sarah. **"Stop hogging him!"**

" **Sorry,"** replied Cynthia. **"Can't help it. You should act quicker,"** she teased and Sarah narrowed her eyes at her while the rest had amused looks on their faces.

" **Hey, don't I get a say here?"** asked Ash.

" **No,"** said the girls together at once, smirking.

" **Is that so? Alright then."** He vanished from sight, making Leaf and Cynthia drop some inches onto the floor.

" **Get back here Ash!"** shot Cynthia into the air.

" **Or what will you do?"** whispered a voice into her ear, making her shiver from his voice and touch. Ash had reappeared behind her but in front of Leaf who became startled. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, holding her closely to him. Before she could respond or reply, he gave her a chaste kiss against her neck. His actions made her tremble and heat up from it. The other girls gulped and their hearts raced at seeing him do that. Cynthia titled her head back towards him but before she could speak, he vanished again and reappeared beside Sarah, his arm wrapped around her waist and holding her close to him. **"What do you think she'll do Sarah?"** he asked the blonde Johto native. She couldn't speak, her face scarlet at having him hold her so intimately. **"Sarah? Are you alright?"** She didn't move. He waved his hand in front of her face but got nothing. He glanced at the other girls. **"Any ideas how to break her out of the trance?"**

" **With a kiss, duh!"** answered Leaf like it was so simple.

He rolled his eyes, the girls giggling. **"Right."** He grasped her chin with his hand and gently made her look at him before giving her a kiss. The second his lips connected with hers, Sarah snapped out of it and kissed him back while pushing him onto the floor and got on top of him.

" **Whoa, someone's eager,"** giggled Serena and so did her sisters, watching the blonde kiss him passionately and take control.

After a few more seconds, Ash vanished in mid kiss, leaving a confused and half satisfied Sarah with a stunned look on her face. **"That's a cute look for you Sarah."** Sarah turned her head to see Ash sitting on the floor with a very red Anabel sitting on his lap with his arms around her waist.

" **HEY! That's not fair! I wasn't done!"** she whined.

" **Don't worry Sarah. We'll never be done,"** he replied cheekily, winking at her, and Sarah went quiet immediately but her eyes widened and the other girls laughed. He then glanced at Anabel. **"So, Anabel, anything you want to say?"** he asked her and Anabel immediately smashed her lips against his, kissing him furiously. After a short while, he teleported again but this time reappeared between Dawn and May with Serena sitting on his lap.

" **ASH!"** cried Anabel, annoyed that he left mid kiss.

" **Hey, I'm doing the best I can you know,"** he said, defending his action. **"Gotta keep you girls entertained right?"** he asked. Anabel pouted making May, Dawn and Serena smack him, two against his head and one against his chest.

" **ASH!"** said the three together.

" **Okay, okay…"** He vanished and reappeared by Anabel's side again. **"Sorry, just joking around. Feel better?"** he asked her. Anabel hit his shoulder and he rubbed it. **"Damn, you hit hard."**

" **Tell me about it,"** remarked Leaf. **"Try getting slapped by her. Man that hurt."** She massaged her cheek and Anabel gave a devious grin while the other girls laughed.

" **Feisty huh? I like it,"** said Ash, making Anabel go red again before he kissed her. They sunk into it for a while before separating and he once again teleported to Sarah's side. He wasn't even able to get a word in before she kissed him again. When they separated, he was transported to be beside Leaf. **"So, my childhood crush…"** He wasn't allowed to finish since Leaf started kissing him, preventing him from speaking. When they finished their kiss, he teleported back to May, Dawn and Serena. Serena gave him a heated kiss followed by May and then Dawn. He vanished again for the final time and reappeared next to Misty, sitting on the floor beside her. **"Well my Mystic Mermaid, did you ever think life would turn out this way after pulling me out of the river?"** he asked her with a grin and the girls laughed.

" **Oh shut up Ash and kiss me,"** she said. She grabbed his shirts collar and pulled him in close to her. As they kissed, she pushed him down onto the floor and climbed on top of him. Ash's hands started rubbing her sides and she shivered in delight. Both of them were becoming turned on, from all the kissing he just did and with her missing being in his embrace since she went first.

" **HEY! HEY!"** Both Ash and Misty stopped and turned to look at Leaf. **"Remember the rules!"** she reminded them. The raven haired man and the red head looked at one another before nodding and got up. **"Good. Now I don't have to beat you up."**

Ash and the girls burst out laughing. **"Right,"** they said together after calming down, making Leaf glare at them all after puffing out her cheeks.

" **Jerks,"** she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Ash stood up, went to her, pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist before drawing her in closer to him. Leaf became quite red at feeling his body against hers. **"Maybe…but we're your jerks right?"** he asked her with his trademark goofy smile.

She couldn't help it and smiled too. **"Yea,"** she admitted, bumping him with the side of her body. She then looked at the girls around them and saw each of them smiling and happy. Not one of them had any jealous or hateful look on their faces or in their eyes. Leaf suddenly became teary eyed.

" **Leaf, what's wrong?"** asked Ash, the girls standing up and gathering closer around them.

She didn't bother wiping away her tears that were flowing down now, not ashamed of it. She looked up and gazed into his eyes, smiling. **"I'm just so happy. I finally found a family who cares for me and I care for them. And my childhood friend turned out to be the man of my dreams. I couldn't ask for anything else,"** admitted Leaf. She hugged Ash tightly, her face resting against his chest with a large smile.

The girls smiled and had their eyes became watery too. **"Damn it Leaf. Why'd you have to make us start too?"** complained Anabel but she and the girls joined in on the group hug.

While in the hug, Ash said something he's wanted to say for a while now. **"I've come to understand my feelings and emotions more and more with you girls around me and giving me a chance. Thank you for that. I want to let you know that I care greatly for each and every one of you with all my heart. I will do everything within my power to keep you safe and happy. I will never betray any of you and wish the best for each of you. I will never ask any of you to leave. But I must let you know that you are free to leave and choose a different path if the time ever comes that you ever feel this isn't for you or you find that your feelings for me just isn't what you thought it was,"** he told them. The girls drew back from him and looked at him with half smiles and tear streaked faces.

" **That's one thing you don't have to worry about Champion of my heart,"** remarked Cynthia.

" **I don't believe any one of us will ever leave you,"** added Sarah.

" **How could we with you always in our minds and hearts?"** asked Anabel rhetorically.

" **You are my childhood friend who's done everything for me and became the love of my life. What more could I ask for?"** asked Leaf.

" **You are my Protector who always did his best to prevent bad things from happening to me,"** said Serena.

" **You are my Guardian who always encouraged me to believe in myself,"** said Dawn.

" **You are my Knight who helped me find my calling,"** said May.

" **You are my Pokémon Master who supported me in following my dreams and showed me how to never give up,"** said Misty.

Ash listened to each girl's words as they washed over him, resonating with him. He felt so much love from them that he couldn't help it and his eyes watered. He pulled the girls into a group hug again and let out his tears with no shame. **"Thank you all for caring about me so much,"** he told them.

" **You're welcome Ash,"** said the girls together.

Ash was about to say something else when his room door was opened and his mother walked in. She wanted to tell him about the phone call and decided she had to whether or not it was a good time now. **"Ash…"** They all looked at her with concerned expressions because she spoke his name in a serious tone of voice. He went up to her, asking what's wrong, drying his eyes with the back of his hands. **"When the phone rang, that was Doctor Swanson who called. She got the results and found out that Natasha won't be contracting any diseases and won't become pregnant."**

" **That's great news!"** he exclaimed and the girls felt happy about it too. Delia still had a sullen expression though on her face. **"But why are you so sad?"** he asked her. Delia's lips quivered a bit.

" **The reason why she won't become pregnant is because when they violated and abused her, they damaged her reproductive organs. They'll heal enough to not cause her discomfort but they will never function again. She will never be able to have children."** Everyone took in a sharp breath at that. The joyful atmosphere suddenly went sour as sadness filled each and every one of them. **"And her voice? It'll never return either. Her vocal cords have been severed. The only way how they think that could have happened was she had screamed so much and with such a high pitch that it caused them to tear apart."** Several people in the room had let out gasps with a few of the girls even letting out tears.

Ash was shaking his head, grief filling him. **"This can't happen to her. She's barely holding on. How am I supposed to tell her all that?"** He shook his head, grabbing onto his hair as he did so. **"This is all my fault. If only I had gotten rid of them before…"** Delia tried to comfort him but he stopped her and took a step back. **"No Mom. No matter what you say, this is my fault. Arceus was right. I have to deal with what comes, whether I caused it to happen directly or not."** He went towards the door to leave the room while speaking. **"I'll tell Natasha myself. I just need a moment."** Watching him leave the room with yet another heavy burden on his shoulders made his mom and girlfriends frown and become sullen. Delia sobbed a bit, feeling so bad over how he was feeling and what the poor girl was going to soon find out.

The four original girls went up to her and hugged her. **"It's okay Delia. He'll push past it, just like everything else. It's Ash we're talking about here and he won't want us to feel bad so don't cry. It won't help him,"** said Misty, trying to cheer her up.

Delia hugged them back tightly. She glanced at her and nodded slightly, drying her eyes with her hands. **"Thank you Misty."** The red head let a small smile form on her face. The newer four girls also joined in on the hug, telling Delia that they'll be there for her son and for her if and when they need something. Delia thanked them all for their kindness before separating.

They stayed in his room for a bit before Delia decided to go get some soup ready for Natasha since it was near her time to eat and take her medicine. The girls left the room and while making their way into the living room, they noticed Ash was in the balcony. They went up to him to see if they could help him out in some way. **"Ash?"** he turned around and looked at the girls. It was Dawn who spoke. **"Want to talk about it?"** she asked.

He shook his head. **"No. There's not much to talk about. I communicated with Mewtwo mentally just now to ask Lucario if aura can heal her but it's a no go. Lucario said that even aura cannot undo some things. Mewtwo even asked Mew for me. She can't either and she is the greatest healer in the world. No point in asking Arceus either since he doesn't get involved at all unless it's world threatening. I'm just trying to not let it affect me so much. But thank you,"** he told her.

Dawn nodded and hugged him. **"Anytime."** The other girls also joined in, hugging him.

" **Thank you all for being here for me and understanding me. I promise I'll do my best to not let things affect me so much. And I promise to do everything and anything for you all."** The girls said nothing more and just enjoyed the group hug for a bit before they separated. He then said that he's going to go see Natasha.

" **Want us to come with you?"** asked Serena.

" **I think it'll be better if there's no one else in the room with her while I tell her this. But thanks my Angel,"** he replied back and she nodded. He and the girls made their way back inside together. They entered the living room and he head down the hall to Natasha's room and entered it. The eight girls looked at one another and then decided to go do some things they had to do, splitting up.

The raven haired guardian entered the red head's room and found her awake. She glanced at the door when it opened and when she saw him, a smile spread on her face. _Hey there._ Ash smiled back, trying to stay upbeat for her. **"Hey Natasha. How are you feeling?"** he asked as he moved towards her and sat down on the bed after closing the door behind him. _Doing alright. Though better now that you're here._ **"Hey, quit teasing me,"** he whined a bit, rubbing the back of his head while reddening slightly.

Natasha just smiled back a bit but also felt a little embarrassed. That sudden feeling threw her off a bit. She never would get embarrassed before. What made her feel that way now? She pushed it to the back of her mind, not wanting to worry about it. She could think about that later when he wasn't there.

" **So, looks like it'll be time for your meal soon and then to take your medicine again. Have you been taking it regularly like you've been told to?"** he asked and she nodded. _Of course. Your Mom has been making sure of that. Can you thank her for me?_ **"Good and sure. I'll make sure to thank her for you. I have some news too."** She tilted her head. **"We got the results from Doctor Swanson."** Her eyes widened and she used her hands to sit up a bit. She had recovered some, the food, medicine and rest giving her some energy. _What did they say?_ Ash could sense the worrying tone even in her mind. **"She said that the results confirmed that you won't contract any diseases and you won't become pregnant."** Natasha leaned her head back, looked up towards the ceiling and let out a long sigh, her eyes closed. She felt so relieved hearing that, feeling a great weight practically being lifted off of her shoulders. _Thank Arceus._

Ash watched her become so soothed in finding out the results, hearing her thank the Alpha Pokémon that she won't have to deal with that. He felt a little good seeing her react that way before it went away. How could he tell her the rest? Natasha lowered her gaze back to his, smiling at first but then it faded as she noticed him worried. _What's wrong?_ He sighed. **"Natasha, there are two more things I need to tell you."** She nodded and waited for him to speak. **"The doctor said that the results also showed that your voice won't return because your vocal cords have been completely torn and they are unable to fix it."** Natasha's eyes filled up with water and her breathing became heavier. _And…and what of…the second thing?_ She was doing all she could to not break down. **"The second thing is…."** Ash sighed again before continuing. **"The reason why you didn't become pregnant was because during that…hell…that you went through, your reproductive organs were damaged beyond full recovery. That means even though they'll heal enough to not cause you any pain or discomfort, you'll never be able to…to have…children."** It was hard for him to say that and Natasha couldn't hold back anymore and just let it out, crying heavily.

She never thought this would happen to her. She never thought that she would be raped, beaten, abused, violated and humiliated. But to lose the ability to speak and the capability to have children as well? She would never again be able to speak normally again with another, to tell her thoughts, how she felt, what she believed in. And she would never have children of her own. She didn't want any right now, barely in her twenties. But she had thought about it from time to time. She used to have a dream that after her days in the organization, she would marry a man who was rich and handsome so that she could enjoy the finer things in life while raising beautiful and well off children. But no, that would never happen. It was then that she realized that all of her dreams were just that; dreams. Even if she could get over her fear of men, no man would truly want a raped woman, a broken shell of her former self who couldn't even bare him offspring. She cried and she cried as the truth crushed her.

Ash couldn't bare seeing Natasha so sullen. He wished he had the power of a god to turn back time and prevent this from ever happening. Or at least be able to restore her voice and ability to have children again. Even with him being an Aura Guardian and more powerful than all before him, he was defeated in his attempt to help someone who needed him. He grasped her hand to show her some sort of support but wasn't expecting what happened next. She slipped her hand out of his and turned away from him, having her back to him while she continued to bawl. **"Natasha?"**

 _Leave me alone! I don't want your pity!_ Ash had great sadness fill him and his expression was that of shock of what she just told him. _I don't need you to pretend that you care about me! Nobody can care about me! How could they?! I'm a worthless girl who's been used, broken, can't talk and can't have children! I have no purpose, nothing to give you or anyone else in return and nothing in life to look forward to! You saw the word on my back! What did it say?! It said 'WHORE' right? That's what I am! A whore with nothing to lose, with nothing to gain, no family, no friends and with nothing to look forward to! I have no value and deserve no one and nothing! So just leave me alone or end my suffering and kill me!_ She finished saying through her mind and continued bawling. It was too much for the raven haired guardian.

Ash grasped her shoulder, whirled her around and took her up into his embrace in one swift motion. She struggled to get out of it but he wouldn't let her get free. After struggling for a bit, trying to pull away and even hitting him against his chest a few times, she stopped. She placed her hands onto his chest, while crying her eyes out, her face buried into his chest. **"Natasha…I'm so sorry…"** said Ash softly, rubbing her back, freely letting himself cry as well over her situation. **"I'm so sorry for what has happened to you. And I'm so sorry that you feel that way…I promise you, that's not how I see you and I never will. I will never ask or tell you to leave, to go. And I will never hurt you or leave you."** Natasha kept bawling away into his shirt, wetting it with her tears. After some time, she communicated with him again. _Why…why are you…sorry? You don't need to deal with this…with me. I have no worth. You have eight girlfriends who are beautiful, pure and can give you everything you could possibly ask for. So why…why waste your time…with me? Why do you care? You don't know me at all. Why waste time with me?_ **"Helping a friend will never be a waste of time and you are my friend. I care about my friends. I'll do anything and everything that I can do to help my friends. You're stronger than this Natasha. I believe in you. And I keep my promises."** She didn't reply back, not making any sounds except for her sobbing. Ash re-positioned himself with Natasha still in his embrace. He sat up at the top of the bed, leaning against the headboard with his back. She wrapped her arm around his stomach now tightly but kept crying into his chest. He rubbed her back tenderly with one hand and placed his chin on top of her head gently. The door opened and Misty walked in, holding a bowl of soup in her hands. Ash glanced at her but Natasha didn't even bother to look, lost in her sorrow. Both Ash and Misty exchanged sullen looks before she placed the bowl on the bedside dresser. He thanked her quietly and she replied back that he was welcome. She gestured towards the crying girl in his arms.

 _I don't know. She took it very hard._ Misty's eyes widened at hearing Ash's voice in her head.

 _Did you just speak with me mentally?_

 _So you did hear me and I can hear you…good. Yes and I don't know what more to do. I told her I'll help her out as much as I can and that I'll never make her leave._

Misty smiled. _You did fine Ash. I don't think you can do much else except be patient. Let her cry it out. When she calms down enough, have her eat the soup if you can. If you need anything, let me or the girls know okay?_

Ash smiled at her. _What would I do without my Mystic Mermaid?_

 _Probably be lost, as usual,_ she teased while stepping out of the room.

Ash smiled a bit before forming a serious face once more. He waited for Natasha to calm down a bit before speaking again. It took some time but she finally stopped her crying at least. **"Natasha…"** She slowly looked at him. **"I promise I will always be your friend and do as much as I can for you."** She felt her heart beat a little faster over his words but her expression was still one of sadness. **"I know I can never fully feel or understand what you're going through but please remember that I'm here for you, no matter what."** She looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn't kidding or just saying it to calm her. He truly meant every word. **"But can you promise me that you'll at least try to not let it overwhelm you and if it does, to let me know and I'll help however I can?"** It took a moment but she nodded before leaning her head against his chest again. She was still letting out tears but wasn't sobbing anymore but would let out stuttering breaths. **"Thank you Natasha."**

Some time past with them both silent in that position. **"Hey, I almost forgot that Misty brought you some soup. You should eat it before it gets cold and then take your medicine. Okay?"** She let out a sigh before looking up at him, her eyes bloodshot and her face marked with tear streaks. Ash gently wiped them off with his thumb, making her feel something from his caring touch. _Alright…and…thank you._ He gave her a smile and a nod. She got off of him and sat up straight against the headboard. Ash got off the bed, took the bowl of soup and sat back down beside her. He stirred it a bit with the utensil before raising a spoonful. **"You know the drill. Let me know if it's too hot…"**

After Ash entered Natasha's room, Cynthia went up to Clair and Liza who were lounging about in the balcony. Giselle had gone to use the restroom. They talked a bit before the blonde of the three asked about their other close friend. The three decided to check on Sabrina and entered the room she was sleeping in. The two knew something was up with how Liza told such a blatant lie. She was a morning person but the others didn't know that. They gathered round her and Cynthia gently shook her awake. Sabrina opened her eyes a bit and saw it was her friend who woke her up. **"Sabrina? Are you okay? You didn't join us for breakfast. What's wrong?"** she asked.

The psychic's eyes widened, remembering what had happened earlier that morning. She felt a little pain do to the medicine she took still working. She sat up in her bed but kept the blanket over her hands. **"Oh, sorry. I guess I was just tired from yesterday's training,"** looking at her three friends who were standing beside her bed.

They weren't buying it though. **"We know you better than that Sabrina,"** commented Cynthia. **"Please don't think of us as imbeciles since that's not how we view you."**

The dark haired girl sighed, shaking her head. **"I'm sorry. But I'm fine so don't worry."**

" **You can't lie for shit either,"** said Clair, making her redden. **"What's wrong? And we're not leaving until you tell us."** Sabrina glared at them, seeing them not back down. They weren't going to drop it and she couldn't just blast them out of the room with her powers. That would cause more problems. She let out a deep sigh and glanced at Liza before nodding at her. Liza grabbed the blanket covering her friend and pulled it down some. Cynthia and Clair both yelped seeing her hands wrapped in thick bandages. **"What the fuck happened?!"** asked Clair as both she and Cynthia drew closer to look at her hands.

" **Smart ass here was trying to copy Ash and punch a hole into the wall,"** explained Liza, shocking them.

" **Sabrina! Why?! What were you thinking?!"** asked Cynthia. She was confused and worried over what was going on with her friend and so were the other two.

Sabrina shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears. **"I can't tell you. It's just something I have to do."**

" **Hurting yourself is something you have to do?!"** asked Liza, outraged.

" **Yes. No. I don't know,"** admitted Sabrina, looking away.

For a long time, no matter what they said or asked her, Sabrina stayed quiet. Seeing them not able to get another word out of her, two of them shook their heads but the third was getting angrier with every passing second. **"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, mark my words Sabrina. And I'm going to start with Ash because I bet he's the one who put this nonsense into your head!"** Before the three could stop her, the fourth left the room angrily, going after the raven haired man. She entered the living room and looked around but only saw the others. **"Where's Ash?!"** she asked them angrily.

" **Whoa, what's your beef?"** asked Daisy Waterflower, standing up. She had calmed down enough to wash up and join the others in the living room. She didn't want anyone to have any suspicions and start thinking as to why she wasn't around. She didn't like the way Clair said that so angrily towards someone who was kind to everyone and who she had feelings for but would never pursue it. The others were looking at the gym leader with worried looks. **"What did he do?"**

" **I don't have the time or the patience to explain. Just tell me where he is!"** she shot. Daisy narrowed her eyes at Clair, getting annoyed with her but before she could say anything, someone else spoke up.

" **Hey, relax Clair. What happened?"** Clair turned towards Sarah. **"He's with Natasha. I think he's feeding her now since Misty took some soup and...wait, where you going?!"**

Clair had stormed off towards Natasha's room but before she could get there, Liza and Cynthia appeared in front of her, blocking her path. **"Clair! Relax! We can figure this out without causing a scene or making things worse alright?"** advised Liza but Clair was beyond that. She knew that Liza was right but she also knew that Sabrina liked Ash and that's why she was hurting herself for him. She knew how Sabrina is and knew she was trying to prove herself to him in her own way. But the others didn't know that she liked him and she couldn't tell them. And she was frustrated herself that she couldn't reveal to him how she felt about him, how Liza and Giselle admitted that they like Ash as well and it all just became too much. She wanted Ash to get something in return for making them feel this way, making them all go crazy over him. She was about to tell them to get out of her way when a door opened in front of them. Ash stepped out and closed the door behind him with an empty bowl in his hands, making his way to the kitchen.

" **ASH!"** He stopped near the kitchen entrance and glanced over to Clair who called out to him before looking at Cynthia and Liza. Two of them were worried and the third looked angry. He was about to ask what's wrong when Clair marched right up to him and slapped him hard.

" **Mew that stings!"** He yelped, stumbling backwards. He stood back up straight, both confused and angry. **"What the hell was that for Clair?!"** he yelled at her.

Not answering him, Clair went to raise her hand again but was held back by Cynthia and Liza. Many from the group surrounded them, wanting to know what the commotion was about. Seeing Clair being held up made them become both concerned and frightened. **"It's all your fault Ash!"** screamed out Clair. Ash gave a confused look, rubbing his cheek and everyone was looking at him and then at the blunette, alternating their gazes. **"You made Sabrina hurt herself!"** she yelled out and some let out gasps. She freed herself out of her friends' grip and was about to deliver another slap when he caught her hand, the bowl dropping to the floor but didn't break.

" **I would never do such a thing. How dare you insult me like that Clair!"** he growled at her and some others even felt pissed over her accusation, especially his girlfriends.

" **Maybe you didn't mean to, but you still caused Sabrina to hurt herself because she was trying to copy you!"** she explained. Ash let go of her hand, worry filling him. She took advantage of him lowering his guard and grabbed him by his shirt with both hands and pushed him against the hallway wall, startling the others. **"She hurt her hands by trying to copy you by punching a freakin hole in the damn wall!"** shot Clair while looking into his eyes. Everyone was shocked in hearing that, wondering why she would try to do that. **"What the hell did you do to her?!"**

Ash was beyond stunned but also confused. **"Why would she do that? I told you all not to kill yourselves. I never meant for her to take it that way. And I never said to copy me. Why is she doing this?"** he asked, his heart starting to beat madly while looking into her eyes.

She could see the worry and concern in his eyes. She didn't want to hurt him. It was killing her, what she was doing but she knew he had to know and had to take responsibility for it. _Why do this to her? To us? Why are you making us behave like this?_ Ash heard her thoughts since he was focusing on her, making him feel confused over her choice of words. Before he could think on it more, Clair spoke out loud, catching his attention. **"You think just by saying 'don't do this or that' and that means you're off the hook? That's not how it goes! You need to watch what you say and do especially to people like Sabrina who take everything to heart! I heard you tell her she traded her physical ability for mental; didn't you?"** Ash felt like he was slapped again and many people shook their heads at his lack of tact. **"Did you know that she's been living a sheltered life mostly?! That she takes everything literally?! No you didn't and just said things without thinking, making her think she needs to do this so she can become strong!"** Realization dawned on Ash. He remembered how she pushed herself in the run, not giving up after what he told her. Clair was right. How could he be so inattentive and so blind? Why was he still not noticing things?

" **That's enough!"** shouted Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. The four girls grabbed hold of Clair and pulled her away from their love but Ash remained motionless. They were angry and so were several others over how Clair acted. **"Apologize Clair!"** they said to the gym leader.

" **No. She's right."** They glanced at Ash, seeing him bend down to pick up the bowl and face the Blackthorn City gym leader. **"I'll go talk to her and find out what happened. If I am at fault for anything, I request that you do not hold back your fury when you unleash it on me."** Ash went to the kitchen to place the bowl in the sink, leaving a stunned Clair and a shocked group behind. After that he walked past them and entered the room where Sabrina was.

Clair didn't move, rooted to her spot until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw it was Liza giving her a concerned look. Clair shook her head before walking towards the door Ash disappeared through. She stood next to it, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her gaze on the floor. The four girls were looking at her with mixed expressions. They were angry at Clair for yelling and blaming Ash but also understood her side since she was concerned and mad about her friend getting hurt. Ash's other four girlfriends made the group disband and scatter, except for Liza. His eight girlfriends, Clair and Liza waited silently by the room.

The dark haired psychic prodigy had heard some shouting and talking but didn't want to 'see' what they were talking about with her powers. She was hoping it wasn't about her situation. But that didn't go her way either when she glanced at the door when it opened and saw the raven haired guardian enter her room. Her heart beat increased in speed and she felt very nervous. Ash had one side of his mouth curl upwards into half a smile while walking towards her bed and then sat beside her. **"Hey Sabrina."**

" **Hey."** That was all she could say. Her hands were once again underneath the blanket.

" **So, something interesting just happened,"** started Ash. Sabrina was looking into his eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly due to her rapid breathing from her nervousness. Even though it was refreshing, she hated that she couldn't read his mind at certain times and this was one of them. **"Clair came up to me and slapped the crap out of me. Now why would she do that?"** he asked her.

Sabrina gasped in shock but also felt angry a bit for her hurting him. **"I…I don't know. Maybe she's angry or confused…about something?"** she said while trying to control her emotions.

Ash smiled a bit, sensing her emotions spike. **"Then why are you angry? And you can't lie worth a damn Sabrina."** Her cheeks went red. **"Now tell me why she would do that and say it's my fault that you hurt yourself trying to copy me?"**

" **I…I don't know…"** He gave her an unbelieving look. **"I…I can't tell you."**

" **Can't or won't?"**

" **Both."**

" **Then show me."** Sabrina looked into Ash's eyes for a full minute before revealing her heavily bandaged hands from underneath the blanket. He became extremely worried. He reached over and was about to unwrap the bandages but she moved them away. **"Sabrina…"** She lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back up into his eyes. She moved her hands towards him. He gently unwrapped the bandages and when done, he looked at her hands carefully.

They were bruised, bloodied and parts of the skin were torn. Her right hand was swollen like crazy. He knew broken and fractured bones when he saw one. His three years of training had him see many different types of injuries. He raised his gaze and looked into Sabrina's tear filled eyes. He shook his head while maintaining eye contact with her, making her cry loudly.

The door opened and ten girls walked in with worried looks, having heard Sabrina crying. With the exception of Liza who had already seen her hands, the girls all gasped and clapped their hands to their mouths, unable to look away at the wrecked hands of the psychic prodigy. She glanced at them but Ash didn't, keeping his gaze onto hers. When she turned back to face him, he spoke. **"Do you know…how much…it hurts me…to see you like this…because of me?"** he asked her. Her heart leaped to her throat at what he said.

He clasped her hands within his, making her wince from the pain she felt but didn't withdraw from it. Ash had his hands glow a bright blue before channeling healing aura over her hands. The blue glow became brighter and brighter before stopping and slowly faded away. When he finished, Ash unclasped their hands and held one in each of his, panting a bit. Her hands were completely healed. No broken bones, no blood stains, no bruises, no swelling and no torn skin. Everyone there besides the guardian was impressed at what he just did.

Ash raised her hands a bit, holding them tenderly. **"These hands…these soft and delicate hands…will get stronger…and so will you. But I don't ever want to see them in such a condition again. Don't ever do something like this again. I won't be able to bear it again. Especially if it was because of me. Did I make myself clear Sabrina?"** he asked her. His brown eyes locked with her pink wet ones. Untold emotions passed through them before she flung herself onto him who took her up into an embrace. **"You'll be alright but don't ever scare me like this again,"** he told her. Sabrina couldn't help it and she just let go. She let out heavy and fast tears as she began to sob. He wrapped one arm around her back and placed his other hand on her head before gently stroking it over her hair. **"You are Sabrina Natsume, the psychic prodigy. You will get stronger but not like this. What I said, I didn't mean for you to hurt yourself over it. Promise me that you won't push yourself so hard again when it's not needed. Promise me Sabrina,"** he pleaded. The girls in the room had become sullen over what they were seeing themselves.

The Saffron gym leader spoke while sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. **"I'm…I'm so sorry…for causing you pain…for worrying you!"** she cried. **"I…I wanted to prove I can…be strong…that I'm worthy…but I failed! I…I'm not…good enough…for anyone…not for Gary...even though I didn't really care about him at all…not for my parents…who loved me even though I was a monster…not for my friends…who are embarrassed of my sheltered life...and…and I'm…definitely...not good enough…not worthy enough…for the one person…who I never stopped thinking about…who I realized I have feelings for since the day I met him…the person who saved me, changed me…the person who I ended up hurting after not seeing him for years…I can never be good enough for you Ash!"** she cried out. Sabrina's confession shocked everyone in the room. Ash was blindsided, frozen in place and so were the girls in the room. Even though Clair knew, she didn't think she would confess and especially in front of so many like that. Ash's girlfriends were so shocked they didn't even comment, with their jaws dropped and eyes widened.

It was silent in the room except for some sobbing. Nobody moved or made a sound until the dark haired girl spoke again. **"I'm so sorry Ash,"** cried Sabrina. She withdrew from him and made eye contact. She took in a breath, composing herself before speaking again. **"I never meant to hurt you. Not when I helped bring out your memories and not now. I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry for not being good enough for you."** Ash was feeling crestfallen over her words, unable to speak. She glanced at the girls. **"I'm sorry for revealing my feelings like that. I hope you don't hate me."** Seeing them not react she turned back to Ash. **"You don't need to worry though. I won't try to get into your life, to mess things up between you, the girls and the love you have for one another. I won't force myself into the group or try to take you away from the girls you love so dearly. I wish you good luck and the best with everything. Goodbye Ash."** Before anyone could say or do anything, the Saffron gym leader teleported away, leaving behind a motionless raven haired guardian who was staring at the spot the psychic prodigy was just at a second ago.

* * *

 ** _A/N - So much going on isn't there? Let me know what you think! Also, I have a question for my readers; Since I'm starting to write longer and longer chapters with more details, developing the characters, showing side plots, etc., do you enjoy the longer chapters? I know a few of you said you enjoyed it but please let me know. Thanks and please remember to review, fav and follow!_** ** _Have a good weekend and Silent is out!_**


	45. Chapter 45 - The Quarter Finals

**_A/N - Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well. Thank you for being patient and here is the next chapter for you. But I do have a few things to say before you read the chapter._**

 ** _1\. Replies to Reviews;_**

 ** _Guest 1 -_** _Maybe. Not sure yet._

 ** _Guest 2 -_** _Thank you buddy! :)_

 ** _MANbearPIG1 -_** _Damn dude. Looks like you got Sasquatch and onion cutting ninjas to worry about now! lmao. That's cool buddy, I learned something about Texas. :) Thanks for the praise and the suggestions. About Natasha, check below. About the threesome, I'll think about it. Thought that would be funny, I don't know how I would do that, making Grace and Johanna tease him without it getting awkward. Also, about the task force idea during the war, that's not a bad idea...I will definitely consider it and if I can pull it off in a way to do the story and the characters in it justice, I will let you know. No problem and thanks again. Good luck with your hunt. lol._

 ** _2\. About Gary -_** _Many of you were a little upset over Gary's break up and how things are completely over between him and Ilene. Some even said he didn't deserve that to happen to him. I must admit that even though I am not a fan of Gary, I still feel bad over what he went through because I came up with the pairing originally as no one else has done this ever before that I know of. BUT, things were already going down this path for a while now. I've left many clues and hints to that in the past chapters with the two never being fully on the same page because of who they are. Gary needed to get his ego and pride taken down a couple notches and he will be going through his own things so he can "evolve" into the person he's supposed to be._

 ** _3\. About Natasha -_** _I feel awful for what she's going through. But it had to be done that way because I've said it before that the story is going to become darker as it goes and some things will be realistic in a sense. Her torture at the hands of the Skull Brothers was too severe to not leave any lasting damages. She will only be able to communicate with Ash mentally for the moment. Also, I must say that I'm beyond stunned that her character, one that I created, has become very popular and many of you said that she has become your favorite. I'm humbled by that and I promise to do her character some justice at least for what she went through._

 ** _4\. Pokemon Lemons -_** _T_ _here will not be any lemons written about the pokemon and their sexual activities because I'm not comfortable with it and won't know how to describe it and don't want to go there. There will be implied scenes and what not, but I won't detail it or shine more light on it other than what is implied like before. (Example; Glaceon and Buneary dragged Pikachu into an empty bathroom and shut the door)_

 ** _5\. Pokemon Battles -_** _I know that I haven't been having the group battle between each other at all but that's because I've been focusing on the bonds and relationships between each other. Since their training has started, there will be_ _some battles between them now. And in the second half of the story, there will be many battles because of the war. With that in mind, I wanted to keep the pokemon battles to a minimum for the time being so the story isn't saturated with it and only have them for important events, such as the Tournament and fighting against the Skull Brothers, etc._

 ** _6\. Chapter lengths & Update Schedule - _**_Thank you for answering that. Based on your replies, I have decided to keep doing what I'm doing already. I will write each chapter to however long it needs to be. Whether that's really long, really short or in the middle. Because the story I have in mind is a long one, there are many subplots and many characters to shift the light onto and each chapter builds upon the ones before it, it's going to stay around these lengths. Because of that and some new things occurring in my life, my update schedule will be from 1 to 3 weeks. Thank you for understanding._

 ** _7\. My life status -_** _Another reason for the 1 to 3 week update schedule is because I have finally found a job. Because of that, my time will be limited and until I get back into the groove of things, I cannot promise a weekly or bi-weekly update. But I was able to get this last chapter finished for you. :)_

 ** _Okay, with that done, here is the next chapter for you. Also, I have two questions for you all after the end of the chapter as well as another surprise for you. Enjoy and remember to review, fav and follow!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 45 – THE QUARTER FINALS

Sabrina Natsume, the psychic prodigy who was also the Saffron City gym leader, had confessed to Ash in front of his girlfriends that she had fallen for him. She apologized for hurting him and for revealing her feelings to them. She promised not to get involved and that she wouldn't cause them problems before teleporting away. Seeing her disappear snapped him out his trance. **"SABRINA!"** yelled out Ash into the silent room, staring at the spot she was just at a second ago.

Nobody could believe what just happened. They were in shock from what the Saffron gym leader had just admitted. That she has feelings for the raven haired guardian and was pushing herself to become stronger so she can be prove herself to him. Ash's heart was thumping wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his chest. Everything had just clicked in his head, figuring out why he felt the way he did in her embrace. Why seeing her push herself made something stir inside him and why he was feeling such sadness over her doing this to herself. He glanced back at the girls behind him and saw each one was astonished. Eight out of the ten girls shot to him and gave him a group hug after seeing how saddened he had become. They were sullen themselves and surprisingly, they were not angry with Sabrina at all for having feelings for Ash and for confessing. They understood where she was coming from and didn't want her to go but she did. Liza glanced at Clair, who felt like a total bitch for causing this to happen. The blunette gym leader of Blackthorn City locked her eyes with the raven haired guardian's. **"Ash…I'm so..."**

" **Don't say anything Clair,"** interrupted Ash. He separated from the girls and went up to the now guilty looking girl. **"You were right. I caused her to do this to herself. I didn't notice what she was feeling. Let me have it."** She titled her head slightly and the girls glanced at one another. **"I told you to not hold back if I was wrong. I'm wrong. So let me have it. Unleash your wrath on me."** She gave him a disbelieving look. _Is he for real?_ He heard her thought since he was focusing on her and saw she didn't know what to do. **"C'mon hit me!"** he commanded. She became startled and punched him in the chest instinctually. But it was a weak one, with him not even feeling it. **"Is that it?! You're a black belt damn it! Hit me!"** Clair hit him again but harder. He gestured to her to keep them coming. She hit him again but it was barely any stronger. **"Is that the best you can do?!"** taunted Ash. The girls were alarmed over what was happening but none of them interfered. And even if they wanted to, they were frozen in their place.

Clair's lips were quivering and her heart was beating wildly. She didn't want to keep hitting him, feeling bad for hurting him. _I don't want to hurt you!_ She was about to hit him again but couldn't anymore. She flung her arms over his neck and leaned against him for support before bursting into tears. **"I'm so sorry Ash! So sorry! For hurting you and blaming you! I didn't think this would happen! I was just so upset over seeing my best friend sad! Please forgive me!"** she cried. _Please don't hate me!_

Ash felt sullen over what she said and thought. He wrapped his arms around her and massaged her back with both hands. He couldn't answer her thought but hoped his action would do it for him. **"It's not your fault Clair. You were trying to protect and help your friend, just like any of us would do. I'm not angry with you at all. You're a good friend and person,"** he told her. **"Do you have any idea where Sabrina might have gone?"** he asked her.

Clair pulled herself together and took a step back, separating from him and wiping her eyes dry. **"Other than her home or the G-Men's headquarters, I don't know where else she'll go."** Her answer was not what he was hoping to hear, shaking his head. Clair glanced at his girlfriends before going up to them and stopped in front of them. **"I'm so sorry for getting angry at Ash,"** apologized the blunette.

The girls looked at Clair for a moment before nodding and embraced her in a hug. They told her that they understand but to communicate with them before blowing her top. She nodded solemnly and promised to do so if something like this ever happened again but hoped that it wouldn't. The petite girl from Twinleaf Town then glanced at Cynthia. **"Where could she have gone?"** asked Dawn.

" **I have no better idea than you guys,"** admitted Cynthia with a frown.

" **I hope she doesn't do anything else rash,"** added Serena.

" **Sabrina's not the type to do that. She'll usually just keep things in and just go home,"** revealed Liza.

" **Yea but isn't this a really big deal to her? I mean, telling her feelings about Ash."** They looked at May while Ash sat down on the bed, placing his head in his hands and let out a sigh. Sarah and Anabel sat down beside him and rubbed his back. **"We need to find her,"** added May.

" **But how?"** wondered Misty. **"How can we find her? And where would she go?"**

Ash looked up at the girls. **"I'm such an idiot,"** he told them and they looked at him. **"Even after everything that's happened so far at just this tournament, I'm still having trouble noticing things. How could I have hurt her so badly? How could I have not noticed that she has feelings for me?"** he asked them before hanging his head again.

The girls felt sullen over his words and behavior. Misty knelt down in front of him and raised his head with her hands as Sarah and Anabel stopped their rubbing. She looked into his eyes with her cerulean blue ones before asking him a question. **"Do you like her Ash?"** she asked him making everyone go silent to hear his reply.

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds before answering. **"Her confession made me realize how I feel about her just now. And the truth is…I do,"** he admitted quietly. Liza and Clair gasped that he said that but his girlfriends just gathered around him. He looked up and around to look at each of his girlfriends in the eye. **"There's some things you should all know…"** he told them before explaining everything that he's been feeling when with or around Sabrina. From their dancing in the club to after he brought her back after their training yesterday. His girlfriends listened quietly without interrupting. When he finished explaining, he looked at them with a sullen gaze. **"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought it was just the alcohol or just friendly interactions. I didn't know what they meant or what I was feeling until now. I'm so sorry for not realizing what they were and that I'm still so blind towards all this,"** he told them.

" **Don't,"** shot Misty, May, Dawn and Serena at once and they all looked at them. They told him it won't do anyone any good for him to beat himself up over it and that they're not angry with him at all. His newer girlfriends also chimed in, on the same page as them. Ash nodded and asked them what he should do.

Clair and Liza were beyond astonished as to how his girlfriends took it. They glanced at one another, both thinking the same thing. _How could they not be angry with him? How could they not be angry with Sabrina?_ The two turned their attention back to them when Leaf started speaking now.

" **Well first things first. We need to find Sabrina,"** said Leaf. They spoke together, trying to get some ideas of where she would have gone but didn't really get anything good.

Anabel however kept quiet since she was deep in thought. She wanted to help and pondered a bit as to how she could. A couple minutes later, she thought up of an idea. **"Ash, I know one way that might help us find her."**

" **You do?"** he asked, turning to face her with the others giving her their utmost attention.

" **Yes. I can try to locate with my psychic senses,"** suggested Anabel. **"But I would need some psychic pokémon to help me out in it and need some space."**

" **Let's go to the balcony then,"** advised Cynthia.

Ash and the girls left the room and headed towards the balcony. Their friends and family saw them with serious looks on their faces and that worried them. They wanted to ask what happened regarding Sabrina and what was going on now but saw that they were focused on something. Anabel went up to the railings and brought out her pokémon. Alakazam, Metagross and Espeon appeared. She glanced at Ash who brought out multiple blue orbs from his hands that turned into poke balls. The poke balls opened to let out their pokémon and Ash's Alakazam, Espeon, Gallade, Metagross, Reuniclus, Delphox and Meowstic appeared. He didn't call Gardevoir because he promised her and Lucario some alone time. And he didn't call Lugia and Victini because their power was too great and he didn't want to constantly have Mewtwo help out. He deserved his own time alone. Misty, Serena and Sarah let out their Starmie, Delphox and Hypno.

" **We need all of you to listen to Anabel. She's going to need your help to find our friend,"** said Ash. The girls nodded at their pokemon and all the psychic pokémon gathered around Anabel.

" **Okay. We're going to be looking for the Saffron City gym leader Sabrina Natsume. I need you all to connect with my psychic senses so it can become boosted. That way I can try to locate hers."** The psychic pokémon glanced at one another and nodded. But her Espeon was worried. Her trainer hadn't ever done this before. She knew the theory but never actually did it. Yet, she still joined in, trusting in her capabilities. Ash and the girls watched as the psychic pokémon's eyes glowed blue and a blue outline appeared around Anabel. **"Oh my Mew!"** cried out Anabel, her voice echoing now, feeling incredible power course through her.

They became alarmed by her outburst. **"What's wrong?! Stop if it's hurting you!"** shouted Ash for everyone.

The Frontier Brain took in a breath. **"I'm alright,"** replied Anabel. **"I just never experienced so much power before. I should be fine."**

" **How come we didn't do this when we were looking for Leaf?"** asked Sarah.

" **Because this only works when trying to find another psychic user,"** explained Anabel and they nodded in understanding. **"Please, don't bother me again so I can maintain my focus."**

The others stepped into the balcony, having noticed the blue glow and pokémon and asked them what was going on. Seeing Ash not answering, the girls then told the others that they were looking for Sabrina who had teleported away so as to not get them sick as well. They didn't need to tell them everything and Ash kept his attention on Anabel. _Please don't get hurt too Anabel. And Sabrina, why'd you leave like that? Please be alright._

" **Ash…"** He turned around to face his mother. **"I know you're trying to find Sabrina but you're match is coming up. You have an hour left."** He thanked his mom for the reminder and set an alarm on his Poketch to ring in forty five minutes. About twenty minutes later, with everyone waiting impatiently with no update yet from Anabel, Ash was sent a mental message.

 _What the hell are you doing Ash?!_

 _We're looking for Sabrina._

 _Is that what you're doing? Or are you trying to kill Anabel?_

 _What do you mean Mewtwo?!_

 _I can feel the power from New Island. It's too great for her. The pokémon connected to her aren't feeling the damage she's getting and neither is she. But I am. Tell them to stop now! Do whatever it takes to break their connection!_

" **STOP!"** shouted Ash suddenly, making everyone jump but Anabel and the psychic pokémon kept going. **"ANABEL! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"** But she wasn't hearing him and neither were the pokémon. They were stuck in the connection. Ash shot forward, his aura flaring out. He struck each of the pokémon once, not to hurt them but hard enough to break their concentration, making them stumble away.

The others in the balcony were yelling and screaming, completely scared and shocked over what he was doing. But the raven haired guardian did not stop until he made the last pokémon move away. With the connection severed, the glow around the purple haired girl faded away. She was barely standing until she fell face forward and Ash lunged in front of her. He caught her in the air and fell onto his back with her in his arms. **"Anabel? Anabel?!"** He cupped her cheek with his hand, gently shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry.

" **A-Ash…"** wheezed Anabel. A bit of blood trickled out from her nose, scaring him and everyone else around them.

" **Hold on. Please,"** begged Ash as he placed his glowing blue hand onto her. He pulsed out healing aura, the energy waves washing over her. He had used up a good amount to heal Sabrina's hands a short while ago and using more already without fully recovering was severely draining him. But he didn't have a choice and didn't care about that right now. The glow brightened a bit before dimming. Ash's aura faded away and he was gasping for air but his attention was on the purple haired girl in his arms. **"Anabel?"** She stirred and opened her eyes fully a moment later. He immediately hugged her. **"Oh thank Mew you're alright."**

" **I'm sorry Ash. I couldn't find her,"** said Anabel quietly.

" **I'm not accepting your apology because you have nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn't have let you do that. I'm sorry. Are you alright?"** he asked her. She looked up at him and nodded slightly, filling up with emotion at the way he was looking at her and holding her. **"Good."** Ash glanced at his Espeon who helped them stand with her psychic powers. He had her lie down on a lounge chair.

A blue glow materialized in the balcony immediately afterwards. **"What were you thinking?!"** chastised Mewtwo the second he appeared.

" **I'm sorry Mewtwo. I shouldn't have let her…"**

The purple haired girl interrupted him, speaking up. **"It's not his fault. I volunteered and didn't know it could cause damage to me and neither did he,"** admitted Anabel. The others in the balcony now understood why Ash stopped them.

Mewtwo shook his head. **"It matters not. From now on, any psychic related thing you need to do, come to me only. No one else for now until after the tournament is over and you go through my training,"** informed the legendary feline.

" **Alright. I'm sorry Mewtwo."** He hung his head, ashamed of letting Anabel do something so dangerous for him. **"I hate to ask but please, can you find Sabrina?"** asked Ash.

The purple legendary agreed to the request. **"I will. Any ideas where she might have gone?"**

Ash shook his head before looking at him. **"Besides her house and the league headquarters, I'm not sure,"** replied Ash but then he got a sudden idea. **"Wait, isn't she close with you?"** asked Ash, turning to face Cynthia, Clair and Liza. The three had their eyes widen in realization. He turned back to the purple feline. **"Try her friends' houses!"**

Mewtwo looked at Clair, Liza and Cynthia who quickly told the legendary where they lived. **"Alright. I'll find her. Focus on your next match,"** said Mewtwo and teleported away.

Ash and the rest returned their pokémon. The raven haired guardian collapsed onto a nearby lounge chair next to Anabel and held his head in his hands. **"Why are things becoming so complicated?"** asked Ash out loud to no one.

" **Because life is never simple Ash. You know this. Don't worry about something that cannot be changed and instead focus on what can be,"** advised Oak. Ash looked up at the Professor, hearing his words but said nothing. When he glanced at Anabel, he saw that she was looking at him with a sullen gaze. He got up and sat next to her before hugging her and she reciprocated the hug. The girls gathered around the two and some of them even sat down on the lounge chair as well. They were quiet, waiting for some sort of update and sometime later an alarm went off. Ash hit the dismiss button on his Poketch. He glanced at the Frontier Brain before looking at everyone.

" **Don't even attempt to tell us not to go with you,"** said Misty.

" **Alright,"** he agreed without even attempting to argue. **"But I need someone to look after Natasha."**

" **We got it covered,"** said Delia, gesturing to herself and the other parents.

" **Thank you. You guys ready to go?"** he asked the others and they said they were. He assisted Anabel in standing up who also wanted to go. **"Very well then. Let's go. We have enough time to walk there but I'll have Mewtwo teleport us in front of the hotel."** They agreed and a second later, they disappeared and reappeared in front of the hotel. Mewtwo even had Pikachu teleported to Ash's shoulder, saving him from Glaceon and Buneary, though he was still exhausted. Trainer and starter spoke with one another through their aura bond the minute he appeared, the electric mouse getting an update on what had happened. They immediately moved towards the stadium, mostly silent but with a few conversations going on here and there.

When the group teleported, the parents went back into the living room and Norman turned on the TV. They were going to watch the match between Ash and this so called trainer named Damian. Norman was especially pissed. He couldn't stand trainers who would abandon their pokémon. Delia went to Natasha's room and saw her wide awake and a fearful look on her. She had heard some shouts and screams. She couldn't make out what was said but was worried about what happened. **"Hey Natasha. No need to be afraid. Nothing happened except for some surprises but everything is fine now. Ash went to battle in his next match. Would you like to watch?"** she asked her. The red head relaxed a little and nodded, though she still had a sullen expression. She was thinking about the results she was told earlier before hearing the shouting. She hoped the match would have her distracted and not think about that for a while at least. Delia turned on the TV in her room and sat down on the small couch in the room to watch with her. **"Are you hungry or need anything?"** Delia asked her and Natasha shook her head. She nodded at her and relaxed in her seat. _C'mon sweetie. I know you'll win. Just focus on the battle and don't worry about Sabrina. Mewtwo will find her._

Speaking of the legendary psychic, when Mewtwo teleported away from the hotel he arrived at Sabrina's home. That was his first place he decided to check, because sometimes the last place people would think to check where someone went, was usually the place to go. He used his incredible powers to try and sense her in the area, sending out a psychic pulse that would let him know if there was a psychic user nearby. He sensed another user but didn't have the same signature as Sabrina's. Good thing he couldn't feel the pulse. Even if she tried to conceal her powers, he would still be able to sense it. She however wouldn't be able to sense him until the last second but by then, she wouldn't be able to flee once he was in the area.

Finding no trace of her, he decided to check around the city for a bit, receiving another request from Ash before teleporting to his next destination. He concentrated for a second, his eyes glowing blue before teleporting him, Pikachu and the group in front of the hotel. Afterwards, he continued with his search. Finding nothing, he teleported and checked the next area, which was the Pokémon League Headquarters that also stationed the G-Men. He did the same thing there, sending out a psychic pulse and got back nothing. He checked around a little more before he teleported to the next area to check, which was Clair's hometown. Nope. He then teleported to Cynthia's hometown. Negative. He teleported to the last spot that Ash thought of, which was Liza's cabin in the Charicific Valley. Bingo! He focused on her and sensed she was in the living room of the cabin. He vanished from sight.

Sabrina was lying on the couch, face buried into a pillow, sobbing away. She didn't believe anyone would find her here after teleporting away from Clair's place when she sensed Anabel trying to find her. She was astonished she was able to track her but knew she was being assisted and wouldn't be able to keep it up. She knew what the less powerful and less experienced psychic was trying to do having done the same kind of thing a few years before on one of the missions for the G-Men to find a rogue psychic user. She only hoped that she wouldn't end up hurting herself like she did and that they wouldn't find her. She didn't want to be found. She didn't want them to tell her she was wrong. That it's okay that she's weak. That she doesn't have to prove herself to them. Even if she didn't have to, she still had to. She had to for him; for Ash. After all the things he had done for the world and for the people in it, very few knew of his sacrifices, of his heroics. And she had learned of a great deal of his actions when she brought out his memories. He deserved to have only the best. That's what she believed. And she believed that she wasn't good enough for him because of her past, her weaknesses and how she's only good at one thing.

She continued her sobbing, feeling absolutely horrible until she sensed something out of nowhere. Sabrina sat up all of a sudden in time to feel an overwhelming weight being pressed onto her. She had only ever felt such power once before and fear completely filled her. **"You don't need to be afraid of me Sabrina."** The feeling went away and she turned to look at Mewtwo. He was lying down on the other couch, his hands behind his hand, looking up at the ceiling with his tail swishing back and forth, barely grazing the floor. She tried to teleport away but couldn't since he had blocked her. Such power…

" **How did you find me?"** she asked him quietly after a moment of silence between the two.

Mewtwo stayed quiet for a moment until he responded back but didn't look at her. **"Technically, Ash found you. He thought up of a few places you might go and this was one of them."** Sabrina's eyes widened at that. **"Surprised? Me too. He's the type of person who can never be figured out. That's why he's special, unique and he will become the greatest Pokémon Master in the world one day as long as he continues the path he's on. And the only one to ever deserve that title. Once he reaches the top, he will never be knocked down and no one will ever be his equal."** He glanced over at the dark haired girl, seeing her transfixed, her gaze towards him but not really looking at him. **"It's a shame you left really,"** continued Mewtwo, turning his gaze back to the ceiling. **"He really likes you."**

Sabrina snapped out of it. **"How do you know and why would you say that?"**

Mewtwo smirked and looked at her. **"Caught your attention?"** She reddened and looked away. **"If you don't believe me, watch his next match."** He used his psychic powers to turn on the TV in the living room and flipped the channel to the eighth match of the tournament. The battle was already going on at this point and the announcer was commenting about what was happening. **"Pay attention to him Sabrina. In particular, his eyes. You'll find your answer there."** Mewtwo said no more and Sabrina looked at the screen hesitantly since there was nothing else she could do.

When they reached the stadium, Ash and Pikachu separated from the group, entering the trainer's tunnel while the rest went into the stands. A few minutes later, the announcer was heard through the stadium speakers. **"THANK YOU LADIES AND GENTLEMAN FOR YOUR PATIENCE! AFTER THAT LAST MATCH WITH THE DRAGON MASTER WHO COMPLETELY STEAM ROLLED HIS OPPONENT, I BET YOU'RE READY FOR MORE! THE EIGHT ROUND BATTLES WILL CONTINUE WITH THE FINAL MATCH OF THE DAY! WE HAVE DAMIAN DAISUKE AND ASH KETCHUM!"** The crowd roared and cheered when the two entered the stadium and walked to the referee in the middle to get their microphones.

Leaf growled, seeing the one who tried to take advantage of her and insulted her beloved. **"Use him to let out your frustrations and crush him Ash,"** growled Leaf and her friends agreed. They were all worried about Sabrina but were confident that Mewtwo would find her eventually. They only hoped that Ash would stay focused on the match. They were all seated together in the stands. Even Cynthia was with them but was sitting between the girls and trying to maintain a low profile so no one will bother them. It was much more different to be there than in the VIP room and it's been a long time since she sat in the stands among the spectators.

In the VIP room, the Champions Lance, Diantha, Alder and Steven were once again seated in the comfortable couches with President Goodshow on the phone ordering some food. Steven was a little out of it, thinking about a certain reporter. Alder noticed this and nudged him slightly with his elbow, making the elegantly dressed young man turn to him. **"Thinking of Snow are we?"** asked Alder.

Steven turned red and turned his gaze away from the older Champion. **"Don't start."** Alder laughed out loud while Lance and Diantha smiled.

The dragon master turned to the actress who noticed his movement and followed suite to look at him. **"You think Steven finally found someone?"** asked Lance quietly.

Diantha shrugged. **"Maybe. She seems nice enough. But you don't really know someone until you spend some time with them,"** she said while looking into his eyes.

Lance felt as if she was looking into his soul with her blue eyes. He reddened slightly from her focused gaze and turned away to face the field. **"You have a point there Diantha. Maybe he got lucky on his first crush. But who knows for sure anymore?"** he asked back.

" **I can hear you!"** snapped Steven from the front and the three chuckled as they returned their attention to the starting match in time to hear the rules.

" **This is a triple battle with only one reserve pokémon. No Mega evolutions allowed, no time limit and no substitutions. Good luck!"** said the referee while the two clipped their microphones onto their shirt.

Ash didn't extend his hand out this time for the customary handshake. He had no respect for Damian at all. Some from the stands noticed that and murmured about it and Damian noticed that but didn't care. Instead he only smirked before speaking. **"You're going to pay Ketchum for humiliating me,"** said Damian. Ash said nothing but Pikachu's cheeks sparked out. **"You're going to pay for stealing my Charmander and for stealing that girl from me. Mark my words. You will lose and everyone will know of what you really are."**

Ash's eyes narrowed but kept quiet. They turned and headed to their respective trainer's box. The crowd heard their exchange because of the mics and started gossiping about what Damian just said, wondering if it was true; if their savior had actually stolen a pokémon from another trainer and if he had caused a couple to break up. Goodshow and the Champions glanced at one another in the VIP room, wondering if this was going to cause something. Ash's group glanced around, seeing many people become confused and concerned about what Damian just said and it made them worried. Both trainers flung out three poke balls each at once to start. **"AND THE BATTLE BEGINS! DAMIAN HAS SENT OUT HONCHKROW, SWAMPERT AND EELEKTROSS WHILE ASH HAS SENT OUT MEGANIUM, DONPHAN AND FERALIGATR! LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL BE ONE HECK OF A BATTLE!"**

 _You have no idea,_ thought Damian, his smirk still on his face. **"Earthquake, Discharge and Fly!"** he ordered. Swampert slammed the ground hard with his fists, Eelektross let out several thunderbolts all around him and Honchkrow shot up into the sky, hiding in the sun.

" **Defend!"** snapped Ash. Meganium, Donphan and Feraligatr took up defensive positions before bringing out protective shields in front of them. The electric bolts hit their shields and while they were blocking that, the tremors reached them and rocked them. Though they were hit hard by two powerful attacks at once, the shields held. When the attacks finished, his pokémon let the shields down. **"Good job guys. Now, get ready to counter attack!"** and his pokemon readied themselves.

It was at that moment that Honchkrow dived bombed his Meganium. **"Forget something Ketchum?"** laughed Damian but Ash only crossed his arms in response.

At the last second, Honchkrow was stopped in his tracks. His grass Johto starter had used Vine Whip to catch the large bird in mid flight. Damian's eyes widened, astonished that his pokémon was caught while in the middle of a dive bomb. **"Nice try. Our turn. Send him flying, Dig and Aqua Jet!"** The grass dinosaur spun the bird around a bit before tossing it back to its side of the field while the armored elephant dug into the ground and the blue crocodile launched himself forward with a stream of water behind him.

Honchkrow slammed into Eelektross and both of them crashed onto the ground. They barely registered that they were on the ground when they were all of sudden bounced back up into the air by Donphan who popped out from the ground underneath them. He disappeared back into the ground again. That was when Feraligatr slammed into the bird and eel, sending them colliding into the stadium wall.

Damian was beyond shocked at the coordination between his opponents and so were the people in the stands. He watched his pokémon stumble, disoriented with a couple bruises and scratches, but alright for the most part. **"STAND FIRM AND GET BACK INTO THE FIGHT!"** he yelled and then glanced at Ash and his pokémon, who had moved back to their side. The crowd was mostly silent, no one making a sound except for Ash's group. Almost all of them was cheering and encouraging him, happy that he was teaching him a lesson and wiping the floor with him.

Back at the cabin in the Charicific Valley, Sabrina was watching the amazing battle with rapt attention. Mewtwo however was only watching with an unimpressed gaze. He knew Ash and his pokémon, his comrades, could do it. He only watched because he was bored and that Sabrina had to see what he was talking about. A close up appeared on the TV of Ash and Damian a moment later with each face taking up half the screen. **"Do you see it?"** asked Mewtwo, freezing the image with his powers.

Sabrina glanced at the purple feline before she looked closer at Ash's face. She didn't see anything that would signify that he wasn't concentrating on the match. She was about to tell Mewtwo that he was wrong about what he said when she looked into his eyes. That was when she noticed it. It was hidden, behind his focused gaze but there it was; fear, worry and concern. She felt her heart skip a beat at that.

The bipedal feline noticed her reaction and formed a half smile on his face. **"Now that you saw it, what are you going to do?"** asked Mewtwo, unfreezing the image and the video continued with the match, having sped up a bit to catch up to the current battle situation thanks to the psychic type. Damian was sending out commands to attack and evade their opponents. They would barely miss their targets on most of their attacks but did manage to land a few hits but they did minimal damage. She stayed quiet for a moment and the feline just chuckled, making the gym leader look at him. **"Ash just sent me a mental message asking if I found you yet."** She couldn't believe what she just heard. **"He's not even worried about the battle. He's worried about you. I told him I'm close. Should I tell him I found you?"** he asked, looking at her fully.

Sabrina sighed, not letting her heart get ahead of herself. **"Even if it is there, and he is asking about me, how can I be good enough for him? I was a monster before. People are still afraid of me. I have very few friends and I'm barely physically stronger than a child. I've lived a sheltered life mostly and have very little actual world experience, not counting my involvement in missions for the league. How can I ever be worthy enough for him to call me his beloved, let alone his friend? How can I help him in the future against the darkness? He doesn't need me and he's better off without me,"** she said, hanging her head, depressed and completely sullen.

The legendary's small smile turned into a frown before immediately changing his expression to that of a stoic one. **"You know, you remind me a lot of myself,"** remarked Mewtwo and she glanced at him. He looked at her before turning his gaze back towards the ceiling. **"I too used to be a monster. You should remember, you saw the memory. But because of him I changed and for the better. I too have very few close friends. But, I care greatly for each of them, especially Ash. He has given and taught me much and I will forever be grateful to him for that."** She smiled a little at that because that sounded just like him; helping others. **"But, there are times when he has fallen and that it was only because of his friends or his pokémon or even me that he was able to get back up and do what he had to do. He may be powerful, he may be kind hearted, generous, loyal and much more. But he is also stubborn, naïve, emotional, slightly dense and blind and several other things."** Sabrina frowned a bit at that but didn't comment since that was also true. She had noticed that about him. Mewtwo glanced back at her. **"Everyone has weaknesses and flaws. No one is perfect and no one can be the best at everything. Not you, not Ash, not even me or Arceus."** Sabrina nodded her head a bit, agreeing. **"Yet, you are the most powerful human psychic to have ever lived and he is the most powerful Aura Guardian to have ever lived."** She looked up at him, wondering where he was going with this. She couldn't read his mind either. **"You two are meant for each other. Just like his girlfriends who are with him now. They are meant to be with him and so are you. Each of you is different for a reason as each of you completes a part of him and he completes a part of you. You may never be like them, but you must remember that they will never be like you either,"** finished up the psychic feline. He understood her position a bit, both having first been known as monsters and having no one until Ash showed them a better path. He hoped his words would make her understand since he had learned to care and feel for others because of the guardian.

Sabrina heard Mewtwo's words and they washed over her, resonating with her. She shook her head as realization dawned upon her. She was being a fool…a scared fool. Liza was right. She was afraid. She was afraid of going after what her heart yearned for because she was afraid of not only rejection but of how he would view her. She thought of how he behaved with her, his words to her these past few days, from the club, to the training, to what he said to her when he found about her injured hands. **"He does have feelings for me,"** said Sabrina suddenly.

" **Yes. Yes he does. Like I said, he's a bit slow when it comes to that but he's getting better at it,"** repeated Mewtwo. **"We can go to him now or we can wait till after his match and then we'll surprise him afterwards."** Sabrina thought about that a bit before she agreed with the second part. She wanted to compose herself fully and watch the match before going back to him. The two said no more and the two powerful psychics continued to watch the match.

Back at the Indigo stadium, Damian was fuming, becoming angrier with each passing second. No matter what logical strategy he ordered or insane tactic he came up with, his pokémon couldn't damage Ash's pokémon enough. The raven haired guardian kept having his Donphan use Dig to keep all three of his pokémon on edge, using hit and run tactics. His entire side of the field was riddled with holes. Meganium would keep his Swampert distracted with Razor Leafs and Energy Balls to keep him from using any attack to get the elephant to stop. Feraligatr was keeping Honchkrow and Eelektross from being able to attack as well. He prevented the large bird pokémon from getting close with Water Gun blasts and would dodge the electric eel's electricity by hiding behind multiple boulders he had set up over their side of the field by using Rock Tomb.

" **I can't believe he can't even get a decent hit in,"** remarked Leaf in awe.

" **So much for making Ash pay,"** said Misty with a chuckle. **"I'm surprised he hasn't called out Charizard to just completely pulverize him,"** added the red head. The rest nodded at that, laughing since they imagined how it would go; a complete massacre if he had Charizard fight in this match. Perhaps that was the reason he didn't use the powerful dragon.

While almost their entire group was watching the battle with their utmost attention, one from their group was not. Gary was barely watching the match. He knew Ash would win, especially because he was pissed off at Damian. But that's not what his mind was on. His mind was on his ex-girlfriend Ilene. He still couldn't believe that they were done and never getting back together. He glanced at her and saw her gaze glued onto the ongoing battle. He turned his sight away from her and onto the field when he heard the announcer speak. **"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS?! NO MATTER WHAT DAMIAN COMES UP WITH, ASH'S POKÉMON ARE TOO WELL COORDINATED TO LET HIM DO ANYTHING TO GET BACK INTO THE FIGHT! EVEN WITH SOME ATTACKS MAKING CONTACT, THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON ARE UNFAZED! IF THIS CONTINUES, THE REFEREE MAY HAVE TO STOP THE MATCH! IF THAT OCCURS, IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE THAT HAS HAPPENED!"** The crowd, first silent over what they heard Damian say, was now roaring and cheering over the incredible battle. They had completely forgotten about his words over the glorious match that was happening right in front of them.

While the battle was going on, Shamus and Paul were at the stadium, sitting in the front row of the stands behind Damian. A laptop was in Shamus's hands, waiting for the word from their friend to start the next part of their plan to cause Ash agony. He was to broadcast the report they were given by Richard during the match to distract Ash enough so Damian can take advantage and cause the public to turn against him.

The two had gone to the stadium about half an hour early to set up their plan. Before that though, Shamus had spent the better part of the day attempting to hack into the pokémon league network and their broadcasting systems. After trying for a couple of hours and failing, he took a break for a bit, needing to clear his head. He went into his room to get some stress relief from the blonde girl he had picked up the night before. But she wasn't in his room anymore. He was at first confused until he remembered that he had kicked her out after he paid her to have sex with Richard. **"Ah fuck. Damn it. That's the last time I throw away my toys before I'm fully done with them."** He shook his head and returned back to his laptop to continue his attempts into getting in the system but after he got a beer from the fridge.

While he was doing that, Paul and Damian were speaking with one another nonstop about what pokémon and tactics he should use during the battle. Paul gave Damian every piece of advice and tip he could remember about his most despised person. He had battled him several times and knew of some things that could help his friend out in the battle. He normally wouldn't have done so but he hated Ash more than lowering himself to helping another in his battles. And the other thing was that he respected Damian because he was a powerful trainer and that's all he respected.

It was only when the time had reached 350pm when Shamus was able to finally break into the network and broadcasting systems. He told the two of the success and they quickly finished up their battle plans. Afterwards, the two left Damian in the hotel to go to the stadium and set up shop so they could make sure he would be able to still do it from there.

The transmission of the report was ready to go the instant a button was pressed and the two were waiting for Damian's signal. However, they were completely wide eyed over seeing Ash completely dominating the match. The two looked at one another, both thinking that even with the report being shown during the middle of the battle that Damian might still have trouble winning the match. They turned their gaze back to the one sided battle when one of their friend's pokémon cried out in pain again.

Ash not once uttered a command during the rest of the match, using the bonds with his pokémon and his aura to communicate with them. He was standing straight with his arms crossed, glaring at the blue haired man across the field from him. Pikachu stopped letting out sparks from his cheeks every so often because he had become tired, sitting down on his shoulder. He really was drained from his time with Glaceon and Buneary. But he was wide awake because his eyes were locked onto their opponents. Both of them hated very few things in the world and unfortunately for Damian, he happened to be several of those things. But Ash's entire attention wasn't on the despicable person in front of him or the battle. The raven haired guardian was also thinking about a certain dark haired girl who he was hoping to be found safe and sound soon. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything will be fine and how he really felt about her…

On the other side of the field, the blue haired man was losing his cool. His Swampert attempted to hit Donphan with a Water Gun but the elephant rolled out of the way at the last second easily enough. **"I'm being fucking toyed with!"** grumbled Damian, his words carried out through the speaker system. The announcer told him to watch the language, saying it was a warning but he ignored it. He saw his Honchkrow hover close to him and then look at him with an exhausted expression. **"I don't give a shit how tired you are! Get your damn ass back in there and finish them off or you'll be sorry!"** Honchkrow flew back into the battle with a scared look on its face. The crowd booed but he didn't care at all. He would beat the annoying little prick if it was the last thing he did. Ash's eyes narrowed and he let out a growl that was heard over the speakers, startling some in the stands. His group glanced at one another, feeling slightly worried that Ash was on edge and they knew it was because of the douche bag trainer in front of him and that Sabrina was gone. Damian's words brought their attention back to the match. " **You think I'm scared of you?! Think again! This is only the start! It's time for everyone to know who you really are!"** he yelled and Ash's expression remained stoic but inside he became worried. His friends and family had concerned looks appear because they didn't know what Damian meant by that.

Shamus heard Damian and hit the 'Enter' key on his lap top's keyboard. The broadcast showing the battle was taken over and made to shrink to fit only half of whatever screen it was on, be it at the stadium, on TVs at people's homes or on other devices. Another video appeared next to it and began playing. **"THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS…"** Everyone who was watching became both surprised and confused as to why a news report would start playing right now in the middle of a match going on in the stadium. They watched with curiosity, turning their gazes back and forth to the battle and then to the screens. Many were asking their friends and families or even random people in the stands that they didn't know about the broadcast. Goodshow was on the phone already in the VIP room trying to contact his communications manager to get this fixed. The Champions in the room had gotten up and moved to the large window, looking for any suspicious signs in the stadium. They didn't want to be caught unawares by an attack again. Lance was even on his Poketch, contacting the guards stationed at entrances and exits to request an update. Steven was also thinking about why a report of hers would show up right now in the middle of the match? However, they all stopped what they were doing when they heard what the reporter said next. **"BUT IS THERE MORE TO HIM THAN THIS RIGHTEOUS SIDE? IS HE HIDING A DARKER ASPECT OF HIMSELF?"**

Those final two questions made Ash and his family and friends, no matter where they were, to widen their eyes and have a feeling of dread fill them. **"Oh no…"** whispered May.

" **Is she really…"** started Lizabeth but couldn't finish.

" **She better not…"** added Cynthia but went quiet over what the video showed next.

It was photo after photo of what Ash was doing at Club Indigo. It showed him drinking with his friends, dancing with so many different girls and making out with May in the middle of the dance floor. The girls went crimson and clapped their hands to their mouths, embarrassed over their personal lives being shared with the world. The parents and Natasha watching from the hotel were wide eyed, jaws dropped and in disbelief. Mewtwo and Sabrina sat up straight before leaning forward towards the screen, both of them frozen in shock over what was being aired.

Ash lost his concentration, distracted by the report, becoming both stunned and embarrassed. Damian took advantage and had his pokémon attack without mercy now. Ash's pokémon saw him out of it and decided to take things into their own hands while his ever loyal Pikachu tried to snap him out of it to no avail. Thanks to their training though, they were able to keep the battle going and not give them the upper hand. They would finish this match as victors for their trainer and friend. They would not let him lose because of such a cheap tactic to make him lose focus. And they had faced worse things but they made sure to keep abiding by the rules; they wouldn't cause a loss because of disqualification.

The broadcast continued on, not finishing and every single person at the stadium and those watching the match from all over had their eyes glued to the broadcast. **"THIS MAY SEEM LIKE NOTHING AND HE'S JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME WITH FRIENDS BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT WAY. HOW MANY FRIENDS DANCE LIKE THIS TOGETHER?"** The report showed Ash and the four girls together, when they sandwiched him between them, making the five of them go crimson red. **"THAT'S MISTY WATERFLOWER, MAY MAPLE, DAWN BERLITZ AND SERENA YVONNE. ALL CLOSE FRIENDS OF HIM WHO ARE POPULAR ATTRACTIVE GIRLS AND ARE FAMOUS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. EACH OF THEM WAS SEEN TRAVELING WITH HIM AND JUST LIKE THE GYM LEADER OF CERULEAN, RUMORED TO BE WITH HIM AND IT SEEMS LIKE HE IS WITH ALL OF THEM AT ONCE. LOOKS LIKE HE'S FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE KARATE MASTER OF THE KANTO ELITE FOUR. BUT DOES HE ACTUALLY CARE FOR THEM THOUGH? OR IS HE JUST USING THEM FOR HIS BENEFIT WHILE LEAVING THEIR DESIRES TO ONE SIDE? REMEMBER HOW HE DISAPPEARED FOR THREE YEARS, LEAVING THEM BEHIND? THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES TO FALL TO HIS CHARM THOUGH."** The next image shown was of Ash and Sabrina in a close embrace, slow dancing together with their eyes looking into each other's. Sabrina went scarlet at seeing that made public knowledge. Her heart was hammering and she was hoping that her parents weren't watching the tournament right now. Unknown to her, they were watching back home, with amazed looks but were unable to do anything since they were completely surprised from seeing their daughter in such an embrace with the guardian. And on the TV no less. **"SABRINA NATSUME, THE PSYCHIC PRODIGY AND GYM LEADER OF SAFFRON CITY. LOOKS LIKE RUMORS OF HER BEING A SHUT IN ARE FALSE."** The image changed to Cynthia Shirona and him dancing together, making many people gasp that the famous, beautiful and powerful champion has finally been claimed after years of her rejecting many suitors. **"THE CHAMPION OF SINNOH, CYNTHIA SHIRONA AS WELL HAS BEEN CAPTURED BY HIS CHARM AND THAT'S NOT ALL. CLAIR IBUKI, LIZA SIEG, AND GISELLE YUTO ALSO DANCED WITH HIM."** The images changed to show the blunette gym leader, the green haired caretaker of the Charicific Valley and the valedictorian of the Pokémon Academy all dancing with him. The girls mentioned went red, embarrassed and angry over their personal lives being made out into the world. Lance even had his jaw drop at seeing how his cousin was dancing with the same man who won Cynthia's heart. Diantha looked at him with a worrying gaze, fearing that he had gone still and silent. Even Alder, Steven and Goodshow glanced at him before looking back at the broadcast when they heard Britney speak again. **"SO WHAT YOU SAY? HE DESERVES TO HAVE SOME FUN AFTER SAVING EVERYONE? THAT IT'S NO BIG DEAL? THAT HE HAS EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE WITH SUCH WONDERFUL GIRLS BECAUSE OF WHAT HE'S DONE? THOSE ARE GOOD POINTS, BUT DOES THAT MEAN HE CAN DRINK TILL HE EXPLODES?"** The next picture was of him drinking at the counter straight from a bottle. **"OR START FIGHTS WITH OTHER PEOPLE?"** The next image showed Ash in the middle of throwing Damian away from Leaf. **"OR MAKING HIS FIFTH ROUND OPPONENT LEAF GREEN CRY?"** The next image showed Leaf in the middle of the dance floor, tears going down her cheeks with Ash in front of her, his mouth open wide with an angry expression, obviously yelling at her.

The people in the stands and everyone in the world watching the broadcast and seeing the images were surprised to see that the tournament savior did such things. Almost all of them were thinking how could he do that? With nobody paying attention to the battle now and Ash being completely distracted and frozen, Damian was able to use some illegal moves that no one noticed him use to finally land hits on Ash's pokémon, causing them to cry out. Ash snapped his attention back to the match and refocused on the battle from his pokémon's cries. He retook control, giving out some orders but his pokémon were now both hurt and tired but they could keep going.

The broadcast continued on. **"I WISH THIS WAS IT, BUT THERE IS MORE TO HIM THAT HE WANTS TO KEEP HIDDEN. WE'VE ALL HEARD HIS PLEA FOR HELP FROM THE SKY LIKE A GOD, ASKING FOR OUR ASSITANCE TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS. AND AFTER HE SAVED THE GIRLS, HE FACED THE SKULL BROTHERS. THIS IS WHAT HE DID TO THEM."** New pictures and videos were shown of the battlegrounds of his fight with the horrible group. It showed the mangled and charred corpses of the four men and their pokémon, showing the men with limbs bent at odd angles and one was even impaled by a tree branch. It also showed the one with his skull smashed in the cabin. Many people let out cries of horror and disgust over the conditions the bodies were in. His family and friends knew he had killed them and saw the incredible lightning blasts. Even though the images shocked them, seeing what he did to them, they knew that they deserved it. But when they glanced around they saw that many were not showing that they accepted it. This caused them to be become greatly concerned, wondering how they were taking it. **"WE EVEN HAVE LIVE FOOTAGE OF HIM EXECUTING THE LEADER OF THE SKULL BROTHERS."** A video was then shown of Ash and the leader of the Skull Brothers, Edmond. It didn't show the part regarding Richie though. Instead it started with him holding up the leader from his throat and quickly showed him breaking the skull brothers' bones, slashing at him with his aura sword and then punched him so hard that he went flying into the railings. The video then showed him bring out his aura while moving his lips, talking but no sounds were heard before he fired his Aura Sphere at the man that vaporized him on contact. Almost everyone screamed out and had their eyes widen in shock with many even feeling disgusted over it. Ash was wondering how in the world they recorded that when Lucario took the camera from them. **"THERE YOU HAVE IT. EVEN THOUGH THE SKULL BROTHERS WERE CRIMINALS, INSTEAD OF HANDING THEM OVER TO THE LAW, HE TOOK MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS AND RUTHLESSLY KILLED THEM. THIS SO CALLED SAVIOR OF THE TOURNAMENT, THE AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM, AKA THE BLUE SPIRIT, HAS SHOWN HIS TRUE COLORS AS A SELF-RIGTHEOUS, SELF-PROCLAIMED CHOSEN KNIGHT OF ARCEUS WHO PLAYS WITH GIRLS' HEARTS AND MURDERS THOSE HE DEEMS EVIL WITHOUT EVEN A CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES INNOCENT OR CHANGE THEIR WAYS. WE MUST NOT LET HIS GOOD ACTIONS BLIND US FROM WHAT HE TRULY IS AND WHAT HE IS TRULY CAPABLE OF. I URGE YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT THESE FACTS AND PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH HIM. THIS IS BRITNEY SNOW OF KANTO NEWS SIGNING OFF."** The report ended and the broadcast went back to fully showing just the match now in time for Ash's pokémon to deliver the finishing blow on their opponents, sending them into the stadium wall. They slid down with swirls in their eyes, unconscious.

" **Swampert, Eelektross and Honchkrow are unable to battle. Trainer, send out your last pokémon!"** said the referee, snapping out of his trance from the video and looking at the arena again. Normally, the crowd would have been cheering, shouting, making some sort of noise at this point but it was dead quiet. Nobody was making a sound, every single one of them thinking about what they just saw on the screens about the Aura Guardian. Ash's friends and family, whether at the stadium or not, were trying to stay calm but were having a hard time doing so. Delia was barely breathing, praying to Arceus that her baby will be alright and Natasha's heart was beating wildly, wondering what they crowd might do to him once they acted. Mewtwo and Sabrina watched the screen with fearful gazes, both of them too astonished to even function at the moment.

Damian returned his three pokémon and unclipped an ultra ball form his belt. **"You may think you have this battle in the bag but you're wrong! Now's my chance! You better not lose! Go Dusknoir!"** he said as he tossed the ball into the air. **"Trick Room!"** he ordered. Dusknoir's eye glowed red and the field was covered in a transparent grey force field, twisting the dimensions.

Ash's pokémon began feeling weird, unable to move as quickly as before while their opponent began moving around faster than them. It wasn't good that his pokémon were tired and hurt from Damian taking advantage of the report and using illegal moves either. They were becoming steadily more tired; holding back their power and getting cheap shots landed on them had taxed them more than they thought. And the twisted dimension they were in wasn't helping them either. **"Stay focused guys! I know you can do it!"** said Ash quickly, sensing his pokémon becoming uncertain of their abilities. His words encouraged his pokémon and they let out loud roars before launching attacks. Meganium launched an Energy Ball, Feraligatr fired an Aqua Pulse and Donphan fired an Ice Shard.

Damian smirked. He was waiting for him to make a mistake and there it was. **"You just handed me the match! Psychic!"** Dusknoir's eye glowed red once more and all three attacks were outlined with a grayish glow, halting them in their tracks. Ash and his pokémon were stunned at seeing that and so was everyone else. **"Now send it back!"** yelled Damian. Dusknoir sent the attacks back towards his enemies. The Energy Ball went flying towards Feraligatr, the Ice Shard went cutting through the air towards Meganium and the Aqua Pulse shot towards Donphan.

" **DEFEND!"** snapped Ash but his pokémon were unable to react in time because of the Trick Room. Each of them was struck by their allies' attack, enhanced by Dusknoir redirecting it and infusing it with the energy from the twisted space around the field. They went flying past him and crashed into the stadium walls, bringing up dust clouds. Ash was shaken and couldn't believe what just happened, motionless in his position and so was Pikachu, his eyes wide. The two and everyone else were waiting to see what happened to his pokémon. The dust clouds finally cleared and showed his pokémon, barely conscious but standing, covered in scratches and bruises. Taking a supercharged hit from their own comrades took a lot more out of them than from their opponents attacks earlier. Somehow, the crowd was still quiet and it was starting to become eerie with all the silence.

" **Finish this Dusknoir! End them with Shadow Balls!"** ordered Damian, seizing his chance to even the playing field, taking advantage.

" **DODGE THEM!"** yelled Ash. His pokémon tried to evade but the powerful ghost pokémon moved too quickly for them, aided by the Trick Room. He fired three dark colored balls of ghostly energy that raced through the air and slammed into the three pokémon and exploded, throwing them into the walls again. The three pokémon slid down the walls, unconscious.

" **Meganium, Feraligatr and Donphan are unable to battle. Trainer, send out your last pokémon!"** said the referee. Ash couldn't believe it. His friends and family couldn't believe it. The Champions and the President of the league couldn't believe it. Even the announcer was too shocked to even comment over the match. Nobody was expecting this to happen. They were waiting to see another incredible match before the young raven haired trainer won. But it wasn't so this time. The guardian's pokémon had lost and he only had one left. It was an even match now.

But Ash was frozen. He was looking at his fallen pokémon, unable to snap out of his trance that his pokémon had been knocked out by some douche bag trainer and it was this particular prick who did that **. "Trainer! Send out your last pokémon or you will forfeit the match!"** warned the referee. Pikachu patted his friend's head a few times, finally snapping him out of his trance. Ash returned his three pokémon, thanking them for their effort. The poke balls disappeared and he turned around to see Damian with a wild smirk on his face.

The young guardian was about to send out his last pokémon when someone shouted, catching his attention. **"I HOPE YOU LOSE MURDERER!"** Ash turned his gaze to the girl who shouted, who was leaning against the rails, her expression that of disgust. Ash's friends and family saw the pained look form on his face and they felt it but didn't know what to do.

Ash felt like he was stabbed, not believing what she just called him. **"I'm not…"** started Ash but was caught off by someone else shouting now.

" **DON'T LIE!"** he turned his gaze to see a middle aged man standing in another part of the stadium. **"WE SAW THE PICTURES AND VIDEO HEART BREAKER!"**

Ash felt his heart start thumping loudly and quickly. **"That's not showing everything and you got it all wrong!"** replied Ash. **"There are things you don't…"**

" **WE SAW ALL WE NEED TO KNOW!"** yelled another from the stands and Ash turned his gaze to a woman holding a child in her arms with her husband standing beside her, giving him an obscene gesture with his hand.

The raven haired trainer started shaking, sensing many hostile emotions spike up around him from the crowd. **"Please let me explain…"** pleaded Ash but was interrupted.

" **YOU DON'T NEED TO! THEY SAW THE TRUTH!"** shouted Damian, making everyone in the stands and Ash to look at him. **"YOU STOLE MY CHARMANDER FROM ME! YOU STOLE PAUL'S CHIMCHAR AND SHAMUS'S TEPIG FROM THEM AS WELL! YOU PREVENTED ME FROM GETTING WITH AN INCREDIBLE GIRL FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES AND THEN MADE HER CRY! YOU MURDER PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THEM AND YOU PLAY WITH GIRLS' HEARTS! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING IN THIS GRAND STADIUM! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE! I WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON!"** yelled Damian and many from the crowd started making noise. They were insulting and booing Ash while cheering and encouraging Damian. More and more joined in until half the stadium was rooting for Damian, wanting him to end Ash for his crimes and sins.

" **DA-MI-AN! DA-MI-AN! DA-MI-AN!"** chanted the crowd.

" **KEEP HIM FROM EVER PLAYING WITH A GIRL'S HEART!"**

" **TEACH THIS MURDERER A LESSON!"**

" **MAKE SURE HE NEVER HURTS ANYONE ELSE!"**

" **STOP HIS THIEVING WAYS!"**

" **MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN'T BE FOOLED BY ONE ACT OF HIM SAVING US!"**

Many people from the crowd who started supporting Damian began throwing items at the raven haired trainer. Ash covered himself up the best he could but was still bombarded by half eaten food, soda cans and other things. He was unable to move away, stuck where he was standing from all the insults and items thrown at him and how the people turned against him so easily. He was shaking even worse in his spot, sensing the incredible feelings of hate from the crowd. Never before had he felt so alone, so hated, so despised that he couldn't function. Paul and Shamus glanced at one another and let evil grins form on their faces while Damian felt child like glee but kept it hidden inside, his expression still that of seriousness. The three were feeling incredibly pleased with themselves, watching their most hated person have his world come crashing down thanks to their plan.

" **STOP IT!"**

" **ASH!"**

" **GET OUT OF THERE!"**

" **LEAVE HIM ALONE!"**

Almost everyone from Ash's group in the stands was trying to do something to help. They were standing and some were at the rails, shouting for him to get out of there. The others were trying to prevent the ones near them who took up Damian's side from throwing more things at their friend and beloved, causing them to get into a few fights themselves. Max and Bonnie wanted to help in some way but were scared themselves.

In the VIP room, Lance, Alder, Diantha, Steven and Goodshow were contacting every single member of the league security to come into the stadium to prevent a riot if it comes to it. At the hotel, Delia was crying and screaming, with Johanna and Grace in the room now as well, hugging her and doing their absolute best to comfort her while she prayed for Arceus to get her baby out of there. Natasha, barely having composed herself a little from her horrible experience, was breaking down again, crying, having many thoughts race past in her mind, fearing for savior's safety. Norman, Caroline and Oak were still in the living room, completely out of it and not knowing what to do to at all. Sabrina was feeling as if her heart was going to pop out of her chest, seeing Ash in the middle of a stadium with half of the spectators angry at him. Mewtwo tried communicating with Ash, asking him what he wanted to do but wasn't getting a response since he was too dazed to reply back to him.

Ash's group was unsuccessful in stopping the now frenzied and emotional spectators. Some people in the crowd who still believed in the guardian were trying to calm things down as well. Even though they tried to, they were unable to make the angered spectators see reason and got into a few fights themselves around the stands. **"Oh my Mew!"** exclaimed Lucy, watching fights spring up around them while her boyfriend Brock get shoved away from a man he prevented throwing another item at his brother.

" **This isn't good…"** commented Giselle sadly, covering her scratched arm that was slightly bleeding while looking around the stands. She was cut from glass shards flying all over the place when a thrown bottle from nowhere shattered against the railings next to her, Clair and Liza, who were also sporting their own minor injuries.

" **We need to get him out of here. Now,"** advised Daisy Waterflower, seeing Ash rooted to his spot and unable to move while still receiving insults and thrown items. She wanted to protect him but didn't know what to do. She watched Pikachu zap a few of the thrown items away from him before Violet made her duck her head to avoid another thrown item.

" **Before the crowd goes even madder,"** added Cynthia, pushing away someone who stumbled onto her.

But before they could do or say anything, Damian ordered his Dusknoir to attack and the ghost pokémon vanished from sight. **"When did Ash send out a pokémon?"** asked Max, looking around to see where it could be.

" **He didn't!"** cried out Bonnie, making them all gasp, figuring out Damian's intention.

Dusknoir reappeared in front of Ash, its hand swirling with dark energy, about to deliver a Shadow Punch. Ash was still lost from the people completely turning on him and didn't realize what was happening until the last second. Pikachu made to counter the attack but the twisted dimensions were still active, allowing Dusknoir to move faster than the two. Ash received the surprise attack in the chest and went flying into the stadium wall with Pikachu being thrown from his shoulder to the ground. He slid down the wall and landed into an unconscious heap on the ground, knocked out from his head hitting the wall. The crowd stopped their shouting and fighting, going silent immediately after seeing him struck down.

" **ASH!" / "NOOO!"** cried out his friends and family with each and every one of them filled with fright, shaking tremendously, whether at the stadium, the hotel or at Liza's cabin.

Pikachu grumbled a bit before getting up and shaking his head. He looked around and saw his friend lying on the ground, not moving. He shot to him. **"Pikapi?"** He shook him a bit but Ash didn't move. **"PIKAPI!"** shouted Pikachu and started shaking him harder but he still didn't wake up. Pikachu eyes watered, sadness filling him. He soon felt others kneeling beside him who were his eight girlfriends but the electric mouse kept his gaze on his friend. They had jumped down into the stadium and ran to him, their hearts beating wildly, unable to control the whirlwind of emotions they were feeling after seeing him get struck down by the ghost pokemon.

" **Ash?"**

" **Please wake up."**

" **Please be alright."**

Seeing the girls kneeling around the unconscious man made the stadium half that wasn't cheering for Damian or booing Ash to get up and get closer to the railings. Some of them were shouting for him to get back up while others were asking if he was alright. Others were commenting to one other that the report was true and that the young guardian was with several girls at once, since they were there checking on him. Some were utterly surprised to see the Champion Cynthia there, along with Leaf because of the images shown. Ash's group who stayed in the stands were leaning against the railings though and each of them were feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside them. The other girls who were hiding their feelings for the raven haired guardian were completely frozen in their spots, not knowing what to do.

The eight girls by Ash's side were doing their absolute best to wake him up but he was out cold. They could see a little bit of blood trickling out from the back of his head. Their minds went straight to the worst but Cynthia quickly pulled herself together and checked to see if he was breathing by placing her right index finger in front of his nostrils. She tensed up for a second, not feeling anything but then felt very weak air being blown over her finger. She looked at the other seven girls and gave them a reassuring look. They let out a collective sigh of relief over that before each one of them quickly became angry. **"** **Damian Daisuke** **!"** shouted Cynthia loudly. She stood up and whirled around, fury etched on her face. **"As one of the Pokémon League's officials, Champion of Sinnoh, you are hereby disqualified for attacking another trainer with your pokémon!"** _Oh how I wish I can destroy you now!_ She wanted to have her Garchomp tear him apart right then but was controlling her anger for the moment. Many spectators and viewers, including her fellow champions in the VIP room, felt shivers go down their spines at her look of rage. It was a rare thing to see the normally calm and carefree Champion become so furious. Her sisters wanted to hurt him too but decided to let the Champion unleash her wrath while they tended to their beloved.

Damian was astounded that the Champion of Sinnoh would defend him. He didn't believe they were actually together but it seemed to be that she was. _If she's with him, than that means she isn't strong!_ **"Screw you Cynthia! You can't do that to me! Dusknoir was aiming for Pikachu! It's not my fault Ash was in the way!"** shouted Damian defiantly, lying about what he did. **"You think I'm going to let someone whose been brainwashed by him to follow his every word and to let him have his way with her to kick me out of the tournament?! He deserved that and much more after what he's done!"** countered Damian. **"I've done nothing wrong! He got in the way and as a result, I made a man who is a thief, a heart breaker and murderer to pay!"** Some of the people in the stands murmured about that between themselves while others shouted out that they agreed and have Damian's back.

" **You will pay for this!"** shouted Cynthia, unclipping Garchomp's poke ball but then stopped. A sudden yellow glow caught her and everyone else's attention. They turned to see what it was and they all took in a sharp breath at the sight of what it was.

Pikachu was hunched over, his eyes narrowed at Damian and Dusknoir with his body glowing yellow. His cheeks were shooting out much larger sparks than usual. **"Piiii…"** growled Pikachu darkly, making many in the stands to feel shivers go down their backs. He moved to be in the field on Ash's side, signifying him as Ash's final pokémon for the battle.

" **Pikachu?"** asked several of the girls there in worried tones but the electric mouse did not respond. Instead, several streaks of electricity shot up from him and arced around him, scaring and surprising many.

" **Dusknoir, end this with a Shadow Ball!"** commanded Damian. His ghost pokémon fired the attack at the electric mouse. It hit the mouse and exploded but when the dust settled, he was still standing. He had some scratches but it looked like Pikachu wasn't even feeling them and even took a few steps forward. **"No way! Again!"** Dusknoir fired again but at the last second, Pikachu vanished from sight and reappeared in the middle of the field, the attack hitting the ground instead. **"What the…Shadow Ball again!"** But again Pikachu dodged. **"How?! He shouldn't be faster…oh shit!"** That was when Damian noticed that the Trick Room had worn off. **"Dusknoir! Use Trick Room again!"** Dusknoir's eye glowed red and was just about to twist the dimensions again but a wicked Thunderbolt lighted him up. **"DAMN IT!"** cried out Damian, seeing his final pokémon unable to get the field move done. **"Use Shadow Punch!"** Dusknoir vanished from sight, escaping from the electric attack. He reappeared behind Pikachu and shot his fist forward but was intercepted with an Iron Tail infused with electricity from the mouse.

" **Impossible!"**

" **No way!"**

" **How did he do that?!"**

The crowd was astounded in seeing a Shadow Punch intercepted. It shouldn't be possible. Even Ash's group and the VIP persons had their jaws drop. Pikachu narrowed his eyes even more, letting out more electricity. The stray bolts hit the ghost pokémon and made him wince. **"Piii…"** growled Pikachu again. He pushed Dusknoir away with his tail and vanished from sight once more.

The blue haired man couldn't believe what was happening, seeing his chance for victory slipping through his fingers like water seeping through a cup's cracks. **"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"** shouted out Damian in frustration.

Pikachu reappeared behind Dusknoir and hit him with his tail covered in a metallic sheen cackling with electricity, making the large ghost pokémon go sailing through the air. But he wasn't done yet. Pikachu vanished again and reappeared in Dusknoir's path, hitting him again and sending him flying back the other way. The electric mouse kept this up, making his victim go around the field like a pinball, using an Agility and electric Iron Tail combo. He did that a couple more times before sending him flying high up into the air. The yellow mouse stopped right underneath Dusknoir who was still climbing higher up into the air, his cheeks sparking out a great amount of electricity. **"PIKAAA…CHUUUUUUUU!"** A large column of electricity shot down from the sky and slammed into the ghost pokémon, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. The ghost writhed around, letting out high pitched shrieks of agony for a moment, making numerous people shut their ears before the attack finally ended. Dusknoir fell from the sky and crashed into the ground, bringing up a large dust cloud. The cloud cleared up a moment later and showed a severely weakened Dusknoir barely standing up. The only reasons why said pokémon was still conscious was because of his incredible natural defenses and that Pikachu had only gathered a little bit of extra energy from the air with his quick charge to give him a boost since he was tired out from his time with Glaceon and Buneary.

" **Dusknoir! Pulverize that rat or you will suffer for your lack of determination!"** shouted Damian, losing his cool and some of the people in the stands noticed. His ghost pokémon attempted to launch a Will-O-Wisp but couldn't gather the energy needed for it. Damian saw Pikachu engulf itself in electricity and shoot towards his pokémon, using Volt Tackle. _If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!_ **"Destiny Bond!"** shouted Damian. Dusknoir's eye glowed red the instant the electric train that was Pikachu slammed into him, causing a large explosion that brought up smoke over the entire field. The girls covered Ash's body with their own while turning their gaze away from the smoke and dust.

" **GOOD LORD!"** shouted the announcer. He seemed to have finally recovered to comment on what was going on in the arena. **"WHAT AMAZING POWER AND SKILL FROM PIKACHU! WAS DUSKNOIR ABLE TO CONNECT THE DESTINY BOND BEFORE THAT EXPLOSION?"** His words made everyone wait impatiently, wanting to see what the outcome was. The smoke finally cleared after a while. They saw Pikachu and Dusknoir both out for the count. The Destiny Bond was made in time.

" **Pikachu and Dusknoir are both unable to battle. This match is a draw. This would necessitate a sudden death one on one match. However, because the red trainer used the prohibited move of 'Destiny Bond' when there are only two pokémon left and attacked the green trainer directly and purposely with his pokémon, he has broken the rules. As stated before by the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia Shirona, because of your actions Damian Daisuke, you are disqualified and have lost the match. The winner of the match is Ash Ketchum by default,"** said the referee, raising the green flag.

" **WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU COCK SUCKER?! I WON THAT MATCH!"** shouted Damian, fuming but the referee ignored him.

Several league officials came into the field finally from the trainer entrance behind the blue haired trainer and went to Damian to restrain him. The crowd had gone hostile over what happened. They were shouting, screaming and yelling. Some of them even got into a few fights, pushing and hitting each other. Half of them wanted Damian to advance while the other half wanted him to be arrested for hurting the Aura Guardian. The remaining ones of Ash's group tried to calm the ones near them in the stands but also got into a few fights themselves.

A bright white light flashed in the field that drew everyone's attention while someone shouted out a command. **"TORTERRA! RAZOR LEAF!"** A large green and brown turtle pokémon appeared in front of Damian and shot dozens of sharp leaves towards the officials. The attack cut many of them, sending them down onto the ground, groaning in pain. The others took cover and drew their poke balls to send out their pokémon but were unable to because of the still flying leaves at them.

" **EMBOAR! ROAST THAT RAT! FIRE BLAST!"** Another bright white light flashed in the field. A large red and black bipedal fire pig appeared and began inhaling a large amount of air before spewing out a large five pointed fire attack at the fainted mouse. The powerful fire attack drew everyone's attention and time seemed to slow down as the scorching flames got closer and closer to the unconscious yellow pokémon. Right before the flames engulfed its victim, something came in front of Pikachu and took the attack for it, drawing up smoke. **"What the…"** started Shamus but was silenced by a menacing growl coming from inside the smoke.

The smoke cleared to show a large and long blue and yellow serpent pokémon coiled in front of Pikachu. Misty's Gyarados had taken the hit for him. The atrocious pokémon straightened out, lifting its angry gaze high above him, uncoiling itself while revealing his red haired trainer who was standing behind him. She was cradling the electric mouse in her arm with a livid expression on her face. The tyrant of the sea drew its head back before bellowing out a loud roar. It was so loud that it made everyone close their ears. When the roar finished, an angry voice was heard from the red haired mermaid. **"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND HIS POKÉMON LIKE THIS!"** screamed Misty, shaking with fury. Her admittance to loving the young man made many gasp and some to even comment that they knew it. Her death glare at Paul, Damian and Shamus made the three take a step back and many in the stadium gulped at her furious demeanor.

The three however quickly composed themselves and brought out several poke balls. **"FUCK YOU TRAMP! YOU'LL GET THE SAME TREATMENT!"** shouted Damian before the three tossed out all of their poke balls into the air and had their pokémon take up a battle positions. **"HE DESERVED THAT AND YOU'LL GET IT TOO!"**

" **YOU'LL PAY FOR INSULTING HER AND FOR HURTING ASH!"** shouted Leaf, catching his and everyone's attention. They turned to her in time to see her and the rest of the girls toss out a poke ball each and had one of their most powerful pokémon take up battle positions. Garchomp, Blaziken, Togekiss, Delphox, Venusaur, Metagross and Tyranitar appeared beside Misty's Gyarados. Each of the pokémon were feeling their trainers' angered state, growling loudly at their opponents.

Seeing this happen, the elegantly dressed champion turned to his fellow champions. **"Shouldn't we stop this?"** asked Steven to the others in the VIP room.

Alder shook his head. **"Are you really going to try and stop pissed off girls?"** he asked and Steven shook his head, saying he has a good point.

Lance however wanted to intervene but Diantha grasped his hand when he made to unclip his Dragonite's poke ball. He looked at her and she shook her head slightly. **"Let them handle it and one of us is there. She knows what to do,"** she advised. Lance thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing. She smiled at him. **"You're doing the right thing."** He sighed and nodded slightly before returning his attention to the arena.

Paul, Shamus and Damian glanced at one another, not expecting them to fight back, especially Cynthia. Regardless, they nodded and were just about to order their pokémon to attack when more flashes of white light were noticed in the field. The three men and the eight girls turned to see who was responsible for it.

Clair, Liza, Lizabeth, Shauna, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower had jumped into the field as well and sent out their pokémon who lined up on one side of the field. Kingdra, Charizard, Gorebyss, Medicham, Marowak and Dewgong were eying their foes with angry expressions on their faces, mirroring their trainers. The six girls didn't care at that point whether or not their crush on Ash was found out. All they wanted to do was punish the three for hurting the man they fell for and to help out their friends and family. The eight girls were surprised to see them there as well for a split second but quickly pushed it aside and felt much appreciation for the reinforcements.

The stadium had gone eerily silent once more, anxious to see what was going to happen. The three disrespectful trainers were glaring and growling at the two groups of pissed off girls with their large group of pokémon in front of them doing the same. They would not lose to a bunch of girls. The battle between the three and the girls was about to commence between them when all of a sudden…

" **ENOUGH!"** Everyone in the stadium froze after hearing the loud voice. They then noticed a pink glow above the stadium and after concentrating on it for a little bit, they saw that it was the psychic prodigy and gym leader of Saffron City, Sabrina Natsume. She was levitating in the air, her eyes glowing blue with a pink glow around her, wearing her trademark red outfit. Her hair was floating and a rage filled expression was on her face. Her friends were looking up at her with awe while everyone else was becoming frightened at what they were seeing.

Before Sabrina appeared at the stadium, she was at Liza's cabin still with Mewtwo. Both of them were horrified at first at what happened to Ash. They were transfixed by it, unable to process what had happened and what was continuing to happen at first. Mewtwo snapped out of it when Misty had her Gyarados take the attack for his comrade Pikachu and became angry with his eyes glowing blue. He wanted to teleport to his friend's side and completely wipe the floor with the three assholes. But then he sensed a great power next to him and his attention shifted to that.

Sabrina was shaking from the incredible fury that was filing her, the pink glow around her shining very brightly. She levitated up into the air in the cabin. **"Those bastards will pay for this!"** she screamed, attempting to teleport to the stadium at once but was unable to. **"Let me go Mewtwo!"** roared Sabrina, turning her angry gaze to the psychic feline. **"I will not stand by idly and watch them hurt the only man I will ever love and sully his name!"**

Seeing her in such a state made the purple feline realize something. They couldn't just go and decimate them as that would cause more problems. Mewtwo levitated off the couch as well and looked at her. **"We will go together but you must control yourself. I am beyond furious but we must not act in such a way to cause more anguish to him. And you know as well as I do that he would not want you to do anything too rashly."** It took a moment for that to sink in but Sabrina nodded and the two teleported to the stadium.

The dark haired psychic beauty was glaring at everyone in the stadium. Nobody dared move, seeing her in a pink sphere of energy. They had never seen her so angry and some were thinking of the rumors of her being a monster were true. **"** **You have shamed yourselves** **!"** yelled Sabrina, her voice loud and echoing. Her pink glow brightened and sent out a wave of psychic energy over the stadium that made everyone except her group of friends to flinch. **"You have turned your backs on your savior over a half truth report and aren't even giving him a chance to explain! You call yourselves decent human beings?! You're acting like rabid animals!"**

" **Who are you to tell us what we are doing is right or wrong?!"** shouted one of the spectators in the arena and Sabrina turned her gaze to him. **"You're on his side! You're one of his whores! Why should we even listen to you?! You've been brainwashed by him!"** he shouted with several people voicing their agreement with his words.

The dark haired girl's eyes narrowed at him, making him gulp. **"Apparently you are the one who's been brainwashed! You have forgotten that I am Sabrina Natsume! No one can alter my mind and I am no whore you foul mouthed man! And you have forgotten that Ash Ketchum risked his life to save you all from the stadium attack! That he is an Aura Guardian! He cannot be one if his heart was impure!"** The man who shouted was silenced from humiliation and fear. **"Have you forgotten that the Skull Brothers were one of the most wanted dangerous criminals in the world? That they have killed, raped, stolen and much more?! An Aura Guardian's job is to keep balance in the world but also to deal justice in the name of Arceus since they are his Knights!"** The people in the stadium started second guessing their actions over what they heard from the broadcast. They glanced around, looking at the people they were arguing or fighting with, some of whom were hurt and bleeding. Some of them showed guilty looks while other's looked confused. But many of them were still unconvinced. **"You have allowed yourselves to be easily swayed by another and instead of thinking for yourselves, allowing their words to control your actions and thoughts!"**

" **Will you shut the fuck up you damn bitch?!"** shouted Damian and Sabrina looked at him. **"He stole my Charmander from me! He stole Paul's Chimchar and Shamus's Tepig from him!"**

" **Is that so?"** asked Sabrina, still floating in the air. **"Then perhaps you can prove that."**

" **I don't need to prove anything!"** spat Damian, with spit flying out of his mouth. **"I said it happened and that's that!"**

" **He's right! Ash has wronged us and he deserves to be punished for it!"** added Paul.

" **He is no better than the Skull Brothers!"** shouted Shamus.

" **Then let us see the truth!"** shouted Sabrina and her eyes glowed a brighter blue. Damian, Paul and Shamus were outlined in pink glows before three large blue spheres appeared above their heads. The stadium crowd and everyone else back home gasped but most of Sabrina's friends knew what she was doing. She was bringing out their memories. **"Let us see your proof from your memories!"** The three blue spheres cleared up and showed images.

Damian's memory sphere showed him training Charmander without taking a break, yelling and shouting at him. He then had him battle in a weakened condition and he lost against a much stronger pokemon. He got angry at the fire type and told him to stay on top of a boulder, saying he'll come back for him. It showed him walk a long distance away before stopping at a pokémon center and met up with his friends. He then bragged about his other pokémon and when they asked him about his Charmander, he told them he lied to him and said he'll come back for him later but wasn't intending to do so. He then stated that he might die from the coming rainstorm and hoped that would happen. The rest of his memory showed Ash, Brock and Misty scolding him for his actions before he tried to get Charmander back by lying to him after seeing him toughened up. But when the fire type refused, he tried to attack him but the orange lizard fought back and sent him running away, crying for his mommy.

Paul's memory sphere showed him training his Chimchar. Or more accurately, abusing him. He had his other pokémon launch their strongest attacks on him, to make him learn how to dodge and gain resistance but the inexperienced fire type couldn't do it. He had his pokémon beat the small fire monkey to within an inch of his life. Seeing him not able to get back up, he called him weak and released him by crushing his poke ball but not before Ash, Brock and Dawn scolded him for his actions. He then told Ash he could have the pokémon because they were both weak before leaving the area.

Shamus's memory sphere showed him with Tepig trying to train him to get stronger with his Emboar but the fire pig was having issues. Shamus decided to release him, lying to him that it's for the best but he kept coming back to him. After several times of telling him to leave, he got fed up and tied him up against a lamp post and walked away. It then showed him battling against Ash Ketchum in a double battle with his old pokémon. Tepig didn't want to battle against Shamus, thinking he still cared for him. That was when Shamus revealed the truth, saying that he only says that so the pokémon will think he cares but he actually doesn't. After losing the match to Ash, he told Tepig, who had evolved into a Pignite, that he was just kidding and should come with him since he couldn't forget him but was instead met with a Flamethrower to his head, making his hair catch on fire.

Everyone watching their memory spheres was appalled at what they had done. They couldn't believe what they did to those poor pokémon and that they fell for their claim of having their pokémon stolen. After seeing the memories, the blue spheres vanished and the pink glow around the three disappeared. **"Thank you for the proof. It looks like Ash did take your pokémon from you,"** started Sabrina. **"But it was because you didn't want them anymore and you were mistreating them! And the pokémon chose him, not you and you're feeling bitter because of it! You will pay for your crimes against pokémon and for hurting the man I love!"** yelled out Sabrina as a psychic wave of energy exploded from her again but this time towards the three and their pokémon. They were thrown off their feet and landed hard onto the ground. Sabrina's final sentence and action shocked the crowd and everyone watching had their eyes widen from that, including her friends. She sent out her Alakazam who instantly took up a battle position the second he appeared beside the other girls' pokémon.

The three and their pokémon stood back up, shaking with rage at their humiliation. **"Screw you Sabrina! I won't let you get away with showing my memories and ruining my plan for revenge! You think we're scared of you?! We'll defeat you and make you do as we want!"** shouted Damian.

" **You can't take us all on your own no matter how powerful you are!"** said Paul.

" **We're going to defeat you all! We swear it!"** finished Shamus. The three glared at the psychic and the girls who glared back at them with furious looks. **"Attack!"** shouted the three at once and their pokémon launched themselves towards the girls' pokémon who sprinted forward. The pokémon slammed into each other and started battling ruthlessly with their trainers giving out commands. Everyone watching the confrontation was flabbergasted as to what the final eight round match up turned into. They were viewing the chaotic battle with unblinking eyes and unable to make a sound.

When Sabrina first appeared, Mewtwo had hid up in the clouds just like during the stadium attack. He wanted to make an appearance and tear them apart himself or at least crush their minds. But he didn't because he knew his friend wouldn't have wanted that. Instead, he assisted Sabrina in bringing out the three's memories. When the memory spheres were formed and everyone's attention was on it, the psychic feline teleported to his friend's side while invisible and attempted to wake him back up by diving into his mind.

When Ash hit his head against the stadium wall he blacked out, going unconscious. He saw only darkness until a bright white light appeared, blinding him. It slowly dimmed down until he was able to open his eyes and he found himself back at the pyramid like temple. He was wondering why he was there until he heard the soft angelic female voice again. **"Your choice…you will have to choose soon…"**

" **Can you stop saying that?!"** asked Ash with annoyance.

" **Your choice…will either improve your odds or stack them against you…"**

" **What do you mean by that?"** he asked.

" **Ragnarok…is too powerful…"**

" **You know who or what Ragnarok is?!"** he asked.

" **Yes…"** answered the voice.

" **Then tell me who or what he is! Tell me how to find him, how to defeat him and I'll be able to save everyone!"** pleaded Ash.

" **Ash! Wake up damn it!"** Mewtwo's voice was suddenly heard as it echoed around the area.

" **Mewtwo?"** Ash glanced around, wondering where he is.

" **He is not here,"** informed the voice. **"And he cannot come here."**

" **Why not?! Where am I?! Who are you?!"**

" **ASH! WAKE UP! THE GIRLS NEED YOU!"**

He heard Mewtwo's angry and concerned tone of voice and felt fear fill him. **"I have to go back! Let me go back!"** shouted Ash.

" **Your beloved is fine for the moment,"** said the voice as a third golden mirror appeared.

" **How do you know?"** asked Ash as he moved towards the third mirror. **"And what do you mean by 'beloved'? I have more than one girlfriend that I love with all my heart,"** clarified Ash. The mirror glowed before showing what was happening in the stadium. Ash saw his girlfriends and the other girls battling together against the three. They were not going easy at all on them and Ash saw the enraged expressions on the girls' faces. _Note to self…never piss off the girls._

The girls were kicking the asses of the three men, knocking out their pokémon with ease, their skill and power quickly shown. Even though they were outnumbered, they were working together to take them down. It also helped that each of them was powerful in their own right. There were four gym leaders, one Champion, two top coordinators, a pokémon performer, a Charizard expert, five strong trainers and a Battle Frontier Brain among the group of girls. Soon enough, they had knocked out the final pokémon, which was Paul's Torterra. None of the girls lost a pokémon in their group. Sabrina floated down to stand among her friends but her pink glow was still visible.

" **No fucking way!"** fumed Paul.

" **You must have cheated!"** accused Shamus.

" **You'll regret this!"** shouted Damian.

" **Don't hold your breath,"** replied Sabrina coldly and made the three of them drop to their hands and knees with her psychic powers. " **As gym leader of Saffron City, I'm placing you three under arrest. Take them,"** ordered Sabrina to the league officials. The officials moved out from behind cover to the three men and took out handcuffs while the others tended to the wounded. Seeing them pacified, Sabrina stopped using her powers and her eyes returned to their pink color and the pink glow around her faded away. She returned her Alakazam and so did the other girls with their pokémon.

The girls went up to her and thanked her for her help and said they were glad that she came back. She thanked them for their kind words and they turned around to go towards Ash, seeing him still on the ground. Sabrina sensed something beside him, realizing it was Mewtwo and thought he was probably just guarding him or trying to wake him up. She was about to try to contact the psychic feline mentally when she heard shouts and yelling. She and the girls whirled around and saw Damian, Paul and Shamus making a break for it, running towards the trainer's tunnel with the officials on the ground groaning in pain. **"Where do you think you're going?!"** she growled as her eyes glowed blue. The three had pink glows outline them before being forced to stop. They tried to resist her psychic power, gritting their teeth and struggling as much as they could. But it was no use. **"You can't run from this! You will go to jail for your actions!"** shouted Sabrina from her position.

" **That's what you think you slut!"** replied back Shamus through gritted teeth.

" **It's either us or them you bitch,"** threatened Paul.

" **Did you honestly believe we wouldn't have a backup plan?!"** asked Damian.

" **What are you talking about?!"** asked Sabrina, worried and so was everyone else.

She was just about to read their minds when they cut her off. **"EXPLOSION!"** shouted the three, focusing all of their willpower to yell it out.

Three poke balls opened in flashes of white light on the field. They had left them there when they were made to kneel and then freed from the psychic grip with no one noticing it since everyone was lost in their emotions. Electrode, Muk and Weezing appeared before each of them glowed a bright white, getting ready to self destruct. Everyone had their eyes widen and many terrified screams and shouts were heard. No one could believe what the three were willing to do to get what they wanted. Seeing what they had planned angered Sabrina and she slammed the three against the wall with her powers, knocking them out. She was about to teleport the three pokémon away from the stadium when they let out the powerful energies from within before exploding in close proximity to the girls and the pokémon league officials.

" **NOOOO!"** shouted Ash, as he grabbed onto the golden mirror with fear and rage whirling around inside him while stuck at the temple.

Time seemed to stand still for a split second after the explosion occurred but before it made its way towards everyone with each person thinking many different things. The girls thought that they had failed their beloved and each of them couldn't think of what to do. They couldn't out run it since they were so close to the pokémon. All they could do was close their eyes and wait for the blast to take them. They could feel the heat from it, making them sweat. They knew that the powerful force of it would gravely hurt them if not kill them. Mewtwo reacted too late to stop the explosions himself or to teleport them out of the way since he was preoccupied in trying to enter Ash's mind and get him to wake up. Their friends and family thought that they would see them being killed in front of them. The people in the stands were thinking how did things come to be this way. The Champions and President were livid at what was occurring in front of their eyes and how they were unable to help. The parents and Natasha in the hotel were left in teary states, their eyes glued onto the screens with their mouths left open after letting out screams of fear and shock.

The girls waited for it to reach them as they heard the screaming and shouting continue from the people in the stands. A few seconds passed with the screaming and shouting dying down but they didn't notice anything else. They thought they should have been engulfed by now by the devastating energy. Each of them opened their eyes and they saw a sight that made them gasp.

The psychic prodigy was standing in front of the blast, her pink glow around her with her hands stretched out in front of her. A pink barrier was formed around the blasts. She had contained the explosions and was keeping them from expanding and hurting anyone. They couldn't believe what they were seeing and neither could anyone else.

Ash was feeling like his heart was going to pop out of his chest and he was trembling with fear over what could happen. **"Please let me go! I need to go help her! Help them! I can't lose them! I love them! Please!"** begged Ash, unable to look away from what the golden mirror was showing.

" **You are mistaken,"** said the voice while he continued looking into the mirror. **"They will be fine. And there is no them. The girls who are with you now are all just…"**

" **ASH! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"** Mewtwo's echoed shout cut off the voice's words.

The young guardian composed himself, tearing his gaze away from the mirror and looked around for a way out with rage filling him. **"You're wrong! I don't care what you have to say! Let me go! I need to go and help them! I cannot let them get hurt! I love them! And I will not let you keep me from saving them!"** roared Ash and his eyes glowed a bright blue…

Sabrina was concentrating all of her power to contain the swirling white energy released from the three pokémon. She began struggling a bit until she felt an incredible power start assisting her in containing the explosions, helping her steady the shield.

 _NO MEWTWO! DO NOT HELP ME!_

Though he was still invisible by the young guardian's side, he had a shocked expression form on his face. _Why?_

 _Because…I messed up! I need to fix it! I have to do this!_

Understanding her, the legendary pokémon stopped assisting her and the full pressure of containing the blasts hit her hard but she maintained it for the moment. She couldn't believe what the three chose to do. It angered her so much that she was starting to have difficulty keeping her focus on containing the blast, causing her pink glow around her to flicker. Her friends screamed in fright and shouted encouragement seeing her struggle. Sabrina felt her heart beating wildly, fearing that she would let them down. She couldn't let them get hurt and so refocused on the task at hand. _I will not let anything happen to them! And I will prove to everyone right now how strong I am!_ Her eyes narrowed before the blue glow in them brightened strongly and she made the barrier stronger. The pink glow of the barrier became so bright that many had to shield their eyes from it.

After containing the white blasts in her pink shield, she maintained it as the powerful energy whirled around within it. After a moment, the energy began slowing down and the white glow began fading away. Sabrina could feel her body and mind screaming in protest over what she was doing. A little bit of blood began trickling out from her nose but she didn't stop. The white energy dome inside the pink barrier was shrinking as it used up the energy from within. It kept becoming smaller and smaller until finally there was nothing left inside the shield except for the three fainted pokémon who had self destructed following their trainers' orders. Seeing the explosions finally gone and no more danger present, Sabrina relaxed. Her eyes returned to their pink color as the barrier and the glow around her faded away. She dropped her arms before falling backwards with her eyes closed, unable to keep herself standing because she used so much of her power.

But she never reached the ground. The dark haired psychic beauty was caught in mid fall. She barely felt a pair of arms wrapped around her and she was sitting up with her back leaned against a body. She opened her eyes slowly and saw a pair of caring brown eyes feasting on hers, making her heart flutter. The raven haired guardian was the one who caught her and she was being cradled in his arms. He had woken up in time to see her stop using her powers and shot to her. **"A-Ash…"** She weakly raised her hand to his face and cupped his cheek. **"I-I…"** She coughed as more blood escaped from her nostrils, closing her eyes since the pain was too great. She had used more power than she ever did before causing her to damage herself greatly.

" **Don't talk Sabrina. Just relax,"** replied Ash softly as he grasped her delicate hand in his strong one. He lowered their hands to her stomach and rested them on it. His hand glowed blue and pulsed out healing aura over her. The gym leader had her body glow blue and the stadium became silent, watching what was occurring with waited breath. For several long and quiet minutes, he pulsed out healing aura onto her until her breathing evened out and the color returned to her face. He stopped the healing and the glow faded away. **"Sabrina?"** he asked as he caressed her cheek. A moment later, her eyes opened slowly and looked into his. **"Oh thank Mew."** He hugged her tightly and she returned the hug. **"I'm so glad that you came back and you're alright,"** he told her.

Sabrina felt her heart skip a beat when she heard his relieved tone of voice before she became filled with emotion. **"I'm glad that you're alright too. I'm sorry for leaving and that you had to go through all this,"** she said softly in a whisper, her head resting against his chest.

Before they knew it though, the two were taken up into a group hug by all the girls on the field in the middle of the whole stadium. Neither he nor his girlfriends cared if people knew about them or their special situation. They had almost lost one another again. And the other girls didn't care either if people started asking questions, whether from their own group of friends or from others. Luckily for them though, nobody was thinking about that right now. Many of the people there and watching on their screens was just glad that nothing bad happened though some were still shaken up from what they just witnessed. When they separated, Ash looked at the girls for a moment before turning his gaze to the three men who he sensed was starting to stir.

Seeing them slowly get back up made rage fill Ash like it never did before. They weren't corrupted or dangerous criminals. No, they were simply jealous and arrogant trainers who didn't care about who they hurt in order to get what they wanted. The three men stood up finally and before they could do or say anything, an Aura Sphere was shot at their feet and exploded in front of them, making them stumble backwards. Damian, Shamus and Paul had fear fill them as they saw the smoldering spot on the ground. They raised their gazes and saw Ash with his eyes glowing a bright blue and glaring at them. **"** **You pieces of shit** **!"** shot Ash and his aura flared out like a roaring fire. It surprised the girls beside him but didn't hurt them. The crowd was beyond scared, not knowing what he was going to do.

" **LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"** shouted Damian. The three tried to make a run for it, heading towards the trainer's exit. They barely took a few steps when a purple barrier appeared, blocking the exit. They skidded to a stop in front of it and whipped around quickly with fear evident on their faces in time to see the blue glow around Ash become so bright that it blinded them and many in the stands. But for some reason it didn't affect the girls beside him at all.

Ash let out an Aura Pulse that pushed them off their feet and made them collide onto the purple barrier before they dropped to the ground. Damian, Paul and Shamus barely got back up onto their knees, their hearts hammering within their chests, feeling intense pain. Never would they have guessed that this would be the outcome of their plan. Ash's aura flared out even more strongly around him, whirling around him madly. The girls beside him could feel the power radiating off of the young man but it didn't scare any of them at all. Instead it comforted them and soothed them as the waves of aura flowed over them that he was pulsing out. Ash raised his right hand above him and a bright blue ball of aura energy appeared in front of it while his left was still wrapped around Sabrina. **"YOU WILL PAY FOR TRYING TO HURT THE ONES I LOVE!"** He channeled energy into it and it kept getting bigger and bigger, quickly dwarfing any Aura Sphere he made in the past. He was beyond furious as to what they did and in his rage induced state, he didn't care anymore what the crowd thought of him. All he cared about was the ones he loves and cares about. It was by some miracle that the girls were unharmed by their careless actions. They will pay for their actions and it would be done right there.

The people in the stands started letting out frightened screams and shouts at what he was going to do and many were flabbergasted from it, seeing the powerful blue ball of energy become as large as Misty's Gyarados. Even his friends in the stands and the Champions in the VIP room were so shocked at what he was doing that they were stunned still in their places. Shamus, Paul and Damian were still on the ground, unable to fully get up since they were frozen with fear at the sight of their impending doom.

The Aura Sphere was hovering above them in the air, waiting to be released. The raven haired guardian was about to fire the Aura Sphere at them, intending to vaporize the three at once but was stopped all of a sudden. **"No Ash. They're not worth it."** He looked at the one who spoke in a soft voice, gazing into her pink eyes. He felt several pairs of hands placed onto him and he looked at their owners. His girlfriends Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia looked at him with worried expressions before wrapping him and Sabrina up into a group hug. Movement caught his eye and he glanced towards it. He saw Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy Waterflower had moved closer to them while giving him the same looks as his girlfriends were giving him as well. He turned his gaze towards the stands behind them and saw fear filled gazes looking back at him.

Ash became so conflicted at that point. He wanted nothing more than to vaporize the three for what they almost got away with. He was having a hard time controlling his anger, trying to calm down. **"Don't lower yourself down to their level Ash."** The raven haired guardian looked at the Frontier Brain. Anabel had sensed his confliction and wanted him to make the right choice, even if it was the harder one.

" **Ash…"** He turned his gaze to Sabrina now who was looking up at him. **"You're better than them."** She was giving him a look filled with her love for him that said it wasn't needed. He glanced at his girlfriends again and saw each of them giving him that same look. He felt himself calming down and he took in a deep breath. He then nodded at them before he snapped his right hand's fingers. The large Aura Sphere above them burst into countless blue sparkles, making the people in the stadium to shout in fright at first before they were awed into silence as they slowly floated down. Ash's aura died down and his eyes returned back to brown. His girlfriends thanked him for listening to their wishes and gave him another hug. The six other girls joined in on the group hug and they were welcomed into it. Their group of friends and family that were still in the stands snapped out of their stunned states, jumped down into the field and ran to them and joined them as well, glad that he didn't go through with it. But one of them remained behind…

Damian, Paul and Shamus were thinking of using the opportunity to run away but the purple barrier was still up and the league officials had surrounding them. Seeing no way out and that they had no other backup plans, the three surrendered. They handcuffed them and the barrier faded away to allow the officials to take them away. Seeing the three men under arrest and the large group of people in a caring display, the half of the crowd that was supporting Ash let out cheers and words of praise while the other half remained quiet. The group separated a moment later and looked around at the crowd.

They saw that many of the people in the stands were still confused, scared and lost, not knowing what to do or what to believe. Ash took the microphone from his shirt and spoke into it. **"Everyone who is here and everyone else watching this please listen to me,"** said Ash, catching their attention. His group looked at him as he spoke. **"Even after everything I have done for you, protecting everyone here at this stadium, many of you were easily swayed."** The crowd shifted and murmured uneasily at what he was saying. **"But I will admit this; I did kill the Skull Brothers."** The crowd let out gasps, shouts of surprise and few even made rude remarks but he ignored them. His friends and family were worried about their reaction but Ash ignored it and continued on. **"I killed them because they were dangerous, wouldn't change their ways even when I gave them a chance and they were threatening to hurt, rape and kill others."** The people there and everyone watching heard his words and some believed it while others didn't, scoffing and commenting that he was lying. **"I see that many of you still don't believe me. Very well. I'm not going to try to convince you even though some of you don't know what to believe anymore. But you must know these few things and no matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, this will always be true,"** said Ash. The crowd was deathly quiet now with no one making a sound, wanting to hear what he was going to say. **"I am an Aura Guardian. Even before finding out about my heritage, my entire life I have protected others and did all I can to help others. My purpose is to protect as Arceus's Knight and to keep the world from falling out of balance. To punish those who have wronged others if they will not repent and change their ways."** The ones who turned on their savior glanced at one another, still afraid but also ashamed of how they acted while some of them still didn't believe him, not convinced at all. **"Believe what you will. But I've done nothing wrong. And what I do in my personal life, who I'm with, whether it's one girl, many girls or no one at all, it is nobody's business but mine and the ones I'm with."** The second Ash finished his speech, he dropped the microphone onto the ground and his group disappeared in blue glows from the stadium, leaving the stunned crowd behind.

They reappeared back in the hotel penthouse balcony. The parents all rushed to them seeing them appear and hugged their children, thanking Arceus that they were alright. Delia was squeezing the life out of her son, who was telling her that he couldn't breathe. She let him go finally and then she and the other parents took Sabrina into a hug, thanking her for saving everyone. Sabrina went quite red but told them that it was her pleasure to help out. When they separated, Mewtwo appeared beside them. Ash turned to him and gave him a grateful look. **"Thank you buddy for everything,"** said Ash.

" **No problem. But you must be more careful from now on,"** said Mewtwo.

Ash nodded his head. The purple feline looked at the psychic prodigy and she caught his gaze. The two gave one another a curt nod before the legendary teleported back home. Ash turned to Sabrina and drew her into a hug once more, who returned it with almost everyone else smiling at the two. **"Thank you too Sabrina and please don't ever do that to me again,"** he told her.

" **I promise,"** she said quietly.

A certain red head stepped forward. **"Are you alright though Ash?"** asked Misty.

He looked at her after separating from Sabrina. **"I'm fine Mist."**

" **Are you sure?"** asked May moving towards him and he looked at her now. **"Because after what happened, we want to make sure you're alright."**

Ash gave her a small smile. **"Thank you for that my Princess but I'm alright."** They gave him unconvinced looks and he sighed. **"Look, I am disappointed, sad and angry but…I still have you with me safe and sound. That's all that matters to me."** The girls smiled at him and took him up into a group hug once more.

When they separated, Norman stepped forward and cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. **"So, now that we know you're all safe and sound, what's this about you loving Ash?"** he asked Sabrina.

Sabrina went scarlet but didn't lower her gaze from them. **"It's true. I've recently come to realize that I've loved him since the day he saved me from myself,"** she admitted. She turned to face Ash with her crimson face but he only smiled at her before grasping her hand, making her heart flutter.

Norman was about to say something but then his daughter cut him off. **"It's alright Dad. We learned of it before all this crap happened and we approve of it,"** explained May with her sisters backing her up.

Everyone was expecting an argument, yelling or emotions being released. What they weren't expecting though were for the parents to just chuckle and nod. That made the group become confused until Caroline began explaining. **"We were only going to say that we are alright with it as well if you are."** They were stunned for a moment until they all started chuckling.

Ash turned to Misty again who was still cradling Pikachu. He placed his hand on his starter and pulsed out healing aura onto him. A moment later, Pikachu opened his eyes, stretched while yawning but then jumped into Ash's arms the moment he saw him. **"PIKAPI!"** said the electric mouse, nuzzling against his cheek with his own, happy to see him alright.

" **I'm glad you're alright too buddy. Mewtwo told me what you did,"** said Ash and Pikachu gave him a thumbs up sign before going up to stand on his shoulder. Ash looked around at his friends and family. **"I'm glad you're all okay."**

" **And we're glad that you have a tougher hide than a Tyranitar and a thicker skull than a Rampardos,"** joked Brock, making them all laugh, lightening up the mood.

" **Very funny Brocko,"** replied Ash with a pout and they laughed harder. His pout went away and joined in. When they calmed down a bit, Delia told him to go take a shower and change his clothes because he had some dried blood on his hair and shirt. She also mentioned to go check on Natasha afterwards because she watched the match and was out of it. **"Okay Mom but first I need to say something to you,"** said Ash to his girlfriends and to the six girls.

The others decided to give them some privacy. After everyone else left, Ash turned to the girls in the balcony again. **"I wanted to say thank you for what you did, for sticking by my side and showing everyone what I mean to you. You don't know what that means to me,"** he told them. His girlfriends smiled at him before hugging him once more while telling him that they love him and would always be with him. The other girls smiled as well but also went red over his compliments. When they separated, Ash turned to the six. **"I also wanted to say thank you as well for helping them out and I owe you big time. If there's ever anything you need, all you have to do is ask,"** he told them. The six girls thanked him but also said not to worry about it as they hugged him as well. Each of the six felt great comfort in his embrace and Ash felt something within their embrace too but couldn't dwell on it. Each of them wanted to tell him their feelings for him but didn't want to mess up the one good thing that was happening now for the day. When they separated, he told them that he was going to go clean up and check on Natasha while Pikachu jumped down and went to the living room.

After Ash left, the large group of girls talked amongst one another, thanking one another before six of the girls left. The other nine talked a bit more and told Sabrina of the rules. **"Okay. That sounds fair to me,"** replied the psychic. Right afterwards, Sabrina got a call. She answered it and found out it was her parents. She spoke with them, reassuring that everything was fine and that she would explain everything tomorrow when she visited them. The girls kept silent while she spoke and after a moment, she said her bye and hung up. **"Sorry about that,"** she told them. **"Looks like I have a lot of explaining to do,"** she sighed.

" **Looks like it. But you'll be fine Sab,"** assured Cynthia and Sabrina smiled a bit.

" **Um, guys…"** They turned to Serena. **"About what happened in the stadium just now, did you notice how things just went so crazy? Is this how things are going to be when the war begins?"** Her sisters sighed, shrugging and saying they don't know. **"I don't either. But there is one more thing I wanted to bring up. I'm sure you noticed it too."** They went silent, waiting for her to continue. **"Well when we went into the stadium to help Ash and fight the three bastards…"** She explained what she was thinking about and the girls listened to her. When she finished, they talked about that, some other things and made some decisions as well.

While the nine girls spoke together quietly in the balcony, most of the others filed into the living room. **"Man, what a day,"** remarked Richie.

Joy wrapped her arm through his. **"You said it, and it's barely night time."**

" **You know, after all that's happened today, we should relax a bit. You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"** asked Lucy and they all turned to her. **"Movie?"**

" **Movie,"** they repeated, agreeing since it would help them relax and get their minds off of what happened. The group of friends and family sat down on the large and comfortable couches with some of them going to the kitchen to get some snacks ready like chips and popcorn.

Delia went to check on Natasha before joining them for the movie. **"Hey Natasha,"** said Delia and the red head looked at her with puffy red eyes as she moved to her. She had been crying over what she saw on the TV. **"Hey, it's alright. He's fine and he'll soon come see you okay? He's taking care of some things right now but he'll come before you go to sleep. Okay?"** Natasha barely nodded but said no more. **"Do you want me to stay?"** she asked, drawing closer to the bed ridden girl but the red head shook her head. **"Okay, do you want to watch TV or something?"** Again she shook her head. She wanted to be left alone for a bit. She had a lot of thinking to do. **"Okay. I'll come back to check on you a little later okay?"** She nodded and Delia left the room.

Natasha turned to face the now off TV. _Why did I become so concerned for him?_ she thought. _I know that he makes me feel safe and secure. But…is there more to it? Why do I hesitate to say some things, even as a joke? What's going on with me?_ She thought a bit more about that but couldn't focus, her mind bringing up what happened in the stadium periodically. That made her shed some more tears over that and how she had to confess to him but didn't know how and when.

With Natasha thinking in her room, most of the group in the living room now as their movie started and the girls still in the balcony discussing some things, Ash was in the shower. He was just letting the hot water fall onto him now after scrubbing and washing himself. He used his aura to heal the cut on his head and now his head was hung and his hands were up against the shower wall. He was lost in thought, thinking about everything that happened that day. Sabrina's confession, searching for her, his battle against Damian, Britney's report about him in a negative light, how the crowd turned against him so easily, how he lost the match because he allowed himself to become distracted but will still advance because of Damian being disqualified and how he had almost lost the girls he loves so dearly because of the three wanting revenge. He felt anger spike in him but also something else; great sadness.

He couldn't believe how he had almost lost the girls he loves so deeply. And he couldn't believe how easily the people turned against him. He remembered seeing their disgusted looks at him, the way they were shouting at him, insulting him, throwing things at him. He started shaking from remembering the feelings of hostility, hate and how they despised him so. His anger was soon replaced with overwhelming sadness and not able to hold it in anymore, he just let go.

Ash started crying, his head still hung. The moment he allowed himself to, he just let it all out. He was holding in his emotions from before, not wanting to scare or worry the others, especially his girlfriends. But now that he allowed himself to while having some privacy, he couldn't stop. Heavy and fast tears were escaping from his eyes and were falling onto the shower floor. After all he had done, all the sacrifices, all the harsh training, all the risks he took and after saving so many lives in front of the whole world during the stadium attack and yet the public just turned on him just like that. _Why?_ That was the only thing he thought as he continued sobbing. He became lost in it for a long time, crying his eyes out, thinking of the way they were looking at him with disgusted and scared expressions. They kept reappearing in his mind's eye, haunting him before he felt Dusknoir's punch again against his chest. He rubbed the area he was hit absentmindedly as he pictured himself getting hit again while the public merely laughed.

He felt even worse until something else formed in his mind that made him stop crying abruptly, though his tears continued flowing out. The images of his girlfriends flashed in his mind's eye, standing in front of him, shielding him from the wrath and ridicule of the people. He felt something different from his sadness spring up from within him, seeing that in his mind. Seeing their faces again made him calm down, feeling the love they have for him and he took in a deep breath before letting it out.

He took a couple more breaths like that and focused on his girlfriends. After some time, finally calming down completely, he remembered what they told him; that they would always love him and be by his side no matter what. He let out some last few tears as he focused on those words. _They were there for me and showed how much I mean to them in front of the whole world. Do I even deserve such incredible girls to be with me?_ He thought of his girlfriends, their images still being seen in his head. He no longer felt sadness or anger. He felt love…but also of unworthiness. He felt that as well because he had failed them. He wasn't there to protect them from the three jackasses or to at least help them fight against them. Even though they handled themselves well, he never wanted them to get into harm's way. He had allowed himself to become distracted and get knocked out so easily.

That's when he remembered something else. It was what the voice told him at the temple; _your choice…_ That made him think again of his actions. He began wondering if he made the right calls in the past. Everything did work out alright in the end but could things have been better? Could he have read the signs better to what was coming? Couldn't he have stopped everything before it happened? And what of his other choices? He shook his head suddenly after thinking some more. He didn't want to think about it all. He already had so much on his mind without adding into the mix of him thinking if his choices were the best ones made at the time. He could only learn from them if they weren't and move on. Dwelling on it wouldn't help him.

But he couldn't help it. His mind wondered around on that for a bit until he thought about the girls again and what they talked about earlier that day. It made him feel a little better, remembering all that they said to him. His heart beat increased a little in remembering the way each of them looked at him, their expressions filled with their love for him. He pictured them coming to his aid without hesitation. Even though he shouldn't be feeling that right now because of his failures that day, he felt a powerful wave of good feelings fill him. _Each of them is so amazing and incredible. How could I be so lucky to be with them?_ He then remembered the other girls who were there besides his girlfriends. He thought about each one a bit, thinking of how incredible each girl was. As he thought of them he felt something stirring inside of him but before he could think about that, there was a knock on his bathroom door. He turned off the water to hear the words better.

" **Hey Ash, your mom wants to know if you want some food?"** asked Leaf.

He did his best to control his tone of voice so as to not cause any suspicion since he had barely recovered from his ordeal. **"Sure. Thanks Leaf,"** he replied back as calmly as he could. He didn't want her or anyone to know of his insecurities and sadness. They had enough to worry about and he didn't want them to be even more worried about him than they probably are now. He got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

" **No problem. Now hurry up and get out or do I need to drag you out of there?"** she asked with a slight teasing tone. The bathroom door opened suddenly, making Leaf fall forward since she was leaning against it. She ended up falling on top of Ash, letting out a squeak in fright.

" **You know Leaf, if you really wanted to go at it, all you had to do was ask,"** teased Ash, deciding to joke to keep her from noticing his sad state and to get his mind off of what he was thinking.

Leaf opened her eyes since she had closed them during the fall. She looked into his eyes before looking at their position. She was on top of him with him lying on his back on the bathroom floor. He only had a towel on. She turned crimson and was about to move off of him when she stopped suddenly. **"Ash? Are you okay?"** she asked him. She had noticed his puffy red eyes.

He didn't want her to worry at all but also knew no matter what he said, she wouldn't believe him. He sighed before answering her. **"I'll be fine Leaf. No need to worry."**

" **Are you sure?"** she asked him. He nodded but she wasn't buying it. But she didn't want to force it out of him either. **"Okay Ashy. But remember that you have your girlfriends, mom and friends who are here for you. So whenever you're ready to talk, we're here for you. Okay?"**

Ash nodded. **"Thank you Leaf."** She smiled before suddenly feeling his lips on hers. Leaf sunk into it, returning the kiss. She could feel herself heating up from kissing him and she never wanted to stop. She felt his hand rub her side and his other go through her long hair. She felt like she was about to melt. She was lost in her feelings for the moment until she remembered how Delia was waiting for an answer.

She reluctantly separated from him and looked into his warm brown eyes. **"That was an amazing kiss Ashy. Let's continue this later okay? Your mom's waiting for me,"** she told him in a whisper. He nodded, feeling better. Leaf got off of him and helped him up, with him making sure his towel didn't slip off.

" **See you in a bit,"** said Ash. The two smiled at each other before sharing one more kiss before the brunette left the room. Ash got dressed and left his room a couple minutes later and headed towards Natasha's room. He saw his girlfriends watching the movie along with the rest and told them he'll join them soon enough when they looked at him and they quickly agreed.

When Ash entered the red head's room, he saw her sullen and scared with tear streaks on her face. **"Natasha?! Are you alright?!"** he asked her, hurrying to her side and sat down on the bed. She sat up as quickly as she could and hugged him. _I was so worried about you. Your mom turned on the TV and watched your match with me because I wanted to see you battle._ Ash was stunned that she was worried about him. **"I'm sorry you had to see that and that you got scared. Please forgive me."** _I don't blame you. I'm just glad you're alright. I've noticed that you do your best to help others. Yet, many want to cause you anguish and pain. I can't believe that someone like you exists._ Ash was starting to get really embarrassed, his face turning redder and redder. **"I'm no one special Natasha. I'm just a guy who tries to do the right thing."** Natasha withdrew from him in order to look into his eyes with her red pupils. _Even so, you saved my life and are helping me deal with my problems with nothing to gain. There are none like you and I doubt there will ever be one like you._ Ash turned crimson but smiled at her and she rested her head against his chest once more. **"Thank you Natasha for your kind words. Anything you need or want, all you have to do is just ask."** He rubbed her back a bit and she felt her heart beat a little faster.

Natasha loved being in his embrace. Whenever he was around, especially with his arms around her, she felt safe, secure and comfortable. She had found someone who she could be herself around and not worry if he had a hidden agenda or not. And he didn't care that she was raped and felt broken. That was worth more than anything else in the world. She was so worried about him when he was hit by the ghost pokémon and how the crowd was acting towards him. She never thought she would care about someone so much that she would feel their pain as her own. She wanted to tell him the truth but couldn't, not wanting to cause him more pain when he just had the public turn against him. And she didn't want to risk him leaving her. But if she didn't, she would risk losing him regardless during the attack…

Ash stayed with her and the two talked a bit more until Delia brought in some food for them both. Ash fed her soup while taking some bites of his own food as they continued talking. After feeding her, he gave her the medicine and took up his previous position at the top of the bed with Natasha leaning against him. She soon fell asleep in his arms and he gently lowered her back onto the bed and raised the covers to her shoulders. He looked at her for a moment before he wished her a goodnight and left the room.

When he entered the living room, he saw that the movie was about to finish. He glanced at his Poketch and saw that it was only 9pm. He was a little tired but he still joined them since they were about to watch the sequel. He sat between his girlfriends who cuddled against him the best they could and they all watched the movie with some laughs and some surprised reactions were made by the group because of some of the scenes. When the movie ended, the viewers decided to call it a night and go to sleep. As everyone got up, they noticed that Ash had fallen asleep on the couch, his head slightly hanging off to one side.

" **Aw, he looks so cute all tired out and sleeping,"** cooed Dawn.

" **He does. But should we leave him here or take him to his bed?"** asked Cynthia.

" **He should sleep on his own bed but I don't want to wake him,"** said Delia.

Sabrina stepped forward. **"I got it covered."** Her eyes glowed blue and she used her telekinesis to lift up Ash into the air.

" **Thank you sweetie,"** said Delia and she replied back that it was not a problem as she gently carried him to his room.

" **Should you be using your powers so soon?"** asked a worried Sarah as she and her sisters followed after the two.

" **I'm barely using any to tell the truth since I've very advanced with lifting things up. I've had a lot of practice doing this. Especially to Liza,"** revealed Sabrina as they entered Ash's room.

" **Interesting. Why is that?"** asked Leaf but the psychic told her that she really doesn't want to know and the girls chuckled.

Anabel opened the bed covers and Sabrina lowered Ash onto the bed, still fully clothed. Once on the bed, she stopped using her powers and Anabel covered him up again. **"He looks so peaceful,"** commented the Frontier Brain as she looked at him sleep.

" **He does, doesn't he? I just wish never to see him in such a horrible situation again,"** sighed May.

" **You and all of us here too,"** added Serena.

" **Hey, I don't mean to start something, but are we going to tell Ash what we decided tomorrow or later?"** asked Leaf.

" **We'll tell him tomorrow,"** replied Misty. **"The sooner the better."**

The girls agreed and then Sabrina spoke up. **"Alright then. But I also think he shouldn't be alone tonight."**

" **Good idea,"** remarked Leaf. **"Because there's something I think you all should know…"** Leaf explained to her sisters what she noticed about Ash when she went to ask him about wanting food. When she finished, her sisters felt saddened by it.

" **He should definitely not be alone. And I know just how to make things fair…"** The girls listened to the psychic prodigy's suggestion and once she finished explaining it, her sisters agreed and left the room to follow what was said.

While the girls did what they agreed to do, the others in the group went to get ready for bed themselves. A few of them were already fast asleep in bed while some were waiting for sleep to take them. However, several were still awake, with many things going through their minds. One of which was the young pokémon researcher. He was staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that happened that day to him. He couldn't believe that he and the girl of his dreams were done and never getting back together. He had messed up big time and there was no changing things. _I've really hit rock bottom. How the hell did I let this happen?_ He let out a sigh and thought if how he had just did things differently then perhaps things would've ended up differently. _No, it wouldn't have mattered,_ he thought while shaking his head. _If it's one thing I've learned and seen with my own eyes is that if someone truly loves another, they will work through anything together. Just like Ashy-boy and his girls…_

That was when he thought of how Ash's girlfriends ran to him to help him out. To protect him in the stadium when he was out cold. He never had any girl do anything even remotely close to that for him. Then again, he never really developed his so called relationships with girls before since he just got what he wanted from them and booked it. He then thought about how everyone in their group was so scared over him that they all jumped out of their seats in shock over what Damian did to Ash. He remembered how he glanced at Ilene at that moment, seeing her beyond scared at the sight of her Knight knocked out on the ground, with the image of her frigthtened and concerned filled eyes forming in his mind.

He wondered if she wanted to go to his side as well if he had been the one knocked out and that made him feel some jealousy spike in him. He shook his head, trying to not feel that. _I have to stop. We're done. Ilene never loved me. Not like the way Ash's girlfriends do for him and he her._ Gary thought about his old rival and his girlfriends some more. He thought of their special situation and how they got together. How they hid their feelings for one another in the past. How the girls held onto him, rejecting every single guy that they crossed paths with. How Ash never made them feel bad intentionally even though his denseness made them feel unnoticed. But then again, that was just who he was and the girls never really blamed him for that. He felt some anger now as well along with some envy fill him. _How the fuck does he do it? How does he get these girls to be with him? How? What the hell is his secret? We're in fucking bizarro world I swear. It used to be me who can get with almost any girl I want without a problem but now…I'm the one who can't even hold onto one. What the fuck is wrong with me and what the hell do they see in him? Sure he's an Aura Guardian, powerful and whatever but still. What the fuck?!_ Gary thought more about that long into the night before finally he became too exhausted from over thinking too much and fell asleep.

In one of the other rooms with four girls in it, one was already fast asleep while the other three were wide awake and speaking quietly with one another. They had waited until the fourth went to sleep before talking since they didn't want her to know what they were talking about. Their conversation was about a certain raven haired young man, their feelings for him and what they could do…

" **What do you mean?"** asked the blunette suddenly after talking for a few minutes.

The green haired girl just sighed. **"Do I have to spell it out for you Clair?"**

Clair crossed her arms and glared at Liza. **"Screw you. Stop being so cryptic,"** she said in a whisper.

" **Hey, calm down you two,"** cut in Giselle quietly. The two girls glared at the black haired girl but she held her own stare at the two.

Liza sighed. **"Alright, we'll behave."** She glanced at Sabrina, seeing her still asleep before turning back to them. **"Okay, I'll explain. I said I don't want to make a move on Ash because…well, I'm really happy for Sabrina."** The two gave her 'okay, so…' looks. **"I don't want to cause her any problems regarding Ash alright? She deserves this more than we do."** The two became stunned at that. **"I mean, she saved our freakin asses. And after all she's been through, out of all of us, she most of all should be with such an incredible guy like Ash and she is. She was accepted by the girls and their families. Do you think they'll accept us? It's getting borderline unbelievable with him having nine girlfriends now. As much as I want to be with him too, I'm not going to jeopardize it for her."**

Liza's decision shocked both Clair and Giselle. Neither could believe that she would just give up without even trying to get a chance to get with Ash. **"Are you serious?"** asked Giselle.

Liza nodded. **"I am Giselle. Sabrina deserves to be with him, to be happy. And honestly, even though I have feelings for Ash, I don't deserve such an incredible guy like him. I mean what have I done for him? And even if I did, I can't be with him,"** she admitted, hanging her head.

" **What are you talking about?! What about what you did with us today?! How could that be nothing? And you know Ash isn't like that and what do you mean?"** asked Giselle but Liza shook her head, not looking up.

That was when Clair remembered something and she gasped. " **Wait, does this have something to do with that trainer who got the mega stone?"** she asked. Liza slowly nodded but kept her gaze down. **"You were going to tell us about that a while ago but never explained what happened."** Giselle turned to the gym leader, giving her a confused look.

Liza sighed before looking up at the two. **"Yes,"** she said, making both of her friends look at her with concerned gazes. **"I've been trying to forget about it so I won't have to do it. But it looks like no matter what, its looks like I'm going to have to regardless. And it will help me not get in Sabrina's way."**

" **What? Do what?"** asked Giselle. **"What are you two talking about?!"** She was completely lost and wanted answers.

Liza glanced at Clair who also wanted an answer. She then looked at Giselle for a minute before sighing once more. **"A trainer came to the Charicific Valley about two months ago and had his Charizard compete in the most grueling test ever made in the valley. His Charizard dominated it and as a reward earned the only mega stone of its kind known in the world for his pokémon. Without even waiting for the victory ceremony or to hear what comes with it, the trainer and his Charizard left."** Liza stopped, taking a breather but didn't know if she should continue.

Clair was waiting for her to continue, wanting to know about it. Giselle however was becoming impatient, her curiosity once again getting to her. **"And? Then what happened? Who is the trainer?"**

Liza closed her eyes, trying to remember the trainer but couldn't. **"I don't know who he is. He never mentioned his name and the only thing I remember was his hood was kept up, a mask on his face, he had silver white hair and he talked with a gruff sounding voice."**

The blunette and the black haired girl looked at one another. **"Okay, and this guy matters why?"** asked Clair as they faced their green haired friend again.

Liza was quiet for a minute before answering her. **"I'm promised to him,"** admitted Liza.

" **WHAT?!"** yelped the two at once. Liza covered both of their mouths with her hands before the three glanced back at Sabrina. The blunette got up and went to check to see if she was still really sleeping and not faking it. Satisfied after a few simple tests, Clair signaled that all is good as she went back to them.

" **How could you be promised to someone you don't even know or he doesn't even know?"** asked Clair.

Liza looked into her friend's eyes before explaining. **"Being caretaker and trainer of the Charicific Valley has been in my family for generations,"** started Liza. **"My ancestors and some other families were the ones who first created the place for them and it's been passed down through out the ages through our families only. In order to keep it in the family, we had arranged marriages with one another's but made sure to keep things pure. But as you've noticed, I'm the only one left. The other families died out since there was a few to begin with in the beginning. My parents passed away a few years ago but before they left, they told me about the test."**

" **What do you mean?"** asked Clair.

" **Like a real test? What's it for?"** asked Giselle.

The caretaker nodded. **"Yes. A test. An almost impossible test. You see, they thought about that in the past; that one day the families might die out and so made this test to find a worthy successor. The trainer whose Charizard wins the test will be promised the only mega stone of its kind in the world that is known of as well as being promised to the last remaining heir of the valley if they are of opposite gender. And if not, then they would take title and ownership of the valley once the last remaining family member is gone from the world. And if nobody ever does pass the test before the last living member dies, then ownership goes to the Pokémon League but they'd rather it doesn't go that way."** Liza finished explaining and leaned against her headboard as she drew her legs in to her body and wrapped her arms around her knees.

" **Whoa."** Giselle was stunned. She glanced at Clair who was looking at Liza with a concerned look and she returned her gaze back to the caretaker. **"So that's what you mean? That's the reason why you can't be with Ash?"** asked Giselle.

Liza took in a sharp breath at that. She felt her emotions spiking and couldn't help herself. **"Y-Yes. Even though I have f-feelings for Ash, I can't pursue him because I don't want to m-mess things up for Sabrina. A-And even if that wasn't a problem, I'm promised to this t-trainer who I don't even know. But I don't want to be with him!"** She couldn't help it and began letting out some tears and hung her head.

Giselle and Clair hugged Liza, feeling horrible in seeing her so upset. **"It's alright Liza,"** said Clair. **"We'll figure something out together. You won't marry this unknown man."**

Liza sobbed into her friends' hugs. **"I can't go against tradition Clair. There's no one else left in my family or the other families to follow it. I'm the last one. What would people say? I can't bring that kind of dishonor to the families who have been respected for centuries. How could I?"** she asked.

They were quiet for a long time until Clair thought of something. **"Wait, you said he doesn't know right?"**

The green haired girl raised her face to hers. **"What do you mean?"** asked Liza.

" **You said that he left before the ceremony. Was he told of what passing the test means?"** asked the gym leader.

Liza's eyes widened **. "No, he wasn't. He just took the mega stone, thanked me and left on his Charizard before I could say anything else."**

" **Well, there you go!"** remarked Giselle. **"He doesn't know about it. You're free to choose who you want to be with Liza."**

Liza felt her heart beat a little faster, realizing that she was free to choose and that it wouldn't be her fault at all. She would still keep the family name respected. But then she thought that is if no one found out about it. She sighed and hung her head. **"You're right about that but I don't think it matters,"** said Liza and her friends gave her confused looks. **"There's no way that man has kept his victory to himself. It's more than likely he told others of it and sooner or later it's going to be known. How long until it comes back to me? Then I would have to tell him."**

" **But how would they know? I mean, we didn't know until you told us,"** remarked Clair.

Liza shook her head. **"The Pokémon League will know because they were told of it from the start."**

" **Damn. Forgot about that,"** sighed Clair.

" **Well, let's not worry about that right now. We'll worry about it if and when it happens alright? For now let's just go to sleep and then we'll figure out what we're doing regarding Ash, Sabrina, the girls and our situation,"** advised Giselle.

" **She's right. Let's go to sleep. It's been a long day and night and I'm exhausted,"** said Clair.

" **Alright and thanks you two."** Liza hugged them before saying goodnight to the two and they returned it. They got into their own beds and went to sleep.

Two blue haired girls were lying in their respective beds and staring at the ceiling. They were quiet for a few minutes now after speaking with one another for a while about what happened during Ash's match. They couldn't believe how people were so eager to believe the report and turn from the person who risked it all to save them. They also talked about how scared they had become when they saw Ash get hurt, feeling as if they themselves were hurt. They were so angry at the three jackasses that they wanted to tear them apart for hurting him. And they were so worried for Ash that they thought they would break down right then and there.

Near the end of their discussion, they tried to come up with a plan to get Ash to realize their feelings or to come clean but to also think of them in that way too but couldn't think of anything again. They were going crazy over that and decided to take a break. They were about to continue when a knock was heard on their door. The two blunettes glanced at one another, wondering who it could be at this late hour. **"Come in,"** answered Lizabeth.

The door opened and Queen Ilene walked in dressed in her white and blue pajamas before closing it behind her. **"Hi. I'm sorry if I woke you."**

The two girls sat up in their beds. **"No, we were still up,"** replied Shauna as Ilene sat on the foot of her bed. **"What's up?"** she asked.

Ilene sighed, looking down before facing the two again. **"I wanted to ask for your advice and help if you're still offering it."** Lizabeth and Shauna glanced at one another and then looked at Ilene again, waiting for her to continue. **"I wanted to know if you can tell me how I should act with someone who I used to like but not anymore."**

Both blunette's eyes widened, figuring out what she meant by that. **"Are you and Gary done?"** asked Lizabeth.

Ilene nodded. **"Yes."**

" **Sorry to hear that,"** said Shauna.

" **Yea, I'm sorry too Ilene,"** added Lizabeth.

Ilene however shook her head. **"It's alright. So, how should I act around him?"**

" **Just be yourself and treat him as you would another regular person,"** said Lizabeth.

" **That's it?"** asked Ilene and the two nodded. **"I see. I'm sorry. It's just, I don't have much experience in dating, relationships and what to do and what not to do."**

Lizabeth and Shauna smiled before chuckling a bit, making Ilene go red. **"Sorry, we didn't mean to embarrass you but we figured as a Queen you would know."**

" **And you kind of sounded like Ash just now,"** added Shauna.

Ilene shook her head, chuckling a bit. **"I did just now huh?"** The three laughed a bit before calming down. **"Well, just to let you know, as a Queen, it's much harder to get into a relationship because every single move you make is being watched, criticized and impacts everyone in the kingdom. So I couldn't just go for any guy that looked cute or seemed good."**

" **So much for believing a Queen can do anything she wants,"** remarked Shauna.

" **That must've been hard for you though,"** commented Lizabeth.

" **Yes and you don't want to know the half of it,"** agreed Ilene. **"But knowing that your people are doing well because of you helps you keep going and makes you think of the good things."**

" **Good point,"** said the two together. It was quiet for a few seconds until Shauna spoke up. **"Was it a bad break up?"** she asked her.

She thought of the confrontation between the two and sighed. **"Yes. I don't want to talk about it but I'm glad it's over."** The two nodded and Ilene stood up. **"Thanks for the talk and please don't tell anyone about this. I'll tell them myself when the moment is right."**

" **No worries Ilene,"** said Lizabeth as Shauna nodded. The blonde queen thanked them again before wishing them a goodnight and left the room. The two friends decided to call it a night and got into bed themselves. They said goodnight before turning off the bedside lamp and went to sleep.

Ilene made her way to her own bedroom and when inside, she saw Bonnie was fast asleep. She made her way to her bed but stopped next to the young teenage girl. She saw her cuddling a small stuffed pokémon doll. She smiled a bit at that before getting into her own bed and got ready to sleep. She thought of everything that happened that day and the two things that kept popping up in her mind was what Gary said about her having feelings for Ash and seeing her Knight unconscious on the ground. _I know that I thought before that I should be with someone like Ash but…was Gary right? Do…do I have feelings for my Knight?_ Her stomach churned as the image of Ash getting thrown into the wall kept replaying over and over in her mind before sleep finally took her.

Delia was in the kitchen, getting some water for herself. She took a drink from the bottle and then leaned against the counter. She started thinking about the horrible situation her son was in earlier on. She was so scared for her son, seeing him in the middle of the raging crowd. But when shit hit the fan, his girlfriends were there for him. She smiled at that, remembering how they went to his side without hesitation. How the girls' friends came to help them as well. How Sabrina appeared out of nowhere to help them all. _They really are meant for one another. I'm so happy my Ashy found great girls to give his heart to._ After thinking a bit more about that, she decided to go see her son to wish him a goodnight before heading off to bed herself.

When she entered his room and walked in a few steps, she stopped as she realized something; Ash wasn't alone. There were four others in bed with him. She quietly made her way closer to the bed after turning on a small lamp on the far dresser. Delia's lips curled upwards into a large smile at who she saw in bed with him. It was Misty, May, Dawn and Serena with him dressed in their respective night gowns.

Earlier on, Sabrina had suggested that they should be with him tonight so he wasn't alone and because they were allowing them a chance to pursue a future with the one she and the other girls had fallen in love with. The four tried to tell them that they didn't need to that for them, that they wanted to be fair and that they didn't mind if they spent the night with him too. However, in the end, the five absolutely refused and convinced them to not worry about it because they aren't fighting them, are embracing it and even helped their beloved realize and understand his feelings.

The four girls were fast asleep with the red head and blunette sleeping on top of him while the brunette and honey blonde girl cuddled against his sides. Ash's head was slightly leaned back against his pillow, sleeping on his back. _They're so adorable together!_ Unable to help herself, Delia took a quiet picture with her Poketch. She then drew closer and raised the covers up a bit so it covered their shoulders. **"Goodnight sweetie,"** she said quietly before she kissed her son's forehead before doing the same to the four girls. She looked at the five before leaving the room.

When Delia entered her own bedroom, she saw Grace and Johanna fast asleep. She sent the two and Caroline the picture she just took before climbing into bed herself. She thought about her son's special situation with the girls and wondered just what was going to become of it all. Delia knew that they loved each other beyond all else and would do anything for one another. Especially after seeing how they protected one another. She only hoped that they would be able to survive the coming darkness together and that they could live happy lives afterwards. She slowly fell asleep, thinking of the possible futures that they could live.

At this point, almost everyone had fallen asleep. There was only one person left awake and that was a certain blonde Sensational Sister. Daisy Waterflower was in her bed, sobbing quietly so as to not wake her sisters Violet and Lily. They had just fallen asleep after the three talked together and how they were beyond glad that Misty, the girls and Ash are alright. She was crying because she couldn't stop seeing the raven haired young man getting hurt and how her baby sister was almost blown to smithereens. Sure, she was there too but her worry for them far outweighed worry for herself. _How could you let that happen Arceus? Why?_

Daisy started becoming angry at what happened that day, taking over her sadness. She was angry at the three for hurting Ash, putting his name in the mud, endangering him, her sister and everyone else. She was also angry at Arceus for not even bothering to help him out or warn him even when he put so much burden on his shoulders. After thinking about all of that, Daisy came to a decision. _I will not let anyone else hurt Ash or Misty ever again. Not even this darkness, this Ragnarok or whatever the hell he is. And you Arceus, can stay the hell away since you don't even do anything to help!_ Daisy thought of the things she could do to help protect her sister and the man she fell for before her tired eyes finally closed and began to rest.

While everyone in the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel was sound asleep, there was one who was awake in his own suite one floor below them. Steven Stone was lost in thought over what happened that day. Britney's report, Damian and his friends trying to get revenge on Ash, the girls battling and everything else. He shook his head while sitting down on his couch, still dressed up. He wasn't sleepy and wanted to come up with a plan of some sort to do some damage control. He glanced at his Poketch, wondering if he should call Lance or one of the other Champions. _I bet he's still awake. But do I feel like dealing with him now? What should I do?_ His decision was made for him when there was a knock on the door. Wondering who it would be at this time of hour, he went up to the door but his left hand was on his Metagross's poke ball. After everything that happened so far, he wasn't going to take any chances anymore. He peeked through the peep hole on the door. _What the hell…_ He opened the door. **"Why are you here? How did you know I was here and what do you want?"**

It was Britney Snow. She looked down at her feet before talking. **"I found out from Goodshow."** He growled, making a mental note to tell him not to do that again. Seeing him getting angry, she decided to say what she came to say. **"Steven, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I tried calling you to say that but you wouldn't answer."** That was true. She had called Steven a few times after the fiasco but he didn't answer her calls because he was upset with her report.

Steven sighed. **"You should know the reason why. And is that all you have to say?"** he asked her.

She looked up at him. **"No. I wanted to tell you that even though I made that report, I was having doubts about having it shown after speaking with my editor Tom."**

He frowned at her, making her feel extreme sadness. **"Well, you still showed it, messed up his life and divided the people. I hope you're happy with those accomplishments,"** he told her.

He was about to close the door on her but she spread out her arm and stopped him. **"Wait! It wasn't me who showed it. It was Richard!"** The Hoenn Champion looked at her carefully, trying to find if she was being genuine or not. He couldn't find anything but still didn't trust her.

" **You're good Britney, I'll give you that. But I can't believe you,"** he told her.

Britney felt her heart sinking at hearing that but wouldn't give up just yet. **"I understand Steven but it was Richard. He said that he'll have the report broadcasted no matter what after Tom said that he won't air it. He didn't want our work to be for nothing so he said he'll have his friend do it. And now he's run off and I have no idea where he went."**

Steven listened to her and then thought of the laptop they found in the stadium that belonged to Shamus after they tracked where the hack came from. **"That makes sense…"** he said, more to himself than to her though. He then looked at her. **"Alright, fine. If you want to make things better, I'll call you tomorrow and we'll go from there."**

" **Oh thank you Steven!"** exclaimed Britney. She hugged the fossil collector tightly, stunning the silver haired young man. **"Thank you for giving me a chance."**

Steven was starting to become a little embarrassed and didn't know what to do, say or feel. He awkwardly returned the hug but soon enough they separated. The reporter wished him a good night and left, leaving a stunned champion behind. It took him a moment to gather himself before closing the door and went back to his couch. As soon as he sat down, he got a call and he picked it up. **"Hello Lance…yes, I can't sleep either. Any update?"** Steven went quiet for a moment as Lance explained something to him. **"I see…this is very disturbing. Alright, let's meet tomorrow in the afternoon. And I'll be bringing a guest. No, you'll want her there. And we should have all the Champions there for this meeting. Have Diantha call Cynthia in the morning. Okay, goodnight Lance."** Steven hung up, got up and went to change into his pajamas and went to sleep.

Night went on as the people in the hotel continued sleeping. It was late at night, around 3am when one of the girls in the penthouse suite snapped open her eyes. She got up, ran to the closest bathroom and lifted the toilet cover in time for her to yak out her guts into the puddle of water. She felt like something was going to burst through her chest and her throat was burning from her stomach acids flowing through it. She finally finished up and took several long breaths while spitting out rogue saliva and bits of vomit out of her mouth. She flushed the toilet and shakily stood up. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing some vomit on her chin. She turned on the faucet and wiped it off, washed her face and rinsed her mouth to try to get the horrible taste and smell out. Luckily, she didn't dirty her night gown or hair. After she did that, she dried her face and hands and looked into the mirror again. She started thinking about what made her throw up all of a sudden when she was feeling fine. She didn't eat anything weird at all and she wasn't disgusted of anything too badly. She thought a bit more before her eyes widened as she realized something…

Her period was late. **"Oh no…"** She started panicking, breathing rapidly. They had used protection so how did this happen? What would she do? What would her beloved say? What would her family say? Her friends say? Was she ready for a child? What about the darkness that's coming? How could she raise a child during that? Her mind raced with many thoughts and questions before she shook her head to clear it. **"Stop!"** she told herself, looking at herself in the mirror. **"It's been late before so no point in going crazy yet. It's probably nothing except stress that made me throw up."** She nodded at herself in the mirror, exited the bathroom and went back to bed to sleep with her beloved. _I'll be fine,_ she thought as she cuddled against him once more and closed her eyes.

* * *

 _ **A/N - So many things happening all at once! Anyways, hope you liked it! Remember to leave a review and to fav and follow! Now for the two questions...**_

 _ **Question 1 -** Do you want to see detailed lemons between the other characters as well besides Ash and his girlfriends?_

 _ **Question 2 -** Which one of the girls do you think is pregnant? _

_**Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **Tournament Upcoming Match**_

 _Semi-Finals_

 _ **SPECIAL SURPRISE! **_

_**I have started outlining some other stories that I've had in mind for a while now. You will get an update about them when they are posted. But no worries, I won't abandon this story** **and will continue it and** **I have started outlining the second half of this story** **. Thanks again for all the support and I hope you're all doing well and to hear from you! Take care and Silent is out!**_


	46. Chapter 46 - Choices

_**A/N - Hey guys, it's Silent! Hope you're all doing well. I know, it's been a while since posting. Work has been kicking my ass and I'm still trying to adjust. Thank you for understanding, being patient and for your support. A few things before the chapter;**_

 _ **1\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 -** I'll write the lemons when it flows right for the story buddy._

 _ **Guest 2 -** Okay. You'll find out soon if you're right. _

_**Guest 3 -** Maybe. If he does that, have to figure out how to do that with multiple girlfriends. lol_

 _ **Guest 4 -** Thanks dude! And here is the next one! ;)_

 _ **Guest 5 -** Thank you buddy! I'm glad too that I got one and I'm humbled to hear that. Thanks! :)_

 _ **MANbearPIG1 -** Hahahahaha! So how did the election go buddy? Or still running? lol. About the mothers teasing Ash, if they do, it'll be like they did before in the story. I won't have them being all touchy feely with Ash. Thanks though about the confidence. Gary is going to go through some things. About Daisy being more protective, you'll see. Natasha will be going through a tough time with her decision to come clean or not and you'll see that. And thanks about Sabrina; wanted to show her taking charge. Task force, pregnancy and couples, read below. Poor sasquach. Good luck with then ninjas though. Don't know anyone qualified for that position buddy but thanks man. I'm glad I found one finally too. _

_**Marvin -** Thanks buddy, glad you liked it. Thanks for the tip. I try not to overdo it but try to show their reactions when its something big. I'll keep an eye out for it. _

_**UNKNOWN -** Thanks buddy for the praise and glad you got pumped up! Hope you like this next one._

 _ **2\. About the pregnancy -** Nice observations and deductive logic. You'll find out if you're right soon enough but you'll get some more clues little by little as we continue on. And it will be important part of the story so don't worry. It's not going to be just shoe horned into it. _

_**3\. About the 'group sex' -** Many of you have been asking about this and want it done. I am thinking about how to do it justice and again, will only do it if it makes sense to the story. It won't be just thrown in there just because. _

_**4\. About the other characters lemon scenes -** Duly noted and thanks for your responses. As a result, I'll just continue with what I'm already doing with the implied scenes and such. _

**_5\. About the 'task force' idea -_** _Very interesting and great idea from MANbearPIG1. I might be able to pull it off but only if it flows well. And if I can do it, I will definitely ask for certain reviewers to have their 'persona' in the story. I'll let you know. :)_

 ** _6\. About the 'fear' in the last chapter -_** _Many of my readers have messaged me about what the voice said to Ash about his girlfriends. I know it's making you feel worried and concerned about it but I cannot say anything about it. It will ruin the reveal. But it will be something that you will like I think._

 ** _7\. My other stories progress -_** _I have finished outlining my second story and got a little bit done for the third one. Hopefully I can get them posted up soon for those two at least since they will be much shorter than this story and my fourth one that I have ideas about (but no outline yet), which will be another long one._

 ** _8\. SPECIAL SHOUT OUT! -_** _Sometimes when I log on, I check out my readers' profile pages for kicks and see how many of us like the same stories. And it's also cool learning about each of you a bit if you have a bio. BUT, this shout out is for_ _aboz567. Thank you man for the confidence on your page. I've read some of the stories that were listed on your profile and they are awesome. And for you to say that my story is your favorite of all time over all of those ones...damn dude, I am truly humbled. I never would have guessed that I would write well enough to capture my readers' hearts and to be liked more than those stories since they are among the best of the best. Thank you buddy and I'll do my best to continue delivering quality work. (Also, haven't forgotten that you did that too  irmadbro, but I believe I already thanked you for it! But again, thanks! :) )_

 ** _Okay, now on to the chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to review, fav and follow! :)_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 46 – CHOICES

A man in a black pin striped business suit was getting ready to leave his office to go home for the night. He was bitter, angry and exhausted. He found out that the weapon he wanted ready to fire at the tournament's closing ceremony would need a few more days to be complete, meaning he would miss his shot. Some random earthquakes that happened out of nowhere had caused some equipment damage within the past couple of days. Grumbling, he stood up from his seat and heard a knock on the door. **"If you don't have good news, leave!"**

The door opened. **"Giovanni, you'll feel better after hearing this."**

Giovanni's eyes lit up. **"Ah, double oh nine. Come in."** He sat back down and watched the beautiful yet deadly blonde girl take a seat in front of him. She was dressed in her black two piece uniform of short skirt and long sleeved shirt. She was his most trusted and most capable agent in the entire organization. She would do anything for him and they both knew that. He raised his interlocked hands in front of him with his elbows on his desk and leaned forward a bit. **"So, what news do you have for me?"**

She began speaking at once. **"Hunter J is on board. The others are aware of the plan and are preparing for the attack. Also, we may have some new trainers on our radar that could be used in the attack and they are fairly strong. I'm speaking about the three who were arrested earlier today after the eighth match,"** explained Domino.

Giovanni was silent for a moment before responding back. **"I've been keeping tabs on that as well since the failed attack. Hmm, you may have a point about the other three. They will be useful. Good work Domino. You're the only one I can ever count on,"** said Giovanni and Domino nodded. **"I have another job for you. We will need to find a way to get the weapon ready in time for the closing ceremony and get those three and their pokémon the enhancements."**

" **About both of those, I found out some information from one of the board members of the league that's on our payroll. He told me that…"** The blonde girl told him the new information and at the end of it, an evil smile formed on Giovanni's face.

" **This is perfect. This will give us enough time to get the weapon ready and we will be able to do what is needed for the three. And this new information will allow us to make short work of the rest. Excellent work Domino,"** praised Giovanni. **"We will need to make some changes but it will be worth it. But I'm going to need tomorrow to think and relax first. Natasha's compromise and the weapon being damaged have stressed me out."**

Domino got up instantly, walked around the desk, keeping her eyes on his and stopped right in front him. **"I know how to fix that,"** she said. She took off his suit jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Giovanni smirked at her. **"Why make an excuse? You want it don't you?"** he asked her.

Domino grinned back. **"Always. I can never get enough of you,"** she said. She took off his shirt and unbuckled his pants. He stood up before she pulled them off. Before she could continue, her boss made her turn around and bend over onto the desk.

" **No foreplay this time,"** he growled and she agreed, not having felt him inside her for so long. She raised her skirt and lowered her panties while still bent over and soon she felt his shaft inside her, making her moan and feel much pleasure. **"Ah, it's been a while. You're still as tight as the day I took your virginity."**

" **Too long. And you know I only have sex with you,"** reminded Domino. She then thought of something while in the middle of it all. **"I thought you would be fucking Natasha though while I was away,"** she panted in between his thrusts, with a hint of jealousy.

" **Jealous are we?"** he asked and she responded with a moan. **"That whore never joined but then let herself get raped. I don't deal with used goods. And even if she hadn't and I was, you'd still be my number one,"** said Giovanni while ramming into her, making her moan louder and take in sharp breaths.

" **Good. I'll always be your number one. For everything,"** replied Domino. They finished up their session soon but both of them wanted more.

They were about to go another round when Giovanni thought of something. **"She has ended up in his group though."** Domino tilted her head after standing straight and looked at him. **"Natasha; she's in the Aura Guardian's group. From the report that was shown, he killed the Skull Brothers and took her in. Perhaps she may still be of use."** The blonde reminded him about not dealing with used goods. He smirked before explaining. **"Who said anything about dealing with her? We let her think she'll be welcomed back with open arms and get us what we want before disposing of her."**

Domino grinned evilly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they separated, she leaned back against the table, sat on top of it and spread her legs. **"Oh you just turned me on even more Gio with your nasty plan."** Without a comment made but grinning smugly, he closed the distance between the two, entered her and fucked her roughly but she enjoyed it all. In the end, he told her to get ready and head to the Indigo Plateau to make contact with Natasha to let her know of the 'offer'. After she left the office, he contacted Oakley and Annie and had them come to his office immediately since he was still in the mood. Soon enough both of them were there and the head of Team Rocket let out his frustrations by banging the two girls long into the night.

Far away from them and others, a tall, well built man, with silver hair and his ferocious looking pokémon were traveling on a dirt path towards the base of a mountain near the Indigo Plateau. When they reached it, the trainer glanced at his pokemon. **"Dragon Pulse,"** ordered the man. A powerful beam of energy was shot from his pokémon towards the side of the mountain. The attack connected and blew a hole into it. Satisfied with the result, the trainer and his pokémon entered the makeshift cave to escape the night. He dropped the pile of branches he had in his arm and his pokémon immediately let out a small Flamethrower to ignite the wood and start a fire. The trainer took off his cloak and sat down cross legged in front of the fire. His pokémon lied down behind him and wrapped his long tail around him and the fire. The man leaned against his pokémon and closed his eyes.

A couple minutes later, he opened his eyes and raised his arm that had his Poketch on it. He went through it until he got to the news app. He opened up the application and a hologram appeared above his Poketch of the list of articles. After scrolling past some headlines for uninteresting articles, he found one that caught his eye. He clicked the link for the full article and read it. At the end of it, there were four pictures of the four remaining trainers in the tournament. One was a blurry image of him leaving the stadium by flying on his pokémon, another was alone, the second was with a single blue haired girl and the third one was surrounded by his friends.

A grin formed on his face. **"This is too good to be true,"** said the man. His pokémon raised its head off the ground and looked at him. **"There are only two worthy trainers left who are the Aura Guardian and the Trainer of Legendaries. Don't care about the third one even though it says he's strong."** He glanced at his pokémon who nodded and lowered his head back down to sleep. The man looked at the picture again and noticed something. He looked closely at two girls and a moment later, realized that he knew them. **"Well well, isn't this a surprise. It looks like the guardian knows a couple of our friends. Two girls from my past are in his group. Talk about a small world."** He closed the app and leaned against his pokémon again before placing his cloak over himself like a blanket. He thought a bit, his gaze looking out the cave. He closed his eyes before letting it go and went to sleep.

In the top floor of the Indigo Plateau, a girl was sneaking through the living room. It was morning and she had just come back from the store. She had woken up earlier than she had ever done before to do what she needed to. She had gotten out of bed, dressed, clipped her pokémons' poke balls to her belt and left the hotel to go to the nearby supermarket. When she reached the store, she had a bit of trouble choosing which test to buy until she asked one of the female store clerks. The clerk pointed out two different ones that were the most accurate and said how she used both at once to make sure. The girl thanked the aid and bought the two she pointed out.

After coming back home, she saw that no one was awake still. _Thank Arceus,_ she thought. She quickly, but quietly, headed to the bathroom. She locked the door, testing it a couple times by turning it and pulling on it to make sure it was locked and fully closed. She was very nervous, anxious and every little thing was causing her to be paranoid. She took out the two tests she bought from her bag. She read the instructions for both and saw that they were simple and the same. _Well duh, not much else to do with these._ She let out a sigh and opened up one of them and performed the test. After getting that done, she opened up the second test and did that one as well. After doing both tests, she set them on the counter, set a timer on her Poketch and sat down on the toilet cover after lowering it. She placed her head in her hands, wondering what the hell she was going to do if they came out positive.

The minutes slowly went by, with her checking her timer frequently. She was going crazy with all the waiting. She got up and walked towards the door. She then turned around and walked a few steps towards the bath tub before turning around and walking again. She kept going back and forth, her mind racing with thoughts. A few minutes later, she started nibbling on her finger nails, her anxiousness getting the better of her. **"Does it really take this long?!"** she asked out loud all of a sudden, not believing how time was moving slower than a Slowpoke.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door, making her tense up. **"Hey, you alright in there?"** It was Joy.

" **Yes, I'm fine,"** she answered back. She then thought of something…

" **Okay. I'll leave you alone,"** replied Joy. The girl inside the bathroom placed a towel over the tests, opened the door, grabbed the pink haired girl's arm and pulled her into the bathroom. **"What the hell?! Why'd you do that?! What's going on?!"**

" **SSHHHH!"** The girl opened the door and looked around to check if others were nearby before closing the door and went up to the nurse. **"I need your help."**

" **Okay. You know you could've asked more nicely. And I gotta use the bathroom first. That's why I'm up so early,"** said Joy.

" **Sorry and alright use it,"** said the girl and Joy stared at her.

" **With you in here with me?!"** she asked.

" **Just go!"** ordered the girl and Joy was taken aback.

" **Okay, fine. But will you turn around?"** she asked. The girl agreed and turned around. Joy used the bathroom, feeling a little embarrassed. She finished up her business quickly though. She went to wash up but the girl stopped her. **"Really? You're gonna stop me from washing now?"** asked Joy.

" **Okay okay. Just don't touch the towel on the counter,"** said the girl.

Joy once again agreed and this time to a weird request. She washed up and used another towel that was hanging to dry her hands. She then faced the girl. **"So, what's up? What's going on?"**

The girl took in a big breath. **"Joy, since you're a nurse, you've dealt with a lot of stuff right?"** Joy nodded. **"Like big cuts, weird injuries, life and death situations…"** Joy nodded again but this time slowly, keeping her eyes on her. **"What about…baby…stuff…."**

" **Baby stuff?"** repeated Joy, confused.

" **Yea. I mean, you know…pokémon eggs…babies…giving birth…"**

Joy's eyes widened, figuring out where she was going with it all. **"Are you pregnant?!"** The girl instantly clapped her hand against Joy's mouth. Both of them froze, trying to somehow develop super hearing to catch any sound that could indicate someone was around and heard them. The girl quietly moved to the door and peeked outside. Nobody was around and there was no sign that someone was around. She went back to Joy after closing the door. **"Sorry,"** said Joy. **"Are you pregnant?"** she asked again but quietly.

Before the girl could answer, her alarm went off. She dismissed it and looked at the towel on the counter before facing Joy again. "I'm about to find out." She went to the towel and lifted it off the tests but looked away. **"I can't look,"** she said, stepping away. **"Can you check for me? Please?"** she asked Joy.

Joy moved forward and grasped her friend's shoulders. **"I know you're scared but this is an important life event. You should check it yourself,"** advised Joy.

It was quiet for a few seconds until the girl let out a sigh. **"You're right. I can't be scared of something like this."** She thanked Joy and went up to the tests. She took in another breath before letting it out and looked at the two tests. She was quiet for a long time before she turned her head to the nurse with a blank look.

" **Well?"** asked Joy, preventing herself from taking a look herself.

" **I'm…I'm gonna be a mom,"** she answered quietly with a surprised look on her face.

" **Oh my Mew! Congratulations!"** cried Joy and took her into a hug. The girl was too stunned to even reciprocate the hug, lost in what she just found out. **"This is such great news!"** said Joy after separating. **"Does he know?"** she asked.

The girl snapped out of her trance and looked at her friend. **"No,"** she said, shaking her head before explaining how she found out something was up; with her puking, her period being late and what she decided to do before sleeping again. **"I know now for sure but…how can I tell him?"** she asked Joy. She leaned against the bathroom wall and slid down, making the pink haired nurse frown and sit beside her on the bathroom floor. **"How Joy? We're barely over adult age. He has so much he wants to do, that he needs to do. Would he want a baby? What would he say? What if he's angry with me or doesn't want a baby? What would our families and friends say? Would they support us?"** Joy was silent, thinking about everything she was saying as they were all valid points. **"There's no way I'll go through with an abortion but I know I won't be able to do it alone if he doesn't want this. Even if he does want the baby, and our family supports us, what about the future? With the darkness coming in two years, how can we take care of a baby during that time? Is this the right time for this?"** She couldn't go on anymore and started crying, the weight of so many unknowns bearing down on her.

Joy took her into her embrace and rubbed her back, letting her cry it out. **"It's alright. I'm not going to lie to you though. Everything you said and asked are important points to think about. But I don't think you need to worry about all the ifs in the world. And I believe you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure he'll be happy to know and so will both of your families. Once they get over the shock of it of course,"** joked Joy, making her friend chuckle a bit through her sob that made her hiccup. **"And don't worry about the future, the darkness or any of that. You know we'll all be there to fight it together and help each other out."**

She slowly calmed down enough to respond back after a couple minutes. **"Thanks Joy,"** said the girl, hugging her. The two stood up and the girl took the two tests and dropped them into the trash along with the boxes. She tied up the plastic bag and headed out the bathroom with Joy. They walked out of the penthouse suite and entered the hallway with the elevator doors. She opened the trash shoot next to it and tossed the bag inside before the two headed back inside.

They stopped in the living room. She glanced at Joy and thanked her again. **"No problem. And I won't say anything,"** said Joy. The two smiled at one another before heading back to their room and laid back down to sleep a little more since it was too early in the morning.

An hour later, a raven haired young man woke up abruptly. He had seen a dream of him in the temple again and this time he was surrounded by many figures but couldn't tell who or what they were since they were covered in shadows. He heard the female angelic voice speak again but couldn't make out her words either. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times and that's when he realized where he was and that he wasn't alone. He peered down and saw a sight that brought a large smile on his face. His girlfriends Misty, May, Dawn and Serena were in bed with him and they were still asleep. He became confused for a moment, trying to recall how or when he got into bed with them. Until he remembered he was watching a movie the night before with everyone and then nothing. That was when he realized that he probably fell asleep while watching it and someone must've brought him to his bed. He took in the sight of the four, feeling great happiness fill him up in seeing them there. He was very glad that he wasn't alone. He was feeling like an outcast and sullen because of what happened yesterday.

At that moment, his mind brought up yesterday's events as he looked up towards the ceiling. He couldn't believe how Damian, Paul and Shamus would go to such great lengths just to get back at him. They performed illegal activities and didn't mind hurting others in order to get what they wanted. And also how the crowd just turned their backs on him so easily. _Why? Why are there so many rotten people in the world? And how could they be so easily swayed in their opinion? Even after seeing me risk it all?_

Something else popped into his mind at that moment; _your choice._ Ash took in a quiet breath after remembering those words. _My choice…_ He thought of what he saw in the golden mirrors; one of which showed his family and friends while the other showed random people who he didn't know. He then thought of the girls being almost blown away from the pokémon self-destructing and the crowd betraying him once more. _My choice…in who to save in the end…is that what the voice is saying?_ He looked at the four girls that were cuddled with him in bed and now noticed the positions they were in.

Misty's hair was disheveled, covering part of her face while her cheek was against his chest. Dawn had her mouth against the base of his neck and he could feel the air blowing out of her nose. Serena's head was on his right shoulder with her pressed up against his side. May had her head on his left shoulder but had backed up into his side with his hand interlocked with hers and held against her chest. He felt himself heating up, feeling their bodies against his but controlled himself. He smiled at them again, thinking about how much he loved them and wouldn't allow anything to happen to them. _My choice…there is no choice to be made. Though I will help and protect others, you four, my other girlfriends, my mother, my friends, my pokémon…all who I hold dear to me…will always be a priority._

He then thought more about the other girls, Anabel, Sarah, Cynthia, Sabrina and Leaf. He thought about their interactions together in the past and what they did more recently together. _How did I not notice my feelings for them in the past and here at the tournament? How could I be so blind?_ He thought of all that they did together, what each of them did for him, what he did for each of them and many other things. He felt great feelings towards them as well, as strong as the ones he felt for the four with him now. _I'm so lucky and blessed to have such incredible girls want to be with me. I will do everything and anything for them. I swear this._ Something popped into his mind suddenly, reminding him of something else. _And I will show my appreciation for the other girls too for what they did for me and my girlfriends yesterday. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy; thank you for helping out yesterday. Thank you for caring, for being there for me and for the girls._ He thought of each of the six girls more carefully, thinking of the first time they met, what they did for one another, their personalities, how strong they are, their intelligence and how beautiful each of them are.

He felt something stirring inside of him and that made him think about that. It was the same feeling he felt when he was with them. It was similar to when he danced and hugged Sabrina. It was the same thing he felt when he hugged Daisy. His heart started to beat faster and his mind was racing. He thought of the reasons as to why they would be here and stay here with the group, with him. He took in a sharp breath suddenly. _Could…could they like me? Have feelings for me? Could…could I be having feelings for them too?_ He thought about that some more and he remembered something; he remembered what he heard Clair say in her mind yesterday when she accused him of hurting Sabrina; ' _Why do this to her? To us? Why are you making us behave like this?'_ He then remembered what she said in her mind after he had told her to hit him and she couldn't anymore. _Please don't hate me!_ Ash sighed and slowly shook his head. _I have no idea what's going on. But I will pay more attention to what's going on around me and to them. I need to figure this out as I don't want to hurt them and don't want any more surprises._

Ash started thinking of what he could do to see whether or not his assumptions were true. After thinking a bit, he cleared his head and sighed again. He looked at the four girls. _If it is true, what will happen? I don't want to hurt them or my girlfriends. Why is this happening to me? Why? After so many years, why am I suddenly getting the attention of them all? And why am I developing feelings for other girls too? I love my girlfriends and I will never betray them but… Gardevoir was right. I am drawing attention and I'm developing feelings for them too. I thought I only loved Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. But I also love Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina too. And now I have feelings for the other six? What's going on with me? What's going on with them? If it's true that the other girls like me, have feelings for me, why would they? What is the reason? And why now? Why is everything happening now? At this tournament?_ Ash thought of all the possible reasons why, thinking of their past interactions between them, whether or not he felt something in the past but didn't notice it because of his denseness. Not able to find anything, he thought of his particular situation and how they and especially his girlfriends deserve so much, deserving only the best of the best. _Even though I love them more than anything else in the world and will do anything for them, I still feel unworthy of them. How could I be everything that they need and want? I promised them I'll do my best for each of them and all of them and I will keep it. But how? How can I make sure that they are always happy? Always content? Always satisfied? And what of the other girls who may possibly like me as well? What do I do regarding them? How can I fulfill that promise? And what am I going to do? What am I supposed to do?_

He thought a bit more and every single thing he came up with to keep his girlfriends happy just didn't make sense or sounded idiotic. His mind brought back the voice from the temple again and what it said; '…a _nd there is no them. The girls who are with you now are all just…'_ And that's all he heard the voice say until Mewtwo's voice cut hers off. _Damn it. Why couldn't you just wait a little longer Mewtwo? What was going to be said?_ Ash thought about that a long time when movement caught his attention. Serena had moved her hand a bit onto his chest. He looked at the honey blonde haired girl for a moment before he let out a quiet sigh before deciding to let it go and came to a decision. _It doesn't matter. I love each of my girlfriends with all my heart. Even though each of them deserve so much more, I will do my best to make sure they are happy and safe. I just hope that will be enough._ He tightened his hug as best he could but wasn't able to do much since Serena and May were practically trapping his arms. But he managed to nuzzle against the top of Misty's and Dawn's heads though with his chin.

Doing that though make the red haired mermaid stir. Misty woke up, opening her eyes and the first thing she saw was a pair of chocolate brown eyes locked onto her cerulean blue ones. She instantly felt the love in them for her and that made her fill up with happiness. She raised her head and placed her lips onto his and they shared a simple kiss but it was filled with their love for one another. **"Good morning my Pokémon Master,"** said Misty quietly with a smile after they separated.

Ash smiled at her. **"Good morning my Mystic Mermaid. Did you sleep well?"** he asked her.

Before Misty could respond, the blunette spoke up suddenly. **"Why wouldn't we my Guardian?"** she asked and cut off Ash's reply with her own kiss.

" **Should've known you were awake,"** commented Misty as she watched the two kiss while smirking.

When they separated, Dawn grinned mischievously at the two. **"Like I said before, never judge a book by its cover,"** she reminded them while caressing Ash's neck with her two fingers. Ash shivered from it, making Misty giggle a bit.

" **Oh, you guys suck. Let me sleep,"** whined May, burying her face into his shoulder with Serena burying her face into his side but didn't make a sound.

Ash, Misty and Dawn glanced at the two before looking at each other and then smiled deviously. Ash moved his hand down Serena's back, making her tremble with delight over his message. He then suddenly grabbed and squeezed her ass and did the same thing to May's breast at the same time. **"OH!"** squeaked Serena and May at once, lifting their heads up. Before either of them could say anything, Misty started tickling Serena and Dawn did the same to May.

" **HAHAHAHA! STOP! HAHAHAHA! PLEASE!"**

" **NO FAIR! HAHAHAHA! NO MORE! I SURRENDER! HAHAHAHA!"**

Misty and Dawn stopped their tickling a moment later, allowing Serena and May to calm down a bit. After catching their breath, both girls smacked their ticklers against their shoulders and then rounded onto Ash, giving him a double whammy against his chest. The three however merely laughed at them.

 **"Hey! We didn't hurt you!"** exclaimed Ash after stopping.

" **No, but you interrupted my beauty sleep!"** shot May.

" **And I was seeing a good dream!"** snapped Serena.

" **Oh really?"** asked Misty and Dawn together with teasing looks, making both girls glare back.

" **You don't need beauty sleep May since you already are beautiful,"** remarked Ash and May blushed but smiled at him. **"And what good dream were you seeing Serena?"** he asked, turning to face her.

Serena went red as the four looked at her. She didn't respond but after some coaxing from them, she finally agreed to. **"I dreamt that we were living together happily in a big house with…our kids."** She went scarlet at that and buried her face in her hands.

The four smiled at her. Ash made to sit up with the red head and blunette getting off of him so he could do so. He sat up and took Serena into a hug with Misty, Dawn and May joining in. **"That's a wonderful dream Serena. I'm sure we can have something like that one day. I love you. And I love you Misty, I love you May and I love you Dawn. Nothing will ever change that."**

The four girls nodded in the hug with huge smiles on their faces, feeling the love he has for them and each of the four girls knew he was feeling the love they have for him. **"I love you too Ash,"** said the four together. They stayed like that for a bit before separating. **"Ash, there's something that we need to talk to you about but we'll do so after breakfast. Okay?"** said May.

Ash nodded. **"Sure. No problem."** After May and Serena gave their morning kisses, the five of them got up to get ready for breakfast. Ash headed into his bathroom and the four girls headed towards their room to change out of their night gowns.

As they and the others in the penthouse suite washed up, changed their clothes and got ready for breakfast, one from their group was already out of the hotel. He needed some time alone to think about everything without the possibility of being bothered by them. He wondered about with no clear destination in mind until he felt like getting a drink. The young man was heading towards a simple looking building that had bold red colored words on the front of it. He nodded at the security in the front of the building and headed inside. He looked around a bit and was surprised to see that there was a good amount of people in there already and it was still morning. It wasn't close to how packed it was the other night but it wasn't dead at all either. The young man took a seat at the bar and called the bartender over. **"What's up buddy?"** asked the worker as he drew closer and took out a shot glass.

" **Anything to munch on and some of the strongest stuff you got,"** he told the bartender.

" **Alright then,"** said the bartender, leaving to get the requested stuff. He came back soon after with a bottle of clear liquid with no design or tag on it. He placed some fries in front of his patron and poured some of the liquid into the shot glass. His customer quickly took it and gulped it down. He felt the drink go down into his empty stomach, feeling the burn all the way down. He motioned for another one and the bartender complied. He took that one down quickly as well before signaling for another. The bartender sighed and poured him his third shot. **"Slow down,"** advised the bartender, making him stop and look at him. **"This is my strongest stuff."**

" **Good,"** he replied back. **"Then maybe this will help me forget about my ex who I thought was the one for me."** He drank his third shot, placed it on the counter and looked at the bartender. The bartender shook his head. **"Why not?"** he asked.

" **Look, this is some of my strongest stuff. You already had three in less than a minute. No more until you eat something. And this is pretty expensive,"** finished up the bartender.

The man scowled at the bartender. He dug his hand into his pocket, took it out and slammed the wad of cash against the counter. **"Don't worry about it and leave the bottle."**

The bartender sighed, took the money, placed the bottle in front of him and began moving away but not before he said something. **"Just make sure you eat those fries too."**

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed a few fries and shoved it into his mouth. As he chewed on his food, he thought of what caused him and his girlfriend to split, the mistakes he made, what he could've done differently and then wondered if he had missed any signs of them not working out before thinking about other things as well.

Back at the penthouse suite, almost everyone was in the dining room enjoying their breakfast. Many conversations were going on at once but they weren't bothering one another. Ash was eating his meal in silence for a bit, sitting between Sabrina and Leaf, having just finished talking with Anabel for a bit. The brunette from Pallet had missed her chance yet again to wake up Ash and this time she had a really good idea as to how. She decided to do that next time. She smiled deviously at her childhood friend when he was speaking with Anabel. _Hehehehe, just you wait Ashy._

As they ate, Ash glanced around at his friends and family every now and then, seeing them all in good spirits and good conditions. Each of them was trying to keep a positive look on things even though yesterday had so much crap happen. He was glad seeing that they were all alright. He turned his gaze to his girlfriends and smiled, seeing them speaking with one another, laughing, joking and checking out some things together on their Poketchs. He then turned his sight to the six girls who helped them out yesterday. He tried to focus on them to see if they were thinking anything that could help him in his investigation but was unable to do so with so many loud conversations going on nearby. He decided to let it go before continuing with his meal.

When she finished with her meal, Sabrina glanced over at her the one who was now her boyfriend. She couldn't believe she was with him and how she felt so happy. Never would she have thought that she would feel so much happiness by thinking that and being with him. She kept her eyes on him until he happened to look to his side at her. She smiled sheepishly, turning a bit red but he didn't comment on it. Instead he just smiled back at her. She turned even redder but that was when she remembered something. **"Hey Ash, can you help me with something?"** she whispered to him, not wanting others to hear her. He leaned in closer to her and she explained what she needed from him.

When she finished, Ash looked into her pink eyes and nodded. **"Of course Sabrina. Anything for you,"** he told her. **"Just let me check on Natasha after breakfast and we'll go. Okay?"** The psychic prodigy beamed at him and thanked him quietly with him telling her not to worry about it. It wasn't until later when everyone was practically done with their meals that he noticed something. **"Hey, where's Gary?"** asked Ash.

Everyone glanced around a bit, now realizing the brash researcher wasn't there. But then Professor Oak spoke up, making everyone look at him. **"Gary left a note on his bed saying he went to visit a friend and take care of some things,"** he told them.

" **Huh, talk about an early visit,"** remarked Ash, making some chuckle. He then stood up, catching everyone's attention. **"Thanks for breakfast. Also, I want to say that Sabrina and I are going to go take care of something together after I check on Natasha."**

Some nodded their heads but the rest just remained quiet. But then Bonnie spoke up. **"Do you have a battle today?"**

He shook his head. **"Don't think so. I'm usually messaged in the morning and haven't gotten anything yet so I don't think so."**

" **Probably because of the fiasco yesterday,"** remarked Leaf and several voiced their agreement on it.

The Frontier Brain then spoke up. **"Ash, before we forget, we need to talk to you about something as well and we'd like to do that now,"** said Anabel and he agreed. The guardian and his girlfriends left the dining room and entered his bedroom while the others got up to do their own things.

Misty turned to Ash after closing the door. **"We decided to come up with some alterations to the set of rules for us because there are more girls in the group so it can be fair."**

Ash nodded. **"Okay. What did you come up with?"** he asked.

" **For starters, there will be no more waiting for 'date days' to show our affection for you or you to us since we are officially together,"** said Dawn. **"So whenever we want to kiss you, hug you, tease you, whatever, and you want to do the same to us, as long as it's not sex, the others can't get angry, jealous, envious or try to break it up. Even during date days."**

Ash nodded, agreeing with that and then Serena continued. **"And about the date days, that's the only time where we can become intimate if we want to for now until each of us has had a chance at least. Even though we had decided that between us to see if we really wanted to be together, and though we all do want that, we want to be fair,"** advised the honey blonde haired girl.

" **Sounds reasonable and of course. I would be happy to take each of you out too,"** replied Ash with a charming smile towards the five new girls in the group who smiled back, feeling all giddy about it.

" **And right now it's up to them how and when they want to do it, if they want to switch things around for whatever reason if something comes up or do a group thing. But after their dates and having their own time too, we'll talk once more about all this,"** explained May.

" **Sounds good May. I'm sure we'll all get along quite well together,"** he told them and they agreed with smiles on their faces.

At that moment, Cynthia got a call. She answered it, spoke with her caller for a bit and then hung up. She looked at her sisters and beloved. **"There's a Champion's meeting that I have to be at. Diantha said that there are some important things that they need to talk about."**

" **No problem Cynthia. Let us know if you need anything,"** advised Ash.

Cynthia nodded. **"Will do and thanks Ash. I'll see you all afterwards and let you know what happened if I can,"** she told them. They shared a group hug before each of the girls gave him a quick kiss on the lips. After that he left the room to go check on Natasha while the girls went to do their own things. Cynthia left the suite and Sabrina went to get herself ready too.

When he entered her room, Ash saw Natasha awake with the TV on but her gaze was on him. She had turned to the door the second she heard the door open. **"Good morning Natasha. How are you doing?"** he asked her, stepping inside the room and sitting beside her on the bed. She smiled a bit at the sight of him. She was trying to stay positive but having a hard time because of what she found out yesterday and what her savior went through as well. _Alright I guess._ He nodded. **"Have you eaten yet?"** _Yes. You're mom just gave me some more soup. It was good but I'm getting kind of tired of it._ Ash chuckled. **"Sorry. I know the doctor said mostly soup. Maybe I can get you some different flavors or some other kind of softer food."** _That's kind of you. I'll just deal with it a little longer. Ash…_ She stopped, hesitating, not knowing if she should say what she wanted to say. Ash waited, not saying anything but gave her an encouraging look. After a moment, she decided she couldn't tell him yet but went ahead and said something else. _I appreciate everything you're doing for me Ash. I really do. But…can I get out of bed? I'm getting kind of tired of lying down all day._ He smiled at her and grasped her hand gently. **"If you want to do that, then go for it. You don't need to ask for permission for it,"** he said to her while looking into her eyes. She smiled at him again, feeling much comfort from his touch and also feeling special because of the way he was looking at her. _Thank you but the reason why I ask is because I want to get out of bed, but I'm not sure if I can support myself right now._ Her admittance made her give him an embarrassed look. " **Of course Natasha. You don't have to worry about that. C'mon, we'll take it one step at a time. But first, I have something for you and it'll help you out."**

Natasha gave him a curious look as her cheeks reddened. _A gift? You didn't have to get me anything._ Ash rubbed the back of his head, turning a little red as well. **"It's not really a gift per say but it's something I can give and I may not have to, but I want to. I actually wanted to do this sooner but I had to wait until I got my full strength back. I was even going to do this yesterday but with the match and everything, I just forgot. Sorry about that."** The red head tilted her head, completely lost now. **"I can heal most of your injuries with my aura."** Her eyes widened. She had forgotten that Aura Guardians could do that. **"But I can't heal your voice, make your word scar disappear or…your other problem."** She was at first sullen that he couldn't help her with those problems but he was willing to at least help her with the other things and that was better than nothing. She remained silent, waiting for him to continue. **"And some injuries, like your nose, may hurt a little as it recovers but not too much. So, with that being said, would you like me to do that and do you trust me enough to do so?"** he asked her. Her shocked expression faded away and looked into his caring brown eyes with hers for a moment. _Yes, I do and it's alright. You did so much for me already. Thank you and I'm ready._

He smiled at her and stood up. He lowered the blanket and placed his hand on her stomach, over the large blue shirt she was wearing. Natasha felt embarrassed when she felt his hand on her stomach but did not react, even though her heart began beating faster. She looked into his eyes and found them twinkling a bit. **"On three okay?"** She nodded. **"One…two…three."** A blue glow caught her attention and she turned to it. She saw his hand glowing blue and she gasped seeing it. It was much more different than seeing it happen on the TV when he healed Sabrina. She saw blue energy flow over her like a wave up and down her body. She immediately felt better, being warmed, comforted and energized by it. She happened to see some of the bruises and cuts on her arms fade away and leave behind her fair skin right in front of her eyes. She then felt a tingling sensation in, on and around her nose. The bones and cartilage were fixing and repairing themselves while aligning perfectly. There was some pain but not as much as she was expecting. She even felt her throat being soothed. It didn't feel constricted or in pain anymore. Ash kept pulsing out healing aura over her for a while longer before stopping, the blue glow fading away. He removed his hand, panting heavily since he used up a good amount again. He made a mental note to practice his healing more often, to increase his endurance. He was able to heal all of her minor injuries, from her cuts to bruises and her broken nose as well. He watched the red head check herself over after the healing.

The first thing Natasha tried to do was speak because her throat felt much better. But she wasn't able to. She may not feel any more pain in her throat, but it looks like her vocal cords were still shot. She felt sullen over that but pushed past it, deciding to focus on something else. She raised her hands with ease now, feeling completely energized and not feeling any issue with her movements. She stretched out her arms forward before raising them above her head. Not a single feeling of pain or difficulty in moving them. She lowered her arms and then grabbed the blanket and tossed it aside to reveal her legs covered in black sweats. She attempted to move her legs and feet. She found she was able to do the same with them as well with no complications or consequences, bending her knees and twirling her feet around. She sat up, able to do so without any help, whether from Ash or from pushing off the bed with her hands. Natasha looked at Ash and found him smiling at her. **"How does it feel?"** he asked. _To be able to move again without needing assistance…amazing. I'll never take it for granted again._ **"I'm glad to hear that,"** he told her.

Ash extended out his hand to her and she took it, raising her own with ease. She swung her right leg over the edge of the bed and her left leg followed after it. She then moved her body closer to the edge of the bed, placing her feet onto the floor. She slowly stood up with the raven haired guardian helping her to stay upright. Even though he healed her, it's been a couple days since she got out of bed, only going to use the bathroom with the support of Delia and the other mothers. However, finally being able to stand on her own two feet once again, she felt such happiness that she couldn't explain it.

Ash stood in front of her quietly, allowing her to get used to standing again. After a moment, he gently grasped her other hand and took a couple steps back. **"Walk to me."** She took in a breath, steeling herself and moved forward while looking at her feet. She was able to walk without any issues, reaching him quickly. **"Well done Natasha."** She raised her gaze to his and saw him smiling at her. She couldn't help it anymore. She took him up into an embrace, hugging him tightly now with a large smile on her face and he returned it. She let out a content sigh, her cheek resting against his shoulder. _Thank you._ Ash gently maneuvered her to be in front of the large mirror on the dresser, with her allowing him without protest or worry. **"No problem. Take a look Natasha."** The red head separated from him and glanced at the mirror.

Her eyes widened, taking a step closer to it. She raised her hands and felt her face, watching her reflection do the same. Her face was back to normal. No swelling, no bruises, no cut lip, no black eye, no broken nose, nothing at all. She couldn't believe it. She turned to look at the raven haired guardian and saw him still smiling. Her eyes over filled with water and she quickly took him up into a hug once more, burying her face into his chest and let out tears of happiness. _Thank you Ash. Thank you. No one has ever been so kind to me before. I don't know how to thank you and I have nothing to repay you with for all you've done for me._ She hugged him even tighter, her arms wrapped around his back. Ash placed one hand on her head and the other on her back, rubbing it tenderly.

" **You don't have to do anything in return Natasha. You have nothing to worry about. All I want is for you to be alright, to be happy because like I said before, you are my friend and I care about my friends,"** he told her. He let her stay like that for a few minutes so she can let it out and calm down. When she finally did, she looked at him and smiled. **"I'm glad that you're feeling better Natasha. I'm going to go take care of something but I'll be back later today. But before I do, I can introduce you to everyone if you'd like and if you're up for it."** She thought about it for a bit before she answered him. _As much as I would like to get out of this room, I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to do so. I'm happy to be able to walk around right now. And you may have healed my injuries but I probably still look bad._ Ash shook his head. **"Nonsense. Don't take this the wrong way but you look great."** Her cheeks reddened. **"But it's your choice. If you need some more time, that's fine. I don't want you to ever feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to do or not ready to do."** _Thank you Ash. You really put others first._ **"No problem and no need to thank me. And I'll have my mom come see you in just a bit to see if you need or want anything. And she'll be home so if you need anything, she'll be here. Okay?"** She smiled at him and hugged him once more. _You're such a gentleman Ash. Thank you._

When they separated he gave her a nod of his head before heading to the door with her watching him. He glanced back at her and flashed a quick smile that made her feel something for a quick second. She watched him leave before turning back to the mirror. She still couldn't believe how he healed most of her injuries. The red head decided to test out how much he healed her by moving her hands, arms, feet, legs, back, neck and head, stretching them out. Feeling no pain or discomfort at all from any movement, no matter how much energy she exerted, happiness filled her. _I can't believe it. I feel amazing._ She thought about what he just did for her, asking nothing in return. She felt herself fill with emotion and her heart to beat faster. _I've never felt this way before. And I was never scared for anyone before either but I was for him yesterday…_ She thought about that a bit until something else came up in her mind. W _hat will he say or think when I tell him who I really am?_ Right when her thoughts were about to drift towards darker ones, the door was knocked on. **"It's me, Delia."** _Thank Arceus. I don't want to think about that right now._

The door opened and Delia let herself in and when she saw Natasha on her feet, she smiled. **"It's great to see you on your feet. How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?"** she asked. She shook her head. **"That's good to hear."** Ash's mother extended her hand out to the red head to give her a notepad and pen and she took it. **"I'm sorry but I can't hear your thoughts and neither will the others. Except for Sabrina and perhaps Anabel."** Natasha's eyes widened. She knew who they are and couldn't have those two read her thoughts or they'll tell her hero everything. She opened the notepad and she wrote down something as calmly as she could, trying to not show any emotion. When done, she handed it back to Delia who read it and gave it back to her. **"No problem. I'll let them know that you're not comfortable yet and wish for your privacy to be respected and will communicate with this for now."** She sighed, relaxing. She took the pad back and wrote out thank you to Delia who just waved it off. **"Is there anything else you might need?"** she asked and Natasha thought for a moment. After writing a couple things she showed her. **"A shower, some clothes and shoes huh? No problem. Give me some time and I'll be back."**

Delia left the room and Natasha locked the door behind her. She sighed as she took a seat on the bed. _Those two psychics might be a problem if they ever read my thoughts at a bad time or look into my mind._ She thought of the raven haired guardian and everything he did for her. Nobody had done even a fraction of what he did for her. He rescued her. Had his pokémon watch over her. Took her to a hospital. Stayed by her side throughout almost all of it. He fed her, soothed her, comforted her and healed her. He's spending time with her. And the fact that he did all that, not caring about that she was broken, without once asking for anything in return was incredible. _He's so different than from everyone else. He truly is a Guardian Angel._ She put her face into her hands and let out a long sigh, trying to will her heart to beat normally again. _I have to come clean to him. But how? He'd be furious to know it was my fault that…they…were here. That it was because of me that Leaf and Joy were kidnapped. How could I tell him?_ She sat there and pondered how she could tell him as she waited for Delia to come back.

After Ash left Natasha's room and told his mom about her, he went into the living room and found Sarah and Anabel looking at a newspaper while the news channel was on. **"Hey,"** said Ash, walking up to the two. They looked up at him and smiled. **"Do you know where Sabrina is?"** he asked them.

" **Ah, I think she might be in her room,"** suggested Sarah. **"She said she had to get ready."**

Ash nodded, thanking her. Before he left, he asked them what they were looking at. **"Well, ever since what happened yesterday at your match, we thought it might be a good idea to keep tabs on the news and gossip stuff,"** explained Anabel. **"That way, we won't be caught off guard. Hopefully there won't be anything, but that's doubtful. At least this way we can try to be aware,"** she explained while flipping the newspaper page.

" **Good idea and thanks for doing that,"** he told them.

" **No problem,"** said the two before they focused back onto the newspaper and news channel.

The raven haired guardian went to Sabrina's room that she shared with Liza, Clair and Giselle. He knocked on the door and a moment later it was opened by black haired girl. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. **"Hey Giselle, is Sabrina here?"** he asked her.

 _I should've realized he was here for her._ Ash noticed her reaction and heard her thoughts but then the valedictorian spoke. **"Yea. She's in the bathroom."**

Deciding to think about that later, he moved on from it. **"Oh okay. Can you tell her I'll be waiting for her in the living room?"**

" **Sure thing Ash,"** said Giselle. **"I'll tell her as soon as she…"** Just then, the bathroom connected to her room had its door opened, making Giselle glance towards it and saw the psychic step out. **"Never mind. She's out,"** she remarked, turning her gaze back to Ash before stepping aside for him to enter the room.

" **Thanks Giselle,"** he said. As he walked past her, he noticed her slightly reddened cheeks but didn't comment on it. He also noticed that Clair and Liza weren't in the room before he turned his attention onto Sabrina. Speaking of his girlfriend, he saw her ready to go dressed in black tights, a red skirt over them, a black tight tank top that was tucked into her skirt and a red vest like mini jacket along with some of her dark hair flowing down her front with the rest against her back. **"Hey, ready to go?"** he asked her as he went up to her.

She nodded. **"Yes and thank you for helping me with this."**

He smiled at her and gently grasped her hand. **"Of course and no need to thank me,"** he told her, making her smile and blush heavily. He turned his gaze towards Giselle who was doing her absolute best not to show any suspicious expression. " **Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you let everyone know that we left?"** She nodded. **"Thanks Giselle. You're the best."**

She felt her heart flutter at his words but controlled her expressions. **"Thanks and I know,"** she replied back with a grin.

Ash and Sabrina chuckled a bit. **"Ready?"** asked Sabrina and he nodded. **"Bye Giselle. We'll be back soon."** And with that, the two disappeared in a pink glow. Giselle let herself go after they disappeared, and sighed, hanging her head. She turned around and slowly made her way to her room door. Before she opened it to head out and tell the others, she composed herself and stepped out of her room.

A blunette and green haired girl were walking around the bottom floor of the hotel, checking out the gift shops as they conversed. They had decided to get some space from everyone so they could talk in private a bit while stretching their legs. **"So what are you going to do?"** asked the blunette.

The green haired girl sighed. **"I told you Clair; I'm not going to go after Ash."** She picked up a glass figurine and looked at it.

" **But why Liza?"** asked Clair. **"You like him."**

Liza put down the figurine and gave her close friend a surprised look. **"Never thought I'd see the day when you're the one giving me love advice."** She chuckled at that while Clair gave her an annoyed look. **"Oh c'mon, you know what I mean,"** said Liza, walking towards the other side of the store.

Clair followed after her. **"I know Liza. But still, you were there for me. And so were Sabrina and Cynthia. I'm just trying to do the same for you,"** she explained. **"I have feelings for him but I know you like him too. You like him a lot."** Liza was about to pick up something to look at, to make it seem like she wasn't that bothered by their talk but Clair knew she was faking it. She, Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia knew each other quite well. **"Do you really want to give up like that without even fighting for it?"** she asked her best friend.

Liza froze with her fingers an inch away from a Charizard figurine. She lowered her hand and looked at Clair. **"Do you really believe that I want to do that?"** Clair didn't answer. **"I don't. I really don't. When I saw him get thrown into the wall, my heart leapt to my throat. I knew then that I don't just like him, I love him."** Clair gasped at her admittance. **"And I know you do too and Giselle is a given."** Clair went red at that but said nothing. **"I want to tell him Clair. I want to go after him, kiss him, hold him and everything else. But I can't for many reasons. What choice do I have?"** she asked her.

It took a moment for Clair to snap out of it and the dragon trainer sighed. **"What do you mean? You always have a choice Liza,"** replied Clair.

The caretaker of the valley gave a half smile. **"Is that so? Then let's say I do confess my heartfelt love for him. Then what? What about you? What about his girlfriends? Whatever outcome happens with him, I'm still promised to someone else."**

Clair shook her head. **"Why didn't you tell us of that earlier?"** she asked.

Liza closed her eyes and took in a breath. **"Because I didn't want to think about it and didn't want others to know. I thought if I kept it unknown, then it would just go away, not be real,"** admitted Liza, turning her gaze away from her friend and looked at the wall filled with toys on its shelves. **"I just…I just wanted it to go away and never come back. And never would I have guessed that Ash would be the one who I would fall in love with."**

Clair was looking at Liza with a sorrow filled expression on her face. **"Screw it,"** she said, making Liza look at her. **"Screw tradition and screw that honor bullshit."**

Liza took in a startled gasp. **"Clair?! How could you say that?! You're family and city is all about honor too! You know Lance will be pissed if you do something to stain the family name!"** she reminded her.

Clair scoffed. **"So? What did honor ever get anyone?"** she asked. Liza remained quiet, not knowing what to say. **"Guilt? Shame? Arrogance? Lives we didn't want? Being around people that we never really cared for? Or people who just wanted to use us so they could reach their goals so they can have honor because of some weird twisted vision they have?"** asked Clair with each question coated with anger.

Liza shook her head. **"I understand what you're saying Clair but…"**

" **There is no but Liza,"** interrupted Clair, silencing her. **"Doing things for 'honor' alone is stupid. Look at what happened to me. Learn from my awful experience. Because of honor, I was blinded and allowed someone to hurt me. He did all that to me! He that all that for his 'honor' to be the best! Your ancestors made that decision years ago. You didn't. You never asked for it but you never did hurt anyone or use anyone. Why should you be used or hurt in return?"** asked the gym leader. She was remembering what she went through and didn't want one of her best friends to go through it too.

Liza was picking up on some of the things the blunette was telling her. She had gone through so much because of that prodigy dragon trainer and now, she herself was going through something that she never thought she would go through. She took in a deep breath before replying back. **"I get it Clair, I do. But even if I throw away all that and confess to him or have him figure out that I have feelings for him, then what? What about you? What about Giselle? What about his girlfriends who are with him now? I told you that I don't want to jeopardize things for Sabrina. She literally saved our asses from being fried yesterday. Just like she did several times in the past. She deserves to be with a guy like Ash. And what about Shauna, Lizabeth and Daisy?"** Clair tilted her head. **"You didn't notice? I bet you my left foot that they have some sort of feelings for him too. They might even love him as well. Why else would they jump into the field to help him and his girlfriends out? They did it for the same reasons we did; to help him, his girlfriends and to show that we care about him too."** Clair's eyes widened at that. How could she have missed that? Liza hung her head. **"It doesn't matter what I want or what I'm feeling Clair. Ash has nine girlfriends. NINE! It's crazy to even think about that. I don't want to fight you for him, fight the other girls for him and I don't want him, Sabrina or his girlfriends to hate me. I've accepted my fate. It's done. It's over. After the tournament I'm going back home to wait for the day when that white haired trainer comes back and requests what's promised to him."** Liza walked away from her shocked friend with tears escaping from her eyes, unable to hold them back anymore.

Clair watched one of her best friends leave the gift shop for a moment and walk down the large hallway. She shook her head sadly. **"And here I thought I was the pessimistic one…You may be right Liza. But you may also be wrong. I never thought I would think this but…what if all the things you just said don't matter…who cares if they like him too…what if he does like you back…what if he does like me back…what if we don't have to fight each other for him…what if both of us got with him…what if…"** Clair wiped away a tear that was falling down her cheek before following after Liza.

A bottle was tilted enough to pour its liquid contents into a shot glass while holding it up in the air about two feet away from its target. Gary was trying to see if he could land the alcohol waterfall into his shot glass and fill it up without spilling a single drop. He was able to do it and when he completed his task, he threw up in his hands into the air. **"Victory!"** he said out loud. He then placed the bottle down, drank the shot and stuffed some more fries into his mouth.

" **Someone's feeling good about themselves."** Gary turned his stuffed face to the bartender before talking with his mouth full, spraying the counter with food debris. Getting an annoyed look that he didn't care about, he continued chewing his food. The bartender shook his head while letting out a sigh, cleaned the area and then went to a new patron that just came up to the bar. _What a douche…_

Gary watched the bartender go to the new customer and was about to look away when he stopped. The new person at the bar was a very beautiful pink haired girl. He kept his gaze on her, drawn to her for some reason and so checked out her curves. He saw that she wasn't with anyone and thought of something right then. _Damn, she's hot. Just what I needed after a break up. A pick me up._ He quickly finished chewing the fries in his mouth and swallowed it before washing it down with some cola. He poured himself another shot, took it and then walked up smoothly to the girl and was able to keep his drink from spilling. When he finally made his way to the girl, he leaned against the counter and then opened his mouth. **"Hey beautiful, how you doing?"**

" **Not interested,"** replied the girl immediately without even looking at him.

That annoyed Gary but he wouldn't give up just yet. **"I understand you probably want to just be left alone and relax, which is cool. But I don't know what made you be so on guard with me cause I just wanted to talk to you. Is that so bad?"** he asked her.

The girl let out a sigh before turning her head towards him while speaking. **"Look, I really don't care and please just…"** She stopped talking while her eyes widened, now noticing who the man was. She knew who he is but it looked like he didn't remember who she was. She could smell the alcohol off of him. _How much did he freaking drink?!_ She looked him up and down, realizing that he was only on his feet because he was leaning against the bar. Regardless, it made her upset that he didn't realize who she was but decided to play along for now, knowing how to cater to his ego. **"Oh, I'm sorry handsome,"** she said, getting up and placing her hand on his chest. She saw his lips form into a smirk. **"I didn't realize it was the Great Gary Oak who was talking to me. Please forgive me,"** she told him in a very sensual tone of voice, moving her hand slowly down his chest.

The pokémon researcher felt really good in hearing those words and her touch against him. He felt so good that he didn't wonder how this girl knew who he is. **"That's right. It's Gary 'Motherfuckin' Oak up in this bitch,"** he told her while grinning. She smiled back at him, moving her hand further down his body as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. **"Heh, somebody wants some fun huh?"** he asked her and she nodded. **"That's what I thought. No girl can deny wanting to be with me,"** he stated cheekily, looking up and down over her body before looking at her face again. She gave him a devilish grin. **"Damn, you want it don't you? I like that. I like your smile girl, your smoking hot body but I gotta say I'm really lovin your attiTTUUUUDDE!"**

Gary ended up singing out the last part of that word while dropping his shot glass onto the counter, which spilled. The pink haired girl had grabbed his crotch all of a sudden and squeezed it hard, making extreme pain course through his body. She was absolutely pissed that he didn't remember her and she didn't care if it was because of the alcohol or not. **"You fuckin pig! This is for forgetting me Gary! I can't believe you can't even recall who I am! How many did you sleep with that you can't even remember me?!"** she asked him angrily with a hint of sadness in her voice. He didn't answer her because he was unable to but that just made her angrier. **"How about I make you sing some more?!"** She gripped harder on his nuts and he let out an opera like sound. **"Hmm, not bad. Maybe we can do better…"** she remarked, loosening up her grip but barely.

" **Please… precious jewels… don't be cruel…"** he pleaded to her, his body tensed up and feeling so much pain. The pink haired girl instead glared at him and tightened her grip on his balls once more, making him yell in pain. **"I'm sorry! I'm a pig! I admit it! I'm sorry! Please release them!"** he cried out. The girl looked at his pleading face for a few seconds before letting go. Gary dropped to the floor, his eyes closed from the pain he was feeling but was letting out tears while holding his groin. **"Oh thank Mew…oh god…"** He whimpered loudly. **"I need an ice pack here!"** he shouted all of a sudden.

The girl shook her head and turned back to her drink. **"Let him suffer for a minute,"** she said to the bartender. He merely shrugged, placing the towel filled with ice cubes onto the counter. She raised the glass to her lips and swallowed the drink in one gulp. After placing her glass down, she took the ice filled towel and glanced back down at the young researcher. _Fucking Gary…I can't believe he doesn't remember me…and all that time waiting for him to come back to me and what's he been doing? Messing around and trying to pick up girls at a club. God, I'm such an idiot. I should've known._ She kicked his leg, making him yelp. **"Here, quit your whining,"** she said, dropping the now cold towel onto him. It fell onto his stomach, making him grunt before he took it and placed it over his crotch.

He let out a groan when the coldness affected the area. **"Aaaahhhhhh man…much better…"** he muttered to himself but she heard him.

She shook her head again. _Wow…There are no words._ **"Take care of yourself Mr. Badass,"** she said tauntingly and sarcastically. Before leaving the bar area, she kicked his leg again, making him yelp. She walked towards the exit and left.

The bartender leaned over the counter and looked at him. **"Hey, get off my floor."**

Gary grumbled. **"Fuck you man. You think I want to be lying on your dirty, disease infested floor?!"** he asked him. The bartender scowled at him before straightening up and hit a buzzer on his side of the counter.

Not even a minute later, the bouncer came up to him. **"What's the problem?"** he asked.

The bartender pointed down towards Gary. **"I have an unwanted decoration on the floor."**

The bouncer nodded. **"I gotcha."**

He moved towards the researcher and lifted him up. **"HEY! Gentle you fucktard! I just got my nuts crushed!"** he yelled.

" **Sounds like a personal problem to me,"** he said without care. He turned to the bartender after hoisting him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. **"He leave anything here that's his?"**

" **No."**

" **What about my drink and fries?!"**

The bartender rolled his eyes and quickly packed up his remaining fries and the half empty bottle and gave it to the bouncer. **"There. Now get that douche out of my club!"**

" **The only douche here is you, you iguana looking cheapskate!"** shot Gary as he hung limply off the bouncer's shoulder. Ignoring him, the bouncer carried him towards the exit doors, opened them and then tossed him out of the club. He placed his fries and bottle onto the ground gently at the foot of the door though before closing it. Once he stepped back inside, the club erupted with cheers from the ones who were there. They had seen the entire altercation and were getting annoyed by the young man's antics at the bar and were glad that he was gone.

Two pink glows appeared in front of the Saffron City gym and two people emerged from them. One was a raven haired young man while the other was a dark haired young woman. Ash looked up at the gym, not seeing it for a long time before he turned his gaze to the girl beside him. **"It's been a while since I was here. I remember it being bigger,"** he told her.

Sabrina smiled. **"Yes, it's been a while I bet. And that's probably because you used to be shorter,"** she teased him.

Ash pouted. **"Yea, well I'm taller now!"**

She giggled before hugging him, the top of her head barely reaching his mouth. **"Yes you are."** She gazed up at him and their eyes locked onto one another.

" **Sabrina?"**

The two glanced at who spoke before separating. It was her father, David Natsume. **"Dad!"** exclaimed Sabrina, going to hug her father hello. **"How did you know we're here?"** she asked him after withdrawing from him.

" **You did say you'll come today. I've been waiting and sensed your arrival,"** he told her who smiled. He smiled back at his daughter before shifting his gaze towards Ash. His smile went away but his expression only turned neutral. **"You must be the Aura Guardian."**

Ash nodded before stepping forward. **"I am sir. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Ash Ketchum and it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Natsume,"** he told him, raising his hand to him.

David looked at Ash for a moment. He was surprised that he didn't remember him but then again, he never did realize he was Sabrina's father. He was trying to read his thoughts but was unable to do so. _Interesting…_ Ash was starting to feel a little uncomfortable standing there like an idiot with his hand outstretched but he kept it up. He wouldn't fail this test since he knew it was one. He would wait for as long as it takes because he was doing this for the dark haired beauty that he loves next to him. Finally, after what seemed like ages, David nodded at Ash and grasped his hand and shook. **"The name is David Natsume but you can call me either Mr. Natsume or Sir. Got it?"**

Sabrina glared at her father, angry but then she heard something in her mind. _It's alright_. She glanced at her boyfriend with an astonished look but said nothing. **"No problem Sir."** Ash didn't mind. He was kind of expecting something like this because of Sabrina's sheltered life. He remembered some things about people living 'bubbled' lives years before from Brock. Learning of Sabrina having a sheltered life from Clair, he understood completely and didn't hold anything against her or her family.

" **Good."** He turned toward towards the gym doors and moved inside while ushering her daughter inside, while she gave him an apologetic look. Ash merely smiled back at her while following from behind and sent her another mental message with his aura. _It's okay._ She responded back this time since she wasn't shocked. _Thank you._ He nodded at her and followed after her and her father.

They walked down a long hall as father and daughter spoke a little with him asking her how she was doing and if she was alright while Ash glanced around. He was trying to remember if anything had changed since he was last here. He turned his gaze back towards the two in time to see David open a door and held it open for Sabrina who walked in. He glanced at Ash who took it as his cue to go in as well. When he stepped inside the room, the first thing he saw was an attractive looking woman who looked to be in her forties moving towards him with her arms stretched out wide. **"You must be Ash!"**

Before he knew it, he was taken up into a bear hug. **"Nice…to meet…you too…Mrs…Natsume…"** gasped Ash. She finally let him go and Ash luckily landed on his feet and took in a gulp of air.

" **Sorry,"** apologized Sabrina's mother.

" **No worries,"** replied back Ash, straightening up. **"Happens a lot to me,"** he said while chuckling, making her and his girlfriend to smile. He looked around a bit and saw that it was a fairly large living room with three couches around a rectangular coffee table. The furniture was facing a fire place that also had a large flat TV hung on the wall over it. **"Nice place you have here Mrs. Natsume."**

" **Oh aren't you kind? Thank you. And please, just call me Kate,"** she said.

" **No he will not. He will address you as Mrs. Natsume or Ma'am,"** declared David.

" **Dad!"** shot Sabrina, becoming angry again but also embarrassed over his behavior.

Kate rolled her eyes. **"Oh come off your high horse David!"** she snapped at him. However, he wasn't budging and repeated it. **"You have got to be kidding me!"**

Ash stepped forward. **"With all due respect,"** he started, catching the three's attention. **"If that's what Mr. Natsume wants, it's no problem with me Mrs. Natsume so please don't argue on my account."**

David crossed his arms, Sabrina gave him an appreciative but also apologetic look and Kate gave him a large smile. **"Oh ho, we have a gentleman in the house!"** she exclaimed, making Ash redden slightly and rub the back of his head.

David glared at his wife. **"And what am I? Chopped liver?!"** he asked her.

" **Oh relax will you?!"**

" **MOM! DAD!"** snapped Sabrina at the two and her parents looked at her.

Her father grumbled but her mom quickly changed tracks. **"Oh I'm so sorry! Where are my manners! Please, have a seat while I get us some coffee and some snacks."**

" **That's alright and I don't drink coffee,"** said Ash, stunning the three.

Kate's eyes widened before glancing at David and then at Sabrina. **"Huh. You're the only other person I know besides my Sabrina who doesn't drink coffee."**

Ash looked at her who slowly turned her gaze at him. **"Really? That's cool. Something else we share in common huh?"** he remarked with a smile and she smiled back.

" **You drink tea though right?"** asked Kate and Ash said that he did. **"Okay good. Please have a seat while I get some tea for us."** Ash, Sabrina and David stayed in the living room as Kate hustled to the kitchen to get the hot drink ready as well as some pastries. Sabrina sat down on a two person couch and Ash was about to sit down next to her when David cleared his throat loudly. Getting the hint, he moved to the couch on the left side though it was next to hers while Sabrina was giving her father a death glare. It seemed like Kate had the kettle on before because before it could become awkward, she came in holding a tray with tea and pastries. **"Sorry for the wait. I hope you like it."**

" **You didn't take long at all,"** remarked Ash, taking the offered tea cup from her and took a sip. **"Thank you."** She smiled at him before handing Sabrina hers but then placed David's on the table in front of him. She then sat down next to David, who was sitting across from their daughter. **"So, how is the gym holding up?"** asked Ash, taking another sip and so did they.

" **It's holding up quite well,"** answered David immediately after placing his cup down with pride. **"Very few can defeat Sabrina. She's leader of one of the toughest gyms in Kanto. Whenever she battles, it's almost a guarantee that her opponent will lose,"** he said.

Sabrina reddened but not because of her father's words but because Ash was looking at her with an impressed but also proud look. **"Nicely done Sabrina."**

" **Thank you Ash,"** she said quietly with a smile.

He smiled at her and then glanced towards David who had his gaze focused onto the young guardian. Ash could feel the intensity of the way his eyes were just focused onto him. He wouldn't buckle though. **"So what do you do when she's not around? Who battles for her?"** he asked.

" **I do,"** answered David.

" **Cool. Maybe we can have a match together one day,"** offered Ash. **"It'll be good to see where…"**

" **What are your intentions with my daughter?"** asked David, cutting him off suddenly.

" **DAD!" / "DAVID!"** shouted both Sabrina and Kate at once.

Ash was expecting this. He wasn't surprised at all, especially after his experiences with Norman and what happened at his last match. He got lucky with Norman, even with the beating, since he had interacted with him a bit some years ago but David was a cold case right off the bat. Ash thought it was probably because of Sabrina's awful experience with Gary and what happened yesterday that was making her father be so protective over his only child. The raven haired guardian understood and couldn't blame him at all.

" **Why are you being so rude?"** asked Sabrina angrily.

David answered back but kept his gaze on Ash. **"It is not rude to ask what an unknown young man wants from my daughter."**

Sabrina was in disbelief. **"How could you say that? You know who he is, what he's done and…"**

" **I do know what he's done and what they've said he's done. But that doesn't mean I know the man,"** interrupted David and the psychic prodigy was silenced, unable to comment back. **"Now, what are your intentions with my daughter?"** he asked again.

" **You want to know my intentions regarding your daughter?"** asked Ash, repeating the question. He didn't get any sort of reaction from him but kept his gaze onto Sabrina's father. **"I'll tell you; my only intention regarding your daughter is to be with her while doing my best to keep her happy and safe."** Ash's response wasn't what any of them was expecting. Sabrina was turning crimson, Kate had a happy look form on her face but David still had a stoic expression on his face even though he was surprised.

" **Is that so?"** asked David and Ash nodded. **"Then what about the youngest Waterflower, Misty?"** Neither Ash nor Sabrina was expecting that and Kate glanced at her husband. **"Surprised? We watched your match yesterday and she declared her love for you in front of the whole world and so did my daughter."** Ash said nothing just yet because he didn't know how to respond to not invoke hostility from him. **"Cat got your tongue? Well, maybe this will free it up; what about the other girls who came to your aid? The same ones who you danced with? The ones who you told in front of the world that you love? What were their names? I can't recall. So what about them? Or am I mistaken?"**

Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"Well, here's the thing Sir. About that,"** he glanced at Sabrina who had a fearful expression on her face but he gave her a reassuring look before facing David again. **"There are some things you should know. About the girls…"**

" **You're with them,"** finished David, cutting him off. Ash went silent and didn't reply, making Kate gasp. Sabrina was moving her eyes from her parents to Ash, her heart beating madly, nervous about the conversation. **"You're with several girls at once and now you've come to take our Sabrina as well."**

" **Mr. Natsume, I'm not going to lie to you. I do love other girls who are with me and are my girlfriends. They are Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel and Cynthia. But I also love your daughter,"** replied Ash, deciding to not play games.

" **WHAT?!"** exclaimed Kate, clapping her hands against her mouth.

David frowned, becoming angry. **"So having one beautiful and talented girl isn't enough? Not even a gym leader or Champion? You have to have a collection?!"** he said while standing up, shaking with fury.

Ash stood up as well, getting angry himself but controlled his temper. He would not cause trouble for Sabrina but would not be spoken to like that. **"It's not like that Sir and I'm insulted that you would think that I view them as objects for me to have."**

" **How else am I supposed to take it?!"** spat David.

Sabrina stood up now, intending to defuse the situation. **"DAD! Please! Try to understand!"**

He ignored her though. **"What am I supposed to think?! After seeing what you've done with that report! How you killed, how you have several girls in the palm of your hand! How you disappeared for three years! And how it was because of you that my daughter was almost blasted to smithereens! You don't even remember that it was me who saved your bacon years ago when you first came here!"**

Ash was feeling horrible over what he was saying but had his eyes widen at the end, now realizing who the man was. **"That was you?!"**

" **Yes that was me!"** replied David, getting angrier. Ash was stupefied, not knowing how to respond.

The psychic prodigy stood up. **"Dad, please listen to me,"** begged Sabrina as she moved to her father, taking over for her beloved and he looked at her. **"I love him. I really do. If it wasn't for him, I would still be a monster and you wouldn't have a daughter at all and we wouldn't be a family again."** Kate lowered her hands from her mouth and looked at Ash. David remembered that and respected Ash for that. But he was still worried because he didn't know who he grew up to be and all the stuff that was said about him made him even more worried. **"He may love other girls but they love him too and their families are happy and support it. I have sisters I love and can trust too. And he's not at all like Gary."** David growled at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. He never did like him. **"He's the complete opposite. And Ash is an Aura Guardian. You know that they're pure hearted."**

" **Mr. Natsume…"** started Ash, making the three look at him. Hearing his girlfriend speak those words broke him out of his trance and moved him. **"I love Sabrina. I will always treat her right and do my best to take care of her, support her, keep her happy and safe. Just like I do so for my other girlfriends. There's just something between us that draws us to one another that makes it so that it does work between us. I swear on my life that I will do anything and everything for Sabrina."**

Kate was surprised at the sincerity of his tone. She couldn't detect any trace of faking it. David was silent for a bit, thinking hard. He glanced at his wife who looked at him. He then looked at the young guardian before finally locking his eyes with his daughter again. He could see the hope in her eyes and the love in them for the young man. He had never seen that before. David turned his head and locked his gaze with the young man. **"I have two conditions that must be met first. First one is I would like to speak with the other parents."** Sabrina glanced at Ash who nodded, saying that won't be a problem. **"Good. And the other is I want to battle you to see how strong you are."**

Sabrina and Kate gasped but Ash kept a stoic expression. **"I don't mind battling Sir, but I don't like battling over things like this."**

" **Neither do I. This is merely a test to see if you truly are as powerful as they say and if you can protect my daughter and keep her safe,"** replied David.

" **Alright then."** David gestured towards a door and walked to it with Kate following after her husband, speaking quietly but quickly with him about her thoughts and concerns over this matter.

Sabrina and Ash went into the room together while speaking a bit. **"Ash, you don't have to do this. I'll talk to him later. He's just very protective now because of what I went through in the past, the stadium attack and what happened yesterday. Just let me handle him,"** she told him.

Ash just smiled at her while shaking his head. **"It's alright Sabrina. It's better to not let things like this fester. And I want to do this for you."** She went scarlet again before hugging him tightly, telling him how much she appreciates what he's doing for her. He returned the hug tightly as they walked on. When they entered the gym, the two separated and saw David on the other side of the field with Kate beside him. Ash went to his trainer's box but then tilted his head at what he saw. David moved to be in his side of the field, not in his trainer's box. **"Ah Sir, what are you…"**

" **Get in the field,"** interrupted David.

" **Dad! You said you wanted a battle!"** she shot at him.

" **I did,"** agreed David. **"I never did say what kind though."**

" **That's not fair! Just…"**

" **It's okay Sabrina,"** said Ash, stepping into the field, making her go quiet as she looked at him. Her father and mother were surprised that he would take on the challenge without hesitation. **"What are the rules?"**

David smirked before explaining. **"All you have to do is reach the middle line of the field while I attempt to throw you out of the field with my psychic powers. You reach the middle, you win. I throw you out, you lose. Understand?"** Ash nodded. **"Good."** David's eyes glowed blue instantly.

Ash felt his telekinesis trying to pick him up. He focused his mind and broke free from it, shocking the Natsume family that he did that. The psychic prodigy was impressed but was still worried inside. _I'm going to have to thank Mewtwo for the mental defense training,_ thought Ash, seeing his girlfriend's father not believing what was happening.

" **What the…"** stammered David. He tried again but again he was repelled. Ash began walking towards him. **"Hmph. Not bad but you shouldn't be so confident. Time to get serious."** David focused his power and let out a psychic wave of energy at him. Ash braced himself and covered his face with his arms. The wave of psychic energy washed over him, pushing him back a good distance but he was still in the field. When it was done, Ash lowered his arms and continued forward but moved faster now seeing Sabrina's father not messing around anymore. David scowled seeing him continue with hardly any difficulty. _Damn it. He's strong._ He started launching rays of psychic energy rapidly at him. The young guardian was able to dodge most of them but a few did strike him and push him back. Kate and Sabrina were both flabbergasted that he was able to keep going. And Ash was starting to think that he may have to use his aura to be able to win this test since he was pretty powerful and he was getting hurt from the attacks but thankfully not too much.

David fired a few more psychic rays at him before deciding to end this. _He may be able to shrug those off, but I will not let him win. Time to end this._ David concentrated and channeled all of his psychic power to his next attack. **"Let's see what an Aura Guardian is really made of!"** declared David as he began glowing with a purple glow before letting loose a colossal blast of psychic power that was shaped in a sphere that was so large it was half the size of the field. Ash had his eyes glow blue at the last second before the sphere collided and exploded, covering the field with smoke, making Kate scream at what her husband just did while Sabrina took in a sharp breath and clapped her hands against her mouth, unable to make a sound. The smoke cleared a moment later, only to reveal the young raven haired guardian, his hands stretched out in front of him, taking a few breaths with a blue shield that had some cracks on it around him but had no injury whatsoever. David was absolutely stunned, gasping for air. He had used up all of his power but barely caused his shield to bear cracks. Sabrina was ecstatic and Kate was flabbergasted.

The blue sphere vanished and his eyes turned back to brown as he continued his walk now towards the middle line with no more obstructions since David was out of gas. When he reached the middle line, he continued towards Sabrina's father and stopped in front of him. **"I hope that shows that I will do anything for Sabrina,"** he said, raising his hand for him to shake.

David looked at Ash for a moment, then at his wife Kate, then to his daughter Sabrina before finally locking eyes with him again. **"I still want to talk to the other parents,"** replied David after catching his breath, shaking his hand.

" **Of course Mr. Natsume. Not a problem. When would you like to meet them?"** he asked him.

" **Tomorrow afternoon. I would've said today but I need to rest now after using up all of my power."**

Ash nodded. **"Alright then."** He turned to Sabrina who had moved to them in time to receive a hug from her. He returned the hug with a smile. **"See. I told you; nothing to worry about."** After they separated, he turned to David again whose gaze was on them. **"Mr. Natsume, you will find my mother and the girls' families at the Indigo Plateau Hotel penthouse suite and they will be expecting you tomorrow in the afternoon. And may I ask that Sabrina return with me back to the hotel? She has her own room with her friends Clair, Liza and Cynthia who are also staying with us as well."**

David thought about it and then nodded. **"Very well. Since there are other parents there and she is with her close friends, she can stay there."**

Sabrina let a large smile form on her face. **"Thank you Dad!"** She hugged him tightly, happy that he wasn't being hard to work with anymore.

" **You're welcome,"** he replied back. **"You are welcome to stay longer if you wish but you will have to excuse me since I need to rest."**

" **That would be nice but we have to go back because we have a couple things to take care of,"** informed Sabrina. Ash glanced at her over that but said nothing.

David nodded and Kate smiled. **"Alright. We'll see you two tomorrow then. Have fun and be careful."**

Sabrina hugged her mother and then separated. **"See you tomorrow,"** said Sabrina and Ash barely said his farewell when the two teleported away in a pink glow.

Kate turned to David and then smacked him, making him grunt. **"What's the matter with you?! I thought we were only going to act tough when they came over! You could have killed him!"**

" **Not likely,"** grumbled David, massaging his arm. **"You know I actually approve of them being together, even in their special case. But I didn't want to make things too easy. I also wanted to make sure he really does care about our daughter and will do anything for her. And he's much more powerful than his father ever was."**

Kate's eyes widened. **"Really?!"** she asked, stunned. **"He's stronger than Satoshi was?!"**

" **Yes,"** he answered after facing his wife. **"I never would have believed it possible since he was the strongest there ever was. But it looks like his son is even more so. It's frightening really."**

It took a moment for Kate to snap out of it. **"I see. Are you going to tell him about his father? How you two knew each other? About Red and his final mission?"**

David shook his head. **"No Kate. Not even the Champions or Goodshow know what Satoshi and I did for Red and Ash can never know. We swore to keep it a secret. And that was when he was a good man. But then the rumors of him leaving his family behind and disappearing on them without even a proper message or anything? He didn't even come to see me before he vanished."** David let out a sigh and Kate nodded sadly. **"I never met his wife and I didn't know who Ash really was. I had suspicions about him after hearing his last name but after finding out about him being an Aura Guardian, I knew right then that he was Satoshi's son."** David went quiet for a moment, remembering some memories with him, Satoshi and Red traveling together. He shook his head. **"No, its better that we don't tell him so as to not give him false hope that his father might still come back one day and that he might still be a good man. He's been through enough as it is after what we've seen and what our Sabrina told us about his memories."**

Kate agreed but then started thinking about something. **"Is there something else that you're not telling me David? And doesn't that mean that Aura Guardians don't always have a pure heart? Shouldn't we be worried about Ash then?"**

He turned to look his wife in the eyes. **"Don't ask. I cannot talk about it."** Seeing him even sterner over it made her understand that it was something between him and Ash's father. **"But I can tell Ash is different. And about Aura Guardians having pure hearts, that's true. Well, as far as I know but Satoshi disappearing and leaving his family behind…I don't like it Kate. Not one bit. Nothing makes sense about it from what we know to be true about Aura Guardians and what I know of him."**

She nodded in understanding. **"Alright. I won't say anything and I won't ask more."** David thanked her for that and she nodded before smirking. **"But I must say, it's funny to believe you would be more of a challenge than the stadium attackers,"** she remarked before heading back to the living room, laughing.

" **Give me a break woman,"** muttered David as he headed towards their bedroom to rest.

Sabrina and Ash reappeared on top of a very tall building that was taller than all others in the city. It was the pride of Saffron City since it was the tallest, most modern looking building and because it was the headquarters of Silph Co., which was known throughout the world. The couple went up to the railings and took a look. **"Wow, look at the view. It's incredible,"** remarked Ash. He could see all around them and the entire city was visible in every direction he looked along with the nearby forests, mountains and other cities in the distance.

" **Yes it is. I come here sometimes to get some fresh air and to clear my mind when I start thinking too much,"** admitted Sabrina.

They were quiet for a moment. **"Sabrina?"** She glanced at him. **"Why did we leave so suddenly? We don't have anything planned for the rest of the day just yet."**

She reddened slightly. **"I know. I just…wanted us to have some time alone together."**

He smiled at her before grasping her hand and interlocking their fingers together. **"Nothing wrong with that and thank you."** She gave him a confused look. **"For trusting me back there and allowing me to handle things with your father. Mostly."**

She smiled at him and nodded, turning dark red. **"You're welcome. I trust you Ash. I know you'll never do anything to hurt me."** He smiled at her, feeling such good feelings over her words. She turned her body to face him and he copied her. **"Ever since you saved me, I've been thinking about you. Even when I went out with Gary, you were on my mind. I didn't realize why until after your fight with Leaf and how you said you were going away. That's when I realized how I feel about you; you are the only one for me, the only one worthy of me and I hope you find me worthy of you too."** After revealing that, she closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly while letting some tears escape from her eyes, with him returning the hug.

" **Never sell yourself short Sabrina. You are always worthy, no matter what happens. If anyone should worry about being worthy or not, it's me."** She raised her surprised gaze to his. **"I mean every word. You are an incredible girl and I am the lucky one that you have chosen me."**

" **You should listen to your own words Ash,"** she replied quietly making him tilt his head. **"I am lucky to be with you. And so are your other girlfriends."** He was about to say something but she cut him off. **"You are Ash. You care more for our happiness than yours. You put us in front of you. You treat us as equals and don't view us as objects for you to have. You help us achieve our goals. We are lucky to find love with such an incredible man."** He didn't know what to say and she took advantage of that. She went onto her tiptoes, leaned in and placed her lips onto his.

That kiss sent electricity through them both and it made them become enflamed. Her simple kiss transformed into a passionate embrace with him wrapping his arms around her back and lifting her off of her feet. That made the two separate for a moment because his action made Sabrina let out a joyful laugh into the air. She cupped his face after with her hands and kissed him again. She could feel his love for her through the kiss and she never thought she would ever feel something like that, making her heart beat wildly.

Ash could feel the intensity of Sabrina's emotions through the kiss. He wondered where it was coming from since he never would have thought she had this side to her. The two separated but he kept her up and she kept her hands on his face, caressing his cheeks. Her pink eyes were alive with happiness as his brown eyes were twinkling with the love he has for her. **"That was an incredible kiss Sabrina."**

She smiled sheepishly, turning crimson. **"Thanks. You're pretty good yourself too."** He smiled at her. **"But…can we do it again?"** He grinned at her and answered back that whatever she wants, she can have. Her smile widened and Ash was about to kiss her again but then let out a surprised yelp. She had used her psychic powers to carry the two of them towards the middle of the building. She then lowered them onto the base of the erected point of it where the Kanto flag was on a pole. He ended up sitting on the step with her sitting on his lap. As soon as they sat down, she kissed him again.

Their passion blew up, feeling the other against them and tasting the other's lips. Ash was becoming more and more surprised by her forwardness and Sabrina couldn't get enough of him. She started caressing his chest through his shirt, being turned on from his chiseled body. Ash was running his hand through her hair while his other hand was running up and down from her thigh to her back. He too was beginning to have trouble, feeling her slim yet very curvy body against his, becoming heated by it. It was at that point that Sabrina felt something, becoming surprised by it. **"Oh!"** she squeaked into his mouth before separating and stood up. She looked down and noticed the bulge in his pants.

He went red, embarrassed and so did she. **"I'm sorry Sabrina,"** apologized Ash, rubbing the back of his head.

She looked at him before shaking her head. **"It's alright. I was just surprised by it. Never felt something like that before."** She sat back down beside him.

" **Really?"** asked a shocked Ash.

Her red face turned redder. **"Yes. Like I said, I haven't done anything at all. Even though I only went out with Gary for a month, we never did anything but kiss but it wasn't anything like this."** Ash wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head against him. **"And honestly, it was kind of awkward since I never felt anything when we did kiss and it was never so passionately. There was always space between us."** He nodded and grasped her hand gently, telling her it's alright before she continued. **"That's what he tried to do; he tried to close the gap and touch me but that's when I stopped him."** Ash said nothing but then Sabrina hugged him suddenly, which he returned. **"I should've known what that meant but I thought it was because it was my first relationship, first dates, first kiss and all that and things just take time. And you know what happened after. I'm sorry for not realizing my feelings for you sooner and not knowing what to do in a relationship still."**

Ash was stunned over how she felt. He didn't care about that at all. **"You have nothing to be sorry about Sabrina and I'm sorry too for not noticing what you were trying to show me and what you mean to me. It's alright. I will never hold that against you and you don't need to worry about it."** He rubbed her back, making her let out a content sigh. **"I will never pressure you to do anything that you're not ready for yet and you never have to worry about that. That's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, more people should be like you; not rushing into things and waiting for the right person. I just hope you can forgive me for taking so long to notice what I feel for you. And I'm not an expert at all in these types of things. We'll learn together and grow together. So no need to worry. Okay?"**

She raised her gaze to his and looked into his eyes. **"Thank you Ash. You don't know how much that means to me. I love you with all my heart. And even though I want to experience everything with you, I don't want to rush things and I'm not ready yet for that. I hope you understand."**

Ash felt his heart skip a beat when she said that she loves him again and gave her a reassuring smile while nodding. **"Hey, like I said, no need to worry. And I love you too."** Her heart beat increased, her body being filled with emotion once more. **"And you should know that I move at the pace you want to move. Remember?"**

That made her think how he helped her finish her run when they first started training and how he didn't take a step until she did. She flung herself onto him, making him fall onto his back as she smashed her lips onto his. She broke the kiss a moment later and looked at him. She saw the way he was looking at her and that just made her heart flutter. **"Ash…"**

" **Yes Sabrina?"**

" **I love you and thank you for everything,"** she told him quietly.

Ash felt his heart beat increase and was filled with happiness when she said that to him. He smiled at her. **"You're welcome and anything for you. For you are my Psychic Wonder and I love you Sabrina Natsume."**

Sabrina gasped, hearing his pet name for her, her heart fluttering. She kissed him again, trying to show him how much she loves him. When they finally separated after a while, they gazed at one another in silence, not feeling any awkwardness at all but the love between them. Sabrina was quiet for another reason as well, thinking hard about something that Liza mentioned a long time ago that couples do. While she thought about that, his eyes never broke from hers. **"Ash…I want to ask you something."** He waited patiently for her to ask it. **"Even though I'm not ready for…that…can we try something else?"**

He titled his head. **"What do you mean?"** he asked her.

" **Well, it's kind of embarrassing to ask,"** she said, turning scarlet again but Ash remained quiet, waiting for her to continue. **"It's something I heard couples do from a friend and I want to try it."**

Ash nodded a bit, thinking about which one of her friends could have mentioned something like that until he got it. **"Would that friend be Liza?"** he asked her.

" **How did you know?!"** she asked with a surprised face.

He chuckled. **"She seems the type because of her not being afraid to speak her mind and because of her drinking challenge."**

It dawned on Sabrina then and she giggled. **"Yes, you have a point I guess."** They were quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. **"So, can we try it?"** she asked again.

" **Sure but you never told me what."** She leaned in and whispered into his ear since she felt really awkward saying it out loud. Ash's eyes widened but didn't say anything until she raised her head again and looked at him. **"Okay. Whenever you want to, whenever you feel ready, we can try that."**

She smiled at him and hugged him again with him returning it. The psychic prodigy then raised her gaze to his and kissed him passionately once more. The raven haired guardian was becoming lost in it but when Sabrina started moving her hands, he noticed it. She grasped one of his hands and placed them onto her stomach before slowly moving it down. Sabrina was starting to become very embarrassed and self conscious over what she was doing but pushed through it. _I cannot wimp out now._ She lowered their hands and had his hand go into her skirt and panties. Next second, she felt his hand go over her womanhood. **"Ah…"** She moaned out as she took in a sharp breath after breaking their kiss. She removed her hand, with his staying and then placed her hand onto his stomach. She was starting to feel very nervous and didn't know if she could continue.

" **Sabrina?"** Ash became worried because she hadn't moved for a moment. She snapped out of it and looked at him. **"Are you okay? Are you sure you want to do this now? Do this here?"** he asked her.

She nodded at him. **"I am Ash. I'm just surprised by what I'm doing. And nobody will find us here."** He smiled and nodded. Ash gently grasped her hand and slowly led it down his body before having her hand dig into his pants, underneath his boxers and grasped his shaft, making him groan. She let out a gasp at feeling it, seeing how hard and warm it was but didn't withdraw her hand when he pulled his out. Sabrina was feeling very embarrassed now. But then Ash gave her a soft kiss that made her relax. When he stopped and looked at her, she smiled back but then became worried. **"Umm, are you comfortable?"** she asked him.

He chuckled. **"I was about to ask you that since you haven't said or done anything."** She looked down. **"Hey I didn't mean it like that."** She raised her head and smirked at him. **"Oh, so you were messing with me huh?"** She giggled a bit. **"I see how it is."** He started rubbing over her opening.

Sabrina gasped, feeling his hand moving over her most private body area. **"Ooh…Ash…"** She let out a groan before making moaning sounds. She never thought it would feel so great, having never done anything with anyone and haven't ever doing anything by herself either. She really was the sheltered type. She was starting to heat up and she didn't know what to do. She needed to do something to get her mind off of it or at least not become lost in it. She then felt his shaft in her hands. She started doing the same thing to him, rubbing it. Ash let out a pleasured moan as well. **"That…feels good?"** she asked him in between her moaning.

" **Yes…it does…"** answered Ash, feeling himself become heated as well. Both of them continued pleasuring the other, letting out moans while looking into the other's eyes. He could see her losing herself to it and he felt so constricted in his pants. He wanted to take his pants and boxers off to be free but didn't want to scare her.

" **Ash…"** panted Sabrina. **"I feel so hot…I don't know if I can take it."**

" **I have an idea,"** replied Ash at once, taking the opportunity that so conveniently came up.

He withdrew his hand from her womanhood, making her pout and whimper at not feeling his touch anymore, feeling the heat die down within her. In retaliation she withdrew her hand from his shaft as well. **"So you're idea is to stop?"** she asked quietly but slightly on edge. She was loving the feeling she was experiencing with him and it ended all too soon for her taste.

He grinned at her. **"No. But do you trust me?"** he asked her and she replied back that she does. Ash unbuckled his pants and took them off, surprising her and then he placed his hand on her skirt's zipper but before he did anything he looked into her eyes, seeking permission again. After a moment, she nodded. He unzipped her skirt, lowered it and took it off of her. He then lowered her black tights, leaving them hanging at her ankles, revealing her slender legs and pink panties. Sabrina was feeling like her heart was going to pop out of her chest since it was beating so strongly and rapidly as he did all that. She was so nervous but trusted him, knowing he wouldn't do anything that would hurt her. He raised his head to hers and gave her a kiss before hovering an inch away from her face. **"We can do this one of two ways; underwear on or off?"** he asked her quietly.

She was beyond embarrassed now but was also burning up and even though she could feel the cold wind over them, she was still hot. And she didn't want to back down now and wanted to see 'it'. **"Off,"** she answered in a whisper. He kissed her again and while doing that, he lowered her panties down to her knees and she did the rest by shimming it down with her legs and left them hanging around her ankles while Ash took off his boxers. A moment later, he stopped the kissing and sat back down beside her, keeping his eyes on hers. He lowered his right hand down her stomach, making her tremble with anticipation before reaching her now exposed womanhood and started rubbing it again.

Sabrina started moaning instantly. She felt herself becoming hotter and hotter. She needed to do something again otherwise she thought she would go crazy. She looked down at his lower body and saw 'it', making her eyes go wide. It was erect and standing at attention. She reached over with her left hand and grasped it, making her gasp between her moaning while Ash let out a small moan. It felt even bigger and harder than before and it was so warm. She started stroking it, making him become heated as well.

Needing to do something more himself and seeing how Sabrina was starting to get wet, he inserted a finger into her opening, making her squeal. **"Ash!"** she yelped, but didn't stop him. The sensation of having his finger inside her was something she never thought would feel so damn good. She felt her core becoming even hotter as he maneuvered it around inside her while he pumped in and out of her. She couldn't stand it anymore. She started stroking his shaft faster and harder, making Ash become enflamed. She then kissed him soon afterwards. A few seconds later, Ash stuck his tongue into her mouth, surprising her greatly to the point of opening her eyes but then closed them. She quickly had her tongue dance with his and felt her heart skip a beat when he inserted a second finger into her.

Their mutual masturbation kept going for several more minutes as they kissed. Sabrina loved what she was feeling and never wanted it to stop. Ash loved her taste and her delicate, petite and soft hand on his shaft. Both felt they were on fire and soon enough they felt like they were going to explode. They withdrew from their kissing with pink and brown eyes looking into one another. **"Ash! I…I feel…something…"** she panted, barely getting the words out.

" **Me too…just…let it go…"** he encouraged her. He made his movements more pronounced to help her release. Sabrina felt like she was going to burst into flames before she suddenly let out a cry as she climaxed onto the floor and Ash felt it go over his hand. Seeing and feeling that happen made Ash erupt as well barely a second later. His seed shot out onto the floor with Sabrina feeling the pulsing sensations through his shaft. When the two finished, they removed their hands from one another and started panting while their eyes were still locked. They leaned in and shared a loving kiss together. When they finished, they locked their gazes onto one another with their foreheads touching, enjoying the ecstasy.

" **Thank you Ash for that wonderful experience,"** said Sabrina in a whisper. **"That felt amazing."**

He smiled at her. **"You're welcome and thank you too Sabrina. It was awesome."**

She had a large smile form. **"Yes it was."** They shared a soft kiss again. **"Should we head back?"** Ash agreed with her and the two helped each other up. He wiped his hand clean the best he could with his boxers. **"Sorry about that,"** apologized Sabrina, turning scarlet.

He chuckled. **"Small price to pay to make sure you're happy and satisfied,"** he joked. She didn't get angry but smacked his arm after raising her panties back up. **"Hey, you know I'm just messin!"**

She grinned at him. **"I know,"** she replied back as she raised her tights up and then put on her skirt. He rolled his eyes while he put on his pants, going commando. He stuffed his boxers into his pants pocket. He then wrapped his arm around Sabrina's waist and pulled her to him. **"Oh!"** she exclaimed before being silenced with a kiss. When they separated, he grinned at her and she smiled. **"Hmmm…I think I can get used to all this,"** she said.

" **Good. Cause expect there to be more,"** he told her cheekily.

She laughed a bit before she hugged him tightly. **"There better be. I want it. But only because it's with you because…I love you Ash,"** she said quietly. **"I hope you'll always be by my side."**

He tightened his hug on her. **"I love you too Sabrina and I promise to always be there by your side."**

The dark haired psychic beauty let out a few happy tears while in the embrace, feeling like she was the luckiest girl in the world to find such a wonderful man to give her heart to. She looked up at him after a moment and he wiped away her tears with his other hand, feeling so much love from his gentle touch. **"Should we go?"** she asked him after.

" **Whenever you're ready."** She smiled and the next second, the two of them vanished in a pink glow.

When Cynthia left the suite, she headed towards the Pokémon League Headquarters where the meeting was being held. She entered the building and calmly walked to the board room. She opened the door and saw her fellow Champions Lance, Alder and Diantha there, along with President Goodshow and the Kanto News chief editor Tom there as well. Her eyes narrowed slightly but said nothing. She took a seat next to Diantha. **"Where's Steven?"**

" **He's on his way,"** answered Alder. **"He should be here any moment."**

" **Alright."** They waited a little longer until the door opened and they turned to see Steven enter with Britney Snow following from behind him. The sight of the reporter made Cynthia's blood boil. She shot up, giving a glare at Britney while pointing at her. **"What is she doing here?!"** Her angry expression made everyone gulp in the room.

Britney hid behind Steven, absolutely terrified of the furious blonde champion. Steven raised his hands up in a peaceful manner. **"Now, just relax. She's here with me because she wants to help fix things,"** said Steven.

" **Is that right?!"** snapped Cynthia. **"I think we had enough help with the media!"** She glared at Tom as well, who sweat dropped.

The President stood up. **"Cynthia, Tom is here on my request and Britney apologized to Steven for what happened. She does want to fix things. So give them a chance and hear what they have to say first,"** advised Goodshow calmly. Cynthia's nostrils flared before she took in a deep breath and sat back down. She crossed her arms and legs before going quiet. **"Thank you Ms. Shirona. I know you are angry over what happened but so are we. And there is more information that must be shared."** Goodshow turned to Lance as he, Steven and Britney sat down. **"Lance, if you may."**

Lance nodded and stood up. **"Thank you Charles."** He then faced everyone. **"First, the reason why Britney and Tom are here is because they have agreed to help us."**

" **And how are they going to help us?"** asked Cynthia angrily.

" **By not allowing any news channel, paper or any type of media to bring up what happened yesterday at Ash's last match besides him winning the match,"** explained Tom.

" **What?!"** asked a surprised Cynthia. **"How?! And why?!"**

" **Because I asked Tom to do so because he still owed me a favor and he has agreed to not allow anything related to what happened yesterday to air or get posted from the media at least,"** stated Goodshow. **"And with his influence, the other networks won't either. Though we won't be able to censor what goes on the internet by the public since it was broadcasted over the world."**

Cynthia was astonished that Goodshow would do that and that Tom had that kind of power. She was about to ask them why when the reporter spoke up and she turned her attention to her with the others dong the same. **"I wanted to fix what I did,"** started Britney. **"I was blinded by wanting to win the report of the year and what we recorded would have done that."** Cynthia scoffed and glared at her. Britney became afraid but continued. **"But when we showed it to Tom, he refused to air it because of the damages it could cause. I started second guessing it too but Richard, my cameraman was adamant about having it broadcasted. He called me yesterday morning to tell me he took care of it and that his friend Shamus would have it aired during the match. I didn't know what he meant by that and what they were planning. I never thought they would do something like what they did yesterday."** Britney was starting to have difficulty continuing, her emotions getting the best of her. Steven glanced at her with a concerned look but Cynthia was still glaring at her. **"When I saw what they did, I called Richard and got angry at him for what he did. I told him to stop the broadcast but he said it was out of his hands. He said that he did it for me to show that he would do anything for me. I got angry at him again for thinking that messing up another's life would make me want him. I told him off and then he got mad and started yelling and insulting me before he hung up."** Britney started crying now, unable to hold it in. **"I'm so sorry! I didn't think this would happen! I didn't know Richard felt that way or that he was planning such a thing! I'm so sorry!"** She buried her face into her hands and bawled away.

Steven felt bad for her and wanted to comfort her. He placed his hand onto her back and gently rubbed it. Alder was showing signs of sympathy as well towards her, Diantha was frowning and Lance had his usual neutral look on his face. Cynthia felt some pity for the girl but she was still pissed. **"I get it Britney, but your reasons don't excuse your failure to act until now. You said you were second guessing it yet you did nothing to stop it, whether yourself or telling someone else. You didn't even warn Ash or any of us!"** shot Cynthia. **"The media may not mention more on that but how does this fix things?! His name has been tarnished and the people are still divided!"**

Tom spoke up then. **"You are right but it is better than what else could have happened. Without the media going over what happened yesterday, we just have people posting things online. And you know how everyone regards videos on the internet. Sooner or later, the public will forget about it. It will become just a smudge in history books. And we can set up another interview for him to do in a good light and air that."**

Cynthia shook her head, frustrated over everything. **"It doesn't matter. People are not fools and they saw the broadcast. Internet credibility or not, it was aired live before that. You may have influence and power, along with Charles to hush up the media. And we could do another interview to tell his side but that still won't help Ash deal with his own problems. Even though he told us he's fine, I know inside he's torn up over what happened to him. Do you know what he told his family and friends, to me, after?"** They shook their heads, waiting silently and patiently for her to continue. **"He told us he is disappointed, angry and sad over what happened but as long as he had us, then he'd be alright."** Cynthia's emotions were starting to overwhelm her. She had never become so emotional in the past and it startled her colleagues. Sure they saw her angry before. But never something like this. **"To see someone you care the most about in the whole world, try to stay strong for you so you won't see how depressed he is…Do you know just how much he's done for the world? What he's sacrificed? All the heroic things he's done for pokémon? For mankind? For the world? What he's preparing to do in the future? After risking his life time and again for others, how do you think he's going to feel or be now after the public turned their backs on him over a single incident where he's done nothing wrong?!"**

The others were stunned into silence over her words for the raven haired guardian. Her fellow champions never realized just how much she respected, admired and loved him until now, especially the Dragon Master. He was looking at her with a new understanding of her. **"You really do love him. Don't you?"** asked the spiky haired champion.

Cynthia turned her gaze to him. **"I do Lance. More than anything else."**

Diantha looked at Cynthia before turning her gaze to Lance who was still looking at the Sinnoh Champion. The Kalos Champion looked at him until the Kanto and Johto Champion turned his gaze to hers. She looked into his eyes and saw something happen within them that she was hoping to see happen for a while now, making her smile. The chains that were holding him back, keeping him stuck in his own depressed and unbelieving state over Cynthia not returning his feelings, finally broke and his eyes shined once more like they did in the past. Lance had finally realized that Cynthia's affection for the Aura Guardian was not some lust driven crush. She truly loved the man and for a long time.

The Dragon Champion then did something that made them all, except for one, become shocked; he smiled at Diantha before turning his gaze back to Cynthia. **"Then we will do all we can to help him push past this,"** said Lance.

It took a moment for Cynthia to compose herself from her shocked state. **"Thank you."**

Lance turned to Tom and Britney. **"Thank you for your support. If you would be so kind, we have other things to discuss that I'm afraid we cannot let you in on."**

" **Understandable,"** replied Tom and turned to Cynthia. **"If you ever want to do that interview, let me know."** Cynthia barely nodded and he turned to his friend. **"Charles, give me a call after so we can have that lunch together."** The president agreed and the chief editor of Kanto News left the room.

Britney stood up. **"Thank you for at least giving me a chance to explain things."** She looked at Cynthia. **"I'm so sorry Cynthia. If there anything I can do to make up for what I've done, I'll gladly do it."** Cynthia looked at for a moment before sighing and gave her a slight nod of the head. Britney glanced at Steven who looked at her before she then left the room. Steven turned his gaze from the door that just closed back to the others.

" **Okay, with that done, there is something else that we must discuss without the media knowing,"** started Lance. The four other champions and the president listened in. **"This is what we have learned from our search of the Skull Brother's hideout. Just like our initial search the crime scene unit was unable to get anything either. There is no evidence or clues what so ever to find out who the Skull Brothers were working for. No serial numbers, no known associates or relatives, no personal effects, nothing."** He reached into his pocket and took out a rectangular device. **"Except for this; a smart phone that Alder found in the basement. It's been damaged slightly but it still works."** He moved his gaze onto Cynthia. **"We found some very disturbing things on it regarding your beloved. There were pictures of him, his family and friends along with two videos. One of which was a recording of the stadium attack, showing how Ash fought back and used his aura powers. The other video was of the red head he saved being violated and tortured."** Cynthia clapped her hands to her mouth after gasping. **"We don't know yet why the red head was captured or what they wanted from her. The audio on the video was choppy at best, the sound cutting off from time to time. We only ever heard her pleading for them to stop or them laughing at her."** Cynthia was feeling great sadness fill her at that, thinking of how they were such cruel monsters to do such things. She believed even more so that Ash ending them was just. Lance placed the phone onto the table before he continued. **"There were contacts saved onto the phone as well. However, they were written with code names, such as 'J', 'Boss' and a few others but each time we attempted to trace the numbers or fix the audio on the video, our systems were met with errors. As a result, we have no idea who could've hired them and for what purpose. And we cannot just simply call them cause that will make them suspicious. Were the ones behind the stadium attack responsible for this? Was it for reconnaissance on Ash? Were they supposed to get rid of him? Or were they after someone else? Or something else? And what did they want with this red haired girl? We have no idea."**

Cynthia's heart was beating madly, thinking of everything that Lance was saying. **"You couldn't find anything?!"** she asked, not believing it.

Each of the champions shook their heads. **"Nothing,"** answered Lance. **"We were debating if we should even have others take a look at it in the beginning. But even having our most trusted and best working on it, we ended up with nothing. We cannot trace the numbers and besides the contacts, the pictures of Ash and the videos of him and the redhead, there is nothing."**

" **So what do we do now? Do we have someone else take a look? Do we increase security?"** asked Cynthia.

Lance shook his head but Alder spoke. **"No. We cannot afford to tell anyone else about this and we cannot make it look like we know more than we should."**

" **Alright. But we should still have something set in place. And we should tell Ash as well. If someone is after him or watching his movements, he needs to be aware,"** advised Cynthia.

" **I agree,"** said Steven, making them look at him now. **"We should let Ash know of this and have something set up in secret in case something else happens."**

The rest agreed and then Lance spoke again. **"Alright. We'll tell him. The third topic for this meeting is this; the stadium attackers who were corrupted, we have finally received some test results from their blood work."**

" **And?"** asked Charles.

" **Their DNA has been twisted and mutated into something that we've never seen."** They all gasped at that. **"And their physical abilities have been enhanced to incredible levels. Almost superhuman. Several times they almost broke through their confinements."**

" **Is that why they were so hard to be beaten?!"** asked Goodshow in a whisper.

Lance nodded. **"Yes Charles. And I bet their pokémon went through the same process. But what would make them disintegrate but not the ten men?"** he asked. None of them had any idea about that. **"Regardless, we have tried to reverse the process with everything we've got but they all ended up as failures. We have stepped up security and their restraints. But we must be even more careful and if a solution cannot be found soon, I'm afraid they would have to be put down permanently."** The others sighed, shaking their heads. They didn't like the fact that the men were changed into monsters by some unknown process.

" **I don't like this one bit,"** remarked Steven.

" **You and me both,"** chimed in Alder.

" **And now for the fourth and final thing for this meeting,"** stated Lance and the others quieted down to listen. **"Damian, Shamus and Paul have had their pokémon licenses suspended, their pokémon are in League hands and the three are awaiting their trail while locked in their cells. The three don't have any trace of corruption like the stadium attackers so it looks like they did this of their own free wills. Their court date will be after the tournament."**

Cynthia crossed her arms again while she frowned. **"The sooner the better I say."**

They agreed but then the Unova Champion spoke up. **"Unfortunately though, the judge is away on vacation and won't be back for another a couple of weeks at least,"** said Alder.

Some sighs were let out from the group before Lance spoke again. **"Alright. That's it for what I wanted to say. Cynthia…"** The two looked at one another. **"Please inform Ash what we talked about."** She agreed. **"Thank you. With that said, this meeting is adjourned."**

They made to stand up but then Charles spoke up. **"Hold up, there's something you should know as well."** The Champions sat back down and gave the President their full attention. **"As you all know, a board meeting took place while the stadium was being repaired. We have come up with something to reward the people back for their patience for the multiple postponements during this tournament. It will also make this tournament the best one there has ever been and may change how things happen in the future."**

The Champions became skeptical at once. **"Are you sure that idea of yours will be well received if it's going to change how things are done?"** asked Diantha for them all.

Goodshow nodded. **"Yes. Who wouldn't want a new Pokémon Master crowned? We haven't seen the current one become challenged since he took up the title over a dozen years ago and we have no idea where he's at either."**

" **You have a point there Charles,"** started Steven and they looked at him. **"But, we have always followed tradition. And the Master somehow always shows up when there's a contender. Don't know how or why, but it just happens that way."**

" **He's right,"** spoke up Alder and they looked at him now. **"And how can we crown another Pokémon Master who didn't beat the previous one?"**

They turned their attention to Goodshow who was chuckling. **"I'm getting to that,"** he said. **"Remember how it was said that the winner of the Spirit Tournament would be able to challenge each and every region's Elite Four and their Champions after?"** The five nodded. **"Well, we decided to do this instead."** Goodshow then explained everything that he wanted to do and the board saying they'll go with it only if they agree. When he finished he was looking at five stunned faces for a moment before they looked at one another.

" **I'm actually okay with this. What about you guys?"** asked Steven. The other four agreed.

" **I knew it!"** laughed Goodshow. **"That'll teach the board members to say I don't know what's good for the tournament! Ha!"** They all started chuckling a bit before the president spoke again. **"Okay. Cynthia, don't say a word. It's supposed to be a surprise. Okay?"** Cynthia agreed to that. **"Thank you. Now, you know what to do about that so do what you have to do. Also, you think one of you can come with me to say that you're all good with my plan?"**

" **Sure, I'll come,"** stated Alder and Goodshow thanked him.

" **So will I,"** added Diantha.

For some reason, Lance felt like he wanted to go to after Diantha said she would go. **"Count me in,"** finished up Lance. They all stared at him, surprised. They knew how much he hated board meetings. **"What?"** They shook their heads, saying it was nothing. **"Are we finished?"** asked Lance.

The President smiled. **"Almost. Anyone want to make a bet about the remaining matches?"** asked Goodshow. The Champions shook their heads while chuckling. Cynthia and Steven left while Alder, Diantha and Lance talked about what kind of bets with Charles.

Cynthia glanced at the time after saying her bye to Steven and her eyes widened. _How the hell did time go by so fast?!_ She hurried outside and called out her Garchomp. **"Indigo Hotel please."** Her loyal dragon lowered herself to allow her to climb up onto her back and then the dragon took off into the air.

It was late in the afternoon now. The Indigo Hotel elevator was going up with a single person in it. The young man was leaning against the elevator wall with an empty bottle clutched in his hand. He had finished it while stumbling around in the forest for a while after recovering from his jewels getting rough handled before coming back to the hotel. He was muttering random words while his mind went over everything that happened to him in the last few days and what happened to him just that day in flashes. He was beyond angry, absolutely confused as to how things ended up for him, feeling humiliated over getting kicked out of the club, felt jealous over Ash's group of hot girlfriends who would do anything for him, his groin still hurt some and was drunk.

The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and the doors opened. He sluggishly moved into the small hallway with just one suite door in front of it and leaned against the door. He fumbled at grasping the door knob but when he was finally able to grip it, he tried to turn it but it wouldn't budge. **"Fuck. Ah, open sesame!"** Nothing happened. He tried again but it was no use. He started banging on the door. **"Hey! One of you open the damn door!"** His coordination was off but it looked like he could still talk without a problem.

It took a couple minutes until the door opened and Gary fell face forward onto the floor since he was leaning against it. **"Oh shit! Sorry Gary!"** The blonde girl bent down to help him up.

He grumbled as he was helped up. **"You better be sorry you scoundrel or I'll…"** He hiccupped, stopping him from continuing.

" **Damn, you're beyond wasted. You should go and rest."** She started helping him to his room. _Of course it had to be me who has to deal with a drunken Gary. Great._ She shook her head, thinking the others were lucky for not having to deal with this because some of them were out or busy in their rooms.

Most of the couples had decided to head out earlier on and do something together. Her sisters, besides Anabel, were planning the shopping trip that Ash promised to take them and her on in their room. They believed it would allow Ash to get away from things, he would keep his promise to them and they would be able to get some new clothes and have some fun. They didn't mind their sisters planning the shopping trip and decided to leave them to it. The parents were in the dining room, playing cards together while listening to some music off the radio. Clair and Liza had returned and just went to their room. The rest were in their rooms with some taking a nap or watching TV or just hanging out. She and Anabel had remained in the living room, watching the news channels to see if anything would come up about their boyfriend. Oddly, nothing came up about it other than that he won the match and was advancing to the semi-finals. Anabel stayed with her until she went to her room because she just got a call from Scott. He wanted to check in on her every once in a while since he saw her as his daughter.

After taking some steps, Gary turned his gaze to her, drinking in her beauty. **"You know, you're really fuckin hot."** The blonde girl who was helping him to his room began feeling very uncomfortable but continued on. She didn't want to be mean because he was drunk but didn't like the way he was talking to her at all. She ignored it and kept helping him to his room. **"Hey, since we're heading to my room anyways, why don't we bump uglies?"** he asked her while grabbing her ass.

The girl jumped from his advance, startled but also quickly became angry. She let go of him, making him fall to the floor and glared at him. **"What the fuck Gary?! You know I'm with Ash and I love him! Leave me alone and don't ever try that again!"** she shot angrily. It was Sarah.

Gary however wasn't listening. He was steadily sinking more into his whirlwind of negative emotions and his drunken state wasn't helping at all. He sluggishly got up, ignoring the empty bottle that was on the floor now and closed the distance between the two with drunken steps, making Sarah back up until she hit the hallway wall. Before she could move away, he placed his hands on either side of her head against the wall to support himself and to trap her. **"Why play hard to get Sarah?"** he growled at her.

She could smell the alcohol off of him. The Johto native felt her heart beating like crazy. **"Please stop Gary. This isn't funny,"** she told him.

He smirked. **"Who said this was supposed to be funny?"** he asked rhetorically. **"Look Sarah, you're hot. And I'm good looking. Why not have some fun?"** He moved his hand to touch her.

She slapped it away, anger filling her now and glaring at him now. **"I don't care! I don't see you that way and I love Ash and I will never betray him!"** she made to move away but he stopped her.

He leaned in closer before speaking, his eyes locked onto hers. **"Give me a break. You think Ash will be able to satisfy you? Pleasure you? You think he will even have time for you? You think he's thinking about you when he has other hot girls in his group that he's fucking and he knows longer? And with all those pokémon he has too, he's hardly giving you attention. So c'mon and enjoy yourself. He doesn't have to know."** He leaned in closer to kiss her and made to touch her again.

Sarah's anger went higher at his words and actions. She slapped him and then pushed him away. **"Screw you Gary! Just because you can't handle taking care of many things at once and being in a relationship doesn't mean he can't either!"**

He became angrier at that but also smirked back in response. **"Screw me? Isn't that what I was asking for? And I'm not the one with several girls in his group. Speaking of which, my ex Sabrina is with him. He's probably fucking her or one of the other girls right now. How about we return the favor?"** He moved in closer towards her again and Sarah moved away from him while keeping her back against the wall, seeing the lust in his eyes. **"Ever since I first saw you on the field in the opening match of the tournament, I thought you were hot. You know you want me too. C'mon. Just give in. I can give you the time of your life. You can experience such pleasure with me that I swear you'll be asking for more. Forget Ash. He's too dense to notice things and doesn't know a good thing when he sees one, too worried about his pokémon. Let me treat you right."** He got even closer to her.

Sarah kneed him in the leg, missing his groin but then immediately slapped him as hard as she could afterwards, making him yelp and stumble backwards before hitting the wall behind him. **"** **You damn bastard** **!"** she screamed. **"Go fuck a Cacturne and don't ever come near me again!"**

Before she could do anything else and before Gary could react, an angry voice was heard from nearby. **"What did you do now Gary?!"** The two glanced to the side and saw Ilene there with a furious expression on her face. She had heard some shouts when she entered the living room, having been talking with Shauna and Lizabeth again in their room. That was when she saw Sarah slap Gary in the hallway towards some of the other bedrooms and heard her. **"What's going on here?!"** she asked.

Gary frowned at her. **"It's none of your business your** _ **highness**_ **because we're not together anymore."** He turned his head back to look at Sarah after feeling a little good over his comment. **"Now, Sarah why don't we…"** He stopped talking because Sarah wasn't there anymore. He became confused. **"What the…when the hell did Sarah become Houdini?!"**

" **How drunk are you?!"** Gary turned his head to Ilene and saw Sarah standing beside her. Ilene turned to Sarah. **"I'll handle him. Go get Riley,"** she told her quietly.

" **Be careful,"** replied back Sarah before leaving hurriedly to get her Knight.

" **Ah, calling in your dog to handle your own fights?"** mocked Gary.

Ilene shook with fury at that. **"How dare you insult my Knight!"**

Gary moved closer to her. **"What are you going to do about it? I already fought with one of them who was stronger. What's an old fart like Riley going to do to me?"** he asked her after stopping right in front of her. Ilene wanted to hit him but kept herself in check; she had already hurt someone when they were drunk and didn't want to do it again even though this one would really deserve it. **"Can't hurt me can you?"** he taunted her. **"That's because you still love me."** And after saying that statement, he then kissed Ilene, making her freeze from shock. Taking advantage of her stunned state, he pushed her up against the hallway wall with his body against hers and started having his hands roam over her curves, getting what he wanted from her.

Ilene didn't react at first because of the shock of what he just said. But then the powerful feeling of disgust in her stomach brought her back to her senses once more. She quickly raised her hands and pushed him off of her, making him stumble back, losing his balance. Ilene moved to one of the bedrooms quickly and entered it. She was about to close the door and lock it when Gary burst in, making her stumble back. **"Get out Gary!"** she yelled, angry and afraid at what he was doing.

" **NO! I can't just let you go Ilene! You belong with me because you're the only girl I've ever truly had feelings for! You liked me! We had something special! How could your feelings for me just die like that?! How could you choose Ash over me?! How could you fuck him when you're with me?!"** he asked her angrily while moving to her slowly.

Ilene was backing up away from him. She was scared beyond measure and never would have expected him to act this way. **"I won't repeat what I said Gary! And are you kidding me?! What were you just trying to make Sarah do?! How could you say something like that?! How could you act like this?! And sometimes we are blinded by new and exciting things until something happens that makes us see clearly again! We were lost in something that wasn't meant for us at all!"** Gary stopped moving a few feet away from her. Seeing him not draw closer, she raised her hands in front of her and clasped them together and pleaded to him. **"Please Gary. You said that you've changed. So if you truly have changed, then just stop this, leave me alone and get out!"**

The pokémon researcher was looking at the scared young queen in front of him. The way her eyes were filled with fear and letting out tears. How she was trembling at the sight of him in a bad way. He noticed it even in his drunk state. It made him fill up with sorrow. **"How did I let this come to be?"** he asked in a whisper. **"How could I be what scares you? How could I have allowed you to slip from my fingers?"** He hung his head, looking at the floor and began shaking.

Ilene kept her distance from him, not knowing what he was going through. She never would have guessed that Gary Oak would be so...bipolar. She slowly moved around him, staying as far as possible while moving towards the door. While she was doing that, Gary was having a million thoughts and emotions spiraling around within him until something stuck out. **"New and exciting things…"** Ilene froze at hearing him say that. **"Was that…all I was to you?"** he asked, looking up and turning to look at her again. **"Just some excitement for the time being? Did you just…get bored of me? Or was it that I have no use to you anymore since your plan to have Ash notice you didn't go the way you wanted it to?"**

Ilene was still afraid of her emotional ex-boyfriend but now anger was filling her as well for what he said. **"Don't try to twist my words Gary! And that's not what it was and you know it! You said you'll never hurt me again but that's what you keep doing! And you hurt Sarah! I told you we're done!"** she yelled at him. She moved to the door and almost reached it when her arm was grabbed by him. _Remember this training as it can and will give you an opportunity to flee or take advantage._ Instinct took over as she remembered those words from her defensive training from Ash and Lucario. Ilene whirled around and struck Gary all of a sudden against his temple, making him cry out in pain and release her. She opened the door and was able to step out of the room.

But before she could increase the distance between them or find someone, he grabbed her from the back part of her blouse and tried to pull her back into the room with force while she struggled to get free. **"LET ME GO!"** shouted Ilene loudly, hoping it would make him come to his senses and have someone hear it even though the room she exited from was farther from the others. And just where the hell was Sarah and Riley? She pulled with all her might to escape his grip and the young queen's clothing tore apart from the force. She shot forward and hit her head against a framed picture that was hanging on the hallway wall, causing the glass to break and cut her. She collapsed onto the floor from the sudden collision and was groaning in pain, a bleeding cut on the side of her head. Gary froze in shock at what he just made happen, his mouth open and staring at Ilene with half of her torn blouse in his hand.

" **What have you done?!"** He slowly turned his shocked expression to where the voice came from. Bonnie was standing there with an expression filled with fear. She had left Max's room to get some snacks for them to eat while studying different battle strategies. On the way, she heard noises that sounded like fighting and wanted to find out what it was coming from. Gary didn't respond and seeing him not moving, the young teenage girl did the only thing she could do; she screamed...

Sarah went running to Riley's room, not even bothering to check with the others because Ilene asked for him. She reached his room and made to open the door but it was locked. She started knocking on his door loudly. **"Riley! Riley!"** she called out to him frantically but no sounds were heard from inside. Another door opened nearby and she snapped her attention to it. Shauna and Lizabeth stepped out from it, giving Sarah concerned looks. **"I need to find Riley! Where is he?!"** asked the blonde girl.

The two blunettes shrugged, not knowing where he was. **"What's wrong?"** asked Lizabeth.

Sarah took in a breath before speaking. **"Ilene requested him. Gary came back but he's drunk and angry. He tried to make a move on me but I stopped him."** Both girls gasped. **"Ilene told me to find Riley, saying she'll handle him."**

" **Shit! Ilene shouldn't be alone with him!"** replied Shauna.

" **You keep looking for Riley while we go to Ilene,"** advised Lizabeth. The two bartenders headed towards where Sarah told them she left Ilene.

As soon as the blunettes entered the living room, two pink glows appeared in it. **"ASH!"** shouted both Lizabeth and Shauna the second they saw him.

Ash and Sabrina turned towards the two girls and saw them looking worried. **"Hey, what's wrong?"** he asked as they went up to him. Before they could say anything, a very loud and high pitched scream shot through the penthouse suite, startling them as it echoed. Several bedroom doors opened frantically and many stepped into the living room. The parents stepped into the area from the dining room and Riley emerged from a nearby bathroom.

" **What's going on?"**

" **Who's screaming?"**

Before the four could even attempt to explain, someone shouted loudly. **"ASH!"** The blonde Johto native felt so much relief at seeing him back that she just shouted out his name. She ran to him and he turned around in time to catch her in his embrace. Before he could ask her what happened, another high pitched scream was heard, making shivers go down their spines. Sarah separated from Ash but grasped his hand. She shot towards the direction the scream came from, not bothering with explaining at the moment with everyone else following after the two.

They quickly found the source of the screaming and the reason for it. Max and Clemont went up to Bonnie to check on her and calm her down. Seeing him there, Bonnie hugged Max tightly who started rubbing her back gently to calm her down while Clemont watched over the two. Sarah let go of Ash when he and Riley shot to the young queen who was on the floor. The others stayed rooted to their spots after drawing in closer because of what they were seeing.

Ilene was on the floor, huddled up into a ball and sobbing. She was bleeding from a cut on her head with half her blouse torn off, exposing her undergarment. Some shards of glass were on the floor that came from a broken framed picture on the wall. Gary was standing there with a shell-shocked look and the other half of the queen's blouse in his hand.

" **My Queen! What happened?!"** asked Riley, while taking off his jacket and wrapping her up with it to cover the exposed part of her body.

" **Queen Ilene?! Are you alright?"** asked Ash. Ilene whimpered as she continued crying. She turned around and grabbed onto Ash. He took her up into a hug, trying to comfort her. Riley stood back up before turning around to glare at the young pokémon researcher. But Gary didn't see it since his gaze was still on the blonde girl. **"Its okay, it's alright. You're safe. You're Knights are here. We won't let anything happen to you. We promise."**

Ilene cried harder and her grip tightened on him. **"He forced himself onto me, kissing me and touching me after trying to make Sarah do something with him!"** Everyone's eyes widened at that and everyone became angry. But it was nothing compared to what Ash was feeling. He turned his gaze slowly towards his old childhood rival and gave him such a livid expression that it would've made even the Lord of Space become afraid. But Gary didn't see it. **"He got mad at me because I told him that we're done!"** cried Ilene, making Ash look at her again. **"I tried to make him see reason but he just wouldn't listen! I tried to get away but he kept coming after me!"** explained the young queen further. The group there was appalled to find out what happened and many were giving Gary looks of anger and disgust. His sister and grandfather were also giving him very disappointed looks.

Seeing Ilene crying her eyes out and finally hearing what she was saying, Gary was starting to realize what he just did. His heart began beating like a jack hammer, his stomach twisted into knots and he felt like he was going to throw up. **"Ilene…"**

" **SHUT THE FUCK UP GARY!"** roared Ash after snapping his gaze back to his old rival, startling everyone.

Gary felt fear fill him like it never did before at seeing the furious gaze on his face now. **"I…"**

He wasn't able to continue as Riley grabbed him by the throat suddenly and slammed him into the wall, making everyone except Ash and Ilene to shout out in surprise while Gary let out sounds of pain. **"I warned you not to hurt the Queen!"** reminded Riley, his eyes glowing blue. **"Do you know what the penalty is for attacking the Queen?!"** he asked him before slamming him against the wall again, making Gary cry out in pain once more.

" **RILEY! STOP!"** shouted Daisy Oak, shooting to his side. She grasped his arm and made her boyfriend look at her. **"Please…"** Riley looked at her, seeing her pleading expression. He turned his gaze back to Gary. He was conflicted in upholding his duty and not hurting his beloved. He took in a deep breath through his nose before letting it out through his mouth. His eyes lost their blue glow before letting go of her brother who dropped to the floor. He stepped away and Daisy Oak knelt beside her younger brother. **"Why did you hurt Ilene? Why did you try to make a move on Sarah when she's with Ash?"** asked Daisy.

" **I…I…I didn't…mean to…"** started Gary.

" **You lie** **!"** interrupted Sarah, making everyone but Ilene to look at her now. **"You came home drunk and I was trying to help you get back to your room so you can rest! But you copped a feel and then said we should have sex!"** Everyone became even angrier at that and Ash's rage was about to go over the tipping point. **"Even when I said I'm not interested and I love Ash, even pushing and slapping you away, you still kept trying while insulting Ash, saying he doesn't need to know and that he'll never treat me right until Ilene got involved!"** Sarah's emotions were too much now and she started letting out tears, sobbing. She was taken into a hug by her sisters to comfort her while giving Gary angry and dirty looks. Ash was boiling with anger and he was doing all he could to not explode.

Gary opened his mouth to try to defend himself but then Ilene spoke up again. **"You forced yourself onto me, kissing me and touching me! I asked you several times to let me go but you wouldn't listen to me! You chased after me into a room and prevented me from leaving! I even begged you to stop! But you kept bringing up things that didn't matter! I tried to get away but then you made me get hurt!"** she said before continuing with her crying.

Daisy Oak was looking at her brother with a dangerous expression but again, Gary didn't see it. **"I wasn't trying to hurt you or Sarah! I'm just upset! I just wanted to feel good again! And I just wanted you to listen to me for a minute!"** replied Gary, not denying what the two girls said. **"I wanted to…"** SMACK! Gary was silenced by a sharp slap against his cheek by his sister that made his head turn. He slowly turned his gaze back to his sister. **"Daisy?"** asked Gary timidly. Daisy just looked at him with a disgusted, angry and disappointed expression on her face before slapping him again but harder. Gary let out a yelp at the sharp stinging feeling and Daisy stood up and moved away from him. He turned his head in time to see his sister go and stand next to his grandfather who was giving him the same look. He felt such shame fill him that he started shivering in his spot. **"Please…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…"**

" **I don't want to hear a single sound coming out of you right now Gary,"** interrupted Oak in a very stern tone of voice, one that he never gave him before. Gary shut his mouth and didn't continue.

" **Please…"** They all turned their gazes to the young queen. She raised her head and looked at the raven haired guardian with frightened and teary blue eyes. **"Ash…I don't want to be here anymore,"** she sobbed. **"I just want to go home. I should never have come here. Please…just take me home,"** she begged him, before burying her face into his chest with her crying becoming more severe. Her sobbing and pleading made everyone feel horrible for the young queen of Rota.

Ash felt s much sadness over Ilene being so distraught. **"As you wish Queen Ilene. Let's get you patched up first."** Ash tenderly picked up Ilene into his embrace, carrying her in his arms, who clutched onto him tighter. He made sure she was still covered up before he stood up and turned his gaze to his childhood rival who was still on the floor. **"Don't you dare fuckin move Gary,"** warned Ash, making Gary go rigid with a shiver going down his spine.

Satisfied that he won't move, Ash then made his way towards Ilene's room with Riley leading the way while the others remained behind to keep an eye on Gary. They entered her room and Ash gently lowered her onto the bed. Riley placed a blanket over her, covering her up to her neck. Ash placed his hand where Ilene's cut was and pulsed out aura to heal the injury. It quickly stopped bleeding and sowed itself shut. She felt a little better because of the aura comforting her. **"Queen Ilene, we'll take you home in just a bit. But first please let me go check on Sarah and make sure Gary won't hurt someone else."** She agreed by nodding. He looked up at Riley and the two nodded at one another before leaving the room.

Ash went back to where everyone else was waiting and stood right in front of Gary who hadn't moved from his spot. He was quiet for a moment before speaking. **"You have one hour to pack up your stuff and leave,"** said Ash. Nobody argued with him since he was being very fair.

Ash turned around to go but then Gary spoke, making him stop. **"So that's it?"** he asked him. **"Just like that you're throwing away several years of friendship?"** Everyone was flabbergasted that he had the nerve to say that when he messed up.

The raven haired guardian turned back to look at him. **"No. You did that Gary when you let your ego control you and you crossed the line,"** replied back Ash calmly and Gary hung his head. **"You never could handle defeat well or not getting what you wanted. Everything was always so easy for the great Gary Oak. Almost always getting your way and having everything handed to you on a silver platter. But when you don't get what you want, you hurt the people that you say you care about. In the past it was Sabrina. Now it's Ilene. And you tried to force my girlfriend Sarah. You haven't changed at all. You're still an arrogant, insensitive, conceited and egotistical lying piece of shit who thinks he's entitled to whatever he wants."**

Gary became angry at his words, rage filling him. **"Fuck you Ash!"** he shot, getting up onto his feet, wobbling a bit before finding his balance and glared at him. **"How would you like it if you found out the girl you had feelings for was using you!"**

" **Is that so? You were just saying something else entirely different. So which is it?"** asked Ash.

Gary grumbled a bit, going quiet for a couple seconds and then shouted. **"ILENE FUCKIN LOVES YOU!"** The group had shocked expressions form on their faces and Ash was taken aback. **"SHE WAS USING ME TO GET YOU TO NOTICE HER! THAT'S WHY I'M PISSED! AND YOU PROBABLY WAS WITH HER BEFORE AND NOW SHE WANTS YOU BACK! YOU TWO PROBABLY FUCKED TOO!"**

Ash had stupefied expression on his face. He looked at the group with a confused look before looking at Gary again. **"Have you lost your god damn mind?! That's you're reasoning?!"** asked Ash. **"Nothing ever happened between me and Ilene! I never liked Ilene in that way nor do I like her in that way now! Ilene liked you, you freakin moron! And just for your information, a Knight of Rota can never get with the Queen!"**

The others in the group were frozen still, unable to believe that Gary was trying to point fingers and put the blame of his actions on others. **"You're a complete idiot!"** Everyone turned to the psychic prodigy now, surprised at her outburst. **"I spoke with her about you! She didn't deny liking you but didn't know if she should still give it a shot because of what you did to me! But I told her to think carefully because I thought you changed, you have feelings for her and she had feelings for you!"**

Gary barely heard Sabrina's words but it did nothing to make him understand. **"Tch. Of course you would help out Ash."**

Two blunettes stepped forward. **"Then maybe you'll listen to us,"** spoke up Lizabeth and they all turned to her and Shauna now. **"Ilene talked to us about you and her just now. She explained to us that she couldn't fully trust you again because of what you did to Sabrina, your behavior and lies."**

" **That's right,"** added Shauna. **"Ilene told us how she liked you in the beginning but because of what you did and of the image she has to uphold as a Queen, she couldn't pursue it. She can't just get with whoever she wants! And she also told us that you and her talked yesterday too about all this and you hurt her then too! And that's when she realized you're not the one for her and decided to completely end things!"**

The group listened carefully to the girls and in the end shook their heads in disbelief. Gary scowled at the two blunettes. **"So what? It doesn't matter anyways. She still used me!"** he yelled out.

" **You're right,"** growled Ash, catching everyone's attention. **"It doesn't matter. And even if she was using you, for whatever reason, that doesn't give you the right to try to force yourself onto her or Sarah. You could've just left and found someone else. Isn't that what you do anyways whenever you don't get what you want from a girl?"** Gary didn't reply back but scowled at that and the others said nothing, disappointed because it was true since he had done that to Sabrina. **"You have one hour Gary and you better be gone before your time limit finishes up,"** threatened Ash.

Gary moved towards Ash and stopped right in front of him. **"Or what? You'll kill me?"**

" **That is the penalty for attacking the Queen,"** answered Ash without emotion, making everyone become suddenly frightened to what he was implying. **"And you hurt my girlfriend. You hurt Sarah."** The Johto native raised her tear streaked gaze from within the hug to look at Ash over his words, feeling his concern for her, making her fill up with emotion. **"You should know better than to try something like that. You know I will usually overlook and forgive others for their mistakes but the moment you hurt the ones I love, then you're on my shit list."** Everyone gulped and even Gary took a step back. **"Even though I'm absolutely furious with you Gary and want nothing more than to make you feel extreme pain, I'm not going to hurt you out of respect for your grandfather Professor Oak and your sister Daisy."** Gary felt a little relief fill him and so did the others there. They were angry with Gary but didn't want Ash to hurt him, even if he did deserve it. **"Riley's a different story though but due to him loving Daisy more than wanting to punish you and that Ilene doesn't want that either, he won't. So you lucked out once again Gary. Queen Ilene may be going home, but I don't want you around anymore either since I can't trust you anymore. And every second that you're here, is making me want to beat the shit out of you. Don't test your luck any further. Pack your shit and get the fuck out."** The group of friends and family said nothing since they agreed and supported Ash's decision.

Gary felt fear fill him again that Ash wanted to hurt him but wasn't going to and that Riley had no problem in hurting him, maybe even killing him to fulfill his duties but was saved from it. But he was also becoming angry at what Ash was saying. **"Just like that you're kicking me out? After all I've done for you? After helping out Misty when Tracey was here? Does everything that I do not matter anymore? Is it that wrong that I'm not groveling at your feet like all the other losers here?!"** asked the pokémon researcher, earning some growls and insults shot back towards him from some in the group. He looked at his grandfather and sister. **"Gramps? Daisy? Aren't you going to say anything?"** he asked them.

" **I will,"** replied Oak, taking a step forward. **"Drunk or not, you have let your pride and ego grow to the point of them being uncontrollable. You need to learn that just because you want something, doesn't mean you deserve it or that you should necessarily get it. That's been your biggest problem ever since you were a child. You have crossed the line many times in the past but this is the biggest foul you've ever committed and is the last straw. I agree with Ash. You need to gather your belongings and leave before you cause any more problems."**

Gary's jaw dropped. He glanced at Daisy who crossed her arms. He couldn't believe it. **"Just like that? You're cutting off ties with me? Your own brother and grandson?!"** asked Gary in anger.

Daisy shook her head. **"We're not. But you need to leave. Go home and think about all the things you've done. You need to change your ways and stop acting like an entitled, prideful and egotistical brat who plays with people's emotions and feelings,"** explained Daisy Oak.

Gary was starting to shake with rage. He glared at Ash, locking his eyes with him. **"** **You fatherless son of a bitch! You took everything from me** **!"** he shouted at him.

The others gasped at what he said and Ash shook from Gary's insult, his hands clenching into fists but controlled himself. **"I didn't take anything. You pushed it all away because of you being unable to understand that not everything has to go your way."** Gary launched himself at Ash and threw a strike at his old rival who didn't even attempt to move with many shouting and screaming for him to stop and his fist connected against his cheek. Ash turned his head from the force but then he turned his gaze slowly back to him as if nothing happened. Gary took a step back as fear filled him and the rest had looks of disbelief on their faces. **"I'm not the one drunk this time Gary. And you just fucked up your last chance."** Before anyone else could say or do something, Ash knocked out his old rival with a right hook that sent him crashing to the floor. He looked at his old rival's unconscious form for a few seconds and then glanced at Gary's grandfather and sister afterwards. He took in a breath. **"I'm sorry for what I just did."**

Oak sighed before stepping forward and knelt down beside his grandson. He checked to make sure he was alright and felt him breathing. **"I'm not happy about it and I wish this never happened. But I cannot fault you. Help me with him."** Ash knelt down, picked up Gary and carried him over his shoulders. He stood up and faced his girlfriends, seeing Sarah still letting out some tears and the rest of his girlfriends scared and worried. **"Please go to my room and I'll join you there as soon as I can."** The girls nodded and went to his room while escorting Sarah. Ash entered Gary's room while the others were made to disband by the parents and Delia went to check on Natasha since she probably heard all the yelling and shouting. Ash placed him onto his bed as Oak and Daisy began gathering his belongings to put into his luggage. He then helped the two gather his stuff and pack his luggage. When they gathered all of his stuff, Ash zipped up his luggage and turned to Oak and Daisy. **"I'll teleport him home and if you want to go with him, I can teleport you as well."**

Oak nodded. **"I'll go with him to keep an eye on him. Just give me a few minutes."** He was about to leave to pack his stuff but Daisy stopped him. **"Yes? What is it Daisy?"**

" **I'm coming too."** Oak didn't argue but just nodded. Daisy turned to Ash. **"Is it true that Ilene is leaving? That she's going back home?"** she asked Ash and he confirmed it. **"That means Riley is going with her too right?"** He nodded and she glanced at her grandfather. **"Let me just go say my goodbye and then I'll go pack."** Her grandfather agreed and Daisy left the room.

Oak let out a long sigh before sitting down and Ash looked at him. He could see the lines on his face, his old age slowly getting to him. He never realized just how old the professor was until now. **"I'm sorry Professor Oak for everything."**

Oak looked up at the raven haired young man. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head slightly. **"You've done nothing wrong to be sorry about Ash. Even though I love my grandchildren above all else and would do anything for them, Gary has crossed the line for the final time. I can no longer turn a blind eye to what he has done. Trying to get back together with Queen Ilene by forcing himself onto her, trying to force himself onto your girlfriend Sarah, making up a ridiculous story that Ilene was using him to get to you…I never thought he would do such things like this. Even drunk, it is inexcusable. I'm going to have to show him some tough love…something I should've done years ago."** Oak sighed again, shaking his head some before his eyes became watery but no tears fell. Ash was about to say something but Oak cut him off. **"You did nothing wrong. Now go. Go and take care of Sarah. When Daisy comes back, I'll go pack."**

" **Thank you Professor Oak for not being angry with me and for understanding me,"** said Ash and Oak nodded. He left the room, making his way quickly to his bedroom.

On the way, he noticed Cynthia landing onto the balcony with her Garchomp. He went up to her as she recalled her pokémon. **"Hey Ash, nice of you to greet…"** She stopped talking, seeing his saddened gaze. **"What happened?"** she asked him.

" **You'll find out from the girls,"** he told her, grasping her hand and led her to his room. When they entered it, they saw the girls sitting on the bed, hugging Sarah who was still crying. They turned their gazes onto the two and Ash shot to his girlfriends with Cynthia right behind him. He took the crying blonde girl into his arms and hugged her tightly and she did the same to him with the girls hugging them. **"It's alright Sarah. I'm so sorry you went through something like that. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you. Please forgive me."** He felt horrible and guilty because he wasn't here for her. Cynthia had no clue what was going on but would wait to find out what happened. Right now, she was doing her best to help out her sister.

Sarah sobbed into his chest, holding onto him tightly. It took her a moment before she calmed down enough to be able to talk. **"It's not your fault Ash. But I was so scared because he wouldn't take no for an answer. Even when I told him I love you and won't betray you, he wouldn't let me go! Even when I slapped him and pushed him away he still came onto me again! He kept saying how you don't love me and won't treat me right, that you won't treat me equally and that you don't care about me!"** She cried harder and her boyfriend and sisters felt so much sadness but also anger from what Gary tried to do. Cynthia was starting to figure out what happened but still didn't know who caused it. Sarah raised her gaze to look him in the eyes. **"He kept saying that he would be better for me but I didn't listen to him! I knew he was just bullshitting to get what he wanted! But I'm still so sorry Ash for failing you! For letting him even get so close to me! I dealt with so many assholes like him in the past who tried to force me during my travels or take advantage of me but was able to get away or stop them in the past!"** Her sisters and beloved became crestfallen over hearing what she went through in her life. **"But I let my guard down with him because I thought we were friends. And I was just trying to help Gary in the beginning when he first got here because I thought he was too drunk to do anything!"** She lowered her gaze and continued crying against him.

Cynthia's eyes widened, hearing that it was Gary who tried to force himself onto her sister Sarah. _What the hell was he thinking?!_

Ash tightened his hug on her before he started rubbing her back tenderly with one hand. **"Ssh, it's alright now Sarah. You have nothing to be sorry about. It means so much to me that you didn't let another's words make you feel any doubt for what I feel for you."** Sarah slowly raised her tear streaked face to his and he looked into her eyes. It was the first time he did so and it made him become stunned for a second at the color of her eyes; her pupils were a golden yellow color. He snapped out of it and tenderly wiped away her tear streaks, making her feel so much comfort and affection from his touch. **"No matter what happens…no matter where I am…no matter what others say…this will always be true…just like I said before…I love you Sarah Wiseman and nothing will change that."** Sarah felt her heart skip a beat at his words. He leaned in and gave her such a loving kiss that she just melted into it.

When they finally separated, he took her up into a hug again and the girls joined in on it. The ten of them stayed like that for a moment, letting their embrace do the talking for them all for a bit. Afterwards, when they separated, Ash looked at each of his girlfriends, trying to show the love he has for them with his eyes. Each girl could see and feel the love he has for them from his gaze, feeling much happiness and content from it. **"I'm going to go see Queen Ilene and Riley before sending them back home. Then I'm going to send Gary, Daisy and Professor Oak home as well. Just try to relax. After I take care of that, I'll come back as soon as I can. Okay?"** His girlfriends agreed on that and he left the room while they stayed behind together in the room.

After he left, the girls turned to Sarah and asked her if she was alright and if she wanted to talk about it. She shook her head. **"Not really. But I'll be alright. I just can't believe what he tried to do to me and to Ilene. And then make up a ridiculous story like that."** The girls agreed to that, saying he'd gone mad.

Cynthia however, wanted to know the full story. **"Um, what exactly happened?"** They turned to her and then to Sarah. She took in a deep breath before explain everything. When she was done, Cynthia had a mortified look appear on her face. **"How could he betray Ash like that? Hurt you like that? Hurt Ilene like that? What the hell is wrong with him?!"** asked Cynthia.

Her sisters merely shook their heads, commenting that they have no idea. **"I don't know, I don't care and I never want to deal with him again. I don't want to think about any of that anymore,"** replied Sarah. They agreed and she turned to Cynthia. **"How did the meeting go?"** she asked, changing the subject. Cynthia said she'll tell them all later when Ash returned since she wanted to tell him too. After agreeing, Sarah turned to Sabrina. **"Did it go well with your parents?"** she asked her.

The girls turned to the dark haired psychic and she nodded. **"Yes. Everything went better than I expected and it didn't take long at all."**

The girls smiled, glad that they weren't starting off so badly. Dawn grinned mischievously at Sabrina though, making her tilt her head. **"So if it didn't take too long, what were you and Ash doing?"** asked the blunette and the girls looked at her. Sabrina went scarlet, slapping herself mentally for her slip up. **"Oooh! You two did something! C'mon, tell us! What did you two do?!"** asked Dawn.

Cynthia became surprised, looking at her close friend. **"Damn Sab. So soon? What did you do huh?"** Sabrina looked at her and went dark red.

" **Hey, if she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to!"** shot Misty.

" **Yea, so stop pressuring her!"** added Serena.

" **Ah come on! It's just girl talk!"** remarked Leaf. **"It's not like we'll tell anyone else. Only we will know cause we're sisters and we all love the same incredible guy."** Leaf turned to Sabrina after seeing the rest of them stay quiet with nothing to comment back. **"C'mon, Sarah needs to feel better after what dumbass Gary tried to pull and what better way than a steamy love story about our man Ash?"** suggested the brunette from Pallet, making the other girls giggle while going red over her words.

Sabrina glanced at Sarah who gave her smile. **"You don't have to Sabrina and don't do it for me."**

The psychic prodigy smiled however. **"I'll tell you because I need to learn to not be so embarrassed about all this, I want to, I trust you and we should be open with one another because of our special situation."** Her sisters smiled at her, agreeing with her reasons. **"Just please don't laugh at me."** They became shocked at that and quickly assured and promised that they wouldn't. **"Thank you. Well, just so you know we didn't go all the way. But after we talked with my parents and Ash had a quick battle with my Dad, I had us teleport to the top of Silph Co.'s skyscraper…"**

When the group disbanded after Ash knocked out Gary, Delia went to check on Natasha. She found her in the bathroom, having locked herself in. It took her a while to calm her down enough for her to open the door. The second she did though, Delia was taken up into a hug by the scared red head who was crying. The screams and shouts had reminded her of what she went through with the Skull Brothers and she had locked herself in the bathroom to try to shut out the screaming as she covered her ears. **"Sshh, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you. We just had a problem that needed to be fixed and some were more vocal about it than others. Everything's fine. So please just try to relax sweetie."** Natasha just kept crying for a long time until Delia was able to calm her down enough, telling her that her son was still here and that he wouldn't let anything happen to her either. Thinking of her savior allowed her to focus on that and not her horrible experiences. She allowed the kind mother to lead her to her bed and Delia had her lie down onto her bed. **"I'll stay with you until you go to sleep okay?"** Natasha nodded and decided to just sleep since she had nothing else to do. She closed her eyes while focusing on the image of Ash in her mind. Delia stayed by her side until the red head fell asleep. She sighed and lifted up the covers over her shoulders before leaving the room.

After Ash left his room, he went to check on Ilene. He found her wearing her royal attire and packing her stuff, alone in the room. **"Queen Ilene? Where's Riley?"** he asked her.

Without stopping her packing, she answered him. **"He's talking to Daisy in his room."**

Ash frowned a little. Her tone of voice was very sullen. **"Queen Ilene, are you okay?"**

Her heart hammered at his worried tone of voice. _Oh if only you knew what I'm going through right now._ **"I'm fine."** He heard her thoughts, wanting to do something to help and comfort her but said nothing. She continued on with her packing while Ash waited silently for her to finish packing and Riley to return so he can have teleport them home. She placed another item of hers into her luggage and then stopped with her hand on the packed stuff. She let her head fall and started shaking before letting out sobs. **"Why did this all happen to me?"** That was the only thing she said before she just let go as she started bawling loudly.

Ash moved to her and took her into a caring embrace, with her hands and face against his chest. **"I'm so sorry my Queen for what you went through. That shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry for failing you as your Knight. I don't deserve that title."**

 _You're wrong Ash. You're one of the very few who does deserve that title._ Ash was stunned in hearing her think that but said nothing. Ilene kept crying for several long minutes while Ash tried to comfort her as he rubbed the top of her back gently. The door opened and Riley stepped in with Daisy who wanted to apologize to Ilene for her brother and say goodbye to her too. They stopped when they saw the young queen crying while being hugged by her knight. **"My Queen?"** asked Riley, stepping forward.

She didn't answer him and just continued. Ash glanced at Riley and shook his head. Riley let out a sigh and turned to Daisy. She felt so miserable for what her brother caused Ilene to feel. Even though they fought and traded harsh words, she didn't believe for one second that Ilene deserved to be treated so horribly by Gary. She realized then just how much her brother hurt the Queen with his actions. She went up to the two when the she finally calmed down enough to separate from the guardian.

Ilene turned to Daisy Oak and what happened after surprised everyone in the room. Daisy Oak hugged Ilene and apologized for her brother's immature and hurtful actions. Being taken aback at first, Ilene was stunned for a few seconds before she returned the hug. When they separated, the two blonde girls looked at one another. **"I promise I won't let him do that to anyone else ever again. I swear it."** Ilene nodded, unable to speak. Daisy then went up to Riley and hugged him. **"Bye Riley. I'll miss you."**

Riley smiled slightly. **"I'll miss you too Daisy. We'll keep in touch okay? And I'll try to come visit you when I have some free time."**

" **I will too,"** promised Daisy and they shared a farewell kiss. Afterwards, she said her goodbyes and left the room to go pack her stuff to leave with her grandfather and brother.

When she left, Ash turned to Riley. **"Are you ready to go?"** he asked him and he said he was, pointing to his travel bag that was on the floor. He then turned to Ilene. **"Are you my Queen?"** She said she needed a few more minutes. She quickly finished up and looked at him, signaling that she was done. Ash sent a mental message out to Mewtwo before the three of them teleported.

The three appeared in front of two large doors that served as the entrance of a very beautiful and large castle. The guards posted by the doors advanced with their spears readied and their other hands on their poke balls. **"Halt! Who goes there?!"** asked their captain. They couldn't see their faces since it was evening now and hidden in shadows.

Ilene stepped forward into the light, revealing herself. **"It is I, Queen Ilene. Stand down."** The guards saw her face, realizing she was the queen and hurriedly lowered their weapons. They bowed to her while greeting her and then apologized. She waved them away and the captain shouted for the doors to be opened for the Queen. Ilene turned to her Knight. **"Thank you for bringing me back home."**

Ash knelt down in front of her and bowed his head. **"Of course my Queen. You don't need to thank me for it."** He stood back up and Ilene hugged him suddenly. Ash was surprised from her action and so was Riley who raised an eyebrow over it. When they separated, she glanced at Riley who understood.

Riley went up to Ash. **"Good luck in the tournament and we will prepare for what's coming afterwards."** He raised his hand and Ash shook it, thanking him. He picked up her luggage and his travel bag and went to stand beside the young Queen.

" **Bye you two. We'll see each other again soon,"** said Ash. Riley said his farewell and Ilene gave him a neutral look before the two walked towards the now open doors. Right before going through them, Ilene glanced back at her Knight in time to see Ash disappear in a blue glow. She faced forward and walked faster so Riley wouldn't see her eyes become watery.

Ash reappeared in the hotel, inside Gary's room. Daisy Oak and Professor Oak were packed and ready to go. Ash picked up Gary and hoisted him over his shoulder once more. **"Ready?"** he asked them. The two confirmed that they are and the four of them disappeared.

They reappeared in front of Gary and Daisy's home. The blonde girl went up the porch steps and unlocked the door with her keys. She stepped inside and held the door open for Ash to step through, followed by Oak. **"Can you take him to his room and put him on his bed?"** asked Daisy. **"You remember which one right? It's the first room upstairs on the right."**

" **Yea and alright."** Ash went up the stairs and entered the indicated room. He lowered Gary onto his bed and checked on him. Gary was snoozing away. **"Unbelievable,"** he remarked. He went downstairs and saw the girl and professor speaking. **"Need anything else?"** he asked them.

They turned to face him. **"No. We're good. Thank you Ash and I'm very sorry for what he did,"** said Daisy. She hugged him and apologized again for her brother's actions. Ash told her it's not her fault and thanked her for not being angry with him.

When they separated, Ash went up to Oak with a raised hand but he instead took up Ash into a hug. **"Thank you Ash for trying to end things civilly. I know how hard that was for you. Especially because of your duties to the Kingdom of Rota and how he betrayed you."**

Ash was taken aback but quickly returned the hug to the man who he viewed as his own grandfather. **"It's alright and thanks Professor Oak."** The two separated and Ash bid them his farewell before he teleported back to the hotel.

Oak quickly moved to the couch and collapsed onto it. **"Daisy, please put the kettle on."** She did so and after, came back to see if her grandfather was okay. **"I'm fine. I'm just worried."**

" **About Gary?"** asked Daisy as she sat in front of him on another couch.

He turned his gaze to his granddaughter. **"Yes. But also for you."** She tilted her head. **"I didn't want you to leave the one you love."**

Daisy hung her head and spoke to the floor. **"If it's meant to be, then I won't lose him too like I lost Tracey."** Professor Oak looked at her sadly before she got up to go to the kitchen when she heard the kettle whistling.

Ash reappeared in his bedroom where his girlfriends were still there. Ash sat on the bed with them and they gathered around closer to him. **"I have some news,"** said Cynthia and they looked at her. **"During the meeting, I found out some things…"** She explained to Ash and her sisters what happened during it, making them have concerned expressions but left out what Goodshow said about the tournament; that was supposed to be a surprise. When she finished explaining the rest, they were quiet for a few minutes.

" **So that's why we didn't see anything on the news or papers,"** remarked Anabel and they agreed.

Ash was quiet for a bit, thinking about all he learned before speaking. **"Okay. Thanks for the update. We'll let the others know that we must be more careful from now on. And I'm so sorry for getting you involved in whatever this is."**

His girlfriends immediately hugged him again. **"Don't even think that way Ash,"** stated May. **"It's not your fault, we're not blaming you at all and we will deal with this together."** Her sisters agreed with that and said the same to him in their own ways.

Ash felt a little better from their words. **"Thank you."** They separated and looked at one another with a small smile. **"Also, Sabrina's parents are going to come in the afternoon tomorrow to speak with your parents about our situation,"** he said them. The girls nodded and looked at Sabrina, saying everything will be alright and they'll let their families know. The psychic prodigy smiled and nodded at them while thanking them for their support.

The Sinnoh Champion wrapped her arm around the psychic prodigy's shoulders. **"Of course Sab. We're here for each other. So no need to worry? Right Dawn?"** said Cynthia.

" **Right!"** replied the petite blunette.

Ash and his girlfriends chuckled a bit. **"Girls, I hope you don't mind but I'm going to shower and go to sleep early today. I'm beyond exhausted."**

" **No problem Ashy,"** said Leaf. She hugged him and gave him a quick kiss. After she did that, her sisters did the same and when they finished up, Ash smiled at them and bade them a goodnight before heading to his bathroom. They watched him enter it and after, the girls got up and left the room. They entered the room shared by Leaf, Sarah and Anabel afterwards and looked at one another. **"I hope Ash doesn't allow Gary's betrayal to unhinge him even more. Especially after yesterday's fiasco,"** remarked Leaf.

" **You're telling me,"** remarked Cynthia, barely controlling her rage. **"What an asshole!"**

" **You can say that again,"** sighed Misty. **"I've never seen Ash so angry. Even with the Skull Brothers, the stadium attack or what happened with Damian…"**

The girls nodded. **"I bet it was because he never expected Gary to do something like that. To try and force himself onto Ilene after they broke up, to force himself onto you Sarah, to try and make you doubt your relationship with him,"** explained Serena. **"I mean, how low can you go?"** she asked.

" **Talk about a breach of trust and respect,"** commented Anabel.

" **As if Ash wasn't dealing with enough stuff already,"** commented Sabrina.

The girls tilted their heads. **"What do you mean?"** asked Sarah.

Sabrina sighed. **"Well…"** She told them how Ash told her how he feels that he's still unworthy for her, for each of them, how her father made him feel like it was because of him that she was in danger and everything else.

When she finished, the girls had crestfallen looks. **"He still feels like he's not good enough for us?"** asked Misty in disbelief. **"Doesn't that dense head of his understand how much we love him?!"**

The girls let small smiles form on their faces. **"He does Misty,"** replied Sabrina and the redhead looked at her. **"You know that. And you know he feels like that because he wants the best for each of us and wants to do as much as he possibly can for us."**

Misty hung her head. **"I know that Sabrina. I just…I just don't want him to feel that way anymore."** The girls quickly took their sister into a hug, trying to comfort her. **"Thanks you guys,"** said Misty and they replied back saying that she was welcome.

When they separated, Leaf turned to Sarah. **"Hey, if you want, you can go first. I'll wait,"** offered Leaf.

The girls smiled at her for doing that but Sarah shook her head. **"No, it's alright Leaf. You've been through a lot too. It's not fair since we already decided that you would go next. I'm fine."**

Leaf smiled. **"It's okay. You go. I would ask Sabrina but she already had some fun,"** remarked Leaf looking at the gym leader. Sabrina went scarlet, but didn't deny it, making her sisters laugh. Sarah and Leaf kept going back and forth, making their sisters chuckle over it.

Having enough of it, Anabel stepped in. **"Why don't both of you go at once together?"** Both Leaf and Sarah went quiet suddenly and glanced at the Frontier Brain and so did her other sisters. **"I mean why not? You can go on a group date with the three of you or you can both go out on the same day. One in the morning and one in the evening or something like that."** The girls thought that was a good idea and commented that they should do that.

Leaf and Sarah glanced at one another and nodded before they both turned to Anabel. **"Alright. We'll do just that,"** said Sarah.

" **But only if you join us too Anabel,"** added Leaf.

The Frontier Brain had her eyes widened. **"What? Look I was just saying for you two."**

" **We know,"** replied Leaf before letting a devious grin form. **"But us three have gotten close together and it'll feel weird without the third leg of the tripod. Right?"**

Her sisters laughed out loud at that and Anabel was having a hard time catching her breath. After calming down, she nodded. **"Alright you troublemaker. I'll join."** The girls smiled at one another until one of them had their stomach grumble loudly. They all turned to the brunette from Hoenn.

May went scarlet over their amused looks. **"Shut up. We haven't eaten in a while."** They laughed, commenting that she and Ash were copies, making her go red as she crossed her arms over her chest. **"Haters; you just can't eat like we do and not get fat! I'm gonna go eat and let our families know about tomorrow,"** said May, leaving the room. The girls laughed harder and followed after her.

When Ash entered his bathroom, he showered and then got dressed into his sweats only pajamas and then got into bed. He tried to go to sleep but was unable to stop thinking about Gary's betrayal and that was angering him so much he didn't realize that his bedroom door opened and his starter walked in. **"Pikapi, pi pika."**

He lifted his head off his pillow and turned to his starter. **"Pikachu? Where have you been?"** Pikachu explained as he headed towards his bed basket and Ash started chuckling. **"You do know that Buneary and Glaceon were returned to their poke balls long ago right? So you hiding for hours was a waste."** Pikachu let out a disgruntled sigh and spoke into his bed, his muffled voice barely heard. Ash just laughed. **"Yea yea, you're going to shock me. Just do it in the morning. I'm exhausted too."**

" **Pi pika Pikapi,"** said the yellow mouse, agreeing before he knocked out instantly afterwards.

Ash chuckled and lowered his head back onto the pillow. He was lost in thought for a while as he tried to clear his mind but was unable to. He was about to let out an annoyed huff when his door opened. He lifted his head up again and saw three of his girlfriends dressed in different colored night wear come to him. He turned onto his back in time to have his childhood crush climb on top of him while the blonde and the purple haired girl sat near his sides.

Leaf leaned in and pressed her lips onto his and they shared a passionate kiss together. When they separated from one another, almost immediately Sarah kissed him too. Satisfied with her kiss, Sarah pulled away and Ash turned to Anabel to give her a kiss too and the Frontier Brain returned it. After their kiss, he looked into her purple colored eyes, losing himself in them for a moment. He then turned to look into the golden yellow eyes of the Johto native before he turned to look into the green eyes of the brunette from his hometown. He hugged the three tightly and they hugged him back. **"Thank you for being here. I love you with all my heart,"** he told the three.

" **I love you Ash,"** said the three girls at once. The four looked at one another for a bit before they told each other goodnight and readjusted their positions a little. Leaf was now fully on top of Ash while Anabel was up against his left side and Sarah was up against his right side with his arms around them. Each of the girls felt incredible comfort, safety and love with him before they drifted off to sleep.

Ash felt much better with them there in bed with him. He felt his anger dying down and felt happiness fill him up. He looked at the three for a bit after they fell asleep. **"I hope I can be whatever each of you needs and wants. I will do anything and everything within my power to do so. I promise,"** he whispered to them before shutting his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _ **A/N - Some separate paths have been taken and now several will have to find their own way now. And now Ash's father has been teased, (Satoshi) along with the Pokemon Master (Red) and wait, they were friends with Sabrina's father (David)?! Something to think about along with Gary losing it, Ilene going home, Natasha being healed (somewhat), Liza and Clair's discussion, the Champions meeting, Goodshow's idea and Ash feeling unworthy. ;) Please review, fav and follow! Hope all is well with each of you and take care!**_

 ** _Question 1 -_** _Out of curiosity, who is your favorite starter pokemon?_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _Also, what is your favorite pokemon game in the main series?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **Tournament Upcoming Match**_

 _Semi-Finals_


	47. Chapter 47 - Indigo Mall

_**A/N - Hey guys, how's it going? Silent here with another chapter for you all! I want to say thank you for being patient and hope everyone has been well. As always, a few things before letting you read the chapter...**_

 _ **1\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **ASD Pokemon Fan -** Yes, that was being lazy. lol. Anyway, glad you liked it. You'll find out more about David, Satsohi and Red as the story moves on. Sabrina breaks out of her shell a little thanks to Ash and yup, Gary just hit rock bottom. The pink haired girl will be revealed soon. About Ilene, you'll see. No worries and congrats on that buddy. That's a lot of shows man...I still have like two dozen saved on my netflix list to watch. hahaha. _

_**Guest 1 -** You'll find out if its May or not soon._

 _ **Guest 2 -** You'll see soon enough about Leaf and Ash._

 _ **Guest 3 -** Hey buddy, happy to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for the kind words. You'll see more of the Dragon Master more in this chapter. Ash didn't kick Gary's ass because of Professor Oak and Daisy (though he really wanted to). You'll find out soon who is pregnant and if Ash will face the Dragon Master in the tournament. _

**_MANbearPIG1 -_** _I'll work on the things you mentioned on and if it makes sense with the story flow, I'll include it. But can't promise it. Max and Bonnie will be fleshed out little by little as the story goes on and so will some of the other neglected characters. I'm barbaric?! Damn... You'll find out some of my reasons behind that below._

 _ **Rams30 -** You'll find out eventually about that. ;)_

 _ **Vikacocoa -** Dude, it's been awhile. lol. Thanks for being patient and I'll do my best._

 _ **2\. Gary Oak -** It's been a long time coming and I've been hinting at it and leaving clues to it for a while. Wanted to let everyone know that Gary acted out of his own (drunken) self, not because of Ragnarok. I know there are a lot of Gary fans reading this Fic but I've said it before that I'm not a huge fan of him. Sure he has his good points, but has far more bad traits. He's always had that entitled and arrogant attitude of his even after "growing up" a little. Gary will be walking a different path now and whether that will help him or not, turn him evil or make him become a better person, I won't say. A possible redemption or drowning further into darkness, you'll just have to see what happens._

 _ **3\. Pink haired girl in club -** Man, several of you are wondering who she is and said that you enjoyed her scenes with Gary. You'll find out who she is as the story goes on and I hope you're prepared for it. ;)_

 _ **4\. David, Satoshi and Red -** Ah, that little teaser made many of my readers be very surprised about it. Yes, I have decided to split Ash's father and the Pokemon Master into two different people because it will fit the story better for what I have planned and didn't want it to be the same as others. Sabrina's father holding a big secret shared between the three of them with his wife knowing a little about it...lets just say that things will be getting hectic sooner or later. _

_**Alright, with that done, here you go! Enjoy the next chapter and remember to review!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 47 – INDIGO MALL

The sun was beginning to rise as a large helicopter was nearing the Indigo Plateau. There was a beautiful blonde girl in it along with the pilot. She had a mission to complete and would get it done no matter what, just like she always did. She glanced towards the pilot next to him. He was quiet the whole trip. She wondered if it was because she intimidated him or because of what he found out about the red head since it was well known that he was obsessed with her. **"So John was it?"** she asked him. He nodded while keeping his gaze straight ahead. **"How do you feel about Natasha being kicked out of the organization for failing our Boss and letting herself become raped like a whore?** "

John grimaced before he turned his head to her and saw her looking at him carefully with a stoic expression. **"I'm not going to lie to you of all people Domino. I'm saddened that she's not with us anymore and what happened to her. I wish it never happened but the organization comes first,"** he told her.

" **I see. Well then, perhaps you might be able to get what you want then,"** she told him, satisfied with his answer. She could tell when others tried to lie to her. He tilted his head, asking her what she meant. **"Well, we're going to find Natasha and tell her that the offer is still on the table since she was able to get into the guardian's group. If she gets us the information we want on him, she'll be welcomed back,"** revealed the blonde.

John was surprised over what she said. **"Is that so?"** he asked her. He never heard of Giovanni giving someone an extra chance besides the three bumbling idiots who somehow stayed on his good side even with all their fuck ups. But they haven't been in touch for a long time now. He wondered sometimes if Giovanni had finally decided to get rid of them.

" **Yes. Giovanni told me this himself,"** she replied back. **"She completes her mission and she'll be able to come back. And Giovanni will reward you for your assistance by giving you whatever you want,"** she lied without trouble. She went quiet for a few seconds, seeing her words enter his mind. **"I daresay he'll even give you Natasha. That is, if you still want her since she's damaged goods now."**

John faced forward and he thought about it a bit. He imaged her coming back, being with him and finally experiencing what he's been wanting from her for so long. **"Doesn't matter to me. It's not like I want to marry her. I just want to have some fun. Alright. I'm in. What's the plan Domino?"** The deadly blonde beauty grinned before explaining the plan. As soon as she finished, they looked at the remaining distance to go on their GPS. Feeling themselves becoming hungry, they decided to hit up the food court at the mall once they got there before starting their mission. Domino got up and dug into her duffel bag for her disguise.

A large beam of white energy shot through the air and exploded when it hit a very large boulder, bringing up a cloud of dust and smoke. When it cleared, in the boulder's place was a large crater. **"Well done,"** praised a tall trainer to his large pokémon beside him who didn't react. The trainer was dressed in black jeans, white long sleeved tight shirt, black vest and had a cloak around him. **"We are at full strength and ready to decimate our next round opponent."** He looked up towards the dark sky that was slowly becoming lighter. **"It will be glorious. We will show that there are trainers stronger than the Aura Guardian. He will be a worthy opponent, but we will triumph in the end. And then we'll decimate the trainer of legends as well. Then everyone will know that we are the strongest in the world!"** He looked at his pokémon who gave him a look that said that he was with him till the end. The man tossed out a few other poke balls and his other pokémon appeared with loud roars that made smaller pokémon flee the nearby areas. **"Morning training! But half speed! We are only warming up for our battle today against the Aura Guardian and then we'll go get some food."** His pokémon agreed and started mock battles against one another.

In the Indigo Hotel, a raven haired man was still sleeping. He turned his head a moment later but remained asleep. His movement made one of the girls who was sleeping with him stir and wake up from it. The brunette from Pallet Town opened her eyes and looked up at him. Leaf smiled, seeing him peaceful and relaxed for once. He had gone through so much in his life and he had barely reached his twenties. She quietly sat up on his stomach and glanced at the two other girls with them. Her sisters Anabel and Sarah were snuggled up against his sides, with their heads resting against his shoulders. She returned her gaze back to Ash and saw his diagonal chest scar. She moved her gaze downwards until she reached the other scar on his stomach. Not the bullet scar but the stab scar. She moved her hand towards it and felt the ruined skin with her finger tips. Her smile faded away with her filling up with sadness. _I can't see you get hurt because of me ever again._ She placed her hand over it and lowered her head to his. She gave him a soft kiss on the lips before lying down fully on top of him again with her cheek against his chest. **"I love you Ash,"** she said.

Leaf stayed awake in that position, listening to his heart beating calmly through his chest. She thought of what she could do for him or get for him. She wanted to pay him back for everything he had ever done for her in the past and here at the tournament. Not to be even or to not owe him anything. But because he deserved it. She wanted to make sure he was never saddened again. She wanted to be there for him always just like he's been there for her. She wanted to do everything she could for him. Sure she likes to play games with him and tease him among other things. But she also wanted to give him the world. She raised her gaze to his again in time to catch him mumble some incoherent words before quieting. She smiled again and rested her head against his chest once more. _What can I do for you Ash? What will show you how much I care for you and would never hurt you ever again?_ She thought for a long time about that. Each thing she came up with just wasn't good enough. She thought she had to do something grand, something incredible for him. Leaf was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that her sisters had woken up already.

Anabel had woken up when Leaf had straddled Ash but kept her eyes closed. She enjoyed being in bed with her love so much that she just wanted to stay like that with him forever. She felt his arm wrapped around her and she felt so much emotion fill her. _I'm so happy to be with you Ash. I've thought about you for so long. I cannot believe that we're finally together. And I cannot believe our special situation. Though I knew you were unique, I would've never guessed something like this happening. But, I have to admit that I'm alright and actually happy with it all._ She took in a quiet breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart since she was feeling his body against hers.

She forced her mind to go onto another subject because she didn't want to keep thinking about her beloved or she wouldn't be able to control herself for much longer. Her mind landed onto her sisters and how each of them trusted her and cared about her too. She felt happy over that because she was an orphan and never really had anybody there for her. That is until Scott found her when she was a teenager. He was impressed over her abilities and took her in. He raised her like his own daughter and helped her in learning how to control her gifts and grow stronger. He introduced her to the Frontier Brains at the Battle Frontier. When she was ready and passed her test, he named her a Frontier Brain as well.

But she always still felt like she wasn't complete. Though she was friends with her fellow Brains, becoming best friends with Lucy and loved Scott like a father, she still felt like there was something missing. Like a piece of her that was lost. She hid it well for a long time until the day came when she met the one who was her other half. Instantly she knew that he was the one for her, even with all the little misunderstandings. Thinking about that made her almost laugh out loud but she kept it in. She remembered their first interactions together, their battle together and everything else between them.

Anabel thought about all that but then remembered how sullen she became when he left after becoming the Battle Frontier Champion. She was hoping he would take up Scott's offer and become a Brain himself so he would stay. But he wanted to travel some more and become stronger first before thinking about that. She respected and admired his goal, his dream but couldn't help but be saddened by it. And at the time, she couldn't help but also feel jealous over May and Misty being around him. She had seen the way the two girls looked at him and even sensed their emotions and feelings towards him. Anabel couldn't believe that now the two are her sisters and the three of them were sharing this incredible man between themselves. And with six other girls too. She continued thinking about all that while she continued to pretend to be asleep.

The third and final girl who was in bed with Leaf, Anabel and Ash had awakened when the brunette had said that she loves him out loud. Sarah was feeling completely safe and happy as she continued lying snuggled against her boyfriend. She had dreamed of finding such a special love and was hoping it would be with him when she saw him at the tournament. And it came true. Sure, she was sharing him with several other girls. However, for some reason, she didn't care about that at all. In fact, she was happy over that too because she would never be alone again. After all she's been through, all her losses, she had found something that filled the hole in her heart. She found the love of her life and a loving family in addition to it. _I thank Arceus that I'm with you Ash and for my sisters. I can't believe that my dream came true._ The blonde Johto native could never have imagined that she would have such an incredible man be hers. A man whose single touch could make her feel many things at once. From safety and comfort to love and excitement.

Thinking about that made her remember what happened yesterday. How he became so angry at his childhood friend for trying to make a move on her. She was moved by his words and actions. He didn't know her for long at all, barely a few weeks. Yet he was treating her like they had known each other for a long time and that she was just as important as the girls he had loved for years. He had fallen in love with her as she had hoped he would. And she knew that he would do anything for her. She only hoped that he understood that she would do the same for him. He is the only one for her since he was the reason why she was able to overcome so many bad things in her past. He didn't know just how much he had influenced her and inspired her in her life. As Sarah thought about it all, she came to a decision soon enough; she would tell him. She would tell him everything about herself when they had some time alone together.

As the three girls stayed in their positions on the bed while snuggled up against the raven haired guardian, they didn't notice that their love was starting to wake up. Ash kept his eyes closed though when he fully awakened, trying to remember the dream he just had. He was at the pyramid like temple once more with the golden mirrors. The shadowy figures closed in on him and the voice spoke to him again but he couldn't make out the words or the figures. He thought about it a bit more before dropping it for the time being and that's when he remembered he wasn't alone in bed. He opened his eyes and looked down at the three girls in bed with him. He watched his girlfriends for a few minutes without moving. He knew that they were awake, sensing it, but just wanted to relish in the moment with them.

He thought about how much he loves them and that he would do anything for them. Ash wondered where he can take each of them out to until movement made him focus onto the blonde. He felt his heart beat a little quicker, thinking about what she went through yesterday. Anger rose inside him but he quickly controlled it by taking in a quiet breath. _I need to let that go. Gary got what was coming to him and he's not here anymore. I should think about what to do for Sarah instead._ He thought about that for a bit but then stopped when the brunette moved. Leaf raised her head and placed her chin onto his chest. Green and brown eyes looked into one another before the two smiled. **"Good morning Leaf."**

" **Good morning Ash. Did you sleep well?"** she asked.

He nodded. **"Of course. And what about you?"**

" **Pretty good. I have to admit that it is more comfortable to sleep on top of you than to sleep in a sleeping bag in the woods,"** revealed Leaf with a smirk. Her comment made Ash chuckle and her two sisters to let out involuntary laughs as well. **"Ah, so you two are awake and eavesdropping huh? How rude!"** remarked the brunette as she raised herself to a sitting position again.

Sarah and Anabel opened their eyes and lifted their heads a bit. **"Sorry Leaf,"** said the two at once.

Leaf crossed her arms and turned her face to the side. **"Not good enough."** She looked at the her childhood friend from the corner of her eyes and gave him a look that only he knew what it meant. **"You ought to be punished."** Before the two could ask why, both of them started laughing out loud. Ash had started tickling Sarah and Anabel, slipping his hands over their sides. Leaf quickly joined in on it and soon enough, both girls were laughing so hard that they were becoming blue in the face. Seeing that happen, both stopped what they were doing and their victims slowly got their breath back.

" **That was…cruel…"** panted Anabel as she sat up. Sarah stayed lying down, taking in large gulps of air.

Leaf grinned at her. **"Don't be so sensitive."** Anabel narrowed her eyes at her. **"Ooh, I'm scared!"** mocked Leaf.

" **That's it!"** Anabel lunged forward and pushed Leaf backwards onto the bed and started tickling her back, making her laugh out loud. **"How do you like it missy?!"** Anabel turned to Sarah. **"Don't you want some revenge too?"** asked the Brain. Sarah shot up and began aiding Anabel.

" **HAHAHAHA! ASHY! HAHAHAHA! HELP! PLEASE! HAHAHAHA!"** Ash however didn't help and was just laughing at her. Seeing her not able to breathe properly anymore, Anabel and Sarah finally stopped and withdrew from her. Leaf slowly caught her breath and then sat back up. **"ASH! What the hell?! I said 'please'!"** she shot at him, peeved that he didn't help her.

Ash just shrugged his shoulders. **"I thought you could get out of it,"** he replied with a grin. Leaf narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest while Sarah and Anabel laughed. Ash glanced at the clock and saw it said 8am. **"That's early. At least we'll have a good amount of time to use for today."**

" **True. That gives us enough time to go out today. That's if you want to?"** asked Sarah.

" **Sure. Who wants to go first?"** replied back Ash.

Anabel moved back to be beside him. **"Well, we were thinking of doing things a bit differently this time. Either we can all go out at once together or just do like mini dates separately,"** said the Frontier Brain.

Ash thought about that and nodded. **"Why not? Let's mix things up,"** he told them.

Sarah and Anabel beamed at him but Leaf scoffed. **"See if I let you take me out after not helping me get out of torture!"** shot the brunette, turning her gaze away from him.

Ash chuckled at that. **"Is that right?"** Leaf commented back that it is right without looking at him. **"Really? Well, let's see if you won't let me do this."** Ash sat up and grasped her shoulders, making her look at him before placing his lips onto hers. Leaf melted into it and uncrossed her arms before wrapping them around his neck and pushed him back down onto the bed. Sarah and Anabel just watched them go at it with smiles on their faces. Right before it was about to get even more heated, a beep was heard from his Poketch. Reluctantly, they slowed down and separated with groans. Leaf sat up, straddling him again and Ash looked at the message. His displeasure at being interrupted was replaced with interest. **"Looks like my ninth round match is today at 5pm and it's against a trainer who goes by Dragon Master Drax."**

" **Dragon Master Drax?"** repeated Sarah, tilting her head.

" **Somebody thinks of themselves pretty highly,"** remarked Anabel with a chuckle.

Ash smiled. **"Looks like it huh? I hope he's a challenge and his name isn't for nothing,"** he said.

" **Well he is in the ninth round. He should be strong. Hopefully you'll get a good match,"** said Sarah.

" **Hopefully. I'd like a challenge."**

The three girls giggled. **"We know you'll win,"** stated Anabel.

" **But don't get cocky,"** added Leaf.

Ash grinned. **"Yes ma'am,"** he said and Leaf let out a squeal. He had grabbed her cute ass and squeezed it, making Sarah and Anabel laugh out loud. But then both of them turned red, imagining him doing that to them.

" **Ash!"** She slapped his chest, giving him a mock glare. **"You're being naughty. You should be punished."**

" **Really? I didn't do anything,"** he said, feigning innocence. **"If you want to punish me, at least do it for something bad."** Ash smacked her ass hard suddenly, making a sharp sound cut through the air, shocking Sarah and Anabel that he did that as Leaf let out a yelp.

Leaf gave him an astonished look over his action before glaring at him. **"Oh it's on,"** she said dangerously. **"You're toast!"** She raised her hand to slap him and Ash covered up his face immediately. But Leaf was counting on that. She quickly shot her hands forward and began tickling Ash heavily, not letting him rest for even a second. **"This is only the start Ash!"** rubbed in Leaf over his laughing. While maintaining her torture, she glanced at Sarah and Anabel. **"Help me punish him!"** she said. Both Anabel and Sarah grinned and helped the brunette keep the raven haired man down.

Being tickle tortured once again, Ash was trying to resist but failed miserably. Leaf was still straddling him while Sarah and Anabel had sat on his hands, holding him down while tickling him under his armpits. He was laughing so much that his stomach was starting to hurt and he was running out of oxygen. Leaf was grinning from ear to ear, remembering their old days of their play fights when they were kids and how she would usually win like this. Sarah and Anabel were enjoying it as well, seeing how they were making their beloved squirm beneath them. Seeing him turn almost blue, the three eased up. That allowed Ash to get some much needed air back into his lungs. And to think of how to overcome them or he would stay under their mercy.

" **Be grateful Ash we showed mercy since you have a match today,"** said Leaf with a smirk as he kept taking in gulps of air.

Sarah giggled before speaking up. **"That's right and instead of going out today for our dates, we'll have you take us to the mall instead before your match."**

He took in a couple deep breaths before responding. **"Alright, we'll go to the mall today,"** agreed Ash without protest, surprising the three girls.

" **Really?"** asked Anabel and he nodded. **"I'm surprised you said that."**

" **I did promise to take my girlfriends out to the mall,"** he replied.

Anabel smiled. **"Yes you did."** Seeing the rather let down look on his face, Anabel tried to cheer him up. **"Don't worry, we'll have some fun."**

Ash sighed, commenting that he knows they'll have fun but not him. **"Don't be such a kill joy Ashy or we won't let you help us pick out new bathing suits,"** warned Sarah.

Ash grinned, replying back that he doesn't believe that. **"Well, you better believe it buster! When we go shopping today, you will get us whatever we want and you won't get any sneak peeks because-AAHHHH!"** Leaf was interrupted as Ash was able to somehow flip their positions. Now he was on top of the three girls. He was sitting on top of Leaf's lower body while holding down Sarah and Anabel with his hands on their stomachs. The girls were shocked, red faced and wide eyed, not believing what just happened.

" **I'm sorry Leaf, but what were you saying again?"** teased Ash. Not getting an answer from her, he glanced at Anabel and Sarah who were unable to react at all either. **"So, you decided to help her huh? Well, now you need to be taught a lesson in aiding a troublemaker."** Ash started tickling Sarah and Anabel, making the two burst out laughing. Leaf tried to stop Ash by tickling him back but he clamped his arms down against his sides and caught her hands with them, preventing her from aiding her sisters. **"Looks like I win this time Leaf,"** he chuckled, seeing her struggle to get her hands free and the other two lost in their laughter, unable to gather enough strength or coordination to push his hands away.

" **Ashy! No fair!"** whined Leaf, unable to get her hands free.

" **Pl-lease st-top!"** begged Sarah.

" **I-it h-hurts!"** pleaded Anabel.

The two girls started crying out that they surrender and Ash accepted, stopping their tickling but kept his hands on their stomachs. The two were taking deep breaths. He locked eyes with his childhood crush. **"Do you surrender?"**

" **Never!"** answered Leaf with a defiant look on her face.

" **Alright then,"** he said and started tickling the two again. Sarah and Anabel once again started laughing and the two were starting to get stomach aches. **"You can save them you know,"** taunted Ash, making Leaf glare at him. **"All you gotta do is admit defeat,"** said Ash.

The brunette glanced at the blonde and purple haired girl on opposite sides of her and saw them laughing but also giving her pleading looks as they slowly turned blue in the face. She looked back at Ash and saw the grin on his face. **"Fine!"**

" **I'm sorry; I don't understand what you mean."** Ash's grin grew larger at her angry look.

She scowled at him for a second. **"I admit defeat! I surrender! Now stop tickling them!"** shot Leaf.

" **I accept your surrender."** He stopped tickling Sarah and Anabel but kept his hands on their stomachs along with Leaf's hands trapped. The two girls were slowly trying to calm down. They were also heating up from feeling his touch.

" **Aren't you forgetting something?"** asked Leaf, pulling her hands a bit.

" **You think I'm stupid enough to let your hands go free so you can get me?"**

" **Damn. Looks like you're not as slow as in the past,"** jabbed Leaf with a smirk.

Ash pouted. **"Now that was mean Leaf. You must now face the consequences."** He leaned in closer to her, making her heart beat wildly. He got closer to her face but then stopped a couple of inches away. He then moved towards Sarah and placed his lips onto hers.

" **HEY!"** shouted Leaf, angry that he would just play her like that. The two finished their kiss and then he went back to hovering over the brunette, leaving a happy blonde girl next to her. He smiled at Leaf before leaning in to her, making her fill up with excitement again. But once again, he moved away but this time to Anabel and kissed her. **"YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!"** cried Leaf. Once finished with their kiss, Ash went back to Leaf, now leaving a happy purple haired girl on the other side of the brunette.

" **I did say you would have to face the consequences,"** reminded Ash with a smirk.

" **That's just being cruel,"** said Leaf quietly. Ash leaned in closer to finally give her the kiss but right before he was able to, she turned her face to the side, denying him. He kept going though and pecked her cheek. He then lowered his head a bit and kissed her neck, making her quiver from it and become turned on. **"Oh… Ashy…no fair…"** she moaned, making her two sisters have their hearts beat faster. She turned her gaze back to his and he raised his head. **"Kiss me!"** she demanded and he obliged, leaning in closer and letting go of her hands. The two kissed passionately with Leaf becoming both heated from their actions and being embarrassed that she was being so turned on in front of her sisters who were watching. But she couldn't let them know that. Sarah and Anabel watched the heated moment between the two. They were mesmerized, unable to move away or make a sound while their hearts beat faster. Ash and Leaf separated, green and brown eyes losing themselves in one another. **"I forgive you. But don't think you can get away with that again Ashy or you will face the consequences,"** she promised.

Ash grinned his trademark goofy smile in return. **"Maybe I'll do it again just to see what kind of punishment you have in mind."** Leaf glared at him but then smirked back. He glanced at Sarah and Anabel, making their hearts skip a beat. **"Don't think I forgot about you two now."** And with that he gave a heated kiss to Anabel, moving on top of her, making her become so hot. Their hands went wild all over them. Leaf watched the two go at it with a smile but also wondered if that's how she looked when kissing Ash. After another moment or two, they separated and Ash went to the blonde haired girl.

Before he could say anything, Sarah surprised him by pushing him backwards and went on top of him as she kissed him furiously. She had been waiting impatiently for her turn. Both Anabel and Leaf watched her go at it with amazed faces, seeing her so in control. She was running her hands through his hair and massaging his body while he did the same to her. When they finally separated after a while, they were out of breath. Sarah glanced at her two sisters. **"Sorry."**

" **Don't be,"** said the two at once together. They glanced at one another and then giggled, making Ash and Sarah chuckle.

After the four calmed down, Sarah got off of Ash, allowing him to sit up. **"Hey, since it's early, I think we should train a bit after breakfast. Then we'll hit up the mall before my match."** The girls agreed to that and got out of bed and so did he. The three left to go get changed and wash up for breakfast and Ash did the same before leaving his bedroom.

In one of the other rooms, two blunettes were wide awake and dressed. They were talking to one another about what happened yesterday. **"Do you think Ash will be alright?"** asked Lizabeth.

Shauna shrugged. **"I don't know. But I think he will be. I hope."** The two sighed and shook their heads. **"Hey, about what we talked about last night, do you think we should confront the other girls?"**

Lizabeth was quiet for a moment before replying back. **"I don't know."** Shauna gave her an annoyed look before saying she does know. **"What if they don't? We'd be revealing our secret that we both love Ash to them."**

Shauna sat down on her bed. **"I doubt that. I mean, didn't they do what we did? Jumping into the field to help him?"** Lizabeth nodded her head and after, plopped onto the bed and let out a sigh. **"Even though Ash has nine girlfriends…whoa."** Shauna stopped talking and Lizabeth raised her head to look at her. **"I just realized he has** _ **nine**_ **girlfriends."** Both blunettes let out groans as it hit them hard now, realizing it would be very difficult for things to go the way they wished for. Shauna took in a deep breath before continuing. **"We still need to give it a shot. We can't just give up or just sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Lizabeth..."** Her best friend sat up and looked at her, understanding the important tone of voice. **"Lizabeth, I love him. I don't know if I can go on anymore without telling him. I don't know what to do,"** revealed Shauna.

Lizabeth was surprised at Shauna's admittance. Usually the fighter would have some idea but she was completely lost right now. **"I'm feeling the same way Shauna. We'll tell him."** Her best friend asked when. **"The first chance we get we'll confess to him. No ifs, ands or buts."** The two agreed on it and right after they heard a knock on the door, making them go quiet. Johanna's voice was heard from the other side telling them to get ready for breakfast. The blunettes thanked her and got up to go have their morning meals.

In another room, a red haired girl was lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling. She had woken up abruptly a little earlier after seeing a worrying dream. When she tried to recall the events, it kept coming up blurry. She had a bad feeling that something was coming besides the ceremony attack and she couldn't shake it off. She wanted her hero to be with her now, feeling scared and vulnerable. She wanted to leave her room and go to him but didn't know which room his was in and didn't want to run into the others. And she also wanted to tell him what Giovanni was planning. _Ash…where are you? I have to tell you. And…I need you…_ No sooner did she finish thinking that when her doorknob turned. She snapped her gaze to it, fear filling her since she didn't know who it could be.

The door opened and the raven haired guardian walked in. Though breakfast was ready, he wanted to check on Natasha first. And he also wanted to see if she would like to have breakfast with them. The second she saw him, the fear inside her vanished at once. She shot out of bed, went to him and embraced him, surprising the young man. **"Hey, what's wrong?"** asked Ash after reciprocating the hug, feeling her shivering. _I…I just…I was feeling…_ She sighed, unable to finish. But she was feeling herself calming down and feeling safe once more. Ash rubbed her back tenderly. **"I get it. No need to worry."** She looked up at him and he gave her a half smile. She lowered her gaze back down, rested her cheek against his chest and tightened her hug on him. _I'm sorry. I didn't sleep well. And I just had a bad feeling and couldn't shake it off. I'm sorry for being so scared._ **"That's nothing to be sorry about Natasha. It's okay."**

The two stayed like that for a moment before she withdrew from him and looked him in the eyes. _Thank you._ He nodded at her. **"You're welcome."** Natasha felt her heart beat skip a beat over his words. Sure it was nothing more than gratitude, but somehow, when it came from him, it seemed to be much more than that. _Ash…there's something I need to tell you._ **"Okay. What's up?"** he asked her. She took in a breath. _What I'm about to tell you is something about myself._ He nodded at her with a small smile, trying to give her courage to continue. He was glad that she opening up to him. Seeing his smile, Natasha felt both elated and nervous. She didn't ever want him to be angry with her and seeing the way he was looking at her, she never wanted that to change. But she had to tell him. After all he did for her, she had to. She mustered up whatever courage left in her. _Ash, I appreciate everything you've done for me. I really do. But I have to admit that when I first came here, it was for…_

There was sudden knocking on her room door before someone spoke, cutting Natasha off. " **Hey, food's getting cold! Hurry up and come eat before May doesn't leave you any!"** warned Delia.

" **Alright, thanks!"** called out Ash towards the door. Getting no response back, he faced the red head while chuckling a bit. **"Sorry Natasha. What were you saying? You first came here for?"** The red head took in another breath. _I came here for…I'm here for…_ She stopped, unable to continue. Being interrupted made her lose her nerve. She let out a sigh and hung her head, ashamed that she couldn't continue. Ash sensed her emotions going haywire and had a feeling that what she wanted to say was very important but wouldn't force it out of her. He closed the distance between the two and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look back up at him slightly. **"It's okay. You'll just tell me later when you're ready."** Natasha looked at him for a couple seconds before nodding. He nodded back at her and removed his hand. That action made her miss his touch but didn't show any expression over it. **"By the way, like you heard, we're about to have some breakfast. Would you like to come join us?"**

She felt her heart beat a little faster, feeling anxious about that. _I…I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I want to get out of the room…but I'm still…you know._ **"I understand and that's nothing for you to feel anything bad about it. But allow me to say that I know you can do it. I know you can overcome it and you can sit beside me, my Mom, May or between us. Remember, no one will hurt you here and I won't allow anything to happen to you."** Natasha had her cheeks redden slightly over his words. She let a small smile form on her face. _Thanks Ash for giving me the courage to take the next step._ Ash smiled at her. **"You're welcome Natasha. Now let's go join the others before they eat up all the food."** She chuckled a bit at his joke. _Okay. Just let me get changed out of my pajamas._

Natasha entered the attached bathroom with some clothes that Delia gave her. After several minutes, she stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. She was wearing black sweat pants that were slightly big on her with a long sleeved shirt that was also slightly big on her. She didn't want her clothes to show off her body, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Her long red hair was left alone since it flowed down naturally, which also gave her a feeling of being covered. She walked over to her bedside dresser and picked up the notebook and pen that Delia gave her before. She then went to Ash who was now waiting by the door.

He was about to open the door when Natasha grasped his arm, making him look at her. _Ash, even though I feel okay around your mother and May, I'm still only really comfortable with you._ She went red admitting that to him but he kept his expression neutral. _I asked Delia to tell Sabrina and Anabel to communicate with me through the notepad. Can you please remind them not to listen to my thoughts? I…I only want you to do that for now._ The raven haired guardian agreed with that, telling her it's no problem and she thanked him for that. He opened the door and took a step out into the hallway. He glanced back at her and saw her not taking a step yet. He waited for her quietly and patiently, knowing she was trying to overcome her fear. The red head took a moment before taking a step towards him. Ash smiled at her, extending his hand to her and she took it with a small smile on her face as well. The two left her room to join the rest of the group in the dining room.

When Ash and Natasha, who was behind him as they walked, entered the dining room they saw everyone already eating and conversing with one another. Ash cleared his throat loudly, making everyone fix their attention onto him. They noticed his hand trailing behind him. Before anyone could ask what's going on, he spoke up. **"Just wanted to let you guys know that we're having one more join us for breakfast. Please make her feel welcome."** Taking that as her cue, Natasha took in a quick breath and stepped to the side, revealing herself to the group.

The moment she did, several things happened at once. The females in the group let out 'ohs' in understanding before smiling. However, after also noticing her beauty, several of them, young and old, become jealous of her looks. All the other males of the room however had their eyes widen and their jaws drop. They couldn't believe that this drop dead gorgeous girl in front of them was the one that Ash had saved from the clutches of the Skull Brothers. They couldn't stop ogling at her.

The red head saw the way the guys were looking at her. Natasha hid behind Ash again and grasped the top part of Ash's arm tightly. She had dressed simply for a reason but it seemed that even so she would still be getting attention. Sometimes she hated her looks and this was another one of those times. The way they were looking at her reminded her of the way the Skull Brothers did while violating her. She began shivering a bit in her spot from those awful memories. Ash understood her reaction to the group and so did the girls. Before he could even say anything however, most of the guys were hit hard in the guts by their girlfriends. Grace smacked Clemont upside the head and Caroline punched Norman in his chest. Each of the guys groaned with pain while doubled over in their chairs.

" **Thank you,"** said Ash and the females nodded with some replying back that it was no problem. Ash glanced back at Natasha. **"Don't worry, they're harmless."** He waited for her to calm down and step out beside him again and she did. She looked at everyone, her hands still clutching his arm tightly. **"Everyone, this is Natasha Dobrev. Natasha this is everyone. You know my mother, Delia, by now. Her full name is Delia Ketchum. And you remember May Maple right?"** Delia and May waved at her with smiles and the red head acknowledged them with a nod. The raven haired guardian then introduced everyone there, one by one, with the indicated person waving and smiling or nodding their heads. Natasha was surprised to see some very famous, popular and powerful gym leaders and trainers there along with a champion no less. After the introductions and reintroducing Leaf and Joy to her, the two walked over to the dinner table. They sat down with Natasha sitting between May and Ash. **"Oh and one more thing,"** stated Ash and the group looked at him. **"She will be communicating with her notepad and pen."** The group nodded without question, knowing the reason why. Delia had told them only of her voice being gone yesterday. They were saddened to hear that but also swore to keep their mouths shut about how she lost it. Both Sabrina and Anabel gave Ash looks of understanding when he caught their gaze. The two wouldn't listen to her thoughts or talk mentally with her. **"Alright, let's dig in. I'm starving."** Several let out chuckles as Ash's hunger took control.

They continued their meal normally afterwards. Though several of the guys would shoot split second glances at the red head. A couple of them got caught by their girlfriends and were elbowed hard because of it, angry over their behavior. Ash and May both offered Natasha some food from the table before taking a good helping for themselves. The new member of the group was astonished at how much her savior and his girlfriend could eat, seeing their plates overfilled. _How could you eat so much?_ Ash faced her and just shrugged before continuing his demolishing of his food. She watched him go at it for a couple seconds before turning to May and saw her doing the same thing. The brunette felt like someone was staring at her. She turned her head towards the red head and went red before smiling sheepishly. Natasha let a small smile form before going back to her meal. She wasn't feeling threatened anymore but she was feeling a little overwhelmed from being around so many people all of a sudden. She stayed remarkably calm though, knowing that her savior was right next to her. As the red head ate, she took her time and listened in to the others' conversations while also looking around every so often. Luckily for the guys who would steal glances at her, she didn't catch them in the act.

A certain blonde girl was particularly quiet. Daisy was deep in thought as she slowly ate her food. Before Ash and Natasha joined them, she was thinking about how she had failed yesterday in protecting Ash. She didn't react to Gary's insults or attack. She was frozen still, just like the others, over what was happening. She had sworn to protect him and her sister Misty but she failed in her oath the day after. She felt crestfallen and didn't feel like talking much. She only gave short answers or barely commented back to others who were trying to speak with her like her sisters.

She stayed that way until she saw the red head. The second she saw her, she felt intense jealousy spike up within her. She couldn't believe how stunning Natasha looked. And the way she grabbed onto Ash's arm made her stomach churn. She didn't act on it though. She didn't want anyone to become suspicious about what she's feeling for the raven haired young man, especially Misty. Daisy let out a quiet sigh and returned to her food. A couple minutes later, she glanced around to try to get her mind off of her failure and about her feelings for Ash. Most of the group was busy with conversations going on around the table but the blonde gym leader noticed some things.

Daisy saw Shauna and Lizabeth speaking with one another quietly while also shooting quick looks at Ash. When they looked away from him, the two blunettes noticed the blonde girl staring at them. They quickly stopped what they were whispering about and went back to their meals. She thought that was odd but then shrugged it off. Turning her gaze away from them, Daisy then noticed Clair and Liza staying unnaturally silent but would glance towards Natasha. The two were giving the red head quick annoyed looks every now and then.

Feeling like complete shit because of Natasha's incredible looks and over her own problems, the caretaker of the valley let out a sigh. Liza happened to look towards the area where the oldest sensational sister was at. She saw the way Daisy was staring at her and her friend. She quickly looked away and nudged Clair with her foot, making the blunette shift her gaze to the green haired girl. She was about to ask what her deal was but then Liza gave her a look that she knew what it meant. Clair turned her gaze to her plate and so did Liza.

Daisy kept her sight on Liza and Clair for a little while longer, thinking what they did was also odd before looking away. She was almost about to go back to her meal when her eyes fell onto Giselle. She was slightly slumped in her chair, staring at her plate. Daisy was about to ask her what's wrong when the black haired girl raised her head and gave a quick look of longing towards the raven haired guardian. Turning her head, Giselle saw Daisy looking at her. That made her redden before quickly going back to her food.

Misty's oldest sister kept her sight on her for a little while longer. Afterwards, she looked at the other four once more, seeing them not moving their gaze from their plates as they ate. Daisy faced her own meal and began thinking a mile a minute. She thought about their behavior, their reactions and also of them helping out in the stadium. Her eyes widened suddenly. _SHIT! They have feelings for Ash!_ She snapped her sight back onto the five girls. They were still not looking up from their food. The blonde girl couldn't believe it even though it made sense now. _Why else would they act this way and do what they did? But it doesn't matter. I won't let them take Ash away from Misty! If they try something, they will learn that a Sensational Sister is much more than just a pretty face!_ Daisy stared intently at them for a bit as she gripped her fork tightly before going back to her own meal, trying to control her emotions.

As breakfast went on, several became full and were just relaxing in their seats. After speaking with Max for a while about wanting to train with their idol again, Bonnie turned towards the young guardian. **"Hey Ash, got any plans for today? Are we going to train again?"** asked Bonnie anxiously.

" **A few yea and yes,"** replied Ash, making the rest quiet down to hear him better. **"I was thinking after breakfast we train again. Same as last time. Afterwards, we'll relax a bit before I follow up on my promise and take the girls shopping. If you or anyone else wants to join, it's no problem,"** said Ash and some of the group glanced at one another before asking if they're going or would like to.

" **So no matches today for you?"** asked Max.

That question reminded him of his next battle. **"Actually, I do have one today."** Everyone quieted down at once, wanting to know who he was up against. Only three other trainers were left and they were each said to be strong. **"What was his name again…oh that's right. The trainer I'm facing goes by the fearsome title of Dragon Master Drax,"** joked Ash, making a few others chuckle as well.

Their chuckling was stopped short by forks dropping and hitting plates. Everyone looked towards the reasons why and found Iris and Clair to be in shocked states with their eyes wide and their mouths slightly open. Cilan gave Iris a concerned look as did Sabrina, Cynthia and Liza to Clair. The two girls were looking at Ash and it was making him worried. **"Did…did you say…Dragon Master Drax?"** asked Clair in a whisper.

Ash titled his head. **"Yea…why?"**

Clair couldn't respond but Iris answered. **"Drax was from my village and he was considered to be a prodigy dragon trainer!"** That astonished everyone and Ash asked her how come she never mentioned him before. **"Well, he's a couple years older than me and how was I supposed to know you'd be strong enough to face him one day in a tournament?!"** shot Iris, making Ash huff. **"Anyway, he's really strong and he's been considered to be even better than Lance was in his youth."** Many had surprised expressions form on their faces at that bit of news. **"He's traveled around like you did Ash and my elders have said that he's never been beaten,"** finished up Iris excitedly and most of the group couldn't believe that he was never beaten.

The green haired connoisseur gave his girlfriend a bewildered look. Cilan hadn't seen Iris become so worked up over another trainer for a long time. And learning that this Drax was from her village and considered to be a prodigy dragon trainer was cause for concern. He felt a little threatened, knowing how much his girlfriend loves dragon types and dragon trainers. And this particular trainer is considered to be stronger than the Champion Lance in his youth. Cilan turned his attention back towards Ash with a calm expression but inside his stomach twisted into knots.

Ash's expression of disbelief however turned into an anxious one with a grin. **"Awesome! I can't wait to see how strong he is. Finally, a challenge!"** Natasha gave him a curious look that he was excited to battle someone that was considered strong. Some also chuckled over his enthusiasm, glad that he was able to look forward to other things after the past few days' events. **"But how come we haven't heard much about him?"** he asked Iris

Before the purple haired girl could answer, a blunette did. **"Because he doesn't like the spotlight."** Ash turned his head towards Clair again. **"And don't take him lightly Ash. Don't underestimate him,"** she advised him seriously, with her three closest friends keeping their gaze on her. Iris gave Clair a curious look but said nothing.

Seeing her in a non-joking state, he nodded. **"I won't Clair."** The blunette kept her gaze on him for a moment longer before turning her head back to her plate but didn't continue eating. Ash sensed some emotions spike up in her and wanted to ask what was wrong but before he could…

" **This should be a great battle huh?"** asked Max.

" **I know you'll win!"** encouraged Bonnie.

" **Thanks guys for the support,"** he replied with a smile. He glanced at Clair again and saw her in the same state but didn't continue his initial desire to find out what's wrong. He decided to wait for some other time. **"Alright guys, lets finish up breakfast and then it's time for some training. Meet me in the balcony when ready."** The group agreed and soon enough, finished up their meals. They got up to get ready and Ash faced Natasha who looked at him. **"What would you like to do?"** She thought for a couple seconds. _I'll watch. I have nothing else to do._ He told her to wait for him in the living room while he changed. She didn't have wait long for him to come back and soon enough, both of them entered the balcony.

Ash set up a seat for Natasha off to the side and she thanked him for it. He had Mewtwo, Lucario and Gardevoir appear while he waited for the rest to come. He introduced Natasha to them and the three greeted the red head who was stunned at seeing the purple feline. **"Yea, he's a Legendary psychic type. The brother of Mew,"** revealed Ash, making Natasha gasp. Ash chuckled and Mewtwo smacked him upside the head. **"What the hell man?!"** shot Ash while rubbing the area he was hit.

" **You still owe me a full on battle session and you still have that one thing to do. Remember?"** asked Mewtwo with a smirk. Ash replied back saying he still remembers it. **"Good. Just making sure you do. Otherwise I'd be angry."**

Ash rolled his eyes. **"Whatever. Keep pushing me and you'll get more than an Aura Sphere to the face,"** warned Ash but Mewtwo just chuckled while taunting him to bring it on. Lucario just sighed, shaking his head and Gardevoir gave the two an amused look. She missed these interactions. The raven haired trainer turned towards Natasha. She had a stunned expression on her face, her eyes wide and mouth open. She couldn't believe how Ash acted with the Legendary and how the two were buddy-buddy. Almost like brothers. Ash quickly explained some things to Natasha and right when he finished up, the others joined them. He gave the red head a reassuring look before moving to be in front of them. She decided to remain quiet for the duration of the training so she can see if she can find out why her savior is so strong. **"Alright everyone; we're going to start with the dummies again. Practice the strikes while Lucario and I walk around and check on you. After that, we'll let you know what's next."** Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and the purple dummies appeared once again after the balcony items disappeared and the pool was covered by a purple floor. The group spread out and each person went in front of their own dummies to practice the strikes they were shown before. Ash and Lucario began their observations of them training, walking through the group.

Mewtwo turned to Gardevoir who glanced back at him. **"You should train as well. C'mon."** The white and green fairy agreed and followed the purple feline towards the railings. Mewtwo used his Psychic attack on her so she can try to gain some resistance to it. They did that for a while before switching their roles, having her use her Psychic on him. She was barely able to affect him. But it was still helping her focus and raise her endurance in using the technique along with its power.

The aura canine commented on several people's training, giving out some advice and suggestions or otherwise approving with just a nod of his head. The aura guardian was doing the same but vocalizing his praise. After checking on most of his girlfriends, who he complimented and also gave advice to with them thanking him with some teasing and seductive actions, he moved over to his friends Brock, Lucy, Richie and Joy. He saw they had improved greatly. He praised them for their work but also give some additional pointers. They thanked him for it before continuing. He watched over them for a moment before continuing on to the other others.

Ash walked to where Clair, Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia were training at. As he drew closer to the four, he sensed that all of them had worried auras and were whispering to one another. Seeing him come towards them, the four girls quieted down and focused on their training instead. **"Hey. Everything alright?"** he asked them.

Cynthia nodded and Liza spoke up. **"Yea, of course. Why wouldn't it be?"** she asked him back while hitting the dummies groin with a smirk.

Ash raised his eyebrow. **"What is it with you always smirking when you hit there?"** he asked her. Liza went red and turned away from him, not replying back. He shook his head, chuckling and turned to the Saffron gym leader. **"So what's really going on Sabrina?"** He asked her because she wouldn't be able to lie to him. The other three's eyes widened and they started worrying that she wouldn't be able to hide it.

The dark haired psychic looked at him. **"Training. What does it look like?"** she asked him back and threw another strike at the dummy to signify that.

" **Okay. I believe you."** She smiled but didn't look at him. **"Or I would've if you didn't just turn red right now."** She went even redder and her friends sighed, hanging their heads since they almost got away with it. She really couldn't lie worth a damn. Especially to her beloved. **"So what's going on?"** The psychic turned to Clair and gave her an apologetic look.

" **It's okay Sabrina,"** started Clair, taking over. **"We were talking about Drax. About him and something that happened in my past that involved him. I'm just trying to not let it affect me and I don't want to talk about it. I will say again to keep your guard up around him though,"** revealed the dragon gym leader.

He saw the worried and fearful look in her eyes, understanding that something had happened between the two of them. He didn't push the subject but still wanted to help her. **"Alright Clair. But if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you along with your friends who are great people for having your back. Okay?"** he told her and she thanked him before going back to her dummy. He watched the four practice some more with his gaze lingering on the sullen blunette longer than the other three. He wanted to know what could cause the confident, assertive, outspoken and tough dragon trainer to become so timid but he didn't want to push too much. He so badly wanted to hear her thoughts on the subject but wouldn't do that to her. He may accidently hear thoughts from time to time and would sometimes try to listen in on the six girls that he had suspicions on. However, he wouldn't take advantage when it's obvious that they don't want to talk about something.

Ash walked around the others, giving some tips to Max and Bonnie. The two young teenagers were competing against one another, trying to see who was doing the training better. Bonnie was really into the whole training. She wanted to get stronger and she also felt a little ashamed over her actions yesterday. When she saw what happened to Ilene, she just screamed like a scared little girl instead of taking action to help the Queen. She was lucky that others heard her scream. She didn't want that to happen again. And she didn't want others, especially Max, to think of her as a helpless little girl. Taking Ash's advice to heart, she quickly integrated them into her training. The young teenage boy in glasses saw the girl he likes putting her heart into the training. He became both impressed and motivated by her. _Wow, Bonnie sure is giving it her all. And so will I!_ He increased his efforts to become better.

Ash watched the two for a couple minutes before praising them and moving away. He checked on Clemont and gave him some advice to put more power into his attack by using his body. Afterwards, he went up to Daisy Waterflower. He saw her doing well and was actually impressed. He remembered her needing some tips and looks like she took it to heart. Her technique, skill and power were getting better and better. **"You're doing great Daisy. Nice job,"** he told her after her last strike.

Daisy stood up straight and faced him before smiling at him. She ignored the sudden happy feeling that sprang up inside her though. **"Thanks. I wish I knew this stuff before. It would've come in handy."**

Ash became angry, thinking who would dare hurt her and think they could get away with it. **"Handy? Did someone try to hurt you?"** he asked seriously, stepping closer to her.

She shook her head before sighing. **"No, no one threatened me. And I'm okay right now Ash. I was just talking about in the past when I went out on some dates with some asshole guys. It's nothing and I'm fine so no need to worry,"** she told him, getting back into her fighting stance and faced her dummy to continue training.

" **Hey."** Daisy looked at him again. **"Even so, I care about you. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. If you want to talk, need something, anything at all, just let me know okay?"** he told her as he placed a hand onto her shoulder.

Daisy felt her body temperature shoot up all of a sudden but kept her face neutral. She had a lot of practice in keeping her face unreadable because of her many failed dates. **"Thanks Ash and I will,"** she said.

He smiled at her. **"Hey no sweat. We're gonna be an official family one day soon and you know I'll do anything for my family and friends. Keep it up,"** he said with a smile before patting her on the shoulder and left to check on the others.

 _We're gonna be a family one day?_ She repeated his words in her head as she watched him move away. Her mind went into overdrive, imagining the two of them together in a park. They were sitting on a wooden bench, snuggled together while watching their children run around on the playground. They glanced at one another, smiled and leaned in together to kiss. But right before they connected, Misty's betrayed expression showed up in her mind. She shook her head and went back to practicing on the dummy. _I'm such an idiot. He didn't mean it like that. He meant when he and Misty married, which would make me his sister in law. I'm sorry Misty for even imagining that. I won't ever betray you. I need to stop thinking and feeling about him._ She glanced around and found the five girls who she had suspicions about having feelings for Ash. _I will not let you jeopardize Misty's happiness for your own either._ She continued her training while her mind raced about everything she had come to learn.

Ash and Lucario, after checking on everyone, went to be in front of the group. A couple minutes later, and the alarm went off on his Poketch. **"Alright, stop!"** Everyone finished their last strike and looked at him, panting but not as tired as they were the first time. **"Good job everyone! You've all improved. Now, before our run, we're going to add two more exercises. Pushups and sit ups."** Everyone grumbled about that. **"Well, its either that or you can train with Lucario and he has other plans."** Complete silence at once. **"I thought so. Alright, pushups first for five minutes. Do as many as you can the standard way."** Without even asking, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and the purple dummies vanished. Ash took up a pushup position with his legs and feet together and his arms shoulder width apart. His gaze was on the group. **"Standard position. C'mon."** The group copied him and got ready. **"Five minutes, as many as you can. Lucario will be checking on all of you while I do this with you. Ready? Go!"** He lowered himself and went up in one swift motion, the others attempting to do the same.

Lucario walked around the rear of the group, checking on everyone, making sure they're doing it correctly. The aura canine helped out some, giving them pointers such as how to keep their back straight and not to lock their elbows. Ash monitored the front of the group, shouting out some encouragement, praise and some tips to whoever needed it. After five minutes, his alarm went off and he dismissed it, causing many to just collapse onto the floor, letting themselves go. **"C'mon, stand up! I know you can do it!"** encouraged Ash and watched them push themselves onto their feet. **"That's it!"** he praised them. **"Everyone take a two minute break but don't sit down. We'll be doing sit ups for five minutes after."** The group let out a collective sigh while Ash chuckled a bit.

After the two minute break, the raven haired guardian sat on the floor and bent his knees a little and placed his hands by the sides of his head, his side towards the group. Seeing him get ready, the group followed after him without being told to. **"Alright, five minutes. As many as you can do. Remember, do it properly and don't worry about anyone else but you. Ready? Go!"** He sat up and went back down quickly, doing the exercise with them. Once again, Lucario did the rounds, checking on everyone, making sure they were doing it correctly. Some suggestions said here and there, some praise and some encouragement to those who needed it and five minutes later, the alarm went off. Ash sprang to his feet using his hands to push him up off the floor. Most of the group slowly got up, panting heavily now except for a few like Clair, Shauna and Misty. **"Nicely done everyone. Another two minute break and then we'll finish up today's training with the two mile run."** As the others rested, Ash turned to Natasha, who had an amazed look on her face over their training. **"We'll be back after our run. Okay?"** _Alright. I'll be in my room._ Natasha left the balcony and headed back inside, making several of the guys watch her leave before getting elbowed hard again. As they groaned in pain, Ash shook his head. **"Seriously guys?"** he asked them, earning some glares from them but Ash just laughed. The two minutes went by way too fast for them because before they knew it, they were teleported to be in front of the woods once more with the purple path appearing in front of them. **"Alright focus! I'll be joining you this time. Remember, do your best but heed your limits. Again, Mewtwo, Lucario and I will be sensing everyone so don't be worried. Ready? Go!"** he said and led the way into the forest with everyone else following after him.

Ash maintained an even pace but still ended up getting further and further away from everyone as they continued with a only a few to keep up with him but were still behind. About a quarter of the way done with it, Mewtwo sent a mental message to him from Lucario; _full speed now and no aura!_ Letting out a sigh, he increased his speed and shot forward like a bullet. He kept going faster and faster, leaving everyone behind.

" **Damn, look at him go!"** commented Shauna.

" **I'll beat him in the water though,"** remarked Misty with confidence.

" **That'll be a match to see,"** stated Cynthia.

" **Hey, I'll race you all to the end,"** challenged Clair.

The four girls agreed and at the count of three they picked up their speed and started running as fast as they could to the finish line. Each of them wanted to finish first, for themselves and to show the raven haired guardian that they were fast too. When they finally reached the end, all four girls doubled over, with hands on their knees and panting heavily. Misty once again placed first. She grinned at the other three who sighed and shook their heads, not believing she won again. **"I told you guys not to kill yourselves. I also did say Misty is faster and has higher endurance. Doesn't anyone ever listen to me?"** The four girls looked up to see Ash casually leaning against a tree with one of his legs bent with that foot resting on the tree with his arms crossed. He looked like he didn't even run two miles at all, completely relaxed with no sweat stains at all.

Misty straightened out and walked over to him, having recovered sooner than the other three. **"Easy for you to say Mr. Pokémon Master,"** remarked Misty, making Ash grin. She stopped in front of him and poked his chest with her index finger. **"Since I won again, proving you right, you have to do something for me."**

Ash raised his eyebrow. **"Is that so?"** The red head placed her hands on her hips and gave a glare, saying it is so. **"Alright Mist. What do you want me to do?"** he asked while chuckling.

Her glare turned into her radiant smile. She leaned in closer and whispered into his ear. **"You'll find out soon enough,"** she said teasingly, making his heart beat skip a beat. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before just standing beside him and leaning against his shoulder. The five of them waited for the rest, with Cynthia leaning on his other side and the two other girls just hanging around a bit away from them. Each of them were giving covert glances every now and then at Ash, Cynthia and Misty.

After some time, everyone arrived with no major complications. Though several were panting heavily and Ash went up to one. **"Hey, how are you doing Sabrina? You okay?"** he asked her, placing a hand on her mid back.

She looked up at him since she was leaning on her knees with her hands, taking big breaths. **"Yea…just exhausted…"** He commented back that he understood. When she straightened, she leaned against him for support since her legs were shaking. He wrapped an arm around her waist to help keep her up and turned to everyone while in the embrace.

" **Alright good job everyone!"** he told them. **"All of you have improved greatly. That's it for today. We'll go home and relax for a bit. Also, we'll be leaving for the mall in about an hour. If anyone wants to join us, you're welcome to it."** He turned to Mewtwo and the psychic feline's eyes glowed blue and they all teleported back to the balcony and so did its furnishings. Mewtwo, Lucario and Gardevoir teleported back to the island.

The group split up to go shower and rest. The penthouse suite had many bathrooms but still not enough for the large group to all go at once. Even with the girls sharing the bathrooms, letting one another in as the other was in the shower. The guys had to wait for their turns except for Ash who used his own master bathroom. When he got out, there was a couple knocks on his door. Covered with only a towel around his waist, he opened it and saw it was Sarah, Anabel and Leaf. They immediately went scarlet at seeing him like that. **"Hey, what's up?"** he asked them.

Anabel recovered first. **"We're wondering if we can use your bathroom because the others are full and pretty busy."**

" **Sure, I'm done with it. Go ahead,"** he told them, stepping aside so they can enter.

The three girls entered the room. **"What a gentleman,"** teased Sarah.

" **How thoughtful,"** added Anabel.

" **That's what I thought,"** taunted his childhood crush while walking in. Sharp slaps were made against each girl's rear that made the three jump into the air and squeal. They turned around, narrowing their eyes at him. **"Oh, you done it now Ashy,"** growled Leaf.

" **Oh, I hope you're ready to get beat!"** shot Sarah.

" **You're just asking for it mister!"** snapped Anabel.

Ash merely grinned back at the three angered faces. **"I'm ready to go if you are. But some articles of clothing may just come off and who knows what'll happen next,"** said Ash, making the three girls blush heavily again. **"You may not be able to resist and neither will I."**

The girls were quiet for a few second until Leaf opened her mouth to argue back. But then both Sarah and Anabel grabbed her arms and dragged her to the bathroom. **"What the…"**

" **Not now Leaf!"** cut off Anabel.

" **He's right!"** shot Sarah.

Before Ash knew it, the three girls disappeared into the bathroom. He chuckled as he put on some clothes before letting out a sigh. He was wondering how he was going to survive going to the mall with his girlfriends. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the room and went to the living room.

One of the girls who had showered already and got dressed was sitting on her bed, wondering about what she was going to do about her being pregnant. She had to tell her beloved but she just didn't know how. She went out of the room and sat in the living room alone, wondering about how she could go about it while waiting for the rest. A few minutes later, Joy appeared and sat down next to her. **"Hey, how are you holding up?"** asked the pink haired nurse.

" **I'm alright. Just thinking when and how to tell him,"** she replied back in a low voice so only she could hear her.

Joy nodded. **"Okay. I'm sure you'll know when and how. Just try not to think about it too much,"** she said and the girl nodded, thanking her. At that moment, several people entered the living room, ready to go. Ash, Cilan, Richie, Brock, Cress, Chili, Cynthia, Sabrina, Liza and Shauna appeared. Joy smiled at Richie but the girl next to her became nervous when she saw her beloved. She was saved from getting up when the girls who arrived sat down beside her and Joy and started talking with them.

" **How many more people are we waiting for?"** asked Brock.

" **We'll find out soon enough Brocko. Might as well just kick back and relax for a bit,"** suggested Ash and the guys sat down on the couches and relaxed while making idle talk. While they talked, almost everyone else gathered in the living room, including some of the parents. The last ones to arrive were Misty and Daisy Waterflower. **"Alright. So who's going with us?"** asked Ash as he stood up.

After some conversations made, it was found out that almost everyone was joining them except for the parents, Bonnie, Max and Clemont. The parents wanted to just stay home and relax a bit before Sabrina's parents arrived. Max and Bonnie were going to play some video games in their room. Clemont decided he'd rather work on his invention in his room since he was single and didn't want to go to the mall.

" **Ash sweetie, can you come here please?"** said Delia suddenly as she walked into the room and he went to her.

" **What's up Mom?"** Delia whispered into his ear and his eyes widened. **"Really?!"** he asked her and she nodded with a smile. **"That's great!"** He turned to the rest, who were giving interested looks. **"I'll be right back."** He walked down the hallway and disappeared behind a door.

" **What's going on Delia?"** asked Grace.

" **You'll see."**

When Natasha left the balcony and entered her room, she thought about what she saw in the balcony. She couldn't believe how…organized and respectful they are of one another. Nothing at all like Team Rocket where everyone was on their own. Even during training or on group missions together. She was also impressed over their training and how they focused on simple yet effective techniques. She could tell that they had barely started their training. _If they're this good right off the bat because of him, what else are they capable of?_ She thought a bit about that until a knock on the door caught her attention. **"Hey, it's me Delia."**

Natasha got up and opened the door for the kind mother. **"Thanks,"** remarked Delia as she stepped inside the room. **"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the mall with Ash and the rest?"** The red head didn't react for a moment before writing her answer on her notepad and showed it to her. **"Hmm, I understand. But the best way to move past something is to face it, learn from it if you can and move on."** Her words resonated with the young woman and made her think for a bit. Natasha wrote again in the notepad. **"Okay, sure. I'll get you that stuff. Just relax until they're done with the training. See you in a bit."** Delia left the room and Natasha lied down on the bed for a while, thinking until she came back with her requested items. Delia also updated the red head that their training was done and were now getting ready to head out. Natasha thanked her and when she left, started getting ready.

Ash knocked on the door before stepping into a room and looked at the red head. She was dressed in black jeans that covered up her legs entirely along with a black long sleeved sweater. He could barely make out a bit of red underneath the sweater. Unknown to him, it was a long sleeved red blouse that was tucked into her jeans. The sweater was also covering her rear, which was what she wanted it to do because the jeans accentuated it. Her long red hair was also tied into a simple pony tail. After what happened earlier that day, she hoped that this way would draw less attention.

Natasha gave Ash a nervous look and he walked up to her. **"It's alright Natasha,"** he told her. **"You don't have to do this if you're not ready. Only a few of my friends and our parents are going to stay. So if you want you can stay with my mom."** She shook her head. _That may be, but I need to do this. You're mom's right; I can't be cooped up forever. And I'd feel more comfortable and safe around you._ Ash nodded, understanding her. **"Okay. But promise me something."** She tilted her head a bit. **"The moment it becomes too much, you feel overwhelmed, you feel sacred, anything at all, you tell me the second it happens. Can you promise me that?"** he asked her while looking into her red pupils and she looked into his brown ones. A moment later she nodded. _I promise._ He smiled, headed to the door and opened it. **"Whenever you're ready,"** he said when he glanced back at her. Natasha took in a breath and walked to him. _I'm ready._ Ash grasped her hand, making her feel confident. They both stepped out of the room with him leading the red head down the hall towards the waiting group, with her right next to him. **"You guys ready to go?"** he asked them and they nodded. **"Alright. We're going to teleport."** He turned to his mom. **"We'll be back in time for my match."**

" **Okay sweetie. We'll handle things here with Sabrina's parents. Have fun everyone and be safe,"** she said, with the other parents repeating it. The large group vanished, leaving behind the others.

" **I'll be in my room working on my latest invention. Don't bother me please unless it's important,"** said Clemont and disappeared into his room.

" **What game should we play Max?"** asked Bonnie turning to him.

" **How about Call of the Trainer?"** suggested Max and she agreed. The two went to their room, turned on the video game console and began playing. Norman, Caroline, Johanna, Grace and Delia headed into the balcony to get some fresh air and talk a bit.

A good distance south from the Indigo Plateau, a young man was tossing and turning in his bed. A few minutes later, he snapped his eyes open and sat up. Too quickly, making his head spin and he lied back down as he closed his eyes. **"Ugh…"** He felt like absolute shit. His mouth was dry, he felt constipated and his head was pounding. **"Fuck me…"** he groaned out.

" **I don't think you have any takers for that right now."**

The man slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head up a bit. His vision was slightly blurry but soon focused. After seeing who it was that spoke, he lowered his head back down and closed his eyes. **"What do you want Daisy?"** he asked her as he covered his eyes with his forearm.

His sister crossed her arms and glared at her brother. **"I want you to get your ass up Gary and go to the lab. Grandpa's waiting for you."**

Gary let out a long groan. **"I feel like shit. I'm not going anywhere."**

" **You should feel like shit over that crap you pulled yesterday,"** remarked Daisy. Gary lowered his arm, raised his head again and gave his sister a confused look. **"You don't remember?!"** she asked him. He slowly sat up and shook his head with a worried expression on his face. **"Nothing at all?!"** He shook his head again. Daisy was flabbergasted. **"You don't remember getting piss drunk?! Trying to seduce Sarah to make her cheat on Ash?! Forcing yourself onto Ilene and hurting her?! Fighting with Ash again?! None of that?!"** she asked him while slightly yelling and speaking very quickly.

Gary's eyes widened over what Daisy just said. His brain seemed to finally work as it started flashing some images of what he did yesterday. He buried his face into his hands and let out a long groan. **"Fuck! What the hell did I do?!"** He looked up at Daisy with a horrified expression on his face. **"Why did I do that Daisy?! What is wrong with me?!"**

Daisy let out a sigh. **"I don't know what's going on in that head of yours anymore. You tried to seduce Sarah. You tried to force yourself onto Ilene. You insulted Ash about his father. You made up a ridiculous story that Ilene was using you to get to Ash."** Gary buried his face into his hands again and began shaking. Seeing him become so didn't draw any sort of pity from his sister though. **"You crossed the line for the last time Gary. Now get up and go see Grandpa at the lab. He's absolutely pissed at you. I've never seen him this angry. You better get there quickly before he loses it,"** suggested the blonde girl.

Daisy turned to leave her brother's room but then Gary called out to her. **"Wait…"** She glanced back at him. **"What happened to…Ilene? And…why are we…home?"** he asked her.

Daisy was quiet for a moment before answering him. **"Looks like you don't remember everything. Ilene asked Ash to take her home because what you did to her scared the crap out of her."** Gary's eyes began filling up with water. **"And we're home because Ash kicked you out of the group instead of beating the shit out of you over what you did to her and Sarah. Consider yourself lucky."** Daisy opened the room door and left, leaving her brother behind who began letting out tears over his mistakes. Gary slowly got out of bed to get ready before he went down to the lab to face his grandfather's wrath.

It was the worst place ever imagined. A place where time seemed to stand still. A place where no matter which direction one would look in, all they would see was countless wandering souls. A place where it was every girl's favorite pass time and every single man's bane of existence. It was the Indigo Plateau Mall. When they arrived, the large group had split up. Brock and Lucy went off alone. Richie, Joy, Iris and Cilan went off together. Cress, Chili, Lily and Violet went off together. Daisy Waterflower went off by herself. Giselle, Clair and Liza had gone off together and Shauna and Lizabeth went their own way as well, leaving the rest alone.

Right now, Ash was allowing his girlfriends Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Cynthia, Sabrina, Sarah and Anabel to drag him from one shop to another. He thought of how lucky his starter was. Pikachu had opted out, having already suffered one shopping experience at the hands of the girls. Natasha, who was also with them, was sticking right next to Ash, not leaving his side at all. The girls didn't mind one bit, having gotten used to her being around. They understood how she felt because of what she went through and were not feeling any sort of resentment towards her at all. And they trusted Ash, knowing he would never betray them, no matter what.

" **Oh! Oh!"** squeaked Dawn and May all of a sudden together. They had spotted their favorite clothing store in the distance after exiting a shoe store. Each of the girls, except for one, was holding two bags already, having exited their second store. Natasha however refused to get anything so far, writing in her notepad that she didn't want anything. The brunette and blunette turned to Ash. **"That's our next stop!"**

Knowing there was no way out or convince them otherwise, the raven haired guardian just agreed. **"Alright. Can we slow it down a bit though?"** asked Ash. **"I'm getting kind of tired."**

Cynthia raised her eyebrow. **"What happened to that endurance earlier today when we ran? Or that infamous stamina of yours that I've been hearing about?"** asked the Sinnoh Champion with a playful tone of voice. That caused the raven haired guardian to go red and rub the back of his head in embarrassment. His girlfriends giggled and Natasha had her eyes widen at hearing that, having many different thoughts go through her head.

Not letting him find a hole to get out of it, Sarah slapped his shoulder playfully. **"C'mon! It's been barely two stores. Stop being such a party pooper!"**

The group gave the blonde intrigued looks over that, making her blush a bit. Ash chuckled a bit before responding back. **"I'm not,"** replied Ash. **"Malls just sap my energy. How about you girls go on ahead and I'll make my way over there with Natasha helping me get there?"** The girls glanced at one another and then at him and the red head.

" **Okay Ash. We'll go on ahead and when you get inside, meet up with us at the far left corner,"** informed Anabel and he nodded.

May turned to Natasha who looked at her. **"Keep him safe okay? He's easily distracted and likes to do stupid things,"** stated the brunette from Hoenn with a smirk.

" **HEY!"** whined Ash and the girls laughed with Natasha smiling. She nodded at May who smiled back.

With his girlfriends moving quickly to the store, the raven haired guardian and the red head followed after them, taking their time. She was clinging onto Ash, holding his arm tightly. A couple times she squeezed it so hard while burying her face into his shoulder. She was startled by random persons who had appeared out of nowhere right next to her as they passed them by. **"You alright? Want to take a break?"** he asked her, noticing her reactions. She looked at him and shook her head. _I'm okay. Just getting spooked. Sorry._ **"No need to apologize. It's alright."** They continued walking at a leisurely pace towards the store in the distance that his girlfriends already entered.

As they passed by the other people while walking, many of them noticed and realized who he was. Some walked away, increasing their distance from him. Several even gave him rude glares and obscene hand gestures. A few bold persons even insulted him. The raven haired guardian however just merely ignored them all. Natasha was astounded that he didn't react to them. She knew he could pulverize them but he was just ignoring them. She couldn't believe how much patience and restraint he has, impressed over it.

Not all of the people they passed acted like that though. Some thanked him for helping out and saving people, even commending him for ending the Skull Brothers. Several others even wished him luck on his next round match, saying that they'll be there to watch it. Ash just thanked them for their kind words as well as replying that he's just trying to do what's right. That made Natasha smile a bit, seeing how compliments weren't inflating his pride or ego.

As they continued on their way, a couple times Ash was surrounded by teenage girls who wanted an autograph or just to touch him, completely ignoring the red head. A few brave, or perhaps foolish, fan girls even wanted to ask him out, getting out some words at first. But when they caught Natasha's angry gaze with narrowed red eyes at them, they quickly changed gears, coming up with an excuse and left. Ash was puzzled at first about that but after the third time, he happened to glance at the red head with him and found her giving the new girl a death glare. **"Thanks for that Natasha,"** he said, looking at her after the girl left. **"I don't want to be rude, but don't want to get in trouble with my girlfriends. And I really don't want them thrown in prison either,"** he chuckled and she smiled. _You're welcome._

But it wasn't just Ash who was getting attention. Natasha had to deal with many men staring at her. Hell, even a few women did too. She didn't like the attention at all, knowing what each of them wanted and now fully aware that some would do anything to get that. She knew that before of course but after what she went through, it became more of a harsh reality. Some had made rather rude comments from afar as they passed them. Some even were about to walk up to her. But when they glanced at the man next to her, they saw him glaring at them with his eyes glowing blue. Realizing who he was, they would immediately avert their gaze and walk away. _Thank you for keeping them away,_ she told him after the fourth time a man just completely changed his direction suddenly and practically sprinted away from them. **"Anytime Natasha."** He wrapped his arm around her upper waist and she hugged him with both arms, resting her head against his side. They continued towards the store his girlfriends were at.

As the two walked on, they were being watched by two others. These two had just finished up their food and were about to leave when one of the guys that the Aura Guardian scared away bumped into the male. He let out a hurried apology before continuing his way out of the large shopping complex. They looked around to see what had him spooked and soon found the reason why. They saw Ash and Natasha holding each other closely while walking. The male felt intense jealousy spike up within him and let out a growl while the female narrowed her eyes. She quickly silenced him, telling him to stay focused. He took a breath and nodded. **"You know what to do. Wait here,"** she told him. The male watched his female partner quickly but casually make her way to the two. **"HEY! NATASHA!"** yelled out the woman in a friendly tone of voice, surprising the man that she even could sound like that.

Natasha froze instantly, making Ash stop as well. She knew who that voice belongs to. She felt her heart start to beat faster and harder at first before quickly controlling herself. She couldn't allow her savior to have any suspicions about her. Both of them turned around to see a stunning black haired girl dressed in black tight jeans and yellow tight shirt. Her clothes were showing off her assets quite well and that's what she wanted it to do to keep the guardian off balance. But for some reason, he wasn't affected by it, not paying much attention to her. Instead his attention was on the red head. **"Do you know her Natasha?"** he asked her.

" **Does she know me?!"** asked the dark haired girl with a laugh, making Ash look at her now. **"Of course she does silly! I'm Tanya! We've been best friends since we were kids!"** she said and hugged her tightly. Natasha hugged her back, not wanting to start something. Ash was feeling a bit uneasy with Tanya, unable to sense her emotions at all. Or anything else for that matter. **"Where have you been?!"** she asked when they separated. **"It's been a while since I heard from you. I was so worried about you!"** She turned to Ash. **"Can we have a moment alone please?"**

He didn't like her at all but didn't want to cause a scene. And if she truly was her friend, he couldn't be rude to her. **"I guess so,"** replied Ash. He looked at the red head who glanced at 'Tanya' before looking at him again. _Thanks. Can you wait here for me? I'll be right back._ She nodded to signify what she wanted. **"Okay. I'll wait right at that bench."** Ash watched the two girls go towards the food court before sitting down on a nearby bench and just looked at the mall goers walking past him.

Once Natasha and 'Tanya' were out of ear shot, the dark haired girl spun around and her friendly demeanor changed to that of seriousness. **"Ugh, I hate acting nice."** The red head frowned a bit at that. _Since when are you ever nice to anyone except to Giovanni?_ Not hearing her thoughts, Domino continued on. **"Alright, let's drop the charade. So, looks like you're in with the Aura Guardian. Having fun are we?"** Natasha folded her arms across her chest and glared at her. **"Relax, I don't care if you let him fuck you. What I want is information. Find out anything about him?"** Natasha didn't react. **"You better tell me."** She shook her head before opening her mouth and pointing at it. **"I don't want to hear about how you've been giving him and the Skull Brothers blowjobs all this time."** Natasha narrowed her eyes and went red. **"Oh, did I embarrass you for reminding you of what you went through? How you allowed a bunch of dumbasses to rape you? Don't give a shit you slut."** Natasha's heart began beating a little faster, remembering her ordeal. She kept her expression neutral but was filling up with anger. **"Now answer me or I will make you."**

Natasha scowled at her and was about to punch her when someone grabbed her shoulder. _Ash!_ She turned around, thinking it was him but instead it was someone else. _John?!_ " **Well, nice to see you too Natasha,"** remarked John, seeing her surprised expression. **"So, how's the mission going?"** he asked her.

Natasha mimed out a few things but the two weren't getting it. She felt frustrated but then remembered what she was given. She took out her notepad and pen. She quickly wrote down some things and handed it to John but Domino snatched it and read it first before tossing it back to him. **"So you lost your voice and was told that Giovanni cut ties with you."** The red head didn't react, waiting to see what the two were going to do. She wasn't going to make a foolish mistake right now like she did before. And they couldn't really do anything in front of so many witnesses. **"Well, it's your lucky day. Don't know why or how Boss decided this, but just so you know, he's offering you another chance."** Natasha's eyes widened. _Is she serious?_ Domino noticed her surprise. **"That's right. You finish the mission and he'll welcome you back with open arms."** Natasha took the pad back and wrote something else before giving it to her. **"Don't have enough time?"** Domino's smirk widened before she started laughing. **"Perhaps. If things stayed the same. But luckily for you, I have some details you should know about."** She explained what's been going on back at base with the delays and what they found out from their mole in the league that would help her out in her mission. **"So you'll have the chance. Do this and he'll allow you to come back."**

The red head couldn't believe it. She had never heard of Giovanni giving second chances. But then again, he did give those bumbling idiots dozens of chances. But she hadn't seen or heard of them in a long time. Perhaps he finally got tired of them and got rid of them? John saw the look on the red head, knowing that she was thinking about what she was told. **"It's true Natasha,"** said John, making the red head look at him. **"Complete the mission and he'll take you back. Come back before he launches his attack with the intel. It will be both deadly and glorious. No way even the Aura Guardian can stop it. I don't want you to get caught up in that,"** he told her and grasped her hands, surprising her.

Natasha knew how he wanted her before but it didn't faze her until now. She never was afraid of him but never fully trusted him either. She felt uncomfortable with him touching her because she didn't know him that well and also knew what he wanted from her. She slipped her hands out of his and wrote in the notepad again before holding it up to him to read. He read it and frowned before looking at her. **"You feel uncomfortable with me touching you?"** he asked her in disbelief. She nodded and he became pissed but didn't show it. Instead he acted like he cared. **"I understand Natasha after what you've been through. But you should know that I'm always here for you,"** he told her.

Domino made the red head look at her before she could respond back to John. **"Look, I don't like you at all and never did,"** she started. **"But I have orders to follow and that's what Giovanni has ordered. So you could finish the job, get the intel, get out and come back to us. Do that, and all you had achieved will be returned to you. Or you can stay and die with the guardian when the attack happens,"** said Domino and John felt uneasy over her words but showed no emotion. **"But be warned; if you decide to stay with him and try to warn him, we'll find out. Because you know we have eyes and ears everywhere. We'll come after you, him, his family and his friends. It's your choice. Choose wisely."** She walked away towards the exit, leaving the two behind.

John looked at Natasha for a moment before grasping both her shoulders gently and had her face him. She shivered, still feeling uncomfortable but didn't fight it since she didn't want to make a scene unless he tried something. **"If you want some sort of life, you should do as we said for your own good. You underestimated the Skull Brothers even though I warned you and allowed them to rape you."** She became angry at him for saying that, glaring at him. But John kept his gaze on hers without backing down. Slowly, her anger died down and she hung her head over that, realizing he was right. John placed his hand underneath Natasha's chin and raised her gaze to his. He saw her eyes become watery. **"Hey, I'm sorry for saying that. But that's what happens when you don't listen to advice. I've always looked out for you and I'm still doing so."** She thought about that a bit, remembering how he did give her some advice sometimes. Seeing her not resisting him now, he pushed further. **"This…guardian…he may have taken you in because of that, feeling sorry for you. But do you honestly believe that he'll keep you around if and when he finds out that it was because of you that they were even here in the first place?"** Natasha stayed quiet as fear filled her. **"He won't. He'll kick you out the second he finds out if he doesn't kill you."** Her heart hammered over hearing that. **"But Giovanni won't. He'll take you back in if you complete the job. You know he has to follow protocol. It's nothing personal. You know I've always wanted the best for you."** He hugged her without her stopping him. Yet she felt an uneasy feeling wash over her from the embrace. **"I'll be waiting for you Natasha. I know you'll make the right choice."** He withdrew from the hug, leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, shocking her so much that she couldn't react. When he finished, he smiled at her, wished her luck and left.

Natasha stood there frozen from his actions while watching him go towards the mall exit. A moment later, she lifted her hand and slowly touched her own lips with her fingers. _Did he just kiss me?_ She thought of what he said. How Giovanni was giving her a second chance. How John said he was always looking out for her. The new information that was given to her about the tournament that will give her some wiggle room to get the job done. _If what they said is true, I can get everything I've achieved back!_ She felt ecstatic, trying to picture herself back in the group, back in her powerful and respected position. She would be a somebody again if that happened.

But for some reason, she couldn't picture it clearly. It kept coming up distorted in her head. She tried to focus on that but the more she tried, the more distorted it became. She wondered why that was until a sudden image appeared in her mind's eye. A certain person's face appeared with his unique set of brown eyes that had captivated her from the second she saw them. Instantly she had completely different feelings fill her. _I can get everything back…but only if I betray him. Betray my savior. Betray Ash…But what have I achieved with them?_ She thought about that for several long minutes until she had an epiphany.

Natasha realized that the so called respected position she reached and had cared about was nothing more than a glorified secretary position for a sadistic and lust filled bastard. And that bastard kept trying to get into her pants while making her do all his dirty work so he could steadily become richer and more powerful. She also remembered that many of her so called comrades and teammates in said organization wanted to violate her to win some stupid bet. That none of them had ever helped her in anything without seeing if there was something in it for them. That John, who said he was always looking out for her, wasn't there to save her from her nightmare. That he was practically ordering her to do as they said. And he had always mentioned right to her face how he wanted to fuck her. That made her shiver again over what he wanted to do to her.

She thought about how she never truly felt safe or comfortable while working with them. She was never at peace. But she found that with her savior, with Ash, the Aura Guardian. She felt safe with him. She felt comfortable with him. She felt at peace with him. How could she betray the one who had showed her so much respect and kindness? One who showed her a different kind of life that she never thought possible? One who never asked for anything in return from her? Whose very presence helps her control her fear? The one whose simple touch could make her feel special, safe and alive again.

And that's when she realized something else. That all the money and power in the world wasn't worth anything if there was no peace, no comfort, no safety or no happiness. She raised her hand higher and wiped her lips with the sweater sleeve in disgust before spitting into a nearby trash can. _Fuck you John. Fuck you, Domino, Giovanni and everyone else in that bullshit organization. Nobody truly cares in that group of yours and I'd be a damn fool to believe the words you and that slut just said._ She turned around and hurried back to where her hero said he'd wait for her. And as soon as she reached the area he said he'll be, she saw him. There he was, sitting on a bench as he waited for her, keeping his word.

Ash saw her coming back and he stood up. She quickly hugged him and he hugged her back. " **Hey Natasha. Is everything alright?"** he asked her, sensing her emotional state. **"Did Tanya say something to you?"** She raised her gaze to his and nodded. She was about to say something in her mind when he spoke again. **"Don't worry. She's not a true friend then. I didn't like her vibe either,"** he told her. **"I hope you don't mind me saying that,"** he said, rubbing the back of his head with worry. _No, I don't and you're right. It's just that, there's something I need to tell you._ **"Okay Natasha. What is it?"** She sighed, looking down at her feet before looking back up at him. _It's about..._ BEEP! Ash's Poketch just let out a sound and he looked at it, reading the message he was sent. **"Oh shit, the girls are waiting for us."** He looked at her. **"I'm really sorry Natasha to ask this but..."** _You don't have to ask. I can wait._ He smiled at her. **"Thanks Natasha. You're the best."** He hugged her tightly, making her feel much comfort from it before letting go and grasped her hand. **"C'mon, we gotta go before they kill me!"** They both moved to the store his girlfriends were waiting at, moving faster than usual.

The red head decided to tell him later at the right time since she had some more time than she believed at first. This way, she could enjoy being in his company a little while longer at least. Even though she feared it could be very little time she could have with him if he decides to tell her to leave afterwards, she had to do it. She had to go through with it because she had come to realize something; that her savior more than deserved to know the truth. And she also hoped for another thing; that with her coming clean to him and what she went through, that he may forgive her, let it stay in the past and allow her to stay with him.

Two figures were outside the mall and walking away from it **. You think she'll take us up on the offer?"** asked John.

Domino didn't respond for a while. **"All I will say is that Natasha is acting the way I suspected her to."** The pilot looked at the deadly woman beside him with a curious expression. Not answering his questioning look, Domino continued walking. **"C'mon, we have some other things to take care of."**

John said nothing else and just followed her while thinking. _You will meet your end soon Guardian. And you will be mine Natasha._

When Brock and Lucy separated from the others, they went to a photo booth, closed the curtains and took some crazy pictures together. Some photos were of them kissing, some funny faces, some suggestive gestures and one other with them fooling around a bit. That photo was of her on his lap with his hands on her breasts while kissing.

When they stepped out of the booth finally, Lucy looked at their pictures. **"That one is being saved for sure,"** commented Brock, looking over Lucy's shoulder at the photo strip while hugging her from behind.

" **Pervert,"** she quipped. **"But I agree. Who gets to keep it?"** asked Lucy. As soon as she asked that, he raised an identical strip next to the one she was holding, surprising her. She looked at him with a grin. **"Looks like we both do."**

" **Got that right babe,"** he said. She gave him a peck on the lips and the two went into another store and that particular one was filled with a few toys and costumes to role play with when becoming intimate. They showed their IDs as proof of being of age before allowed through the check in point.

Cress, Chili, Lily and Violet exited out of another store. They were mostly window shopping as they conversed with one another. The two sisters didn't want to scare away their boyfriends with their shopping madness, even though the two brothers were asking them what they wanted. **"Seriously? How could you not want anything?"** asked Chili to Violet.

" **I just don't. I'm okay. Thanks though,"** she replied back.

" **Are you two sure? Cause we don't mind,"** elaborated Cress.

" **Yes, we're sure,"** answered Lily. She got an unbelieving look back from both brothers. **"Oh alright. We don't want to scare you away,"** revealed the pink haired girl.

Chili scoffed. **"Scare us away? Yea right. We're tough. Well, maybe not Cress so much."**

Cress rolled his eyes as the two girls giggled. **"Very funny. But he is right."** The other three gave him confused looks. **"If there's anyone who should be scared right now, it's Ash. Imagine having to deal with nine shop crazed girlfriends at once."** All four of them stopped in their tracks before they burst out laughing.

" **Poor Ash,"** sympathized Violet after they calmed down. They continued their walk for a bit until the two brothers finally convinced the two sisters to at least buy one thing and so they entered a souvenir shop.

Iris, Joy, Cilan and Richie were checking out a custom poke ball shop. It had different style poke balls on display for purchase. Some were differently colored than the traditional ones and there were also seals that could be purchased as well. Those seals could be attached to a poke ball and whenever it opened, would bring out a unique display corresponding to the seal other than the basic flash of white light. Joy was looking at a Luxury Ball when Richie came up beside her. **"Thinking about getting it?"**

The nurse placed her right index finger against her lips. **"Hmm, maybe. But then again, I don't have any pokémon of my own. And what would I do with it?"**

Richie's eyes widened. **"You don't have any pokémon of your own?"** he asked her. Joy lowered her hand and picked up the ball as she shook her head. **"Well, how about I help you get your very own pokémon?"**

Joy faced Richie. **"It's okay. I've been fine without a pokémon of my own all my life."** She placed the ball back down onto the shelf. Her boyfriend picked up the ball she placed back onto the shelf and grabbed five more of the same. Joy's eyes widened as she watched Richie go up to the cashier and placed the six Luxury Balls onto the counter. **"What are you doing Richie?!"** she asked him after getting out of her stupor.

" **Getting you ready to become a trainer,"** he replied back as he glanced at her with a smile. Joy was about to say something but then Richie cut her off. **"I saw the look in your eye. I can tell you want to have your own. And you'll need pokémon in the future. So let me do this for you Joy."**

The pink haired nurse smiled at her boyfriend. She went up to him and hugged him tightly. A moment later the two separated and looked into one another's eyes. **"Maria."** Richie tilted his head, slightly confused. **"My name is Maria. Maria Joy."**

Richie's mouth turned into a large smile. **"Richie Hiroshi."** The two leaned in and kissed for a few seconds before separating. **"I love you Joy…I mean, Maria."**

She giggled a bit. **"It's alright. You can say either one,"** she told him with slightly reddened cheeks.

" **How about MJ? I'll be saying both at once,"** he said.

Joy thought about it a bit before nodding. **"Sure. I like it. But let's keep that between us."** He agreed with that and the two turned to face the associate who was waiting for them. They spent some time asking about and trying different kinds of apparel that they could use to clip poke balls onto them.

While that couple was doing that, the other pair was at the other side of the store looking at limited edition poke balls that were made to commemorate certain events. The purple haired girl passed by several balls before one of them caught her eye. She stopped in front of it and read the information on it. As she read, her green haired boyfriend was looking at her with worry in his eyes. He couldn't forget how excited she had become during breakfast when she heard about this…Dragon Master Drax. It may be insecurity or something, but he felt threatened by him for several reasons. One was that they knew one another, another that they were both from the same village, he's supposedly a powerful dragon trainer, she loves dragons and that was her goal too.

He remembered when he first met her and how that was all she would talk about. Dragon pokémon, famous dragon type trainers like Lance and Clair, dragon prophecies and stories and other things related to the mythical beasts. And not to forget, but how she would become one of, if not the, best dragon trainers in the world. But not once did she mention this Drax. He wondered about that. Why keep it a secret? What was the reason? And why did she become so excited all of a sudden? Was it because she wanted to see a powerful dragon trainer in action? Did she want to see Ash break his undefeated streak? He couldn't tell.

Cilan let out a quiet sigh. He gazed at the love of his life, seeing her fascinated by another custom poke ball on the shelf, reading it's back story. He loves her so much. Yet, sometimes, he felt that he may not be the one for her. That he might be holding her back in reaching her potential. He had buried that worry a long time ago. But the way she acted today brought that insecurity back again and it was even stronger. _Iris…am I holding you back? Am I keeping you from reaching your goals? Your dreams?_ He thought about that a bit. He remembered his travels with her and Ash throughout Unova together. How they had some crazy adventures. How Ash would annoy and tease Iris and do the same to him. But he also somehow was able to encourage her and inspire her at the same time. Cilan's heart hammered as he realized something right then. _I've never had that affect on her. But Ash has. And apparently, so does this…Drax. So, why is she with me?_

Cilan thought about that some more as Iris continued on with her reading. Cilan quietly followed after her. _When Ash disappeared three years ago, Iris went searching for him. She went alone at first for a few months. She even teamed up with Misty, May, Dawn and Serena for a bit too. But then she went off on her own again before we teamed up._ He remembered how their search went. The danger they put themselves in to try to find their best friend. The things they went through together. And somehow, that brought them closer together. Somehow, it made them develop feelings for one another. But he also remembered how depressed she was during that time, before they got together. How much she missed him. The many times that she wished for him to come back in a whisper when she thought he had fallen asleep. _Are we supposed to be together? Was us becoming a couple just a result of some randomness? Was Iris supposed to be with someone else? Be with…Ash? Be with…Drax? What can I offer her that they can't? Why can't I get her excited like they can? Is there a reason? What is the…_

" **HELLO! EARTH TO CILAN!"** The connoisseur jumped, startled over the loud voice. He placed his hand over his chest, panting a bit quickly. Iris had an amused look form on her face. **"Wow, what a scared little kid. What happened Cilan? Why were you spaced out?"** asked Iris.

Cilan caught his breath and fixed his clothes. **"I'm alright and I apologize. I was merely thinking about some things,"** he said as calmly as he could.

Iris tilted her head a bit and then shrugged. **"Okay. Anyways, I want you to look at these custom poke balls that are made specifically to capture dragon types!"** The purple haired girl grabbed his forearm and led him to where they were. Cilan decided to push his worries aside for the moment as Iris showed him the new type of poke balls.

A blonde girl was on the second floor of the mall. Daisy Waterflower was walking around by herself. She wanted some time alone to think about everything she had learned about. She wanted to confront the other girls. To find out if they really do feel something for Ash. And if they did, she would tell them to back off and not try anything. She didn't want her baby sis to have to go through more drama. Not after everything she's done for her, her sisters, the gym and their family name. Daisy continued walking around until she spotted two familiar blunettes walking together in the distance. The blonde quickened her pace to catch up to them as the two girls entered a store. As a result, she bumped into someone who just exited a store. **"Ah, my bad,"** apologized Daisy, balancing herself out again before facing the person.

The person she bumped into was a tall, well built man with silver hair wearing white and black clothing along with a cloak. He brushed off his side and looked at her. **"Watch it. I could've been carrying something important in my hands you know,"** he told her.

Daisy flushed a little. **"Sorry. I just need to get somewhere quickly. Take care."**

She turned to leave as the man opened his mouth. **"Should've known city people are disrespectful,"** commented the man.

The sensational sister stopped. Usually she would've just let that go and continue on her way but she was already on edge over the day's events. She turned back around to face him. **"Excuse you Mr. High and Mighty but I did apologize. No need for you to blow things out of proportion and get all butt hurt about it,"** she growled at him.

The man scowled at her. **"How dare you insult me! Do you know who I am?!"** shot the man angrily, making some bystanders stare at the two for a second before moving away quickly. They didn't want to get involved over whatever was going on.

Daisy took a step back automatically in fear but controlled it and her expression. **"No, and I don't care. Now leave me alone or you will face the consequences!"**

The man's scowl turned into a smirk. **"Is that so? And how are you going to do that?"** he asked.

She glared at him. **"I'm Daisy Waterflower, one of the four gym leaders of Cerulean City Gym, which is one of the toughest gyms in Kanto. Leave now or I will pulverize you in a battle!"** she informed him.

The man was quiet for a moment before he burst out laughing, surprising Daisy. That's not what she was expecting **. "Oh Arceus! HAHAHAHA! You think just because you're a gym leader that you'll be a match for me?! From a gym that needs four leaders to run?! And a water type trainer as well?!"** The man continued laughing as Daisy started shaking with anger over his remarks. He finished up and looked at her. **"I'm not going to waste my time with you anymore. I only battle against powerful trainers. You're not even worthy enough to lick the dirt off my boots."** The man walked away from Daisy, laughing as he did so.

Daisy's hands clenched into fists over his words as she watched him leave. _What an asshole!_ She wanted to kick him where the sun don't shine. She was about to go after him to do that but then remembered what she was going to do before. She took in a few deep breaths to calm down. _If I ever see him again, he's going to wish he hadn't crossed me._ Daisy turned around and headed towards the store that the two blunettes entered.

Giselle, Liza and Clair were in a sport apparel store that also sold workout clothes for both genders. They figured it would be good to pick up a spare or two since they would be training to help out Ash in the future. The three were looking at different outfits while nearby one another. **"Hmmm...this doesn't look too bad,"** remarked Giselle, pulling out one from the rack and placing it over herself. It was a sports top that exposed the stomach along with shorts, which were pink and black colored. She turned to the mirror to see how it would look on her.

" **It's nice,"** complimented Clair from behind, making Giselle turn to face her friends. **"You should get it."**

" **Yea, Clair's right. Definitely will make you-know-who look at you more closely if you know what I mean,"** teased Liza with a wink.

The black haired girl blushed at that while the blunette chuckled. **"Thanks. I guess. What about you two?"** asked Giselle. Clair rummaged around but before she could pull one out, Liza asked them for their approval for one she pulled out.

" **Are you kidding me?!"** asked another. The three friends turned around and saw Lizabeth and Shauna standing there. They had entered the same sporting store with the same intentions as the three. They were staring at the outfit that the green haired girl was asking about.

The one Liza took out was very revealing, hardly qualifying as exercising clothes. **"Oh, look who it is. It's the blue haired twins!"** joked Liza, making the newly arrived girls scoff. **"Anyways, what's wrong with it? Afraid to show what you got? You got a nice body name stealer. Why don't you?"** asked Liza with a smirk, making Lizabeth flush red with embarrassment. She then faced Shauna. **"How about you? You're not bad yourself. What do you think of a possible fighter like yourself seeing you in this huh? Probably make him tap out,"** joked Liza, laughing out loud at Shauna's very shocked look on her face.

Clair shook her head at Liza's antics. The Dragon trainer knew that the caretaker was still upset and sullen over what she was going through. She also knew that she would be much more prone to joking around and making teasing remarks to hide that. She didn't call her out on it though. Instead, she went along with it, not wanting to make her more depressed. **"Leave them alone. They're not like you who just shows her body off to anyone and everyone. You should learn to not show what you got,"** replied Clair.

Liza turned her gaze to Clair. **"Ah, shut up you bitch,"** she quipped. **"You're just jealous that I can pull it off and look amazing while you'll look desperate in it."**

" **Make me you attention whore!"** snapped Clair and the two glared at one another.

The other girls went wide eyed at their behavior and words. But what really threw them off was when they burst out laughing. **"Yea, you're right. It's too revealing. Even for me,"** agreed Liza, putting it back.

" **Good choice. I would've burned it even if you did get it while making you watch,"** admitted Clair.

Liza shook her head, chuckling. **"What?"** she asked, looking at the three who had confused expressions.

" **What just happened?"** asked Lizabeth for the three.

Liza and Clair glanced at one another and just shrugged. **"Eh, it's just how we are with each other. Don't worry about it,"** informed Clair.

" **She's right. You should worry about something else."**

Liza, Clair, Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth turned around at that. **"Daisy?"** asked the five together after seeing who it was. Daisy walked up to them with a serious appearance, making them become nervous. **"Ah, what's going on?"** asked Liza.

Daisy was quiet for a few seconds before answering her. **"I know."** Her words made the girls shift uncomfortably. Giselle asked her what she knows. **"I know about your feelings for Ash."**

That made them gasp and look at one another in shock. **"You like him too?!"** asked each one at once towards one another. They had suspicions about one another but finding out the truth still surprised them.

" **How could you like him?!"** asked Shauna towards Clair.

" **What's that supposed to mean?!"** snapped Clair back angrily.

" **Aren't you part of some honor bound dragon family thing where they can only be with dragon trainers?"** asked Lizabeth.

Clair didn't reply to that back but Liza did for her. **"That's in the past! She can get with whoever she wants!"** snapped the caretaker. **"And what about you?! Why do you like him huh? Who are you to him?!"**

Lizabeth took a step back from Liza's glare while Shauna got angry that Liza scared her. **"HEY! Back off! You try something and I'll hurt you!"** warned Shauna.

" **Try it and see what happens when you face a real fighter!"** threatened Clair with anger.

Shauna, Lizabeth, Liza and Clair started bickering and yelling at one another. Daisy was absolutely stunned at what was going on. She thought that the five were in it together but it seemed that they didn't know about one another either. Their arguing kept going until… **"STOP IT!"** screamed out Giselle, silencing the four at once. They turned their gazes onto the black haired girl with surprised faces. **"You four are acting like children!"** chastised the valedictorian.

" **She started it!"** said the four at once while pointing at one another.

They were about to go at it again when… **"SHUT UP!"** screamed Giselle making them go silent immediately. Satisfied with that, Giselle turned to Daisy. She quickly thought and came to a decision. **"Daisy…"** she started before taking a huge breath and letting it out. **"I admit that I have feelings for Ash."** Her admittance made them gasp. **"Not because he's powerful. Not because he's handsome. Not because he's famous. But because the first time I met him, he changed my life. He made me open my eyes. And I haven't stopped thinking about him since that day. I just want a chance. That's not asking for much."**

Giselle's words made the other five girls think about that. Each of them had a similar experience with the raven haired guardian. He was the one who impacted them greatly by just being who he was. Daisy wanted a chance too with him but she couldn't do that to Misty. She let out a sigh a moment later. **"That may be Giselle. I understand what you're saying…"** Her emotions almost got to her but controlled it. The others however noticed that. **"But… but whatever your reasons for liking him, having feelings for him...it doesn't matter."** The girls titled their heads, confused over what she said. **"You will forget about him because I will not let you mess things up between him and my sister."** The five girls became a little angry at that but understood why she was doing this now. **"You try anything to mess up their love and I will make you pay. This is your only warning. Stay away from Ash!"** demanded Daisy.

She turned to leave the store when Liza called out to her. **"And what about you huh? What about your feelings for Ash?!"** asked the caretaker.

Daisy froze in her spot. **"I don't know what you're talking about,"** she answered back without looking back at them.

She made to take another step but then Shauna grabbed hold of her arm from behind. **"Don't try to hide that fact. You helped out too. And we noticed how you were looking at him too!"** revealed the blunette.

Daisy's heart skipped a beat at that but maintained her composure. She broke free from her grip and turned around to face them again. **"Say what you want or believe but it doesn't matter!"** she shot at them and the five took a step back. **"I will not let anyone or anything mess things up for my sister! She deserves it after everything she's been through!"**

The other girls glanced at one another, wondering what she was talking about. Clair and Giselle eyed Liza, remembering her saying the same thing for Sabrina. One of the blunettes took a step forward and the blonde moved her sight onto her. **"Hey, I get it,"** started Lizabeth calmly, trying to keep things civil and not get out of hand again. **"I understand what you're saying. And I'm pretty sure the rest do too."** Daisy glanced at the other four girls. Though they were angry for being told not to pursue their feelings, they couldn't blame her for trying to protect her sister. **"But is it fair that your sister and the other girls are with him? That they were given a chance for happiness while we don't get a shot?"**

Daisy stayed quiet while thinking about that until she shook her head. **"Fair or not, I swore that I will protect Misty and Ash. I will not let anything come between them. Doesn't matter who or what. They deserve it. I…you…don't,"** revealed the blonde girl sadly.

The five girls felt sullen over her words and glanced at one another with each of them thinking about her words. Was she right? Were they fooling themselves that they could have a shot too? They were quiet for a couple minutes until Clair was about to say something. But then she stopped with her mouth left open and her eyes widened. She couldn't continue as she just saw someone pass the entrance of the store.

Seeing her become frozen in shock, the black haired girl went up to her. **"Hey, are you alright Clair?"** asked Giselle. The blunette didn't answer. Instead she took a few steps back and bumped into a clothes rack. In her haste to balance herself out, she tripped over the rack legs and fell onto the floor.

" **CLAIR!"** shouted the five. They helped her stand back up but saw she was trembling and taking in stuttering breaths.

Liza had an idea as to what the cause for her best friend's sudden lack of coordination. **"Is it him?"** she asked the blunette quietly. Without looking up, Clair nodded and Liza turned to the girls who began asking what's wrong until the green haired girl silenced them. **"Not the right time. Later."** The girls didn't argue and she turned back to her friend. **"It's okay. He's not here. He left. C'mon, let's get up and look for the others and we'll go home."** Clair didn't argue and nodded her head. Liza told the others to split up to find their friends quicker and to meet in half an hour at the food court. They agreed and exited the store. Daisy and Giselle went together as Lizabeth and Shauna went together while Liza stayed with Clair. **"C'mon, you're tougher than this. Get your ass up chicken shit!"** growled Liza. Since the girls had left, she could be her normal hard ass on Clair, which she knew she needed right now.

" **Screw you!"** shot Clair and Liza smiled.

" **There we go. C'mon."** She helped her up and the two left the store. They decided to check a few stores to see if their friends were there before heading to the food court.

The others checked some stores as well. They looked around frantically but couldn't find the others. Nearing the thirty minute mark, the three pairs of girls started heading towards the food court. Daisy and Giselle were the first to get there. **"Where the hell are they?!"** asked Giselle.

Daisy shrugged. **"I have no idea. I should've brought my Poketch with me. Do any of you have their number?"** asked Daisy and Giselle admitted that she didn't record anyone's number yet. **"Damn it. Looks like we'll have to wait,"** sighed Daisy.

The two waited for a few minutes quietly while both were thinking heavily. **"Daisy…"** started Giselle, making the blonde glance at her. **"What did you mean by saying Misty deserves it and we don't?"**

Daisy sighed and was about to answer her when someone else spoke up. **"What are two beautiful girls like yourselves doing here all alone?"** asked a man's voice. The two turned around at that. **"Oh, it's you,"** chuckled the man, seeing Daisy again. She started shaking with anger as Giselle had her eyes widen at the size of the man.

" **We're waiting for our friends who should be here soon,"** answered Giselle. He was putting her off guard with the way he was just standing there in front of them so relaxed and calm but with a serious look on his face. And it didn't help that his size intimidated her.

" **So waiting for your friends huh? That's cool. Anything I can help with? Maybe get you a drink?"** he asked, locking his eyes with Giselle's who felt uncomfortable over the way he was looking at her. He had a thing for darkly colored hair on females.

" **Leave us alone! Or did you think that we're worthy now to lick the dirt off your boots?!"** asked Daisy sarcastically with anger.

" **I never said such a thing,"** replied back the man. Daisy shook with anger, clenching her hands into fists while giving him a glare. He shook his head. **"And I believe your friend could speak for herself can't she?"** asked the man. **"That's rude speaking for others when they might have something else to say you know,"** he added, making Daisy growl.

The black haired girl had enough of the guy, seeing how rude he was. It reminded her of her past conceited self and didn't like being reminded of it. **"She's right! I don't want anything. So leave us alone,"** chimed in Giselle.

Before he could say anything else, someone shouted out to them and the three of them turned around to see Iris, Cilan, Richie and Joy coming up to them. The four had decided to go eat something after leaving with some purchases from the poke ball store. The man's eyes widened and so did the purple haired girl's.

" **Iris?"**

" **Drax?"**

Everyone was surprised to find out that this formidable looking man in front of them was Dragon Master Drax. What also startled them was Drax and Iris hugged each other. Cilan's heart began beating rapidly, becoming both worried and angry. He noticed the way this new person, who was tall and well built, was hugging his girlfriend, with his hands so low on her back. He was about to say something when the two separated. **"How have you been Iris?"** asked Drax with sincerity, surprising Daisy and Giselle how his behavior just did a one eighty.

Iris smiled at him. **"Been great. Thanks. Let me introduce you to everyone,"** she replied. She introduced her friends to him. He nodded towards the girls, with Daisy and Giselle still glaring at Drax, which made Iris tell them to cool it. He then shook hands with the men before turning to Cilan. **"And last but not least is my boyfriend Cilan."** Drax and Cilan shook hands but the dragon trainer didn't smile or anything, attempting to crush the green haired man's fingers before separating. Cilan's hand hurt but he didn't show it and wouldn't comment on it. He didn't want to give the disrespectful gesture any attention.

That didn't go according to plan though. **"Sorry if I hurt you during our handshake Cilan. Sometimes I forget about my strength,"** remarked Drax with a slight smirk.

" **No worries,"** replied Cilan through gritted teeth, making his friends glance at him for a second.

Drax grinned. **"So, you two are an item? Must have been tough hearing about some stuff huh?"** he asked towards Cilan whose eyes narrowed.

" **Drax!"** shot Iris warningly, glaring at him but he wouldn't back down.

Cilan's heart began beating even faster. **"What do you mean by that?"** asked Cilan as calmly as he could. His friends glanced at him again, becoming worried before looking at the newcomer again.

" **They don't know?"** asked Drax, looking at Iris, who went pink. **"Wow, this is unbelievable."**

" **Don't know what?!"** repeated Cilan, starting to get angry. He glanced at Iris who was looking at her feet now before looking at Drax again.

Seeing Iris not answer, Drax replied. **"If you won't tell them, then I will. Iris and I were chosen by our elders to get together when we became of age."** Everyone's jaw dropped and Cilan's heart dropped to his stomach. Iris's face turned crimson red. **"But it looks like she broke tradition and got with you instead,"** he explained to them. The group looked at Cilan and then at Iris who was completely quiet.

Right when Cilan was about to ask if it was true, they heard someone calling out to them. The group turned around to see Brock, Lucy, Chili, Cress, Violet, Lily, Shauna and Lizabeth coming towards them. The two blunettes had bumped into them on their way back and told them the situation. **"Hey, guys. What's going on?"** asked Brock when they reached them.

" **I was just about to find out,"** replied Cilan. **"Iris, is what Drax said…"** He turned back to his girlfriend while talking but stopped, seeing her not there and neither was the tall trainer. He looked around and saw the two away from them. They seemed to be in a heated discussion. Cilan and his friends became concerned and went towards the two. But then something happened that made them freeze with rage erupting inside Cilan; Drax had kissed Iris, cutting her off.

The Unovan native was shocked, unable to resist at first before gathering her senses and stopped it before slapping him. **"HOW DARE YOU!"** yelled Iris.

Her shout snapped Cilan out of his trance and he shot to the two. It also drew the attention of many around them who turned to look at them. He pushed Drax away from her and stood in front of his girlfriend. **"You disrespectful swine!"** he insulted and followed up with a punch to Drax's face.

However, his punch was easily caught it in the palm of Drax's hand, shocking everyone. **"Someone's angry,"** commented Drax calmly but with an angry tone over the insult.

The connoisseur shook with rage. **"You. Me. Battle. Outside. Now,"** growled Cilan.

" **I usually don't battle trash but I'll make an exception for you."** The tall trainer let go of his hand and walked towards the food court's exit that led into the parking lot and nearby park.

Cilan followed after him with Iris at his side, begging him not to battle because that's what he wanted. The three disappeared outside. Their friends looked at one another but before anyone could say anything, yet again someone called out to them and they turned around. It was Liza and Clair. **"Hey. Thanks for meeting us here. Did …wait, what happened?"** asked Liza, seeing their worried looks. The two were quickly updated of what had happened.

Clair had her eyes widen. **"No no no! What is he thinking?!"** snapped Clair. **"He'll destroy him! We need to stop this now!"** She led the group outside and they looked for the three.

They found Cilan and Iris were standing on an empty field and across from them was Drax. Liza's eyes widened at seeing the Dragon Master. She had never seen Drax before, only hearing descriptions from Clair. But now that she saw him, she felt her heart skip a beat at seeing his silver hair that looked so much like white. _No! It can't be! Don't tell me it was him who won the Gauntlet! I can't be promised to this douche bag!_ Liza froze in her spot as the others skidded to a halt a little closer to the three and saw what their friends were doing.

Iris was still trying to keep Cilan from battling. **"Don't battle! It's what he wants! It's not worth it!"**

" **He will learn respect! And don't you believe in me?"** he asked her. She said that she does but Drax is undefeated. That hurt his pride a bit that his own girlfriend basically admitted that he had no chance but it didn't stop him. **"No Iris! I will not let him get away with his rude behavior!"** retorted Cilan. **"Go! Simisage!"** He tossed out a poke ball and a green monkey with yellow chest, hands, feet and face appeared. He let out a shout of his name and pounded his chest, pumping up for battle.

Drax scoffed. **"Is that the best you can do?"** he lazily opened a poke ball and a large pokémon appeared with a loud roar. The roar caught many people's attention and they started to crowd around them. Cilan's eyes widened, feeling the pokémon's power but Simisage stayed composed. He would not fail his friend. **"Salamence, Flamethrower."**

The large dragon spewed out a stream of flames from his mouth towards the green monkey. **"Dodge it!"** snapped Cilan and Simisage rolled out of the way, dodging the flames. By the time he got back onto his feet, another stream of flames headed towards him. **"Dodge again!"** shouted Cilan and again Simisage avoided the flames. Salamence however kept spewing out Flamethrowers, not allowing the monkey to get a foothold and Simisage was starting to tire out. **"DIG!"** yelled Cilan and the green monkey went underground, evading the flames again.

" **Earthquake,"** commanded Drax lazily. His pokémon slammed its strong tail against the ground. Powerful tremors rocked the area, making everyone stumble about and a loud cry of pain was heard. A moment later, Simisage popped out of the ground with multiple bruises and scratches. **"Dragon Claw."**

" **Stop him with Seed Bomb!"** ordered Cilan. Salamence shot to Simisage with his claw glowing greenish purple while multiple green and brown circle orbs collided against him. But they didn't do anything to the advancing dragon. Both trainer and pokémon became astonished that their attack did absolutely nothing before the devastating attack connected. The green monkey was sent flying back and crashed against the ground.

" **Looks like I…"** Drax stopped talking, seeing Simisage very slowly raise himself to his hands and knees, panting heavily. **"Impressive. You deserve a grand defeat. Hyper Beam!"** Salamence roared and powered up the attack in front of his mouth.

" **NO! STOP!"** shouted Cilan running towards his pokémon but they didn't. The blue dragon fired the beam of powerful white energy towards Cilan and Simisage. The people there shouted over the brutality of it as a flash of white light blinded them for a second. The beam connected and exploded, covering the area with smoke.

When the smoke cleared, they saw a large dinosaur like dragon pokémon in front of them. Iris had sent out her Haxorus. Her pokémon took up a defensive stance and used Protect to shield them, barely holding against the attack. **"Stop right now and apologize!"** shouted Iris, shaking with fury while Cilan was checking on his pokémon.

Drax smirked. **"Apologize for winning? Whoever heard of something like that?"**

She growled at him. **"Then I'll make you sorry! Dragon Claw!"** Haxorus shot forward and so did Salamence. They intercepted each other's attacks. One of the two dragons looked to be using all he had while the other was barely trying.

" **End this Salamence. Giga Impact!"** commanded Drax. The blue dragon covered itself in a multicolored glow, the energy pushing the brown dragon back before slamming into him. Haxorus was out cold and Salamence looked like it didn't even use a powerful attack. Everyone there couldn't believe what just happened, especially Iris's friends. Haxorus was her most powerful pokémon. **"Pathetic."** With all eyes on him, the silver haired man walked up to the purple haired girl who was standing astonished next to green haired man. **"You should've stuck with me Iris and you wouldn't have become so weak. I've been training nonstop since last we saw each other years ago. We could've been unbeatable together. But instead you threw away your traditions, your culture, your people and a better life with me, to be with this pitiful excuse of a man."** He glared at Cilan with a dirty expression who looked away. He felt like he was stabbed over his words since he said out loud to what he feared to be true.

" **Who the hell do you think you are?!"** Everyone turned towards the angry blonde girl. Daisy was beyond furious at what he was doing to her friends. **"You can't just come here and insult people and treat them like they're inferior to you!"**

Drax crossed his arms. **"People get what they deserve. And I already did. What are you going to do about it?"** he asked her.

Daisy growled in response. **"I'll show you! Hydro Pump!"** She tossed out a poke ball and her Dewgong appeared. Her pokémon immediately fired a highly pressurized torrent of water.

" **Crunch."** Salamence dodged out of the way and then dive bombed at his enemy head first. The dragon smashed into the seal, pushing him into the ground. Dewgong let out a cry of pain but then screamed in agony when he felt Salamence's powerful jaws clamp onto his back. The dragon shook his head and then tossed his limp foe away who crashed against the ground and didn't get back up.

" **NO! DEWGONG!"** cried Daisy, shooting to her unconscious pokémon. **"Please be alright."** She hugged her pokémon, letting out tears. **"I'm so sorry…"** Lily and Violet went to their sister and tried to comfort her while the others glared at Drax. Seeing what Drax and his pokémon did so effortlessly against three of their friends, the others were shaken to their cores, unable to react.

The Dragon Master Drax turned his gaze back to the purple haired girl. **"You've surrounded yourself with weak people and as a result, you've become weak yourself. You can still change your life though. Come with me like you should've in the beginning."** He raised his hand, waiting for her to take it. Cilan looked up at his girlfriend, fearing she would go with him. But Iris shook her head. **"This is your last chance. Take it."**

" **Last chance for what?! So you can screw her over like you did to me?!"**

Everyone turned to look at Clair now. She had a furious expression on her face, intimidating many but Drax was unaffected. Seeing what he was doing to others, like he had done to her, made Clair overcome her fear to confront the one who had hurt her in the past. **"And how did I screw you over Clair?"** he asked calmly with a slight smirk.

" **YOU KNOW DAMN WELL HOW YOU ASSHOLE!"** she screamed and tossed out a poke ball. Her Kingdra appeared and took up a battle stance in front of her trainer, hovering a bit above the ground.

Salamence faced the new challenger with glee. **"You did that to yourself for being so blind, gullible and desperate for love,"** replied Drax coldly. Clair scowled but her heart began beating faster.

Liza snapped out of it. She took out a poke ball and was about to toss it to help out her friend but she was stopped by Brock. **"What are you doing?! You saw what he can do! She needs our help!"** she shot at him.

Brock however shook his head. **"From what I'm understanding, he did something to her and she needs to rise to the challenge. She needs to do this, win or lose. To overcome what happened,"** said Brock.

The caretaker shook her head in response. **"You don't understand Brock!"** said Liza hurriedly. **"Drax won't just beat her. He'll humiliate her and break her like he did in the past! You can't let it go on like this!"**

He thought quickly and came up with a plan. **"Just hang on and see what happens. If need be we'll get involved. For now, let's wait."** Liza glared at him but did nothing except turn to face the field as Brock quickly sent a message to his brother.

The self named Dragon Master let out a sigh. **"If you're not going to battle, at least let me know so we can leave. I have an important match to get ready for,"** stated Drax.

Clair growled. **"Ice Beam!"** Her Kingdra fired the whitish blue beam of energy at Salamence who lazily dodged the attack and flew up into the air as his trainer ordered his next command.

A raven haired young man was sitting on a couch with a red haired girl next to him facing the fitting rooms. They were waiting for his girlfriends to try out some clothes and they would show it off to him to see if he approved or not. May had replaced her red dress with the same one but then also got another one. When her boyfriend asked about that, she merely answered back that replacing a ruined dress didn't count as getting a new one. Unable to find a decent comeback in time, Ash was defeated and said nothing. **"That's what I thought my Knight,"** teased May as she went back inside her fitting room. _Keep that up my Princess and I may just tear that dress off of you as well._ May poked out her astonished face from the fitting room and stared at Ash who grinned at her deviously. The brunette went crimson before withdrawing back inside her fitting room.

His girlfriends continued trying on some clothes. From regular traveling clothes, some workout apparel, to bikinis and dresses and other outfits. Some of the dresses that his girlfriends tried on were elegant and very classy. The others were more revealing, showing off their curves and assets. No matter what they tried on though, it made them look extremely sexy and exotic. Ash had a hard time keeping himself from going red so often. Every time that happened, the girls would giggle and go back into the dressing rooms. Natasha smiled at their interactions, happy to be distracted from her darker thoughts of her telling the truth and him being mad. And though she was asked a couple times to get something for herself by both the girls and Ash, she refused their offer. She was alright for the time being.

A little while later, the girls finished up and went to the cashier with Ash trailing behind them and Natasha standing beside him. She wasn't clinging onto him anymore but remained close to him. The girls were about to drop their many chosen outfits onto the counter to be rung up when they were stopped. **"Excuse me, but can I go first please? I only have one item."**

The group turned to the girl who spoke. **"Marina?!"** said both Misty and Ash in surprise.

" **Misty! Ash!"** The three entered into a group hug with the others realizing that the two knew her. When they separated they got a good look at her. She was an attractive girl with blue hair, slender body with nice curves. She was wearing yellow tight shorts that went down to her knees and a black and orange top. **"It's so good to see you guys again! How have you been?"** asked Marina excitedly.

" **We've been well and same to you! Let me introduce you to everyone,"** replied Misty. She introduced everyone who either smiled or waved with Marina doing the same. However, when it was Natasha's turn, she merely nodded slightly but the newcomer didn't take offense to it. **"Oh and go ahead."** Marina thanked them and placed her single outfit on the counter for the associate to ring up. **"So what are you doing here?"** asked Misty.

" **Oh you know, shopping and killing time for now. And I'm also looking for Jimmy. He's always getting lost when we go shopping together. Either that or he's hiding,"** she said, laughing a bit while taking out her credit card to give to the associate. **"And I must say, we came to the hotel to see if we could help you out but you weren't there Ash and neither were your friends. And I'm sorry for what happened to you during your match against Damian,"** informed Marina.

" **Thanks and its okay. Things are a little messy but we'll be alright. Wait, you said Jimmy? He's here?"** asked Ash.

" **Yup. We're together now,"** she revealed, receiving smiles in return. **"Took a while for him to gather the courage but it's been good. We've been together for two years now,"** she said, receiving the receipt from the associate.

" **Tell me about it,"** replied Misty and Ash rubbed the back of his head, blushing.

" **So when exactly did you finally confess to Misty about your feelings Ash?"** asked Marina, smirking.

" **You knew about that?!"** he asked her, surprised and shocked while the girls giggled.

" **Everyone who saw you two knew about it."** A new voice spoke up behind Natasha that made her jump and she clung onto Ash like he was her lifeline. He spun around quickly and grabbed the person from the throat and raised him into the air. The red head trembled behind him while the girls, including the store associate, were left in shock.

" **What were you…"** growled Ash at first but then stopped as he recognized the person, his tone of voice changing from aggressive to calm. **"Jimmy?"** he asked.

" **Y-yea…w-wanna p-put me down A-Ash?"** he stammered out.

Ash lowered Jimmy and released him who immediately started taking in gulps of air. **"Sorry buddy. I thought you were trying to hurt Natasha,"** apologized Ash.

Marina went over to Jimmy and after seeing that he was alright, smacked him upside the head and he yelped out in pain. **"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on people?!"**

" **I know! I know! Sorry!"** he cried out, shielding himself from another possible strike but Marina just sighed and shook her head. **"Sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to,"** said Jimmy to Natasha but then stared at her, unable to look away. She hid behind Ash again.

Marina elbowed her boyfriend in the stomach hard making him yelp. **"Keep at it Jimmy and I'll hit you where the sun don't shine!"** she threatened, making him cower and a couple of the girls to giggle and nod in approval at keeping him in line. She then turned to Natasha. **"Sorry about him. He's harmless though so don't worry."** Natasha however didn't respond. The blunette looked at the raven haired young man. **"Is she okay?"**

" **Yea . She's just shy,"** replied Ash and his girlfriends smiled at his thoughtfulness. He glanced at her and she gave him a thankful look.

" **Um, are you going to pay for all that?"** The group turned to the associate and the girls apologized for taking so long, placing their wanted items onto the counter. They then turned to Ash. He hung his head, while taking out his PokeDex and handed it to the associate.

" **Ouch,"** commented Jimmy, seeing the total price go higher and higher. **"Why pay for them all?"**

" **Because he was being tickle tortured and gave in to his girlfriends,"** answered Sarah with a grin. Both Jimmy's and Marina's eyes widened at that and Natasha gave a curious look at Ash.

" **Girlfriends? So its true? What was said? The report and rumors?"** asked Jimmy looking at each of the girls. His jaw dropped suddenly as he just noticed a few of them were quite famous. **"Cynthia, Sabrina and Anabel are your girlfriends too?!"** he asked in surprise, earning another elbow to the stomach.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, turning red and so did his girlfriends. **"Yes. It's true. The girls here are my girlfriends. Well, except for Natasha but she's our close friend who like I said before is very shy and prefers to be around us."**

Jimmy, Marina and even the associate had their eyes widen in surprise. **"Wow. Talk about being complicated. How does it all work out?"** asked Marina.

" **Let's just say we have a special understanding between us all,"** revealed Serena with a smile.

The two newcomers merely glanced at one another and shrugged. **"Whatever works for you I guess,"** remarked Jimmy. **"Gotta say this though; you're one lucky bastard to be with several incredible girls but good luck man."** Marina elbowed him in the stomach again but this time harder, making him cry out and the others to chuckle. **"What?!"** Marina glared at him. **"I'm just saying."** He faced Ash again. **"Anyway, we gotta go. My match is up soon. I'm facing Tobias."**

" **Good luck Jimmy. Hopefully we'll face each other in the finals,"** said Ash raising his hand to him.

" **Hopefully. I wouldn't mind taking out the Trainer of Legendaries and the great Aura Guardian. Imagine how famous I would become."** They all laughed at that. **"Good luck with your match too buddy."** Jimmy shook his hand and the two exited the story, saying their farewells to the girls with them doing the same. They saw the two leave with Marina slipping her arm through Jimmy's arm and he took her shopping bags to hold for her.

" **Aw,"** said his girlfriends together and glanced at Ash with their eyes sparkling.

He rolled his eyes. **"Yea, yea, I know. But first let's get this stuff paid for before you buy the whole store,"** quipped Ash, making them blush in embarrassment. He walked up to the counter as the employee rang the last item and hit the total button on her screen. The grand total for everything was displayed on the machine and his eyes widened before glancing back at the girls. They immediately looked away, their faces beet red, staring at the walls or at their feet. He sighed and shook his head. **"Son of a…"** BEEP! Ash got a message and he looked at it, making his eyes widen. **"We gotta go. Now!"** Sensing the urgency in his tone of voice, the girls didn't argue. He paid for the outfits, took back his PokeDex, the girls took the bags and the group quickly left the store with Ash telling them what was on the message.

A large sea horse looking pokémon was losing energy fast. She had been trying to hit the flying blue dragon for a while now with her attacks but was unable to. The blue haired gym leader of Blackthorn City was losing her nerve, seeing her most powerful pokémon toyed with by her most despised person's pokémon. **"This isn't good,"** commented Lucy. **"We need to stop this."**

As soon as she finished saying that, Salamence launched a Dragon Pulse at Kingdra and it connected, damaging her greatly. The sea horse dropped to the ground but was still conscious, panting heavily. **"You disappoint me Clair. Your reputation as a powerful dragon trainer is nothing but false. You don't deserve to be a gym leader let alone train dragons. No more games. Time to finish this,"** said Drax without emotion. **"Salamence! Draco Meteor!"** The blue dragon charged up the attack and launched it. The fiery meteor raced through the air towards its target with Clair screaming for him to stop. A blue shield appeared out of nowhere in front of the hurt pokémon and the meteor crashed against it before exploding, covering the area in smoke. **"What the hell?"** Drax and Salamence were confused.

" **ENOUGH!"** shouted a powerful voice within the smoke. It slowly cleared up to reveal a raven haired young man who was standing in the field with glowing blue eyes that were narrowed onto the tall trainer. Many of the bystanders were astonished to see the Aura Guardian in person and right in front of them. Some began to quickly move away, afraid of him while others let out shouts of happiness that he was there. Ash dismissed the shield before he swiftly moved to Iris, Cilan, Daisy and Clair who were kneeling beside their pokémon and the girls went to stand beside their friends. Though many were angered, Cynthia and Sabrina were beyond livid, seeing Drax. The two, along with Liza, wanted to tear him apart for what he had done to Clair. **"You guys alright?"** asked Ash to the four. They barely nodded but kept their gaze on their hurt pokémon. Ash placed his one hand on Haxorus and the other on Simisage and pulsed out healing aura onto them. The blue glow washed over the two pokémon and they stood back up, healed. The people there and Drax watched him do that in silence. Some were impressed, some awed but the Dragon Master was only looking with no visible emotion on him, looking for any weaknesses in his future opponent.

He then did the same thing for Dewgong who also got up. When Ash straightened out, Daisy hugged him. **"Thank you Ash,"** she said quietly. _I'm so glad you're here._

" **No problem Daisy,"** he replied back after hearing her thought. After separating, Ash went to Clair.

Ash placed his glowing blue hand on her pokémon, healing her also with his aura. A moment later the sea horse got up and caressed the top of her head against the raven haired guardian's shoulder. Many 'aws' were heard from the females in the crowd. **"Hey, no problem,"** chuckled Ash. When Kingdra finally stopped, he turned to Clair, who was still sitting on the ground with her head hung. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she raised her gaze to his. He helped her stand up and smiled at her. **"It's alright Clair. No need to worry."**

She looked at him for second before she hugged him all of a sudden and broke down, crying. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Being toyed with Drax had shaken her more than the defeat did. _He broke me again! Why did I let him do it again?!_ Ash felt anger rising within him over her thoughts. Their friends looked at the two with sullen gazes but when they looked at Drax, their expressions hardened.

" **Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum."** Ash looked up at the imposing trainer and locked eyes with him. Clair was still crying into his chest, holding him and he was holding her. **"I am Dragon Master Drax. I have been waiting for a worthy opponent for a long time. I will prove to everyone how powerful I am. You will lose to me in the ninth match,"** he boasted.

The raven haired man narrowed his eyes. **"Don't bet on it,"** replied Ash coldly.

Drax smirked. **"Why don't we?"** Ash stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. **"If you win, I'll apologize to the four even though they won't deserve it. But when I win, you will bow to me, tell everyone that I am stronger than you and you will give up being a trainer for the rest of your life."**

" **With a couple additions,"** said Ash and everyone gasped that he was thinking about it. Clair even stopped crying and looked up at him. Drax remained silent, waiting for him to say whatever it is he wanted to say. **"When I win, you will apologize to Clair, Daisy, Iris and Cilan in front of the whole stadium. And you will never battle again until you learn how to be a decent person."**

The Dragon Master scoffed and so did his pokémon. **"Deal."** He walked up to Ash and Clair, who moved to the side. The two shook on it with Drax trying to crush his hand like he did to Cilan. But he was surprised that he couldn't and was getting an even if not stronger grip in return. They separated and he looked at Clair. He then glanced at Iris before shaking his head. **"Two dragon trainers who had much potential. And both of you threw it away like worthless trash. You should be ashamed of yourselves, bringing dishonor on all other trainers of dragons."** Both girls looked to the ground, embarrassed and humiliated, turning red.

" **The only person who should be ashamed is you for the way you're talking,"** snapped Ash, his eyes glowing blue.

Drax scowled. **"You know nothing! Iris abandoned her people to get with that thing that calls itself a man when she was promised to me."** Once again, Cilan felt like he was stabbed and Iris hung her head in shame. **"She held the hopes of her people but left them behind. And Clair was once the respected and feared Blackthorn City gym leader but can't function as soon as fear or lust fills her."** Clair felt humiliated over that, shivering in his embrace. Ash was about to punch Drax but Clair snapped out of it in time and stopped him. He glanced at her and she shook his head. The tall trainer smirked. **"I take it back. Maybe she can function after all. Why don't we find out Clair? We never did finish our date. How about we continue and go all the way?"** Clair went red and before Ash could say something, Drax was suddenly slapped hard out of nowhere and stumbled back a couple steps. He looked to see who it was and saw it was Liza who did it. She was furious and shaking with rage with Cynthia and Sabrina also standing beside her with similar looks. He straightened out and eyed Liza. **"You don't have to be jealous of her Liza. You can join too,"** he said.

" **Not even in your dreams!"** shot Liza, her nostrils flaring with her hands clenched into fists. **"Leave!"**

Drax chuckled at that. **"I don't have to go anywhere."**

" **Then we will,"** said Ash, stepping forward. Salamence moved to stand next to his trainer. Ash stopped right in front of Drax. The two were almost an even height, but Drax was a good few inches taller. Their muscular build was similar as well but Drax also had the edge there, being much more buff than the guardian. The crowd and group of friends were unable to look away, wondering what was going to happen. **"You will learn to respect others soon. That Iris is not an object for you to have. And neither are Daisy, Clair or Cilan for you to mess with. And you will also learn to be careful of what you wish for. Be prepared Drax for the hardest battle you've ever had,"** said Ash with a serious tone of voice, glaring at him with glowing blue eyes.

After saying that, Ash and his group vanished in blue glows, making Drax, Salamence and the crowd become surprised at what just happened. Drax recomposed himself and climbed onto Salamence and the dragon took off into the air. **"Oh I can't wait Ketchum,"** he said to himself as a large grin formed while flying away. **"It will be a glorious victory when I will be the one who defeats you."**

* * *

 _ **A/N - So many things happened! From Natasha causing some jealousy and trying to confess, Drax messing with several in the group, Daisy feeling that she has to take things into her own hands to protect Ash and Misty, Cilan worrying about his relationship with Iris, a confrontation between the six girls and everything else! So much has happened with more incoming and next chapter is the semi finals of the tournament! Hope you're ready for it! Remember to review, fav and follow! Thank you and Silent is out!**_

 ** _Question 1 -_** _What did you think of Drax's portrayal after being teased about him for a good while?_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _Anyone else as excited as me to see Captain America: Civil War?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **Tournament Upcoming Match**_

 _Semi-Finals_


	48. Chapter 48 - The Semi Finals

_**IMPORTANT UPDATE 6/13/2016**_

 _What's up everyone? Silent here. First off, I hope you're all doing well. I want to say I know it's been a while since my last update. I know that many of you have sent me messages asking about the next chapter, what is wrong and if everything is alright. I want to say thank you for taking the time to check up on me. That means a lot to me and I appreciate it. I want to apologize for being away and for not responding like I usually do. And here is the reason why I've been gone..._

 _I thought I had finally found my way back into the groove of things. But I was wrong. I had to take care of some personal things and that caused me to be away along with other things popping up. From work taking up my time, being struck with a terrible flu, to dealing with a bug infestation in my house and several other things, it was just one thing after another and I just couldn't catch a break._

 _But the biggest reason why is when I finally did have some time to work on my story, I just couldn't. I've been having so many ideas for my other stories and for "The Blue Spirit" as well that it didn't allow me to function and gave me major writer's block. Even though I have outlines done for my next ten chapters or so with the main points ready to go, I just couldn't write. It came to the point that I was just staring at a computer screen for a couple minutes many times and when I was able to actually type something, it just didn't come out well at all._

 _As a result, it caused me to miss my own scheduled deadline to post in time for my one year anniversary. I had a huge thing planned for my readers on that day. A big surprise that I wanted to do for you all. But when I realized that I couldn't make it, I just shut down. I didn't think that would happen to me. I never missed a deadline that I put for myself before. Because of that, I felt as if I let myself down as well as my readers. I just couldn't come to terms with it and couldn't even come online to check what was going on. I kept thinking I failed...that how could I continue...how could I keep my promise to finish the story when I couldn't even finish writing a chapter. It didn't help either that I was busy taking care of the above mentioned stuff and other things. Because of all that, it just kept getting pushed back again and again and again..._

 _It took a while for me to bounce back. But I'm happy to say that things are different now. I've come to terms with it finally and got my head on straight once more. I still need to finish up some things but I'm not going to stress myself out over stuff like this anymore. And I won't make anymore promises about this story or my other ones. I will say this though; the plans I made initially will still be acted upon but I will only tell you about them again once I finish them._

 _Thank you for the support and for reading my story. I will do my best to continue keeping the quality high and keep my readers interested in it. I will make this one promise to you all though; no matter what happens, I will finish this story. That is one promise I will keep._

 _I hope all of you are doing well. But if you are going through some bumps in life, here's my advice to you; don't let it control you and don't stress over it. We can't control some things and so we're better off not worrying about it. Instead, focus on the things that you can control and/or make you happy. Whether it's taking care of errands, fixing something that needs to be fixed, writing, playing a game, cycling, watching movies, visiting a friend or reading a book...don't worry about the things you can't control and spend your time doing other things. Because most of the time, the thing you can't control, just ends up fixing itself or it becomes a non-issue again. And if you need someone to vent to or to just talk, I'm here for ya. I'll do my best to respond like I used to. (Usually a day or two)_

 _I almost forgot...I'm finally working on my next chapter now. I won't say when it'll be up but it will be soon. Thank you for being patient and for understanding. Take care everyone!_

* * *

 _ **A/N - Hey guys, it's Silent! By the way, I watched Captain America: Civil War and it was pretty good! Well worth watching and I'm caught up with the new season of Game of Thrones! So many things happening and its getting interesting! A few quick points...**_

 _ **1\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Jaguars5 -** You'll find out soon enough if Serena is the pregnant girl. _

_**MANbearPIG1 -** No worries dude. I didn't take it offensively. It was more of a sarcastic remark. lol. Drax is an OC, you are correct on that. About Natasha speeding up her recovery, there will be some things sped up because of the precious time ticking away so you'll see what I have in mind. As for Gary and Ilene, it'll just be snippets here and there of what they're doing/going through until they come back. As for Iris, I do believe in that as well (not partnering main girl from each region with another other than Ash) but I had to do it for this story. As for whether or not Iris and Cilan break up or have rocky relations and what not will be shown as the story moves on. Your in luck since the match will be big, long and epic! (I hope you and others enjoy it)_

 _ **Rams30 -** What gender the pregnant's girl child will be will be decided/revealed after the tournament. _

**_2\. Jimmy & Marina - _**_I don't recall Ash and Misty ever meeting them in the canon anime series or what not, but I figured it would make sense because Ash and Misty had traveled around Johto and Jimmy and Marina are natives of that region._

 ** _3\. Background stories -_** _Each of the characters mentioned in the story so far will have their story told. However, it will take some time as I like to flesh things out little by little most of the time and only drop bombs when its needed. I will say this though; Sarah will have her story said during her date with Ash, Clair's darkest hour/past will be revealed in this chapter and Liza's betrothal will also be expanded on in this chapter as well. As for the other characters, even the minor ones, they will get some light shined on them here and there until the moment comes when its their turn to take the lead._

 ** _4\. Daisy's Protectiveness -_** _Touching on that a bit above, I will be leaving hints to the reason why Daisy is being so protective over Misty and Ash. Besides what's been going on so far in the story, there is another reason why for her behavior._

 ** _5\. Iris and Cilan -_** _There are things between these two that I have planned from the beginning of the story that will be looked at a little in this chapter. There are secrets that will hurt their relationship and make them realize some obvious truths. Things are going to be rocky between them and it may or may not work out at the end._

 ** _Okay, with that done, I hope you're ready for the battle between the Dragon Master Drax and the Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum! Enjoy!_**

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 48 – THE SEMI FINALS

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, about an hour after most of the group had left to go to the mall, the parents had gathered in the living room. They were waiting for Sabrina's parents to show up and were passing the time by drinking some tea and discussing some things. Johanna placed her tea cup down after taking a sip. **"So it looks like Natasha is doing better."**

Her words were met with nods. **"That's true. And I must say she is gorgeous. I never would have guessed that when Ash first brought her here,"** admitted Grace.

" **Jealous are we?"** teased Delia and they chuckled while Grace sighed.

" **Hey, don't be trying to hide that you're feeling a little jealous too!"** shot Caroline and Delia blushed slightly.

Norman shook his head. **"Females,"** he muttered under his breath.

" **What was that?!"** snapped Caroline, Johanna, Grace and Delia together.

" **Nothing!"** answered Norman but they still glared at him. **"Ah, I'm gonna go to the balcony for a bit."** Norman quickly left the area to put some distance between him and the women so they don't become angrier at him.

Caroline crossed her arms and glared at her husband's back as he left. **"Hmph. No fun for him for a month."** The other three mothers burst out laughing at her remark. **"What?"** she asked.

" **You and we both know you won't stick with that punishment,"** retorted Delia, making Caroline go crimson.

" **Shut up!"**

" **Oh, we hit a nerve!"** remarked Grace.

" **Now we know where May gets her fiery side from!"** commented Johanna.

Caroline moved her gaze away from the other mothers. **"Haters,"** she replied back and the other three laughed even harder. It took them a couple minutes to slowly stop.

" **So what are we going to do when Sabrina's parents arrive?"** asked Johanna after they quieted down.

Delia sighed. **"No real plan. We'll just try to discuss and explain things properly and calmly."** Grace, Johanna and Caroline agreed with that. Before they could say something themselves, their suite door was knocked on. **"That must be them."** Delia got up and went to the door as Caroline went to get Norman from the balcony. Ash's mother opened the door and saw Sabrina's parents. **"Hello, I'm Delia Ketchum. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in,"** she greeted them and gestured for them to come in.

David responded with a curt nod as a thought went through his head; _so this is Satoshi's wife?_ Kate gave a smile. **"Thank you Delia,"** said Kate and the two walked into the suite and moved into the living room as they followed after Delia. When they saw the other parents there, David and Kate introduced themselves and received introductions in return. After getting acquainted with one another, the parents sat down on the couches. Johanna handed their guests cups of tea. **"Thank you,"** replied Kate and Johanna said that it was no problem. **"Have to say, nice suite. Must be fun being here. Am I right?"**

Some chuckles were made by her hosts. **"Yes, it is nice. And we have had our fair share of fun here,"** said Caroline with a smile.

" **So how was your trip here?"** asked Delia.

" **Not bad at all. David teleported us here,"** revealed Kate.

" **Oh. So Sabrina inherited her powers from you then,"** commented Grace.

" **That's right,"** confirmed David with a nod and a hint of pride. **"So, since our daughter was mentioned, let's get to the reason as to why we're here."**

They nodded in understanding and waited for him to speak but instead his wife spoke up. **"We're here because our daughter Sabrina is in love with your son…"** At this point, both David and Kate locked eyes with Delia. **"…Ash. And your son states that he loves her back. But he also said that he loves your daughters…"** They now looked at Johanna, Grace, Caroline and Norman. **"…who I believe are Dawn, Serena and May along with a few other girls. Are we correct?"** she asked them. They replied back that she was so far. **"Alright. Now, I want to know just how are things working out? Why do you support it? Aren't you worried? What has he promised or said to make you feel comfortable with all this?"** Kate finished asking their questions and the parents were quiet for a second.

Grace was the first to answer them. **"You know, I asked myself these same questions and a few others when I first found out about all this. It was shocking at first but after speaking with my Serena, with the other girls, with Ash and seeing how they are with one another…it makes sense for them to be in this kind of special situation."**

Sabrina's parents tilted their heads and asked her what she meant by that. Johanna answered this time. **"What Grace means and what we have seen and believe is that they have this…bond between them. It just makes it work between them. The girls don't see each other as one of Ash's girlfriends. They see each other as sisters, family. They are loyal to one another, respect one another, communicate their thoughts and feelings to one another and treat each other like they are the missing piece of themselves."**

David scratched the side of his head. **"Okay. I guess that makes sense,"** he said. **"But how is he able to keep them all happy? I wouldn't be surprised if there are problems, fights or feelings of being left out or not given enough attention among many other things."**

" **You have a point there,"** admitted Caroline and the other parents nodded their heads. **"However, they have discussed with one another what they want, what they're looking for and along with what was said before, they have come up with rules to keep things fair. And it's working splendidly between them."**

" **Rules?"** asked Kate and the parents nodded again. " **Huh. Interesting. I guess that would make sense. What about…"** The parents continued to discuss with one another about the special situation between their daughters, the other girls and the raven haired guardian for quite some time.

As their conversation went on, a young teenage couple was in one of the bedrooms. **"Yea, we won!"** shouted Bonnie triumphantly before she and Max high fived one another. They had just beaten Call of the Trainer on the hardest difficulty level together. **"No one can beat us when it comes to video games!"**

Max smiled at her enthusiasm. **"You got that right Bonnie!"** The young blonde girl smiled at him but also blushed slightly from his gaze on her. **"So we beat this. What should we do now?"** he asked her.

Bonnie thought for a moment. **"Hmm, how about you think of something and I'll go get some snacks for us in the mean time."** She stood up to go but then felt her hand grasped by his, making her glance back at him. Her blushing became more pronounced.

" **I'll go get the snacks this time and you come up with something for us to do okay?"** asked Max. Before she could reply back, Max got up and left the room, leaving her alone.

Bonnie sat back down on the floor and leaned against the bed with the TV in front of her. **"What should we do?"** she asked out loud. She crawled towards the TV stand and looked at the games and movies stacked there. She looked at a few but none caught her interest. She then pulled out a movie and saw that it was titled 'Armageddon'. Her heart beat increased after reading the title and hearing Ash's words in her head all of a sudden; _the world was covered in darkness, drenched with evil. All were lost in it._ Bonnie shivered from remembering that. She set the movie down on the stand and sat on her legs. She thought about all that Ash had done while he was gone for three years. The sacrifices he made and the horrible things he had to deal with not only during his intense training, but throughout his life as well.

Bonnie took in a sharp breath at that. Her and Max's idol had gone through so much. She understood serious things when she was younger too but now? It just hit her how precious their time was. That any moment could be their last. And for all she knew, the two years before the darkness emerged could be all that they had left. She believed in Ash of course. Heck, the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus, believes in him and even if he didn't, she, Max and their friends and family would no matter what. But she was still worried. Worried for Ash, her family, her friends and worried for…Max.

Bonnie's heart thumped strongly as she thought about Max. She imagined him in her mind and she felt herself fill up with emotion suddenly and that surprised her. _Is…is this…what love is? I mean, I do like him. I do feel something when we're together. And when we touch…_ She felt her heart skip a beat when she remembered their first kiss at the arcade. Sure it wasn't the most romantic one in the world. But it was theirs. And she thought of when he encouraged her during their training. How he prevented her from feeling down about herself. How he was there to comfort her when she was scared yesterday. _I think…I think my feelings for him are real. I want…_

Bonnie's thoughts were cut off when the door opened and Max walked back in with some chips and soda. He sat on the ground and leaned against the bed. **"Sabrina's parents are here. They look like they're really into their talk,"** he said while setting the food and drinks onto the floor next to him. Bonnie merely nodded back. **"So did you decide what we're doing next?"** he asked her. He grabbed a chips bag and was about to open it when the blonde teenager moved to be beside him and stopped him. He looked up at her with a confused expression. **"You don't want this?"** he asked her.

Bonnie shook her head. **"It's not that. I…I want to ask you something. But…before I do…do you promise to tell me the truth?"** she asked him quietly.

Max felt his heart start to beat rapidly. He was worried as to where she was going with this. He set the bag of chips back onto the floor and sat up some more against the bed. He looked into her eyes and she did the same to him. **"I promise."**

She was quiet for a moment. **"Do you remember our…kiss?"** she asked him. Both of them turned red at that. Max answered by nodding his head. **"And…did you…like it?"** He nodded again. **"Do…do you…like me?"** The two had their faces turn dark red. Max slowly nodded his head once more. **"Last question; do you…want me to be…your…girlfriend?"** she asked him.

Max's eyes widened at that. He couldn't believe what Bonnie was asking but her last question made him completely surprised. He wasn't expecting anything like this. He snapped out of his stupefied trance and composed himself. **"Bonnie...let me tell you this; we have so much in common and I'm happy whenever we're together. I do like you. A lot."** The young teenage girl smiled at his words. **"And though I would like you to be my girlfriend, I don't know how to be in a relationship. And aren't you…we…a little young…to be in a…relationship?"** he asked her.

She understood what he was saying. Sure they were barely teenagers. But they were mature for their age. And they did like one another. **"Max…it might be a little soon for us to think about or pursue something like this,"** started Bonnie and he nodded in agreement. **"But, I think we can handle it. And it's not like we have to change what we do right? We can be together. That is…if that's what you want."** She hung her head, too embarrassed to keep looking at him.

Max felt so happy over her words and he gained courage from that. **"Hey…"** Bonnie slowly raised her gaze to his. **"Do you like me?"** he asked her. She nodded. **"Did you enjoy our kiss?"** She turned crimson before she nodded again. **"Do you want me to be your…boyfriend?"** he asked her. A moment later, she nodded once more and he had a large smile form on his face. **"Then in that case, let's make things official."** Max stood up and extended his hand to hers and assisted Bonnie in standing up after. **"Bonnie Citron, will you be my girlfriend?"** he asked her.

She beamed at him. **"I will. And will you be my boyfriend Max Maple?"** she asked him.

" **I will,"** he answered her with a smile.

The two looked into one another's eyes, feeling many good emotions spiraling around inside them. Without even thinking, the two slowly leaned in closer to one another. Before they knew it, Max and Bonnie had their lips meet one another's. It was a better but still simple kiss. It enflamed the two, making them keep going for a good minute before they finally stopped. Immediately afterwards they took up the other into an embrace and told one another that they were happy. When they separated, Bonnie set up the movie for them to watch and Max got their snacks ready to munch on.

While the new couple began watching a movie in their room, Clemont was in his room. He was working on his experiments like he said he would be doing. He was trying to fix his energy siphoning device that he used on Ash when he had a mental breakdown. He had figured out what the problem was but just couldn't isolate it. Every time he attempted to correct it, something else would go haywire. **"Ah, come on damn it!"** he said in frustration. He smacked his invention, letting out a yelp as a result while holding onto his hand. **"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"** He was still very sore from training and he had his hand hit the dense metal part. The pain slowly went away and he sat down on a chair. **"Man, what am I going to do?"** He thought a bit about it before shaking his head and let out a sigh. **"I need a break…"**

Clemont glanced around the room. He thought about watching some TV but then decided against it. _Maybe Bonnie and Max might want to do some practice battles._ He got up and went to his backpack that was on the table. He picked it up and searched for his poke balls that were inside it. Rather than getting a poke ball though, his hand touched something else. **"What the…"** He took out the item and had a surprised expression form on his face. It was a picture frame of him, his sister, Ash, Serena and their other friends from Kalos. He instantly knew that his sister had put this in his backpack. **"Bonnie, why would you…"** He stopped talking when his eyes fell onto a particular person on the picture. She had brunette hair, tanned skin, green eyes and a cheerful look on her face.

Clemont smiled at seeing her in the photo. _I wonder how Shauna is doing._ The gym leader thought about her for a bit. He thought of their adventures throughout Kalos together and how they would hang out together with their other friends Tierno and Trevor. _It's been a while since we talked. Maybe I should give her a call._ He put the picture down, raised his Poketch, scrolled down his list of contacts and called her. It rang a few times before it was picked up. **"Hey Shauna, how are you doing?"** asked Clemont.

An excited voice was heard from the other line. **"Clemont! Hey, it's good to hear from you!"** answered Shauna. **"How's everything? How's Ash? How's Bonnie? How's Serena?"**

" **Whoa, slow down!"** chuckled Clemont. **"Always on full speed aren't you?"** he asked her.

" **You betcha!"** she replied back with a laugh.

He smiled at that. **"Well, we're all doing well now. Things are getting better and the tournament is almost over. How are things back home?"** he asked her.

" **Well that's good to hear. Well, we've been…"** Shauna began explaining what she and their other friends have been up to and how worried they were about Ash over his last few matches. Clemont understood that and told her that they shouldn't be worried since everything was alright. He then asked her if she was doing well. **"That good to hear. Well, I'm having another super duper day here in wonderful Kalos!"** giggled Shauna and he replied back saying he wasn't surprised. **"That's right! You know me Clemo!"**

Clemont groaned. **"Please stop calling me Clemo,"** pleaded the gym leader.

Shauna quieted down after laughing a bit. **"But I like it,"** she said. Unknown to each other since they couldn't see each other's faces, they both blushed slightly. **"So, I gotta ask...why the sudden call? Missed me did ya?"** asked the brunette curiously and teasingly.

Clemont had his heart skip a beat at the sudden question and went redder. **"Ah, well…I-I just wanted t-to see how you're doing. You know, since w-we used to h-hang out a lot and it's been awhile,"** said the gym leader truthfully.

A smile formed on the girl on the other end of the line. **"That's sweet of you."** He felt happy hearing that from her. **"Well, I hope you don't forget to…"**

" **SHAUNA!"**

" **Who was that?"** asked Clemont while trying to ignore the ringing in his ear now because of the sudden shout that cut her off. He heard Shauna tell the other voice to hold on for a moment because she's talking to Clemont. He heard someone speaking again but couldn't make out the words.

He wondered who the voice belonged to when Shauna began talking again to him. **"Sorry Clemo. It was Tierno. He says hello."**

" **Oh okay,"** he replied back **. "Thanks and tell him I saw hello too. Is everything alright though?"** he asked her.

" **I will and yea everything is fine. He's just getting anxious cause we're gonna go see a movie together and he wants to see the previews,"** informed Shauna.

Clemont chuckled in response. **"Yea, that sounds like Tierno. Say hello to the others too for me when you see them there."**

" **What do you mean?"** asked Shauna, confused at first before she got it. **"Oh, Trevor and Miette won't be there."**

Now Clemont was confused. Usually they would hang out in a group that consisted of him, his sister Bonnie and their friends Shauna, Miette, Trevor and Tierno after Ash left and Serena became busy with her showcases. **"I assumed that since Bonnie and I aren't there, that you four would hang out together now."**

" **OH!"** Now she understood. **"I see what you mean now. Sorry, I should've mentioned that Trevor and I are going out alone."**

Clemont heard his own heartbeat in his ears now. **"You mean…like a…date?"** he asked her.

He couldn't tell but Shauna went redder on the other end of the line. **"Well, I guess you can call it that,"** answered Shauna embarrassingly. It became quiet for a moment. Unable to bear the silence anymore, she spoke. **"Why do you ask? Is…there something…wrong with that?"** she asked him.

" **No no, just…surprised. That's all,"** replied Clemont while feeling horrible for some reason at what he found out.

" **Oh okay."** It became quiet again as the two stayed on the phone. Both were wondering what to say and the silence started becoming a little awkward. **"Well, I guess I should go. You know how impatient he gets,"** joked Shauna.

Clemont forced himself to chuckle. **"Yea, I do. Have fun Shauna. It was good talking to you again."**

" **Same here Clemo. I hope to hear from you again soon,"** she said.

The two said their byes together before both of them hung up. Clemont sunk into a chair and started wondering why he felt so terrible now. _Why did I start feeling that way... when I found out she's going out with Tierno? Shouldn't I be…happy for them?_ He glanced over at the picture he placed on the dresser. He got up, picked it up and looked at it again. The moment he saw Shauna's image on it, his mouth formed into a smile. His eyes then roamed over the photo and landed onto Tierno. Anger spiked in him suddenly with his smile vanishing at once. That both surprised him and scared him. He placed the photo face down onto the dresser and took a step away from it. _Why did I feel that way? Am I…jealous? He's my friend but why am I so…angry with him?_ He started shaking a little, his emotions getting the better of him. He took in several deep breaths to calm himself down. _It's probably nothing. I'm just wired up from everything that's happened so far. Yea, that's it._ He walked over to where his invention was and started working on it again. But every now and then, his mind would wonder towards the cheerful brunette. And each time he would force his mind to focus back onto his task.

As the day went on, while the three younger adults were in their rooms, the parents came to an understanding. And soon afterwards, Ash and company reappeared in the penthouse suite balcony. Their sudden appearance caught the attention of their parents. They got up and went to the newly arrived group. As they drew nearer, they heard several conversations going on at once. Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia were trying to comfort Clair. Violet, Lily and Misty were speaking with Daisy and asking if she was alright. Iris and Cilan were arguing and the others were just trying to fully understand what had happened and calm things down. Natasha was feeling overwhelmed at all the heated conversations going around her and she stayed near Ash and May.

Unable to distinguish what was going on, Norman and David let out loud whistles that drew their attention and Delia spoke afterwards. **"What's going on here?"** she asked them. Everyone in the group turned their gazes onto the parents as they went silent immediately. Then they glanced at one another but said nothing. **"Really?!"** The parents glared at the group and Delia faced her son. **"Ash Ketchum! What happened?!"** asked Delia.

All eyes went to Ash and he sweat dropped. Even Natasha felt a little scared for him at the way his mother and the other parents were looking at him. The raven haired guardian thought quickly before answering. **"Let's just say that Drax is not someone we want around us and I have a huge battle to get ready for,"** he replied back.

" **Got that right,"** huffed Daisy as she crossed her arms while others nodded in agreement.

The ones who stayed at the hotel didn't know what they were talking about and asked them what had happened. Taking control, Liza explained what Drax had done, while leaving some things out such as what happened between him and Clair in the past. Getting the message, the parents understood now. **"Okay, well let's head inside, have a drink and just calm down,"** advised Johanna.

Most everyone agreed to that except for one. **"You guys go on ahead,"** started Ash before facing the Blackthorn gym leader. **"But Clair and I need to talk."** He gestured to the railings and she nodded. The group allowed the two some privacy. Most went inside with Natasha sticking with May and Delia at first before heading to her own room so she could think about how she could confess to Ash. But Sabrina, Cynthia and Liza remained behind and Ash knew why. **"I know you're here to support her and that's great. But I need to talk to her alone for a moment please."** The three glanced at Clair who said she'll be alright and they went inside as well.

When Ash and Clair where left alone at the railings, he turned to face her. **"What happened between you and Drax? You confronted a drunk and maddened Aura Guardian without fear but you broke down because of him. Why?"** he asked her. He wanted to know and now was the time.

Clair sighed before looking towards the horizon. She spoke with her sight away from him. **"You're going to think I'm a pathetic and idiot girl,"** she said quietly.

Ash took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder that made her turn her gaze onto his. He locked his eyes with her and her heart skipped a beat. **"I will never think that Clair. Stubborn and foolishly bold? Yeah. But never what you just said."**

She felt powerful feelings rise within her but controlled them. Though Ash sensed that, he didn't comment on it. She stayed silent for a moment before looking at the horizon again. **"He used me,"** she revealed all of a sudden. Ash lowered his hand and took another step closer to her. Clair continued speaking while Ash stood at her side. **"He came to my gym almost two years ago right when a tournament was about to start for only up and coming dragon trainers. I was also going to participate in it since only Elite Four members and Champions were not allowed. He showed up before it started and asked for my assistance to learn more about dragons. I decided to help him because I was honor bound as a gym leader to help those who ask for it and…because he was respectful, charming and handsome."** She turned red, embarrassed over what she just admitted but Ash said nothing. He only nodded to show he was following so far and Clair noticed it. She took a breather before continuing. **"I taught him almost everything I knew and we had many practice battles. He was really good right off the bat but after taking my advice and teachings to heart, he quickly became even better. As a result of our many hours together practicing, soon enough we became close. We even went out a few times but kept it secret. Only Liza, Sabrina and Cynthia knew about it. I didn't want anyone else to know about it cause it was all new to me, I didn't know how my family would react and he said he didn't mind."** Clair stopped at this point. Her heart began beating rapidly since her mind was flashing images of what happened later on. Ash could sense her feelings going all over the place and she was doing her best to stay in control. **"We had dinner at my place the night before the tournament started to celebrate our completed training. The night went on well enough…or so I thought. After finishing dinner and talking for a while, I…I…was feeling so happy and wanted to experience…more."**

Ash didn't say anything about that but inside his stomach twisted into knots at hearing that and that startled him. _What the hell? Why did I just feel that?_ He thought to himself but when she continued speaking, he pushed it aside and forced his attention back onto her.

" **I excused myself to use the bathroom. I wanted to look my best for him. It was my first time ever dressing up or using make up. I hadn't done that for anyone before. On my way back, I heard him talking to someone on the phone quietly."** Ash's eyes grew sullen, knowing where this was heading. **"I stayed hidden and heard him say that he was going to leave me after the tournament. That he was only with me so he could get information on how to be a better dragon trainer. He then finished up by saying he has his goal of being the strongest dragon trainer in the world. That he didn't have time for a relationship especially…especially with someone like me. That he had someone else who was promised to him and would get with her instead no matter what."** Ash had both rage and sadness fill him over what he just found out what this Drax did and was planning to do to her. Clair was starting to show signs that her emotions were taking over her. **"I was…I was so devastated. But…I-I confronted him right there, telling him to get out and what he said wasn't what I was expecting at all; h-he didn't…d-deny it! He said that he was actually glad that I found out since…since he didn't need me anymore and…and thought I was dull, unimaginative and…and a needy slut…even though…we hadn't…done anything yet…"** She couldn't hold it back anymore and started crying. Ash took her up into his arms and she cried into his chest with her hands placed against it as well. **"H-he u-used me!"** she cried. **"I-I was s-so heartbroken that I-I didn't compete and didn't a-answer my friends' calls. I c-could've beaten him…but h-he had b-broken me…the first guy I opened up to and he completely used me! I-I couldn't Ash. I just couldn't face him because anything and everything about him just made me remember how gullible and desperate I was!"** He started rubbing her back gently as he tried to comfort her, feeling horrible over what she went through because of that asshole. **"I'm so stupid! I should've known he was using me!"** she cried. **"All the red flags that were there that I ignored! But he's right! How could anyone like me or love me? I act tough but the second fear fills me, or I have feelings for someone, I can't function. I can't do anything. I hid away from everyone and everything for over a month before even stepping out of my house. If-if it wasn't…f-for my best f-friends…I-I'd still be hiding away…I t-tried to m-move on…but I-I'm still a-a mess…"** Clair couldn't talk anymore and just sobbed into his chest.

Ash felt so horrible over what she went through. He tightened his hug on her, wishing he could've prevented what had happened to her. **"It's alright Clair,"** he said softly to her as she continued to cry. **"You found out the truth about him before he could do anything else to you. Before he could use you more."** He thought a bit about what to say to help comfort her. **"And you confronted him. That took courage. You took him on again today and that was also brave. You stood up to your fear. You should be proud of yourself."** Clair felt something stir inside her but it had nothing to do with her sadness or crying. **"You are none of the things he said you are. You deserve to be respected, to be loved but not by just anyone. You deserve an incredible guy, one who would treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You are a beautiful and smart girl, a powerful trainer and a great friend,"** he told her in a calm and soothing tone of voice.

His words washed over the blunette and it helped her to gradually stop her sobbing. After several minutes, Clair slowly raised her head and looked at him with a teary gaze. **"Do you…do you really mean that?"** she asked quietly, looking into his brown eyes with her blue ones.

Ash let a smile form on his face. **"Of course I do. You're one of kind Clair. You deserve the best. I know you'll find your prince charming,"** he told her at once.

Clair's heart beat increased and she felt powerful emotions fill her. She felt an almost overwhelming desire to just tell him right there how she feels about him that took all of her willpower to contain. **"Thank you,"** she told him in a whisper a moment later before she hugged him tightly. _I've already found him. You are my prince charming Ash._

Ash's eyes widened at her thoughts and his own heart began beating rapidly as he sensed her feelings skyrocket. Even though he had suspicions about her possibly liking him, he couldn't believe what he just found out. He felt something stirring inside him and he suddenly felt this incredible pull towards her. He was about to say something to her when she separated from him. She gave him a warm smile as she wiped away her tears. **"Thank you for being here for me Ash."** And with that, Clair leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. She turned red as she did so before leaving Ash alone in the balcony and went back inside.

Ash watched her go with a stunned look on his face until she disappeared inside. He turned his gaze towards the horizon, lost in thought with his hand on his cheek. _Did that just happen? Why did I feel that way?_ He thought about Clair more carefully. Her personality. Her attitude. The way she held herself. How she looked. What she revealed to him. How she tried to stop him from making a mistake after the club. How she was mad at him for not believing in her more during the first time they trained. How she tried to protect Sabrina in her own way. How he felt so bad when he found out that she was thinking about becoming intimate with Drax. He felt the stirring feeling inside him become stronger as he thought about her and it was the same thing that stirred when he had thoughts about his girlfriends. _I can't believe it…I…I have feelings for Clair. And she has feelings for me._ His mind brought up the other girls who he had suspicions about and the stirring feeling within him remained. _Is this…is this what I'm feeling for the other girls too? What is this going to cause to happen?_ He checked his Poketch and saw he still had a good amount of time until his match with Drax. He stayed outside and looked over the horizon as he thought some more. After several minutes, his mind landed onto a particular blonde girl that made him send out a mental message. _Misty? Can you hear me?_

A startled tone of voice was heard in his head. _Ash?! Where are you?!_

 _So you can still hear me. Cool. I'm in the balcony. Where are you?_

 _Wow! You're getting better! And I'm in my sisters' room._

He smiled to himself. _Thanks Mist. Is Daisy with you?_

 _She is. Why?_

 _I wanted to check in on her since she battled with Drax too. How's she doing?_

Misty's voice in his head was now covered in a sullen tone. _She's a little shaken up still. She told me, Vi and Lil how she was never beaten so brutally before. And before the battle, she ran into him earlier on in the mall and he was a complete jackass to her. How could someone be so cruel like that?_

Ash felt anger rise in him but kept himself from showing it via his mental communication. _I don't know Mist. There are so many rotten people out there. I hope she feels better soon._

 _Unfortunately. And she will Ash. Especially when you show that asshole what a real trainer is like._

 _I promise Mist that I'll show him how wrong he is._

 _That's my Pokémon Master._ Ash couldn't help but smile again. _I'm gonna focus on Daisy now okay?_

Ash's smile faded away and his expression turned serious. _Okay. Tell her from me that things will be alright._

 _Will do!_

Their mental conversation ended and the raven haired guardian began thinking about everything that happened with Drax and what he learned about him. How he used Clair like an object. How he had said and did some things to Iris and Cilan to jeopardize their relationship. How he disrespected Daisy. The brutality of his battling methods. He felt his anger rise even higher and he gripped the metal railings hard, bending them. _You will pay for this Drax. You will apologize for what you've done._ Ash stayed out in the balcony a little longer, thinking about his upcoming battle and who he was going to use for in it.

When everyone went inside the suite while Ash and Clair talked, Iris and Cilan headed into their bedroom to speak in private while most of the others were in the living room. As soon as they entered the room, they began talking about what happened. Little by little, their conversation was becoming more and more heated and soon it turned into an argument. Cilan shook his head after Iris said something and said he doesn't want to hear excuses anymore. The purple haired girl however kept talking to her green haired boyfriend but he wasn't listening. **"Please Cilan, he means nothing to me!"** stated Iris after her last explanation.

" **How can you say that Iris?!"** shouted Cilan, outraged and feeling humiliated over what happened. His shouting caught Iris off guard and made her take a step back. **"You became excited when you heard who Ash was facing him next! You let him kiss you! You two were even promised to one another and you never told me about that! You barely fought back! You looked like you were debating about what he said!"** yelled Cilan, taking in some breaths afterwards.

Iris became angry at that. **"You know I love dragons and admire dragon trainers! And you saw me get angry! You saw me shocked! How could you blame me for not taking action quicker because of that?!"** she asked him.

" **That's not the point Iris!"** snapped back Cilan, deflecting her question. **"You kept secrets from me!"**

Iris took in a sharp breath but didn't back down. **"I'm not the only one with secrets!"** Cilan asked her what she meant with that. **"You know exactly what I'm talking about! All those connoisseur conventions you go to every few months. What have you been doing there huh?!"** she asked him.

Cilan shook from that before responding back. **"You know that's one of my passions and I've never betrayed you!"** he growled at her.

" **Then why was Burgundy with you every time you went?!"** she asked him with venom.

Cilan's heart thumped loudly. **"First of all, of course she would be there. She is a connoisseur too. But that doesn't mean we did anything together while there Iris. I never spent much time with her. I'm not one to cheat and you should know that by now,"** he told her.

Iris however merely smiled weakly back at him, making him become confused. **"I never said you cheated. You're lying to me Cilan."** He was about to open his mouth when she silenced him with what she said next. **"Did you forget about Georgia?"**

Cilan's face lost color, going pale instantly. **"G-Georgia?"**

Seeing his reaction, Iris knew she had struck gold that he had forgotten about her being there too. **"Yes Cilan, Georgia. Did you forget she and Burgundy are good friends? That she is one of my biggest rivals? That we keep in touch? Every time you went to one of those conventions, she was there too and you saw her. Remember?"** Cilan began sweating bullets now. **"She saw you and Burgundy having so much fun together and from what she said, it sounded like you were having the time of your lives,"** revealed Iris sadly.

Cilan looked like he was slapped. **"I'm…I'm sorry for not telling you. But nothing happened between us Iris. I swear it,"** he told her.

Iris shook her head. **"Then why lie to me Cilan? Why keep it a secret? Whenever I asked about how it went, what you did or who you saw, you never told me you spent time with her."**

Cilan was feeling embarrassed and ashamed at being put on the spot like that but then anger sprang up within him. **"What about you Iris?! You lied to me about Drax and how you two were promised to each other! That's worse!"**

Iris gasped from his words and clapped her hands over her mouth. She was frozen for a few seconds before getting out of it. **"How is that worse?! I didn't mention him because it was so long ago in my past and I forgot about it! It's not like I was constantly dealing with him while with you! Unlike you doing that to me with Burgundy!"** she snapped at him.

Cilan shook with rage at that. **"You expect me to believe that you just forgot about being promised to someone? Someone who you have great respect for? Someone who is everything that you're looking for? And what about everything else regarding how we got together Iris?!"**

Iris's heart began beating faster. **"What are you trying to say?"** asked Iris quietly.

Cilan's angry demeanor did not soften. **"Maybe this was supposed to happen! To show that we're not supposed to be together!"** he shot at her.

Iris was shocked at what he said, becoming quiet for a moment until she snapped out of it. " **Maybe you're right!"** she replied back angrily.

" **Fine!"** barked Cilan.

" **Fine!"** snapped Iris back. She quickly exited the room and Cilan glared at the door closing behind her before he started pacing in the room while thinking about everything that just happened.

When Clair went inside, feeling much better, she went to her room and found Sabrina, Cynthia and Liza there. The three went to her at once. **"Are you alright?"** asked Sabrina.

Clair smiled and nodded her head, surprising her friends. **"Yea. I'm good."**

" **Really?"** asked Cynthia, tilting her head while Sabrina and Liza glanced at one another. **"Because we thought that you would be feeling like shit right now after telling Ash what happened,"** remarked the blonde champion.

" **Well, I was to be honest,"** started Clair slowly, making her friends give her gestures to hurry up and explain. That made her chuckle before continuing. **"But man, Ash has a way with words. Never thought he would be so damn smooth,"** she admitted, turning red. Understanding dawned on her friends and the three girls shook their heads while laughing quietly. **"And…I hope you don't get mad at me,"** said the blunette, making two of her friends look at her carefully now. **"But I gave him a thank you kiss on the cheek for helping me."**

Her friends were surprised at her action but Cynthia and Sabrina said it was fine. Clair thanked them for understanding. Seeing how unnaturally quiet Liza was being, she turned to her. **"So where's your teasing and insulting comments? C'mon, I'm waiting,"** remarked the gym leader. Liza however just sat down on one of the beds and put her head in her hands. **"Liza?"**

Becoming concerned, the three girls gathered round the caretaker and sat down beside her. They waited for her to talk and a few minutes later, she did. **"It's…it's about my caretaker duties and...and Drax."** And with that, Liza started explaining everything to Sabrina and Cynthia about the test her ancestors made, what it entailed, the trainer who beat it to catch up the two before explaining to all three what she noticed about Drax. **"It's him…he's the one who won the gauntlet! He's the one I'm promised to and have to get with to not sully my family name!"** she finished up saying before starting to cry loudly.

Her friends were beyond stunned and were worried about her. But the three quickly snapped out of it and began comforting their close friend. **"Don't worry,"** said Cynthia after a moment. **"We'll figure something out."**

Liza sighed but then Sabrina spoke up. **"She's right. We won't let anyone force you. Not even the League."**

" **Told you we got your back,"** added Clair.

Liza looked up at her friends and saw them smiling at her. She sniffed before pulling the three into a hug. **"Thanks you guys. What would I do without you?"** she asked them rhetorically.

" **Probably annoy someone else,"** remarked Clair at once.

" **Bitch,"** whispered Liza, making the four of them laugh out loud.

Some time passed and an alarm sounded out in the balcony. The raven haired guardian dismissed it and went inside the suite and headed to his room. He woke up his starter, explained that they have an important battle to prepare for before the two headed out of his room. He saw that almost everyone was in the living room except for a handful. Ash told them to get ready to leave if they want to watch the match, to find the others and tell them the same as he went to the red head's room. **"Hey, I have to go for my match. Do you want to stay or go with us?"** he asked Natasha after stepping inside and seeing her sitting on her bed. She was lost in thought about when and how she should come clean to him and this was a perfect thing to distract her from it. And perhaps, it may allow her to figure out the way to do it. _I'll come. I don't want to stay alone._ She stepped out with him and the two entered the living room seeing everyone there now. Ash noticed Iris and Cilan having weird auras but when he glanced at them, they merely nodded at him. Deciding to worry about that after his match, he turned to face everyone. **"I'm gonna go take care of something before getting to the stadium."** He glanced at the red head again. **"Would you mind staying with the girls?"** She looked at him and shook her head before moving towards May, Leaf and Misty who welcomed her.

" **What are you going to do?"** asked Dawn.

" **To prepare for my match,"** replied Ash before he and Pikachu disappeared.

The guardian and starter reappeared on New Island in front of his large group of pokemon. Immediately his pokémon went up to him, happy to see him. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder in time to avoid the sudden multiple tackles. Ash was pushed onto the ground and many of his smaller pokémon nuzzled him affectionately. Many of his pokémon, including Lucario, Gardevoir and Mewtwo smiled at the sight of him being smothered by them. **"Yea, I'm glad to see you guys too!"** His pokémon finally let him stand back up and he looked at them all. **"How have you all been?"** he asked them. He was answered with many roars and it looked like some were itching for a battle. He smiled at them. **"Good to hear."** His happy expression turned serious and seeing that change, his pokémon grew serious too. **"It's the semi finals of the tournament. And we're facing someone who goes by Dragon Master Drax. He is strong. But he's also got a bad attitude. We will not hold back this battle."** His pokémon nodded in understanding.

" **I feel there is more you want to say,"** commented Mewtwo.

" **I do. Its time to fully embrace who I am and we need to make a quick pit stop in Hoenn,"** replied Ash.

His pokémon and ally knew what he meant by that. Gardevoir moved towards him. **"Ash, are you ready for that? And will you have enough time to do that before your match starts?"** she asked him.

Ash faced her, checked the time and nodded. **"Yes, and I believe so."** He went inside his island home to change into some new clothes. When finished he stepped back outside and went towards his pokémon. They stood at attention and he looked at them trying to pick who will be battling. Finally he decided who would battle, told them to be ready and Ash then faced Mewtwo. **"Would you be so kind buddy?"** he asked the psychic feline. A second later, Ash, Mewtwo and Pikachu vanished.

The four of them reappeared in front of a large spiral tower. Ash raised his gaze and saw that the tower went so high up into the sky that the tip was covered in some low floating clouds. He looked at the entrance and saw it was boarded up. He quickly brought out a poke ball and his Pidgeot appeared. **"You do know I can just teleport us up there right?"** reminded Mewtwo.

" **I know. But this is a test just like everything else,"** replied back Ash as he climbed onto Pidgeot and Pikachu tightened his hold onto his jacket. Ash faced his friend. **"Were you testing me too?"**

Mewtwo smirked. **"Of course."**

Ash shook his head. **"Why am I not surprised? Pidgeot, to the top and as fast as you can go."**

Pidgeot let out a chirp of happiness. She really loved flying fast. **"Pid pidgot!"** She opened her large and beautiful wings before shooting upwards with one flap of them. She quickly increased her speed and Mewtwo followed beside them. The psychic feline glanced at his friend and saw his expression completely serious and he could sense his anger boiling. _Something must have really pissed him off. I pity the fool who did that._

It didn't take long but soon enough they reached the top of the tower and Ash felt the coldness from the clouds and felt his breathing becoming a little ragged. **"Pidgeot, clear away the clouds."** His falcon quickly got rid of the nearby clouds to reveal the top of the pillar and an altar. Pidgeot landed onto it and Ash jumped down as Mewtwo landed beside him. **"Thank you,"** said Ash before returning the falcon. The raven haired guardian glanced at Pikachu and then at Mewtwo. Both of his friends gave him looks that clearly said they're with him.

Ash took a step forward towards the altar and immediately a voice was heard from behind him. **"Who dares enter the sacred temple of the Lord of Dragons?"**

The three whipped around and saw three people there dressed in black and white clothes with their faces masked. They were surprised that they couldn't sense them until now. **"I, Aura Guardian Ash Ketchum, have come to challenge the Lord of Dragons to seek his reward,"** stated Ash.

The three took a step forward and each took out a poke ball from beneath their cloaks. **"So be it. If you can beat the three of us at once, you will have proved yourself worthy to face the Lord of Dragons. If you succeed in completing his challenge, he will grant you the reward you seek. Are you ready challenger?"** said the middle person.

Ash and Pikachu glanced at one another before facing the three once more. **"We are,"** he said before Pikachu jumped onto the floor with its cheeks sparking. The three altar protectors were astonished at the challenger's choice of pokémon but nonetheless, they tossed out poke balls right after. An incredible battle ensued with their three pokémon against Pikachu.

Near the Indigo stadium, inside a cave at the base of a mountain, a tall man with silver hair was digging through his duffel bag while his large dragon was resting beside him. Drax took out three stones from inside it before placing them on the ground. He dug through the bag once more and pulled out the other item he was searching for. He looked at it for a second before facing Salamence. **"This one has been causing us trouble but will be helpful in the upcoming match. The guardian is stronger than anticipated. He blocked your attack like it was nothing. We will show that I am in charge,"** stated Drax and the blue dragon nodded its head. Drax placed the ultra ball he took out on the ground and then unclipped the other poke balls around his waist before he tossed them. His five other dragon pokémon appeared with loud roars before standing attention and faced their trainer. He checked his Poketch and saw he still had about an hour before his match started. **"That's more than enough time. We have some business to attend to before our next match."** His pokémon made no sound except for slight growling when he picked up the ultra ball.

Drax opened the ultra ball and the pokémon appeared with a loud cry of its name. Instantly it went on guard while looking for a way to escape. It saw that the only exit was blocked by the silver haired man and his pokémon. Realizing it was trapped, it snarled loudly at Drax. **"Silence!"** shot the dragon trainer but it would not heed his command. **"If you will not heed my commands willingly, you will be forced to! Do not anger me!"** The pokémon instead shot a Dragon Pulse at the trainer but it was blocked by one of his dragons. **"So be it,"** stated Drax coldly. His six dragons advanced onto the lone pokémon and attacked it without mercy. The lone pokémon did its best to evade and counter, managing to hurt them back with its own attacks but its opponents were too strong, too skilled and working together. It was soon overwhelmed by their attacks and dropped onto the cave ground while wheezing for breath. Drax's pokémon backed away a few steps but kept their gaze on the defiant pokémon.

Drax walked forward and when he reached the weakened pokémon on the ground, placed his boot on the base of its neck. The pokémon whimpered from it but the Dragon Master didn't care. **"You have power but you are no match for me. You will obey or you will be beaten every time you challenge me."** The pokémon glared at him but it didn't affect him. **"Defiant to the end. A true dragon. But you are forgetting that dragons are honor bound to submit to the one who captures them."** The pokémon's glare faded away and it looked away, sadness filling it from the truth. **"That's what I thought. You will obey me. Or you will bring dishonor on your kind."** Drax went silent for a moment to let that sink into the pokémon's head. **"Now I have an important match coming up. I only had to use one or two pokémon so far in the tournament. But my next opponent is strong. Though I will beat him, I'm not taking any chances with him. You will aid me in defeating him or I will make sure that the rest of your days are filled with agony for failing me. Understand?!"** The pokémon glanced at Drax again for a moment before looking away. Realizing it had no choice, it closed its eyes and slowly nodded. **"Good."** Drax took his foot off its neck and went towards his duffel bag again while his other pokémon kept watch on the hurt one. The Dragon Master took out several restorative potions from his bag. He went back to his pokémon and applied the potions onto his dragons, leaving the defiant one to the end. After doing that, he gave three of his pokémon the stones before returning them all except for two. He looked at one of them. **"You will sit this battle out."** His pokémon nodded and was returned. Drax then locked eyes with his Salamence. **"Time to go."** Salamence lowered itself so Drax can climb onto its back and the blue dragon flew out of the cave before rising into the air. The silver haired Dragon Master had a large grin appear on his face. _You have no chance Guardian._

In a large castle that stood in the middle of the Kingdom of Rota, the young blonde Queen was in her room lying on her bed. Ilene was staring up at the ceiling, exhausted. She had been extremely busy since her return yesterday in the evening. The moment she came back home, she was bombarded with important tasks and updates from her advisors that had come up during her absence. She stayed up late into the night and only had a few hours of sleep before being awakened early in the morning that day. But thanks to her trusted advisors, Riley's suggestions and her own quick thinking and decision making, she finally finished all that needed to be done for the moment to keep her kingdom running smoothly. She shook her head suddenly. _That's the last and only time I take a couple weeks off for a vacation without setting things in place for unseen problems while I'm gone,_ thought Ilene.

She took in a long breath and exhaled. There was a good aspect about her being so busy though. It allowed her to not think about what had happened the day before. And right now, she was too tired out to even think. Ilene was about to close her eyes to sleep a bit when her door was knocked on. Letting out a disgruntled groan, she ignored it and turned to her side. The knocking continued. **"Ugh, what is it?"** she called out with an annoyed tone of voice.

" **My Queen, I only wanted to remind you that the next match is about to begin,"** came Riley's voice through the door.

Ilene's eyes snapped open. **"Alright. Thank you,"** she replied back calmly as she sat up. Before leaving, Riley said that he'll have it ready for her to watch in the main living quarters. The young woman stood up and went to her dresser to check on her appearance. Her face showed tired reddened eyes and her royal attire was wrinkly since she was lying down with them on. _It'll have to do. I don't want to miss his match._ Her mind formed her Knight's image in her head, making her both a little happier but also a little sullen. She shook her head, clearing the image from her mind and walked out of her room. Soon enough, Ilene entered the living quarters and true to his word, Riley had readied the match for her to watch. **"Thank you Master Riley. And is everything okay with you and Daisy?"** asked Ilene as she sat on the couch.

Riley nodded. **"No problem my Queen. And yes, I have spoken with her a little earlier on."** Ilene smiled at that, saying she hopes the best for them. Riley thanked her as he sat down as well and she turned her attention to the screen. The television showed the stadium filled up with the announcer speaking about the last match, getting the crowd pumped for the battle. **"I believe Ash will do well,"** commented Riley.

Ilene agreed with his statement. **"As do I. My Knight will win."** Riley gave a curious glance towards his Queen, sensing her emotions spike a little. But Ilene didn't notice because her attention was on the screen. As the two watched the broadcast of the match, Riley periodically checked on her expressions and reactions.

At the Indigo Plateau stadium, five people were inside the VIP room of the stadium. Each was anxiously waiting to see the next match that would determine the final round matchups of the tournament. One of the four, an elderly man who had a bundle of energy, turned to look at the rest. **"So, before it starts, you guys sure you don't want to switch up the bets?"** he asked them.

Three of them chuckled while the fourth merely stayed quiet. **"It's already been decided on Charles. No changing minds now,"** replied Diantha.

" **Alright, just making sure."** Goodshow turned back around, grabbed some chips and tossed them into his mouth. **"Steven, how come you didn't invite Ms. Snow?"** he asked without looking at the champion.

Steven reddened from the sudden question and that his fellow champions were eying him curiously. **"Ah, I…"**

Alder clapped his back, making Steven yelp all of a sudden. **"We wouldn't have objected. And Cynthia's not that angry at her anymore. Nor is she here. Then again, it would be wise to not mention anything about Snow in front of her for now,"** he advised the younger man. Steven sighed before going quiet. They let him be and conversed with one another while waiting for the match to start.

The large group of family and friends reached the stadium with some minutes to spare. They walked in and noticed something different. There were now league officials standing at each and every stadium entrance and exit. Knowing it was because of Ash's last match and what happened, they took up seats in the front rows of the stands. Ash's girlfriends and the girls who have feelings for him all sat near each other across two rows. Their family and friends sat around them. Iris and Cilan sat next to each other to not draw suspicion from others that they were on rocky roads but did not interact with one another. The group made some small talk here and there while the stadium filled up and Sabrina's parents felt some excitement. It had been a while since they had been to a tournament in person. **"Is it just me, or is the stadium more packed than before?"** asked Caroline, noticing more people than usual.

" **There's definitely more people,"** replied Norman, seeing some standing or sitting in the aisles, unable to find seats.

" **Second to last match of the tournament with Ash and Drax competing. One Aura Guardian and the other a Dragon Master. This should be interesting,"** said David.

" **I'm surprised we found seats together,"** remarked Kate. **"And I wonder if the crowd will go crazy this time too,"** she thought

That made the group become worried but before anyone could comment, the announcer started speaking. **"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!"** The crowd quieted down to hear him. **"THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE LAST PART OF THE SEMIFINALS OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!"** The crowd roared and cheered. **"IN OUR LAST ROUND WE HAD TOBIAS BEAT JIMMY AND ADVANCED TO THE FINALS! NO SURPRISES THERE!"**

" **HEY!"** Ash's group turned to see the young man who shouted and saw him standing up in the stands. He was angry about what was said. He lost sure, but he fought valiantly, taking out Latios before Darkrai completely overwhelmed him. They saw his girlfriend pull him back down to sit on the stands. They shook their heads, chuckling a bit before listening to the announcer again.

" **THAT LEAVES US WITH THIS BATTLE TO DETERMINE WHO WILL FACE TOBIAS, THE TRAINER OF LEGENDARIES IN THE FINAL MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT!"** Once again, the crowd roared and cheered but even louder this time. **"LET'S BRING THEM OUT! OVER ON THE RED SIDE, WE HAVE A TRAINER OF DRAGONS WHO HAS DOMINATED EVERY SINGLE MATCH OF HIS WITH POWERFUL POKEMON! DRAGON MASTER DRAX!"** The moment the announcer stopped talking, a loud roar was heard from above that made everyone look up towards the sky. The saw a large blue pokémon rocketing towards the field but at the last second he pulled up, leveled out and a tall trainer dressed in black and white jumped down from him and landed in his trainer's box. Salamence hovered beside him before letting out a loud roar again when Drax straightened out. The crowd shouted and cheered seeing the Dragon Master. Cilan glanced at Iris to see if she had any sort of reaction towards Drax's appearance but he couldn't see anything since her expression was neutral.

" **Some entrance that was,"** said Serena sarcastically.

" **I like Ash arriving in his pajamas the best so far,"** commented Dawn making several of the girls from their group giggle while others glanced at one another and just shrugged.

" **Of course you do,"** shot May, making the blunette blush.

" **She's not the only one who did I bet."** Misty nudged the brunette who smiled sheepishly.

" **We all did,"** admitted Sarah and they laughed with Cynthia smiling in agreement.

" **Wonder how Ash will make his entrance?"** asked Anabel, saying what was on Sabrina's mind.

" **We'll find out soon enough,"** answered Leaf before the announcer started speaking again.

" **AND NOW FOR THE GREEN SIDE! YOU ALL KNOW WHO HE IS! THE SAVIOR OF THE TOURNAMENT, AURA GUARDIAN ASH KETCHUM!"** A large light blue sphere appeared in the trainer's box on the green side immediately after he stopped speaking. A pair of dark blue eyes glowed from within and streaks of white electricity shot up and arced around the blue sphere that cackled, making the crowd gasp and awe over it. The sphere of aura burst open with rays of blue light racing over the stands into the air. In its wake, it revealed the raven haired guardian with blue glowing flames dancing around him with his loyal Pikachu on his shoulder. His aura died down and they saw that he was dressed differently than usual. A blue fedora hat was on his head and a blue cloak was wrapped around him at first. Until he flung it open to reveal him dressed in his guardian's attire of blue pants, black long sleeved tight shirt with a blue vest over it, black gloves that left his finger tips exposed and black combat boots.

The crowd was silent at first before most of them erupted in cheers as his aura faded away. They had never seen an entrance like that before. Many females in the crowd were screaming their hearts out to him, seeing how dashing he looked in his Guardian's uniform. Even his girlfriends were unable to resist shouting out words of affection for him. **"Now that's an entrance!"** praised Cynthia after sitting back down.

" **You said it!"** agreed Sabrina with a large smile. The other girls who were hiding feelings for him were blushing slightly at the sight of him while complimenting and encouraging him. Clair nodded her head along with the rest but kept silent, watching Ash and Drax walk up to the referee in the middle. She couldn't take her eyes off the raven haired man.

A good amount of spectators however were still uneasy about what the guardian had done and did not cheer for him. Yet, they were all gossiping and murmuring since they had heard rumors of him and Drax having an argument at the mall before the match. They and everyone else watched as the two took the microphones and looked at one another. **"I hope you're ready Ketchum. That stunt you just did, didn't even faze me. I will show everyone that you're not all powerful,"** boasted Drax.

The young man's eyes narrowed. **"You will learn to watch what you say. And you will apologize for what you've done to my friends,"** replied Ash with a serious and angry tone of voice.

Drax however only smirked. **"Let's see if you can make me do that Guardian."** He then glanced towards the stands and looked around a bit. **"I hope your friends and family are here too. I want them to see that you're nothing. Especially the one that was promised to me. She will see what she could've reached if she remained with me."** Drax glanced at Ash and his expression turned even smugger. **"But the people here came to see a grand battle. Don't lose too quickly against me."** They didn't shake hands and went to their respective sides on the field. Witnessing the tension between the two powerful trainers made the stadium buzz with many conversations going on over it. Iris went red but kept her expression neutral when her friends glanced at her before facing the field again.

The referee raised both green and red flags before speaking. **"This is a six versus six, one on one match with no time limit. As a reminder, for the final two rounds of the tournament, substitutions and mega evolutions are allowed."**

Because of the last match, the crowd knew this but Ash and his group didn't. Cynthia knew as well but had forgotten about it because of everything that had happened. Though Ash wasn't troubled, his group was. **"Mega evolutions are allowed?!"** asked Giselle. **"How come we didn't know?!"**

Clemont took out a small thin book from his pocket and quickly scanned through it. **"Looks like it was in the rule book for the tournament."**

" **Do you always keep that with you?"** asked Bonnie and he replied back that it's so small that why shouldn't he. Bonnie rolled her eyes at her brother making Max laugh. Clemont told the two to shut up, which only made them laugh harder.

The blunette fighter from Hoenn spoke up then. **"No good came from it though since Ash didn't know,"** remarked Shauna. **"Hope he's able to get past that if Drax decides to mega evolve."** She hoped this won't cause too much trouble for him.

" **He'll be fine,"** spoke up Daisy. **"Look at him. He's not even troubled about it."** They all looked more carefully at Ash and saw that there was no indication that he was worried.

" **Maybe he knew or maybe he has plans to deal with that,"** suggested Lizabeth.

" **We'll find out soon enough,"** said Clair and the group focused on the match in time to see Drax toss out a poke ball.

A Dragonite appeared with a loud roar and took up a battle stance on the field. Drax's Salamence laid down behind his trainer, wondering if he'll get to battle. Ash stood up straight and crossed his arms before his eyes glowed blue. A blue orb appeared on his side of the field before it turned into a poke ball. It opened and a large black and purple bat like dragon appeared with large ears. Noivern let out a powerful sound wave as it appeared that traveled over the entire stadium, making many shiver from it. **"Begin!"** shouted the referee.

Drax let out a sigh at the sight of Ash's choice. **"That's who you choose?! You promised me a tough battle Guardian. He may be a dragon but I'm disappointed. You think your dragons can compete with mine? You're making a big mistake trying to match me. End this with Ice Beam!"** ordered Drax. Dragonite fired the powerful beam of icy energy almost instantly. But Noivern dodged the beam and took up a battle position.

" **Noi noi."** Dragonite saw the bat smirking at him. He grew furious and went for another attempt but once again Noivern dodged his strike easily. The black dragon maneuvered behind his opponent and the beige dragon whirled around with a snarl.

" **Dragonite! Relax!"** barked Drax and his Dragonite took in a breath, calming itself. **"Your evasive maneuvers won't help you forever!"** shouted Drax.

" **Maybe. Maybe not. Show me what you got,"** replied Ash. Noivern taunted Dragonite again by gesturing him to come at him with his claw.

Dragonite growled but didn't react further, waiting for his trainer's order. **"Oh we'll show you, don't worry about that! And then you'll apologize for taunting us! We're gonna start strong immediately! Let's see you dodge this! Cover the field! Full power Draco Meteor!"** ordered Drax. Dragonite flew up high into the air, hovered over the field and charged up his attack. He fired it and a very large meteor looking energy ball rocketed downwards a bit before exploding. Countless smaller meteorites rained down upon the arena, making many scream and shout over the incredible area attack.

Noivern waited patiently and calmly as the projectiles came closer however. **"Boomburst!"** ordered Ash. The black dragon had his large ears loosen up before letting out devastating sound waves from it that shot in all directions around him. The sound waves were so destructive that they nullified Dragonite's attack by disintegrating them from the sheer force of it. Everyone was astonished as to how the most powerful dragon attack was stopped in its tracks. Not even Drax could believe it, stunned into silence. **"Hurricane!"** said Ash, seeing their opponent needing a moment to recover from using his attack.

Noivern shot up into the air with amazing speed and began whipping up a fierce vortex of wind around Dragonite that soon engulfed him. The sharp winds were cutting into its victim, making him let out yelps of pain. **"Get out of there!"** shouted Drax but his pokémon was unable to do so. Every time it tried to escape, Noivern would appear out of nowhere and hit him with his wing to keep him trapped inside it. **"Damn it! Use Extreme Speed to get out!"**

Dragonite stopped attempting to escape and concentrated. A second later, the mythical beast shot forward so quickly that the bat couldn't stop him at all. Dragonite escaped from the vortex and in the process, clipped Noivern in the wing. Both dragons started falling down towards the ground as the winds died down. **"Dragonite!"** shouted Drax. **"Don't let that wannabe dragon take you down! Compose yourself! Catch that bat in the air and use Slam!"** His pokémon heard him and gathered his senses. He quickly adjusted himself in mid air and grabbed the bat, pulled him into a bear hug and prevented him from escaping so he can slam him into the ground.

" **Hyper Voice!"** shouted Ash. Noivern let out a point blank echoing sound with tremendous power behind it that made Dragonite scream in agony but he didn't let go. The two crashed into the ground, creating a small crater from the impact and drawing up dust and smoke. When it cleared and they could see again, they saw Dragonite still holding Noivern. He was trying to crush him in his embrace.

" **Thunder!"** snapped Drax, seeing his chance to end him and his dragon's antennas began glowing yellow.

" **Echoed Voice nonstop!"** shot Ash. Noivern moved his large ears, having them face his enemy and rapidly blasted out sound wave after sound wave onto Dragonite's face. His opponent cried out in pain, his concentration for Thunder interrupted and let go of the bat who continued his relentless attack.

Seeing his pokémon writhing about in agony from the continuous assault that kept getting stronger with each passing second made Drax's blood boil. **"OUTRAGE!"** It took a moment for his pokémon to gather his willpower and muscled through the onslaught. A blue outline appeared around his dragon as he slammed into Noivern, making him stop finally. But he didn't let up; Dragonite kept slashing away with his claws before grabbing hold of his opponent from his wing and flung him into the stadium wall that brought up another dust cloud. After using the move, Dragonite started seeing double from his exhaustion and became confused.

" **WHAT A BATTLE! IS NOIVERN OUT FOR THE COUNT?!"** Everyone waited anxiously to see if Noivern was defeated or not. They got their answer when several condensed blades of air were shot through the dust cloud. Each blade of air slammed into Dragonite, breaking him out of his confused state and also made the dragon scream out in pain. A black figure shot out of the cloud and the way he did made the stadium comment in surprise. Noivern was running against the wall, moving faster and faster until he became a blur. **"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?! NOIVERN IS STILL IN THE GAME AND IS NOW WALL RUNNING SO FAST THAT THE BAT HAS TURNED INTO A BLACK AND BLUE BLUR!"**

Drax scowled. He didn't think that Ash's pokémon would be this resilient. He looked at him and saw him with an unreadable expression on his face. _Damn him! Just what the hell is he planning?!_ **"Dragonite! We've been going easy for too long! Time to step things up! Stop him in his tracks!"** His pokémon went after the blur and was gaining on it. **"Use Dragon Claw!"**

Dragonite was about to hit his target, having gained on him when… **"Super Fang!"** shouted Ash. The blur that was Noivern quickly did a u-turn and launched itself onto his pursuer. He sunk his glowing white sharp teeth onto Dragonite's shoulder. Letting out a howl from the pain, Dragonite tried to shake him off but the attack had severely drained his energy. **"Take him for a ride!"** Noivern spread his wings open and shot up into the air with its victim. He spun around once in the air before flinging him down towards the ground.

" **DRAGONITE! STOP YOURSELF!"** screamed Drax but the last attack and the sudden spinning had thrown off his dragon. His pokémon smashed into the hard surface. After the dust that had risen from the impact cleared, everyone saw the dragon still up. It was angry, growling but also looked really hurt. **"Enough games! End this! HYPER BEAM!"** commanded Drax.

Dragonite winced as he tried to power up the attack, breathing heavily but Drax wasn't seeing it. Instead, he kept ordering him to keep attacking when his pokémon couldn't do it. Ash shook his head in disgust. **"Noivern! End his pain! HYPER BEAM!"** Noivern let out a cry before firing the white beam of energy right at the dragon from up in the air. Dragonite was hit by the beam and a large explosion occurred with smoke filling the arena.

When it finally cleared, the outcome was visible. The beige dragon was out cold in the middle of a crater. **"Dragonite is unable to battle! Noivern is the winner! Trainer, send out your next pokémon!"** said the referee. The crowd erupted, unable to believe what they just saw and Ash's group was also amazed.

" **That was…incredible,"** said Clair under her breath.

" **That's it Ash! Make him pay!"** remarked Iris with vigor, making Cilan glance at her again.

Drax returned his Dragonite and turned to glare at Ash. **"You got lucky. Let's see if it holds out with him!"** He tossed out a poke ball and a blue land shark pokémon appeared. Garchomp roared and stomped the ground, causing tremors to rock the area. Noivern landed in front of Ash and waited to see if he would battle this one too.

" **That Garchomp is strong,"** commented Cynthia. The group glanced at her before turning back to the field with worried expressions.

" **Good job Noivern,"** said Ash, returning him before sending out another. A light and dark purple dinosaur looking pokémon appeared. Goodra took up a battle stance immediately.

Drax took one look at their next opponent and burst out laughing. **"HAHAHA! You're using that slimy thing that looks like a melted dinosaur?!"** Even his Garchomp let out throaty sounds to show he was laughing. Goodra growled and launched a Dragon Pulse so fast that neither reacted in time. Garchomp was hit square in the chest and pushed back many feet before it stopped. Both trainer and pokémon had their eyes widen at the destructive force behind the attack since Garchomp was hurt. **"Impossible,"** muttered Drax to himself. He glanced at Ash, seeing his eyes narrowed and then at Goodra who was snarling. **"No more games. Time to become serious. Rapid Dragon Rage!"** stated Drax. His Garchomp let loose multiple shock waves of draconic energy towards Goodra.

" **Sludge Wave!"** countered Ash. His purple dragon summoned a giant wave of sludge towards the oncoming attacks. The draconic waves of energy slammed into it, one after another. Each time it was hit, the toxic wall was cut down a size until both attacks canceled each other out. But when the wall was brought down, it revealed Ash's pokémon near Drax's, surprising them both. He had moved in closer while shielded by the wave of sludge. **"Power Whip!"** shot Ash. Goodra violently whipped Garchomp with his appendages that grew out of his head causing the land shark to make anguished cries.

Drax had steam shoot out of his ears. **"Push him back with Dragon Breath!"** The blue dragon fired a stream of green colored flames from its mouth that washed over the purple dragon, which made it let out cries of agony. Goodra took a few steps back before his body began to tense up a little and he felt like he couldn't move as quickly as before. He had become paralyzed and both trainers noticed. **"That's it! It's over! End him with Dragon Claws!"**

Garchomp rushed forward and took advantage of his opponent's weakened state and started slashing at him nonstop. Goodra took up a defensive stance at the incoming attacks and held firm as he tried his best to endure the attacks. **"LOOKS LIKE DRAX HAS ASH UP AGAINST THE ROPES! GARCHOMP IS TEARING AWAY AT GOODRA! MAYBE THE GUARDIAN SHOULD RECALL HIS POKÉMON BEFORE IT GETS SHREDDED TO PIECES!"**

Ash's posse was beyond worried and were wondering why he wasn't taking action. **"What's he doing?!"** asked Johanna.

" **Maybe he's planning something?"** asked Grace.

" **C'mon Ash! You can do it!"** shouted Delia.

Drax was having a large grin appear on his face. He was relishing in what he was causing to happen. Ash however still had a stoic expression. He was watching his pokemon get pummeled continuously by the relentless dragon. However, each subsequent strike that Garchomp landed onto Goodra was making him move slower and slower. _That's it buddy. Keep making them think you're on your last legs. We're almost there,_ encouraged Ash. A moment later, Goodra's stance strengthened and he heard his pokémon's thoughts back saying he was ready. **"UNLEASH IT NOW!"** yelled out Ash all of a sudden, making everyone jump from their seats.

Goodra had a white glow appear around him that pushed Garchomp back, stopping his assault before following up with an enormous blast of white energy. It slammed against the blue dragon and sent him flying back before it crashed against the stadium walls. **"** **What the hell just happened** **?!"** asked Drax with rage as he watched his dragon barely get back up onto its feet.

" **Bide,"** answered Ash simply and Drax snarled in response.

Many had understanding dawn on them but a young blonde teenage girl tilted her head. **"What's Bide?"** asked Bonnie.

Max supplied the information to her. **"Bide is a move that pokémon can use if it can endure attacks for a while before dealing it back with twice the damage it endured through."** Bonnie let out an 'oh' as she understood and so did a few others in the group.

Garchomp sluggishly moved back into his side of the field, since he was very hurt and covered in purple goo. Goodra's slime that he had secreted from his body's pores had went onto him after each strike, hindering his movements. Drax was furious as to how he was being schooled by the guardian. He should've known about these tactics but he was being blind in his haste and rash actions. He glanced at Ash and saw him still being serious. **"THIS ISN'T THE END GUARDIAN!"** shouted Drax and he raised his left hand, revealing a mega ring on his ring finger. He touched it with his other hand and Garchomp was covered in a white glowing sphere before it exploded and revealed his mega form. He was taller, more stream lined with many sharp protrusions all over its body. His claws and bladed appendage on his arms had merged into one, created curved swords for its hands. His minor wounds were also completely healed and the slime that was on him was melted off from the intense energy. Mega Garchomp let out a vicious roar that made many cover their ears.

" **This isn't good,"** commented Brock. **"Garchomp looks much more powerful and his minor injuries also healed. I hope Ash has a plan,"** he said with the group silently agreeing.

Ash and Goodra however weren't backing down. Drax smirked as his Mega Garchomp took off into the sky. **"You will come to understand the true power of a dragon! Dragon Rush!"** The land shark shot forward like a bullet while outlined in a blue glow towards Goodra.

" **Acid Armor!"** Goodra altered its cellular structure to liquefy itself and raised its defenses in preparation to receive the attack.

Seeing that happen, Drax quickly switched up their attack, knowing how to turn the tide. **"Now's our chance! Fire Blast!"** Garchomp stopped a few feet in front of Goodra and let out a large five pointed fire attack at point blank rage.

" **Protect!"** shouted Ash but Goodra didn't react in time because of using Acid Armor. It took some time to get out of that liquefied state. The powerful flames scorched his dragon, doing more damage than usual since it was from up close. Goodra let out an agonizing cry from it.

" **Finish it! Hyper Beam!"** added Drax, not letting up. Garchomp powered up a white ball of energy in front of his mouth before launching the beam. Goodra tried to evade it but his paralysis did not allow him to. He was struck in the chest before the beam exploded, sending him flying back into the stadium wall. He slid down unconscious.

Ash returned Goodra while thanking him after making sure he was alright and not in a severe situation. He went back to his trainer's box and looked at Drax and Garchomp. Drax looked very pleased with himself and Garchomp looked ready to go another round. But Ash could sense that he was tired out some from using such powerful attacks so quickly. A blue orb appeared in the field before a blue and white cat like pokémon appeared. Glaceon let out a cry of its name. Many females started 'awing' over the pokémon. Cynthia let a large smile form on her face. She had both kinds of pokémon that were on the field and they were two of her favorite.

" **Finally you make a smart decision. You can't match me by using dragons so you go for pure type advantage. But that still won't save you. Sandstorm!"** snapped Drax. Mega Garchomp summoned a swirling storm of sand and rocks that blanketed the area. The blue land shark vanished into the swirling dirt storm.

" **Two can play at that game. Hail!"** countered Ash. Glaceon summoned a hailstorm of icy thick winds as well that mixed in with the swirling sands. The ice type also vanished from sight.

" **INCREDIBLE! BOTH POKÉMON USED THEIR ELEMENT TO HIDE AND DAMAGE THEIR OPPONENT!"** The crowd was making noise from the incredible display of the sand and hail mixing, creating a brown and blue swirling cloud.

" **Wow, what a sight!"** commented Giselle.

" **That'll be great for contests!"** remarked Dawn and May together, making their group shake their heads.

Drax growled. He wasn't expecting that. **"Garchomp! Flamethrower all over the place! Expose Glaceon!"**

" **Glaceon! Counter with Ice Beam!"** snapped Ash.

Multiple flashes of red and blue appeared throughout the swirling mixed up storm with many shouts of pain from both pokémon. This kept going until a large explosion occurred from within the middle of the storm and two figures were seen flying out of it. Both hit the ground hard in front of their trainers. The spinning sand and ice storm dissipated. Garchomp got up looking tired with some scratches and frozen marks on its body. Glaceon got up as well with some bruises and burnt marks on her fur.

" **Not bad Ketchum. But this is just the beginning,"** stated Drax. **"Dig!"** Garchomp dug into the ground quickly and vanished from sight.

" **Use your tail to feel the vibrations Glaceon!"** advised Ash. The white cat did just that, placing its tail onto the ground. It focused its mind and body so it can try to sense where and when the blue land shark would appear.

" **Not bad but it won't help you! Giga Impact!"** shouted Drax. Mega Garchomp popped up in front of Glaceon instantly and was just about to slam into her when he bounced off a white shield at the last second.

The ice cat had used Protect. **"Good job! Blizzard!"** A howling icy storm was summoned from behind Glaceon and it collided against the disoriented dragon. Garchomp roared with pain and Drax ordered him to escape into the ground again. **"Don't let him! Quick Attack into Iron Tail!"** Glaceon vanished into the storm before reappearing behind Garchomp and smashed her tail against him, making him stumble about while the blizzard kept slamming into him.

" **Fly up over it!"** ordered Drax. Garchomp tried too but was grimacing from the incredibly damaging attack he was so weak to. Garchomp went into a defensive stance to try to endure the attack but his entire right side was being covered up with an icy layer. **"Push through it Garchomp! You feel no pain! It is nothing to you!"** encouraged Drax but Garchomp was unable to not feel it. The icy sting was agonizing but he would not fail. Summoning his will, the mega pokémon shot up into the air and Glaceon stopped her blizzard. **"Rock Slide!"**

" **Double Team!"** Glaceon split into a dozen copies as the boulders were dropped onto her and avoided most of the attack until one clipped her and sent her stumbling with the other copies vanishing.

" **End that pipsqueak!"** shouted Drax to take advantage. **"Metal Claw!"** snapped Drax. The land shark had its bladed arms coated with a metallic sheen and was about to dive bomb his victim but then flinched. The icy layer on him prevented him from moving. **"SHIT!"**

Ash capitalized on that. **"Ice Beam!"** A bluish white energy beam was fired at the pokémon. Drax shouted for Garchomp to move out of the way but it was no use since he was frozen in pain. The beam connected and incased him in a block of ice. The frozen dragon came hurtling down to the ground and the block of ice shattered from the impact. It freed the unconscious pokémon within before Garchomp reverted back into his normal form. Drax returned his pokémon and glared at his opponent.

" **INCREDIBLE! WITH TWO POKÉMON DOWN, THAT'S THE MOST DRAGON MASTER DRAX HAS LOST IN THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR! ASH KETCHUM HAS LOST ONE AS WELL BUT HE LOOKS TO BE IN THE ZONE! THIS IS TURNING INTO ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!"** The crowd roared and cheered as Drax sent out another pokémon. A huge three headed black, red and blue dragon appeared, making many shout in fright over the sight of it. Ash returned Glaceon and sent out a small white and pink cat like pokémon appeared that made many females go starry eyed over how cute it looked. May and Dawn were about to say something about the adorable pokémon being used for contests. But then Misty and Serena shut their mouths before they could, telling them they got it. That made their friends and family laugh out loud. **"DRAX HAS CHOSEN HYDREIGON AND ASH HAS CHOSEN SYLVEON, THE FAIRY EEVEE EVOLUTION! TYPE ADVANTAGE GOES TO THE GUARDIAN BUT SHEER SIZE AND MULTIPLE FIRE BREATHING CAPABLE HEADS GOES TO THE DRAGON MASTER!"**

Not wasting time, Drax issued his next command. **"Scary Face!"** Hydreigon glared at Sylveon with all three heads, making the small pokémon flinch and look away. Many loud boos were heard from many of the females in the stands over him scaring the cute pokémon. **"Work up!"** The three headed dragon began growling and stretched out its muscles and wings, increasing its power.

" **Stand firm Sylveon!"** encouraged Ash. **"Pysch Up!"** The fairy pokémon copied its opponent, doing the same thing and also increased its power. Drax scowled at that. **"Good! Now, Swift!"** Pink glowing stars materialized in the air and were launched at her target.

" **Protect!"** snapped Drax. Hydreigon formed a shield in front of it and the stars collided against it. **"Tri Attack!"** ordered the tall trainer afterwards. Three beams of energy were fired, one from each head at the white and pink fairy.

" **Light Screen!"** The fairy type brought up a wondrous wall of light that suppressed the beams of energy and it hardly did any damage to it. **"Good job! Flash then Calm Mind!"** The cat like pokémon let loose a bright light that blinded the three headed dragon before quietly focusing its mind to calm its spirit and raise its special attributes.

Hydreigon roared with annoyance and shook each of its heads, trying to clear their sight. **"Stop that at once!"** shouted Drax and his pokémon immediately ceased. **"Focus Energy!"** The dark dragon took in deep breaths from each mouth and focused its energy. As a result, it helped the dragon get rid of their temporary blindness quicker.

Seeing Drax trying to build up its next attack, Ash decided to stop him before he can. **"Moonblast!"** Sylveon concentrated before it fired a powerful pink beam of energy at its opponent.

" **Into the air!"** snapped Drax and Hydreigon shot up into the air, avoiding the attack. **"Diversionary tactics!"** His pokémon nodded in understanding and stayed where it was in the air without moving from its spot.

" **WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN DRAGON MASTER DRAX DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"** The spectators who were watching silently with rapt attention began murmuring and gossiping with one another as they wondered out loud what he was going to do.

 _What is he planning?_ Ash kept his stoic gaze but his mind was racing while trying to figure out what Drax was up to. _Need to find out. He said diversionary tactics but he's not doing anything. We're going to have to bite to see what he's got in store._ Sylveon glanced back at Ash and nodded, agreeing with her trainer. **"Fairy Wind!"** ordered Ash. His pink cat summoned pink colored wind towards the brutal multi headed dragon and it slammed against it. But Hydreigon didn't move or make a sound, making everyone become confused. _Why didn't that…_

Ash's question was answered before he could finish thinking it. The dragon in the air faded away as Drax spoke again. **"Steel Wing!"** Hydreigon reappeared behind Sylveon instantly and slammed its metallic covered wing against it. It had used Substitute to put up a decoy in its place.

Sylveon went flying forward before crashing into the ground with such force that it rolled a few times before skidding to a stop. It got back up onto its feet, panting a little from the attack. The dark dragon went after it, getting ready to hit it again. **"Get out of there with Quick Attack!"** Sylveon sprinted away from its spot towards the side to avoid its pursuer.

But Drax had a plan for that. **"Shock Wave!"** Hydreigon stopped in midair and let loose a quick jolt of electricity that raced after Sylveon. It hit its target, making the fairy type stumble and fall down. The dark dragon closed the distance between the two quickly while the raven haired guardian shouted for his pokémon to use Protect again but the pink cat was barely getting back up. **"Fire Fang!"** Hydreigon reached his victim and clamped down onto Sylveon with its middle head's powerful jaws coated in flames. Sylveon cried out in pain as it was lifted up and shaken, allowing its teeth to sink into its flesh even deeper. **"Finish it with Flash Cannon!"** The other two heads charged up a slivery orb in front of their mouths in point blank range of Sylveon.

Seeing his pokémon become a chew toy for the dragon was angering Ash but was also filling him up with fear. **"Disarming Voice!"** ordered Ash and his pokémon tried to follow up with the command but the dragon bit down harder, preventing it from doing so and the two other heads fired their attacks. Sylveon screamed out from feeling the powerful attack from such close range. After the attack, the small fairy cat was still conscious but was groaning in pain, covered in bruises and burnt marks.

Seeing his opponent still in the fight, Drax smirked. **"Impressive! But time to end that annoying cat! Flash Cannon again!"** ordered Drax and his dragon began powering up the attack again.

" **NO! STOP!"** Ash tried to return Sylveon but Hydreigon kept moving about, not letting him. Drax was laughing sadistically while many boos and shouts were made but he didn't care. Ash's group was shouting, yelling, cursing, pleading but the Dragon Master didn't listen to any of them. **"DAMN IT! SYLVEON! YOU CAN DO IT! DAZZLING GLEAM!"** shouted Ash. Sylveon heard its trainer's voice and it concentrated all the power she had left before letting out a bright pink energy blast in all directions, engulfing the three headed dragon. Hydreigon was finally forced to let go of Sylveon. The fairy fell to the ground as the dragon roared from the tremendous pain before it too dropped to the ground. Both pokémon were still as rocks.

Everyone watched with waited breath to see if one would stir. A moment later the referee lowered both flags. **"Hydreigon and Sylveon are unable to…"** The referee was caught off when both pokémon began stirring and very slowly raised themselves up. He raised both of the flags. **"Correction, they are still able to battle."**

" **WHAT UNBREAKABLE WILLS! WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?!"** said the announcer and the crowd was going bat shit crazy over the match. Nobody could believe that they were both still able to fight.

Drax was filing up with anger. He couldn't believe how he was being pushed to his limit. That his dragons are getting beaten, seeing his Hydreigon panting heavily. _This can't be happening! Nothing is stronger than dragon types! I will not lose! I will reach my goal of becoming the strongest and will show everyone that I am the best!_

Ash let out a slight sigh of relief. He knew that his pokémon could go on but he didn't want her to push past her limits when it wasn't needed. He still had two other pokémon who are fresh and ready to go. He had learned his lesson after Arceus opened his eyes about that and he had sworn to never let that happen again if it wasn't needed. **"Good job Sylveon,"** he praised her and his pokémon turned her head to look at him. **"Take a good rest."** He raised her poke ball to return the fairy cat so he can switch out to someone else when a loud roar was heard.

Distracted, he and everyone else turned their gaze in time to see the brutal pokemon flying through the air in a downward fashion while in a multi colored glow towards Sylveon. Ash quickly hit the recall button on the poke ball, knowing his pokémon won't be able to dodge it. Yet the red beam didn't reach his pokémon in time. Hydreigon smashed into her hard, making it scream out in agony while being pushed down into the ground, making a crater form and dust to rise up from the sheer force. The dust cleared away to show both pokémon out for the count. Drax had sacrificed Hydreigon in order to take out Sylveon. **"Both pokémon are unable to battle! Trainers, send out your next pokémon!"** Drax merely returned his dragon while Ash ran to his fairy.

Many in the stadium couldn't believe what the Dragon Master just did. That he would be so brutal and literally have his pokémon do something like that. **"How could he be so cruel?"** asked Daisy in disbelief.

" **Because Drax has no heart,"** commented Clair with anger and her closest friends nodded in agreement.

" **I can't believe he did that,"** whispered Iris, making Cilan look at her again.

He saw the shock in her eyes towards the one she was promised to but had left. He then saw her move her gaze slowly towards something else. He followed her line of sight and saw their mutual friend reach his pokémon in the crater. He looked at her again and saw her eyes become filled with something he never saw before. _Iris…_

In the VIP room, the president and champions were astonished over the incredible match and by the brutal tactics of Drax. Sure they had seen him being ruthless in his matches before. But for some reason, he was being even more so now against Ash. **"Looks like Drax really has it in for Ash. But why? The rumors didn't say the reason,"** asked Steven.

" **Who knows?"** replied back Alder as they watched Ash went to check on his pokemon.

Diantha turned her gaze towards Lance. She saw him deep in thought as he kept his gaze on Drax. **"Are you alright?"** she asked him.

It took a few seconds but then Lance turned to face Diantha. **"I'm alright. I was just thinking if I was that brutal when I was younger. They say Drax is better than me when I was young. I didn't believe it before but seeing him go all out against Ash and giving him a run for his money…it's making me think that they could be right. And its making me think of how people see me as,"** he told her.

Diantha gave him a reassuring smile. **"It's alright Lance. You're the Dragon Champion. You earned that title. You didn't name yourself it. Drax is just a hard headed trainer who believes brute force is better than skill or experience. Let them say what they want. Let him call himself a Dragon Master. Boasting about things is nothing because he will never be you,"** she told him kindly.

Lance went crimson at her words and felt his heart beat increase in speed. **"T-thank you Diantha,"** he said quietly and she replied back saying he was welcome.

" **Hey you two, quit flirting and pay attention to the match!"** shot Alder, making both of them become embarrassed and shout at him to shut up and stay out of it. Goodshow and Steven chuckled, unable to hold it in.

When Ash reached his fairy, he saw Sylveon completely out cold with many bleeding injuries. He gently picked her up into his arms. **"I'm so sorry Sylveon,"** he whispered to his pokémon. He placed a glowing blue hand onto his pokémon and pulsed out some healing aura onto her for a bit. Sylveon's bleeding stopped and its injuries went away. The fairy cat slowly opened its eyes and looked up at her trainer. Seeing the concern in his eyes, she let out a weak cry to let him know she was okay. **"It's alright. You'll be fine Sylveon. You did great. Take a nice long rest,"** he told her. The fairy pokémon closed its eyes and went to sleep. Ash returned his pokémon before moving back towards his trainer's box. He turned around slowly and locked eyes with Drax and saw him smirking. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. **"Drax…"**

" **Shut up,"** cut off Drax, angering many with his disrespectful attitude and harsh battling. **"I told you I will make you look weak in front of everyone. You couldn't even save your own pokémon. You will bow to me and you will give up being a trainer! You're not powerful enough to win! You don't deserve to be able to use aura! You're nothing compared to me! This is power! Power is everything!"**

" **You want power?"** asked Ash in his scary calm tone of voice, sending shivers down many spectators' spines. A blue orb appeared in his hand. He was shaking in fury and the ball began shaking as well, the pokémon inside sensing his anger. **"You want to see how powerful an Aura Guardian and his pokémon can be?"** He glanced at Pikachu who nodded at him with a serious face.

" **Even your rodent from hell can't beat me!"** shot Drax.

Ash turned his gaze back onto Drax. **"Oh, I'm not talking about Pikachu. He's powerful and one of my best. But I have someone else in mind for you."**

Drax just laughed however, not at all afraid. **"No matter who you use against me, you won't win! Not even a legendary pokémon can beat me!"** boasted the Dragon Master.

" **Is that so? You want to test that out?"** he asked him.

Drax scoffed as he unclipped the ultra ball from his belt and Salamence glanced at his trainer, wondering if the pokémon inside will listen to him or not. **"Doesn't matter who you have! You can't beat me! You are unworthy of everything that you have! You're weak and unable to make the hard decisions! Just like your friends! Just like that piece of trash that got with my intended! Because of him, the one who I was supposed to marry had bailed on me and instead of becoming strong, she has grown weak!"** insulted Drax, gripping the ultra ball tightly.

Iris and Cilan went crimson in embarrassment at his words. Though others had no idea who Drax was talking about, their friends and family did. Iris started having tears form in her eyes as many memories and things went through her head. Her friends noticed and did their best to comfort her as she started crying. Cilan felt saddened and wanted to help in some way but something was holding him back from helping Iris…

Ash snarled in response and his eyes glowed blue because of his rage, making everyone become surprised. His family and friends became concerned and wondered what he was going to do. **"That's it Drax! No more insults from you! No more gloating! You wanted power? THEN YOU GOT IT!"** The raven haired guardian tossed out the ball high into the air. Bright white light escaped from the ball and shot up towards the heavens above, disappearing from sight.

The stadium went eerily silent as everyone waited to see what pokémon would appear. But after some time passed with nothing happening, Drax started laughing loudly before controlling himself. **"Your pokémon is so scared that it bailed on you! It knows that you can't win against me so it would rather flee than face humiliation!"** insulted the silver haired man. Though Ash paid him no mind, the people in the stands began laughing out loud as well as conversing again with one another about that while his group looked around with uneasy expressions on their faces. **"Just forfeit Guardian,"** advised Drax. **"Forfeit and show everyone that you're not some great person that…"**

Drax trailed off as dark clouds began forming above the stadium. Rumbling was heard from them that silenced everyone. Streaks of lightning began appearing all over them and the sounds of thunder sounded out that made many flinch. **"Drax!"** He lowered his gaze from the clouds onto his opponent and saw him with a serious gaze on his face. **"You say that not even legendary pokémon can beat you. I normally don't condone using legendary pokémon in official battles because that's not fair. But you're asking for it because of your disrespectful behavior."** Drax glared at him. **"So let's put it to the test. Allow me to introduce my pokémon…one that I just recently befriended…the Lord of the Sky…the Lord of all Dragons…"** Drax's eyes widened and so did many others such as Clair, Iris, the President and the Champions. **"…the Sky High Pokémon…** **Rayquaza** **!"** An incredible roar was heard from above after Ash's small speech that made all sets of eyes except for one to look up.

A very large and long green and yellow colored snake like figure with two limbs appeared through the dark clouds. Rayquaza flew down from above towards the middle of the stadium. The crowd was frozen still from what they were seeing. Not a single soul was making a sound nor were they moving as they watched the mythical beast. At the last second the legendary dragon pulled up and went towards the raven haired guardian. Rayquaza encircled Ash with his body before raising the top half of him behind the young man. It was so large that it took up much of its half of the field. The green dragon let out an ear splitting roar that sent out shockwaves from its sheer power. Except for Ash, everyone else in the stadium was forced to hang on to their seats to prevent being blown away while Drax crouched low to the ground to escape most of it but was still pushed back greatly. Even the glass windows in the VIP room were vibrating from it.

When it ended, the crowd slowly recovered and Drax stood back up and stared at the two. **"No way…"** he whispered. His eyes were glued onto the dragon, unable to process what he was seeing.

And he wasn't the only one in that state. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Rayquaza was there in front of them, in the stadium. They saw him but it felt so surreal. Even Ash's group was too shocked to see him to comment but soon enough each of them was having many thoughts racing through their minds. Finally, after several long moments, the referee came to his senses. **"Red trainer, send out your pokémon or you will forfeit!"**

Hearing the referee made him snap out of it. Drax growled under his breath as the grip on his ultra ball tightened. **"How did you capture the Lord of all Dragons?! You're not even a dragon trainer! You're not from any bloodline of dragon trainers! You can't be strong enough to beat him! How is this possible?! Rayquaza should be partnered with a dragon trainer like me! Not you!"** shouted out Drax with jealousy. Ash didn't reply at all but maintained his serious gaze and so did Rayquaza. Drax started shaking from anger and humiliation filling his body. _How could he be its trainer?! I should be! Not him! I was supposed to capture him one day! This isn't fair! But it doesn't matter! I will not lose and I will not be mocked!_ **"Damn you Guardian! You may have him on your side, but you will not triumph! And you're not the only one with a legendary pokémon! I will win! I swear it!"** shouted Drax before he tossed the ultra ball into the air. A flash of bright white light and then his pokémon appeared.

Ash let his arms fall and a surprised expression formed on his face after seeing who it was. Even Brock and Misty let out surprised gasps as to who appeared. That made their family and friends glance at them to see if they were alright. **"No…"** remarked Brock quietly with his face covered in shock.

" **It can't be,"** stated Misty in a sullen whisper.

The pokémon that Drax had released was none other than the single remaining survivor of the dragon and psychic pokémon family that protected Alto Mare…Latias.

The second that she appeared, the pink and whitish dragon didn't know where she was and felt intense anxiety, fear and hopelessness. She didn't want to battle but had to. Before she could get a good look around her surroundings, she was called. **"Latias!"** The legendary flinched hearing her trainer talk before slowly moving his gaze to his. **"You better win or you will face the consequences! Now get ready to battle!"** ordered Drax. Latias cowered under his command as if he just struck her again.

" **YOU DAMN FOOL!"** Latias had her eyes widen. She knew that voice anywhere. She looked around frantically and now noticed her opponent. She gulped, knowing who the dragon was and knew she was no match for him. She was about to back away when she lowered her gaze and saw…him. Before she even knew it, Latias shot forward and when she reached him, hugged him tightly. **"It's okay Latias. It's okay,"** he told her while gently hugging her back. Some awes were made throughout the crowd by the females, including the girls he has feelings for since they were moved by the display. Ash locked eyes with Drax as they narrowed. **"What have you done to her?!"** he shouted with anger in his voice.

Drax couldn't believe what he was seeing. His own pokémon being friendly with his opponent?! Not if he could help it! **"None of your business guardian! Latias! Get back over here and battle right now!"** Latias shivered from his yelling and separated from Ash. But she didn't go back towards him. Instead she went behind Ash. **"Get back here right now or you will face my wrath!"** shot Drax, earning himself some rude comments from the spectators.

Ash's eyes glowed a brighter blue before his aura flared out from him. Seeing his aura emerge made everyone, including Drax, become concerned and filled up with fear. **"She doesn't want to be with you and she doesn't belong to you either,"** said Ash coldly, with his voice echoing.

Drax was at first frozen from seeing the guardian unleash his aura like that but he snapped out of it and shook with rage over what he was just told. **"It matters not what she wants! I captured her! I am her trainer! She will listen to me! You have no authority to tell me that I can't keep my pokémon! And if you don't give her back to me then you will be disqualified!"** snapped Drax.

" **I'm not keeping her from going back to you,"** said Ash calmly. **"If she wants to join you she's free to do so."** He glanced at the eon pokémon. **"Go if you want."** Latias shook her head and stayed where she was. Ash faced Drax again. **"See? She doesn't want to. And as Arceus's Knight, I do have the authority to take pokémon away from their trainers if they are abusive or if the pokémon they caught has important duties or is important for the world's balance,"** he said calmly.

Drax let out a frustrated sound. He locked eyes with the referee. **"Do something!"**

The referee stammered a bit before composing himself. **"He is not preventing her from coming back to you. There is nothing I can do,"** revealed the referee. Drax cursed out loud and started shouting loudly at Ash and the referee.

" **SILENCE!"** Everyone in the stadium went quiet immediately. Rayquaza had started speaking telepathically and he was facing Drax with an angry gaze, who started shaking a little in his spot. **"You disgrace the name of dragon trainer."** Drax felt like he was stabbed over those words. **"A true dragon trainer would know that Latias is needed to stay at her home to protect Alto Mare. You have endangered the city for your own selfish desire. You will withdraw her from the match and release her at once so she can return to her duties of protecting the city,"** finished up the green dragon with a very serious tone of voice.

In the VIP room, the Champions were unable to believe what was going on anymore. But now the Lord of all Dragons was telling Drax what he had to do. **"Can Ash and Rayquaza make him do that?"** asked Diantha, turning her head towards Lance.

The spiky haired champion faced her and thought for a moment before answering her. **"They can. He is a legendary pokémon and whatever they say goes when it comes to protecting the world and keeping the balance. And one of the jobs of an Aura Guardian is to maintain that balance."** Lance turned his gaze back towards the field. **"So in this case, both are correct and cannot be crossed. Drax has no choice,"** stated Lance. The others nodded in agreement as they continued to watch.

Drax was feeling like the green dragon was looking into his soul with the way he was staring at him. After a long moment, Drax swallowed the saliva in his mouth before replying back in a somewhat quiet voice. **"You say I'm not a true dragon trainer but that is false! I've worked and trained with dragons all my life!"** Drax began regaining some of his confidence back as he spoke and his voice became stronger. **"I've worked hard to get where I am now! I know of many more secrets and prophecies regarding dragons than any and all others! And how is it fair that I give up a pokémon that I caught legitimately? Especially now in the middle of a battle?!"** asked Drax. **"Aren't dragons honor bound to serve the one that has beaten them fairly in a battle and then captured by them?! And aren't you important for the world's balance as well? Why are you with the guardian then?"** asked the silver haired trainer.

The eon pokémon looked up at the Lord of all dragons with fear over what she heard. **"You are correct about dragons being honor bound to do so in that regard,"** answered the green dragon after a moment, making Latias feel horrible that she would have to serve him no matter what. Drax smirked in triumph but then it went away when he heard what the dragon said next. **"However, if a dragon has a duty to protect something, like a city for example, or is vital for the world's balance, than all other things are unimportant and will not affect its honor."** Drax felt his stomach churning since what he said held no value. **"And I am not needed unless there is a world endangering event. Nothing else."** Drax frowned at that since his reasoning was brushed aside. **"But a dragon is always fair. You will not be the only one to withdraw your pokémon. Withdraw Latias and release her so she can go back to her duties and I will withdraw from the battle completely as well."** Ash did not get involved in that since he knew that when legendary pokémon decide on something, then there is little to be done to change their minds. Most of the time.

Drax thought about that offer carefully. _If Rayquaza withdraws, then I'll have an even better chance of winning. I might have been able to defeat the Lord of all Dragons, but my pokémon would've been in poor conditions to continue on…and he still has one fresh one to use along with two others who aren't too tired. Damn it. I have no other…wait…I do have another option…_ Drax let a small grin form on his face as he thought up of something. **"Alright then. You have yourself a deal but only if you agree to my condition too."**

" **What condition?"** asked Ash. His aura had regressed back to him and his eyes returned to brown when his legendary dragon started speaking with his telepathy.

Drax's grin grew larger. **"I will do as Rayquaza has commanded but my condition is that when I win, he will become my pokémon instead."**

" **What?!"** replied back Ash in surprise. **"I don't bet my pokémon! They're my friends! Not objects!"** he snapped at the silver haired trainer.

" **Take it or leave it. That is my condition and won't be changed. I'm releasing a legendary pokémon that I caught fairly. I should get something in return,"** stated Drax.

Ash began shaking with rage. **"It is alright."** Ash felt his anger evaporate as he looked up at Rayquaza in shock. The green dragon was looking at him with a kind expression before he turned his head towards Drax and it turned serious. **"Drax,"** started the legendary making all look at him. **"The Aura Guardian will never agree to a deal like that. But I will. I accept your condition with one more added from me then."** Drax nodded with a grin. **"Good. Release my kin and I will withdraw from the battle completely. Win or lose, you will leave her alone and you will also not pursue any other legendary pokémon. Am I understood?"** Drax nodded his head in agreement. **"Good. Do not go back on this agreement or I will unleash my full wrath on you."** Without even waiting for a response back, the Lord of the Sky looked at Latias. **"And you will not interfere in the battle."** Latias didn't object to that. Rayquaza looked at Ash and nodded his head.

Ash raised his premier ball and pressed the return button. The sky high pokémon disappeared into its ball and then he clipped the ball to his belt. **"I withdraw Rayquaza from the match completely,"** stated Ash immediately.

Drax reacted almost instantly afterwards. **"I withdraw Latias from the match completely."** He then dropped her ultra ball onto the ground before crushing it with his foot. **"There, she is released."**

Latias felt so much happiness fill her all of a sudden that she was finally free. She took up Pikachu in her arms and zoomed around Ash. The sight of her doing that made many smile and laugh. The people in the stands all smiled and some even laughed a bit at the happy display. Ash watched the eon pokémon zooming around gleefully until a loud roar was heard from the other side of the field. He turned his attention to that and saw Salamence had taken up position. **"So you finally decide to use him do you?"** asked Ash as another blue orb appeared into his hand. Latias glided back down to hover beside Ash while Pikachu stayed on top of her back.

" **You got lucky until now guardian,"** replied back Drax. **"You might have won with Rayquaza on your side but without him, you have no chance. You're Glaceon is tired out and so is your Noivern. And your Goodra, Sylveon and the Lord of Dragons are out of the match completely. I still have Salamence and one other. You will lose like I said so and when I win, I will be the trainer of the most powerful dragon in the world! I will become unstoppable!"** remarked Drax before laughing loudly. **"You know, I must thank you! I didn't think he would be mine until much later!"**

Ash shook his head in disgust. **"Having a legendary pokémon isn't everything. I've beaten them before in the past and will continue to do so. And don't thank me just yet!"** Drax narrowed his eyes at Ash when he raised his hand and showed the poke ball in it. **"I was planning on giving you a taste of your own medicine by having you think you could win before unleashing Rayquaza on you."** Drax growled loudly at that. **"Though you may not fight against Rayquaza, you will fight against the pokémon who beat him!"** Drax's eyes widened and so did everyone else's. The raven haired guardian tossed the ball into the air and it opened with a bright white light.

A large red and orange dragon appeared and landed against the ground, spreading its mighty wings. Instead of its usual letting out a stream of fire into the air, Charizard took up a battle stance at once, growling at Salamence. The flame on the tip of its tail grew larger.

" **That's it?!"** asked Drax, confused. **"You're Charizard is nothing! There's no way it could have beaten Rayquaza! Not by its own! Not in this stage! It's not even a true dragon type!** " mocked the Dragon Master. Salamence even let out throaty growls at its opponent, laughing. Charizard growled and narrowed its eyes, its tail flame growing larger from his rage.

The occupants in the VIP room couldn't believe what Ash was saying. **"Drax has no idea what he's getting himself into,"** commented Alder rather calmly.

" **If that Charizard really can take out Rayquaza on its own, I wonder how each of us might fare against it,"** added Steven and the others began thinking about that too.

Ash remained quiet, not replying back. **"Fine. I'll make the first move. Dragon Rush!"** Salamence covered itself in a bluish glow and rocketed to the red dragon. Charizard caught him but was pushed back several feet before he dug his clawed feet into the ground. Both Drax and Salamence had their eyes widen in shock. **"Impossible! Flamethrower!"**

" **Show them a real Flamethrower!"** snapped Ash. Both pokémon spewed out flames at close range but Charizard's flames overpowered his opponent's and flowed over him. Salamence let out a cry of pain at it and freed itself out of the red dragon's grasp and backed up a bit.

" **AND THE SHOW CONTINUES! AFTER AN UNINTENTIONAL INTERMISSION REGARDING THE LORD OF ALL DRAGONS, THE SEMI FINAL BATTLE OF THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN KICKED UP A NOTCH!"** The crowd began cheering and shouting over the match. But the two trainers and their pokémon in the field had their attention onto each other only.

 _I will not lose! I will not miss my chance to have the most powerful dragon in the world be mine!_ **"Dragon Dance!"** ordered Drax.

" **Stop him with Aerial Ace!"** Charizard vanished from sight and struck Salamence with his tail before he could finish the dance, preventing the power up.

" **DRAGON CLAW!"** shouted Drax in frustration.

" **Dragon Claw!"** copied Ash. Both pokémon had their claws glow and intercepted each other's attacks. Charizard growled and his flame grew once again. He began pushing back Salamence.

Both the silver haired man and his blue dragon were astonished over that. **"CRUNCH!"**

" **METAL CLAW!"** The blue dragon attempted to bite the red dragon on the neck but instead the fire starter had him bite down on his claw covered in a metallic sheen. Salamence let out a cry of agony, hurting its teeth and jaws from trying to bite the metalized claw. **"Stun him! Wing Attack!"** ordered Ash. Charizard slammed both his wings at once against Salamence's head, making him become dazed. **"Seismic Toss!"** The red dragon grabbed the blue dragon in a tight hold and flew up into the air.

" **NO! SALAMENCE! GET OUT! FREE YOURSELF!"** screamed Drax but it was no use. Salamence was unable to regain his senses, especially when Charizard started doing a few circles in the air while spinning his body rapidly. Midway through his final circle, the fire starter pulled the blue dragon away from him and hurled him down to the ground with tremendous force. **"STOP YOURSELF!"** commanded Drax but it was no use. Salamence slammed into the ground at maximum speed, making a hole in the ground. Charizard landed gracefully in front of Ash. Both waited to see what happens.

Ash's group was flabbergasted over what was happening in his latest match. **"That has to be it! How could he survive that?"** asked Kate.

" **Don't say it's over till it's over,"** advised David.

" **SALAMENCE!"** shouted Drax. A few seconds later, an angry roar was heard before the blue dragon shot up onto the field again. It was gravely hurt, panting heavily, covered in bleeding scratches and blackened bruises. Yet it was snarling at Charizard who maintained its angry glare back.

" **UNBELIEVABLE! EVEN AFTER ALL THAT PUNISHMENT, THE HOENN DRAGON WO** **N'T GIVE** **UP!" ** The crowd was going wild over the unbelievable battle going on between the two.

" **This cannot be fuckin happening!"** cursed out Drax, ignoring the announcer's warning. **"Shut up! We're not done yet!"** He pushed the Mega Ring on his left hand again and Salamence was covered in a white sphere of energy before it erupted. Mega Salamence appeared with a loud roar. Its red wings have changed its shape and becoming larger with its body becoming slightly larger but much more streamlined. Most of its wounds healed and the dragon was ready for round two.

 _Did he just mega evolve his pokémon again?! Can he do that?!_ wondered Natasha. The red haired woman was rendered silent over her savior's battle just like her new group until now. The second mega evolution had snapped her out of her trance. She wasn't able to ask the others but her question was soon answered.

" **Damn it,"** muttered Cynthia, making her group fix their attention onto her. **"I knew we should have changed the rule to only allowing one mega evolution in the final battles. We didn't think anyone would have more than one mega pokémon since the stones are hard to find."**

The group let out sighs and sounds of understanding but didn't give up hope. They knew that Ash can do it. Among them, a certain blunette gym leader was looking at Ash intently. _Please be careful Ash. I know you'll win but be careful._

" **That wasn't bad Ketchum, but now you're done! No one has ever beaten my Mega Salamence! The only one who could've done so was Rayquaza!"** boasted Drax.

" **I wouldn't be too sure about that,"** replied Ash calmly.

" **It'll never happen! End him with rapid Dragon Pulse!"** The mega dragon fired beams of draconic energy, one after the other to the red dragon.

" **Smokescreen!"** Charizard let out dark smoke from his nostrils, hiding within it. The beams of energy went through the smoke but hit nothing except the ground and walls.

" **Clear away the smoke! Air Cutter!"** Many razor like winds was launched into the smoke, clearing it and revealing a hole in the ground. **"Dragon Pulse into it!"** The blue dragon quickly fired the attack into the hole before backing away and a loud explosion was heard. The stadium quieted down to see what would happen. **"I don't think he survived that,"** smirked Drax.

Ash paid him no mind but grinned in return, making Drax and many to become confused. **"Charizard is just getting warmed up. I think he's ready. FIRE SPIN!"** roared Ash.

A loud roar was heard from beneath the ground before the spot underneath the mega pokémon began glowing red. The dragon moved out of the way at the last second before a swirling vortex of red, orange and yellow flames burst forth and shot up into the sky. Many gasped at the sight of the fire tornado. Another one popped from underneath Salamence's new position and once again the dragon was barely able to dodge it at the last second. This kept going on until there were many holes caused by the powerful fire attacks. **"IT'S LIKE WHACK A BUISEL BUT IN OPPOSITE! CHARIZARD IS TRYING TO CONNECT HIS TRAP MOVE BUT SALAMENCE KEEPS DODGING! MAYBE THE BLUE SPIRIT SHOULD TRY A NEW TACTIC?!"** Ash and Charizard kept going however. He would barely miss Salamence but prevented him from attacking back. Finally, one of the Fire Spins connected, singing his wing and making the dragon cried out in pain.

That made the silver haired dragon master became even more angered. **"That's it! Make him get out! Earthquake!"** ordered Drax and his dragon slammed his tail onto the ground hard but Charizard was already out of the ground by then covered in a red glow.

" **INFERNO!"** yelled Ash and his fire starter let out an intense ball of flames at the dragon. The flames engulfed his opponent and made Mega Salamence cry out in agony. The flames died down, leaving the dragon in multiple scorch marks, wincing. It was left with a severe burn from the flames. **"Good job buddy! Hidden Power and Slash combo!"** Charizard focused and brought out his inner power that materialized into multiple white energy spheres around him while his claws glowed white.

" **SALAMENCE! YOU BETTER NOT LOSE! FINISH IT WITH HYPER BEAM!"** The mega pokémon quickly charged up the attack and launched it at Charizard with many shouts and screams made from the crowd. He was hit in the chest and the beam exploded, covering the red dragon with smoke.

The smoke cloud was still up with Mega Salamence panting heavily, waiting to see its fallen opponent. Many white spheres of energy shot from the smoke cloud and struck the blue dragon, making it roar with pain. The red dragon then appeared through the smoke, flying towards its weakened opponent with its claws glowing white. Charizard slashed the dragon several times, making him stumble back, barely conscious. **"Finish it Charizard! MEGA PUNCH!"** Charizard clenched his claw into a fist and it glowed a bright white before striking Mega Salamence in the chest, sending the powerful pokémon through the air before it collided against the stadium wall. It dropped to the ground and reverted back to its normal form.

" **THE BLUE SPIRIT TRIUMPHED OVER DRAX'S MOST POWERFUL POKÉMON EVEN WITH IT MEGA EVOLVED! LOOKS LIKE THE GUARDIAN'S CHARIZARD MAY HAVE BEATEN THE LORD OF DRAGONS!"** Many in the stadium and all those watching couldn't believe it while Ash's group was shouting out praise and encouragement.

Liza however was still seated, lost in thought. She couldn't believe how powerful Ash's Charizard is. She knew that Ash wouldn't lie or boast about how strong his pokémon can be. But to hear about a Charizard beating the legendary Rayquaza in a one on one match? And something about this particular one was making her rethink some things. It was moving just like the Charizard who had beaten the test. She shook her head after a moment. _It can't be. There's no way that's the same one. The trainer had white hair not black…and...and not…silver…_ Liza's eyes widened as she remembered something else. _Ash did say he disguised himself during his disappearance…but it…couldn't be…could it? Could Ash be the one? Could he be…could he be the one who I'm…promised to?_ Liza's heart began beating faster as she thought of the possibility that he could be the one…

Drax returned his Salamence and looked at the Charizard in front of him. It had some scratches and bruises from the Hyper Beam but it didn't look as damaged as he hoped. _That's one powerful pokémon!_ Drax took in a deep breath. _Maybe it did beat the Lord of Dragons…no, that's impossible. Get a grip on yourself because it's no match for my secret weapon._ **"I'm impressed Ketchum,"** said Drax, unclipping his final pokémon. **"I never thought you would have Rayquaza on your side. Nor did I ever think that your Charizard would be this strong. But I also have to say this too; Salamence isn't my strongest pokémon."** Everyone went silent, startled at the revelation. **"I hope you're ready!"** He tossed out the poke ball and what emerged from it, made many gasp and become surprised.

" **No way…"**

" **What are the chances?"**

" **Are you kidding me?"**

The pokémon landed onto the field opposite Charizard and roared loudly. **"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS! DRAGON MASTER DRAX ALSO HAS A CHARIZARD! BUT THIS ONE IS BLACK INSTEAD OF RED! THIS SHOULD BE ENTERTAINING WITH BOTH POKÉMON BEING AMONG THEIR TRAINER'S STRONGEST!"** The crowd went insane, anxiously waiting to see both powerful fire starters go at it. Both Charizard looked insanely strong and Liza started worrying again about Drax being the possible winner.

" **I thought you only train dragon pokémon?"** asked Ash curiously.

Drax chuckled before answering him. **"I do. My Charizard may not be a dragon…yet."** He pushed the mega ring again and his Charizard was engulfed in a white glow.

" **NOT AGAIN!"** screamed out the girls in the group at once. The white glow erupted to reveal the fire pokémon in its mega form. It was now colored dark and light blue, with flames trailing out of its mouth from both sides. Its wings becoming wider and jagged as well. The flame on its tail and mouth were colored blue instead of the usual red orange.

" **Now he is a true dragon! I introduce to you my most powerful pokémon…MEGA CHARIZARD X!"** declared Drax with a large smirk on his face and his mega pokémon let out a loud roar that made many cover their ears. **"You may have overcome my Mega Salamence, but my Mega Charizard X is three times stronger! There is no way you'll triumph over my most powerful pokemon!"**

Charizard glanced back at Ash. Both pokémon and trainer looked into one another's eyes. After a moment, Ash nodded and so did Charizard. The red dragon faced forward once more and eyed his kin. **"Dragon Master Drax…"** started Ash, making everyone quiet down to listen to his words. **"You are wrong to think like that."** Drax scoffed and laughed, shaking his head. **"We will show you that you don't need to be a dragon type to be a true dragon!"** Ash uncrossed his arms and raised his left hand to be level with his head. A blue glow appeared around his wrist and a second later, it faded away only to have a pure white bracelet appear with a blue stone embedded in it; a Mega Ring.

His group gasped. They didn't know he had found mega stones and could mega evolve as well. Liza's eyes went wide and she let out a yelp, making everyone around her, from her group of friends to strangers, look at her. Clair, Cynthia and Sabrina were looking at her with very concerned expressions. **"I can't believe it! No way! He…he…"** but she couldn't finish, stammering until she was silenced by Ash speaking again.

" **The Charizard you're facing here in front of you…is one of the few pokémon in the world to go the distance…to reach new heights in its power…to have taken on several legendary pokémon on its own and come out the victor …and it is the only Charizard in history to complete the Gauntlet of the Charicific Valley!"** revealed Ash. Drax, the Champions in the VIP room, Liza, Sabrina, Clair and Cynthia all had their jaws drop and their eyes widen.

The self named dragon master was frozen for a bit before snapping out of it. **"Impossible!"** retorted Drax. **"No Charizard can do that! None can fight fifty battles one after another against the strongest in the valley with no rest!"** The crowd took in sharp breaths, utterly stupefied that the Guardian's Charizard had so much strength and endurance that he was not only able to beat a legendary pokémon on its own but also able to survive against fifty nonstop rounds against the strongest in the valley. It was practically suicide since the pokémon there are so brutal.

" **Mine did and he was rewarded for his determination to be the best,"** replied Ash calmly and touched his mega ring. Charizard was covered in a white glowing sphere. The white sphere glowed an intense white before it erupted, revealing its mega form. Unlike its opponent, it stayed its normal color of red orange. Its body grew larger but also became very aero dynamic. Its wings grew longer, sharp appendages grew from its fore arms and another horn grew out from the top of its head. **"Allow me to introduce the strongest Charizard in the world…the King of the Charicific Valley…MEGA CHARIZARD Y!"** The mega evolved pokémon let out such a loud roar that the glass windows shook in the VIP room and sent shockwaves throughout the stadium, making everyone close their ears. They felt the sound wave wash over them but instead of sending them flying, it sent shivers down their spines. The temperature around the stadium and field began going up, the heat becoming almost unbearable. His Charizard's special ability of Drought had activated.

" **WHAT HAS THIS COME TO?! WE HAVE MEGA CHARIZARD X AND MEGA CHARIZARD Y WHO IS ALSO THE KING OF THE CHARICIFIC VALLEY?! MY LORD, I NEED A DRINK! HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS AND SEATS FOLKS! THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!"** The crowd snapped out of their trance and they made so much noise that many people that they would go deaf.

Drax had his anger fill him at being shown up by the guardian. **"It doesn't matter if your Charizard is the king or also mega evolved! I will still win!"** he snapped, not allowing himself to become overwhelmed. His Charizard X growled at his opponent as well.

" **You said power is the only thing important and that you are powerful. So prove it against the King,"** suggested Ash.

Drax snarled in response before shouting his command; **"Dragon Claw!"**

" **You too!"**

Both Charizard shot forward with their claws glowing and struck each other across the chest, damaging each other. **"Flamethrower!"** shouted both trainers. Blue and red flames collided and erupted, covering the field in smoke. Charizard Y flew up into the air.

" **Dragon Rush!"** ordered Drax. Charizard X followed his opponent and slammed into him, making him move backwards while letting out a grunt of pain.

" **Air Slash!"** snapped Ash. Charizard Y quickly shot condensed blades of air with his wings at the blue pokémon and they connected, making him flinch. **"Follow up with Ancient Power!"** Boulders made out of energy appeared in the air and collided against his target. Charizard X roared with agony and started falling to the ground.

" **SNAP OUT OF IT! FLAME CHARGE!"** yelled Drax. His pokémon composed himself, covered itself in flames and shot forward, slamming into his target once more and increased its speed. **"Send him to the ground with Thunder Punch!"** An electrified clawed fist hit the red dragon and sent him rocketing to the ground.

" **Level out!"** shouted Ash and his pokémon stopped his descent immediately with his wings. **"Barrel roll!"** snapped the raven haired guardian and his pokémon rolled to the left, avoiding the other pokémon's dive bomb.

" **Not bad! But not good enough!"** taunted Drax as the two mega Charizards righted themselves and growled at one another.

" **Funny. I was going to say the same to you,"** admitted Ash, making the tall trainer shake with fury.

Pure dislike appeared on both trainers' faces before they sent out their next command. **"FLARE BLITZ!"** shouted both at the same time. Once more both dragons shot forward but this time they intercepted one another's attacks. Each was trying to overtake the other.

" **Overheat!"** shouted Drax.

" **Dragon Claw!"** ordered Ash.

Charizard X opened its mouth but was quickly closed again by a powerful strike against its jaw, sending it to the ground. Even with his opponent's speed boost, Ash knew his pokémon was much faster. He had his Charizard fly up into the air again.

" **GET UP!"** screamed Drax and his pokémon got back up. **"DRAGON PULSE!"** A powerful beam of draconic energy was launched up towards the red dragon.

" **Show them a real Dragon Pulse!"** said Ash and his pokémon fired an even larger beam of energy right at the incoming one. Drax and everyone else was left in a startled state as they watched it completely overpower the other beam like it wasn't even there and slammed into its target. Charizard X was pushed into the ground with a large explosion. The smoke cleared and they saw the pokémon panting but still able to fight.

" **You're out classed Drax. Surrender!"** advised Ash seeing the state his pokémon was in.

That however just pissed off both his opponent and his pokémon. **"HELL NO! I HAVE NEVER SURRENDERED, I HAVE NEVER LOST AND I WON'T START NOW! FLAME CHARGE INTO FLARE BLITZ!"** ordered Drax. Charizard X shot forward again but with tremendous speed, surprising Ash and his dragon. The black and blue starter engulfed itself in a large blue sphere of flames and smashed into the red starter. Charizard Y was hit hard and he began falling to the ground. His friends and family shouted out over it.

But then Charizard quickly recovered and flew up into the sky. Drax ordered his Charizard to go after him. The two began flying around the stadium with the red dragon evading random streams of flames shot at him while being pursued by the black and blue dragon. **"Go into the ground!"** ordered Ash, confusing many as to why he would do that, giving advantage to his adversary. The red dragon dodged another stream of flames by diving down immediately. He angled his descent towards one of the holes in the ground and disappeared into it.

" **You fool! You just gave me the match! EARHTQUAKE! MAX POWER!"** shouted Drax. Charizard X rocketed to the ground and slammed onto it, causing a massive tremor to rock the area. Many people were thrown from their seats with many others screaming in fright. No sound came from below the field and when the tremors finally stopped, it was silent. **"That was idiotic!"** said Drax to Ash. **"So much for your Charizard being the King! Looks like he's reign is over before it even began! And without him, you're done for! Your other pokémon can't beat my Charizard X!"** cackled Drax and his pokemon let out throaty growls, also laughing.

Ash however let a smile form on his face, making the two stop laughing and everyone to become confused. **"Thank you Drax for allowing us to finish the battle with our next move."** Drax was about to comment back when he was silenced abruptly by Ash. **"CHARIZARD! FIRE STORM!"**

The entire field began glowing red, making everyone gasp and shout out in fear. Drax looked at his pokémon and saw that he was surrounded by many holes, right in the middle of them all. Before he could order his pokémon to get out of there, what happened next was something he never would've even dreamt of seeing.

Vortexes of fire shot up from each and every hole, climbing higher and higher into the sky. The fire pillars were so hot, so powerful that they started melting the ground around them. The fire pillars were expanding so rapidly that Charizard X couldn't get out of there in time. He let out anguished cries as the scorching flames struck him. His resistances did nothing to help lessen the damage or the pain. He attempted to get out from within the fire pillars but kept getting struck over and over by them. Soon enough, the fire pillars had merged into one colossal blazing fire that had engulfed the entire field. The heat was so overwhelming that it made almost everyone sweat uncontrollably and the people in the front stands were frantically moving as far back into the stands as they could from it. The mega pokémon collapsed in the middle of the deadly attack, unable to move and reverted back to its normal form. The attacked immediately ceased, the last trailing flames dissipating into the air. A large red sphere of flames shot up from beneath the ground. It went high up into the air before it burst to reveal Mega Charizard Y in all his glory with its wings spread out. He let out a loud victory roar into the sky.

" **Drax's Charizard is unable to battle. Winner of the battle is Ash's Charizard and the winner of the match is Ash Ketchum!"** said the referee, holding up the green flag.

" **HOLY COW! THAT IS ONE MATCH THAT WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED! WHAT POWER! WHAT STRATEGY! WHAT CUNNING! WHAT HEART! THE AURA GUARDIAN HAS ADVANCED AND WILL FACE TOBIAS, THE TRAINER OF LEGENDARIES, IN THE FINALS OF THE TOURNAMENT!"** The crowd and Ash's group cheered loudly and clapped, ecstatic over his victory. The stadium quieted down though as Ash and his now normal Charizard walked over to Drax who had already returned his pokémon. Latias and Pikachu also followed but stayed a little behind them.

Drax glared at Ash as he came closer to him. **"What do you want?! You already won!"** he shot at him.

Ash was quiet for a second before answering him. **"We had a deal. Apologize,"** he told him seriously.

Drax had his eyebrows raised. **"That's it?! That's all you want?!"** he asked him in surprise. Ash said nothing, waiting for his apology. Drax growled at him before mumbling out an apology.

" **Speak clearly and louder so you can be heard,"** stated Ash.

Drax had steam shoot out of his ears. He grabbed his microphone, holding it to his mouth. **"I apologize to Clair, Daisy, Iris and Cilan. There I said it."** He threw the microphone to the referee before turning his back to Ash and walked towards the field exit.

" **Do not forget the other parts that you agreed to Drax!"** stated Ash, making him stop. **"You will no longer battle until you learn to be a decent person! And you will never go after a legendary pokémon again! Is that clear?!"** The silver haired man glanced back the raven haired man before barely nodding. He then continued on his way and soon exited the arena. Ash looked around before spotting his friends and family. He brought the microphone to his mouth. **"I dedicate this victory to my friends; Iris, Cilan, Daisy and Clair."** The four mentioned felt so much gratitude and were humbled over that while the rest had smiles form on their faces over what he just did. **"I'll see you guys back at the hotel…"** He glanced at the eon pokémon. **"…after I take Latias home."** The crowd watched as the guardian, the starter and the dragon disappeared in blue glows.

The three of them reappeared in a secret garden with a pond near the end of one side of it. Ash and Pikachu had smiles form on their face as they watched Latias zoom around happily again since she was back home. **"Hey! What are you doing here?!"** came sudden yelling that made Ash and Pikachu whip around and Latias to stop her flying at once. **"You have no right to…wait…ASH?!"** Before he knew it, Ash was taken up into a bear hug that made him lose his breath. **"I can't believe it's you!"** cried the person.

Ash was turning blue from the lack of oxygen due to the girl's tight hug. **"Can't…breathe…"** he whizzed.

The girl realized she was choking him. She quickly let him go and he bent over forward, leaning against his knees as he took in gulps of air. **"I'm so sorry!"** said the girl hysterically. **"Please forgive me!"**

Ash raised one of his hands and waved them in front of him while continuing his heavy breathing. **"Its…fine…"** He took in a couple more breaths before feeling better. He straightened out and looked at the girl who almost choked him to death. She had grown older and more beautiful since the last time he saw her. She was wearing a white skirt and green short sleeved blouse. She had red like brown hair and brown eyes. **"Hey Bianca, thanks for not suffocating me."** She went red at that and he chuckled. Pikachu jumped into her arms and nuzzled against her cheek, happy to see her too. She giggled a bit as he did that. **"How did you know me, Pikachu and Latias were here?"** he asked her.

Bianca tilted her head as Pikachu jumped onto the ground. **"I've been keeping watch since…wait, Latias?"** She moved her gaze towards the pink pokémon who appeared beside the young man. **"LATIAS!"** The two hugged one another and let out some tears of happiness at seeing their best friend. **"I was so worried about you! Where have you been? What happened? Why did you leave?"** she asked the eon pokémon.

" **It wasn't by choice and it's a long story,"** replied Latias through her telepathy. Ash was surprised that Bianca wasn't startled from that but then figured that since the two are best friends, she would've known about that. **"But it was because of Ash that I was able to come back home."**

The two separated and Bianca wiped her eyes dry with her hands. **"Tell me everything."** She turned to face Ash once more. **"Thank you Ash for bringing my best friend back home."** She hugged him again and this time he reciprocated since he was able to.

" **No problem,"** replied back Ash. He smiled at her before looking at Latias who smiled back. **"If either of you ever need anything, just let me know."** The two nodded and then Ash and Bianca exchanged numbers on their Poketchs. **"I'll tell Mist and Brocko that you said hello. Take care."** Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and two disappeared in a blue glow, making Bianca gasp.

The girl was frozen for a few seconds until she felt someone grab her shoulder. She turned her gaze onto the legendary and smiled. **"It's good that you're home again Latias. I kept the Soul Dew safe and hidden as always. But, where were you? What happened? And what did Ash do**?" she asked the pokémon.

Latias sighed before replying back. **"Like I said, it's a long story. But I'll tell you everything."** The pink dragon floated down to the grass and lied down on it as she started to explain everything. Bianca sat down on the ground next to her and listened to it all.

Ash and Pikachu reappeared in the balcony of his suite. The two glanced at one another and sighed. **"What a day huh buddy?"** he asked his starter.

" **Pika pika,"** agreed the yellow mouse as he began walking to go inside the suite.

When he entered it, he saw that most everyone was in the living room as well as another person there too. Ash was surprised to see the Dragon Champion there. He was greeted with congratulations and words of praise over his victory from his family and friends. Before he could say anything, he was taken up into a group hug by the four who he had dedicated his victory to. After the hug, they thanked him for that and he smiled at them before facing the champion. **"Hey Lance, what's up?"** he asked.

Lance didn't say anything but gestured towards the balcony. Receiving a nod from the young man, the two moved out there to speak in private. Pikachu however went to the couch, curled up and went to sleep. Liza, Clair, Sabrina and Cynthia glanced at one another with one of them feeling like her heart was going to pop out of her chest. They wondered if Lance would tell Ash and if he did, what would that cause to happen.

When the two trainers reached the railings, Lance looked out over the horizon before facing Ash. **"That was quite an entertaining battle,"** he remarked and the younger man thanked him. **"I must say though that I'm surprised you caught Rayquaza of all legendaries and that you even used him."**

Ash smiled a bit. **"I wasn't planning on catching him. Not so soon anyways. I had plans to do so in the future for the coming war. But things happened that forced my hand,"** he explained.

Lance thought over what he was told. **"I see. I assume the things that happened had pissed you off and you wanted to show him up. Am I correct?"** Ash said nothing over that. **"It's alright. I did the same when I was younger. But I took things too far."** That made Ash raise his eyebrows in surprise. **"A story for some other time because that's not why I'm here."**

" **Alright. Then why are you here? Not that I mind of course,"** said the raven haired guardian.

Lance chuckled. **"Well, there are a couple things I need to tell you. First, I believe Cynthia told you about our meeting?"** He said that she did tell him. **"Good. And here's our proof."** He took out the smart phone from his pocket and held it between the two. **"I've had some of my most trusted and most capable try to crack it but none of have been able to. Even the two videos in it, one of which was a recording of the red head you rescued being tortured and violated…"** Ash let out a growl at hearing that. **"…have their sound choppy and we cannot make things out. But this is evidence that something is happening concerning you Ash."**

The young trainer could say nothing over that. He hung his head and shook it slightly. **"I'm sorry Lance but I just don't know why. It's not like I mean for these things to happen and you know the reason why I disappeared."** He raised his head again and locked eyes with him. **"But you know that I will also do anything to protect everyone. Especially the ones I love and care about."**

Lance smiled at that. **"I know. But here's the second thing I wanted to ask; would that include my cousin Clair as well?"** he asked him.

Ash kept his expression neutral but inside his heart began hammering. **"She is my friend so of course I will do so."**

Lance gave a small chuckle in response that was almost a scoff. **"Nothing more huh?"** Again, Ash said nothing. **"Well, between you and me, she does deserve someone great and I support whatever decision my cousin makes."** Seeing the slightly surprised expression on his face made the champion laugh out loud. **"Wasn't expecting that were you? I'm not all serious business."** Ash couldn't help but laugh a bit himself over that. **"One more thing about Clair though. Do you know what happened between her and Drax?"** he asked him.

Ash quickly stopped his laughing. He took in a breath and nodded. **"I do. But I'm sorry Lance. I cannot tell you what she told me. But I can tell you that she has overcome it and I believe she will be fine."**

Lance was quiet for a moment. **"Alright. Thank you for that at least. The final thing I have to say is this; you won the test. But do you know what else comes with winning the gauntlet of the Charicific Valley?"** he asked him.

Ash turned his gaze towards the horizon. **"I do."**

Lance's eyes widened. **"You do?! How did you find out? Then how come you haven't taken it? How come you haven't let it be known?! She may be older than you by a few years, but how come you haven't taken Liza in for your wife yet?!"** He was beyond stunned as to why Ash would just give up something like that which held so much honor, glory and an attractive wife as well.

Ash turned his gaze back to Lance. He smiled a bit before answering him. **"Because I don't believe that people should make decisions for others regarding such things. I knew about it so I went in disguise but left immediately after she gave me the mega stone so she wouldn't have to say it. Love, marriage and everything else related to that shouldn't be forced or based on some random things or even old traditions and customs that don't make sense anymore. And Liza deserves more than someone like me who won't have much time for her."** Ash looked away from Lance. He was quiet for a bit before continuing. **"They all do. I love my girlfriends with all my heart…but sometimes I wonder just what they see in me and whether or not I'm worthy enough for them."**

Lance couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always known there was something different about Ash. Their team ups against evil organizations in the past, what he had done in the stadium attack and the rumors and news about him all over the world. He had respected him but had allowed his jealousy to cloud his mind until recently. He may have gotten over it finally and had apologized to the young man, but never knew what he was going through. It had just hit him that this trainer who was over a dozen years younger than him, had more responsibility and worries that ones who are three times his age. That he never viewed himself as better than anyone else but instead thought if he was good enough. Hell, he doubted even the current pokémon master behaved in such a way as the young guardian.

At that moment, his respect for him grew and knew that this man was his equal…if not more. **"A true man does not take things for granted and never believes himself better than others."** Ash glanced at him, wondering where he was going with this. **"You are that man. And I am happy to say that you have helped me become my old self again. For that, I thank you. And allow me to say this; you are being too hard on yourself. No one is perfect but if you continue thinking this way, you may make a mistake that could haunt you for the rest of your life. Trust me. You don't want that to happen."**

If Ash was surprised before over his words, he was beyond stunned now. **"Lance…"** He took in a breath. **"Thank you."** He raised his hand to him who took it and two shook on it.

" **You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of."** Lance was about to call out his Dragonite but then stopped. **"I almost forgot. I have no use for this. Perhaps you may get lucky in getting something out of it or know someone who may be able to do so."** Lance gave him the smart phone and Ash put it in his pants pocket. Ash thanked Lance and asked him to not bring up the matter with anyone that involves Liza. **"I will not. But you must be prepared if and when Liza speaks with you about it since you revealed it. Even if you hadn't, she would've known because of the mega stone and evolution your Charizard went through."** The raven haired man nodded while the champion called out his pokémon and soon they took off into the air.

Ash watched them go for a few seconds before heading back inside. He saw that the living room was mostly empty except for his mother. **"Where did everyone go Mom?"** he asked her.

" **They thought that you and Lance would talk for a long time so many went off to their own rooms while a few of the couples went out for a walk,** " said Delia. **"Oh and everything is alright with Sabrina's parents. They left already but they are on board."**

" **That's great to hear. One less thing to worry about. Thanks Mom!"** he told her as they hugged.

" **No problem sweetie. Now, you should go to your room. There's a surprise waiting for you,"** she told him with a knowing look.

Ash titled his head and wanted to ask what she meant by that but she wouldn't say. Wondering what it could be as he went to his room, Ash was lost in his thoughts as he opened his room door. The instant he stepped inside and saw what was waiting for him, his jaw dropped. His girlfriends Leaf, Sarah and Anabel were sitting on the bed dressed in their respective night gowns. **"Like what you see?"** asked Sarah with a grin.

" **Don't keep us waiting too much now,"** said Anabel with a devious smile.

" **We won't bite. Much,"** smirked Leaf.

Seeing him still out of it, the three girls giggled before Sarah grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him. Ash snapped out of it when hit him in the face. **"Thanks and nice throw Wiseman."** He picked up the pillow and tossed it back to the grinning girl and she caught it. **"I'll be right back. Just let me change out of my guardian's uniform,"** he told them. He went into the bathroom with his sweats only pajamas as the girls got into bed and waited for him to come back. When he came back into the room, he climbed into bed, gave each of the girls a kiss and then made himself comfortable. The three girls snuggled against him with Leaf on top, Sarah on his left and Anabel on his right. After some talking, teasing and joking around, the three girls told him that they are proud of him and so are his other girlfriends. They also told him what they decided on for tomorrow if he had no battles and he agreed to it. Soon enough afterwards, the four of them fell asleep.

As that occurred in the master bedroom, several other things were going on in the other rooms. In one of them, Liza, Clair, Cynthia and Sabrina were discussing about what they found out. How Ash was the one who won the gauntlet and how Liza is actually promised to him now. They talked for a long time about that and what they could do until finally the green haired girl snapped. **"What do you want me to do?!"** asked Liza as she faced Cynthia and Sabrina. **"Nothing that you say will help me! I thought it was Drax and it nearly killed me! But finding out it was actually Ash has made me so happy!"** The two girls' eyes widened and realizing what she let slip made Liza clap her hands against her mouth.

" **Wait, what?!"** asked Cynthia in surprise.

" **What do you mean by 'made me so happy'?"** asked Sabrina quietly.

Liza lowered her hands and swallowed the lump in her throat. **"Nothing. I just meant that…that it's not Drax…and…and that…"**

" **Don't lie to us Liza,"** interrupted Sabrina. **"You didn't like it when I lied to you so don't do the same."**

Liza looked at the two for a moment before hanging her head and let her arms fall down. She then said three words in barely a whisper; **"I love Ash."** That made the two girls gasp and even surprised Clair that she just said it like that. Liza continued speaking towards the floor in a low voice. **"Ever since the club, I've been developing feelings for him. I can't take my mind off of him. And when I saw him get hurt in his match against Damian, I felt like I my heart dropped into my stomach."** The three other girls said nothing about that since that was how they felt as well. They continued listening to what she said after she raised her gaze back up. **"I'm sorry but I don't know why him or why now. But I do know that I love him and want to be with him. But I will never jeopardize things between you and him."** Liza moved her eyes to lock with Sabrina's. **"Especially you Sab. You were there for me so many times and though I like to annoy you, you are one of my best friends."** Sabrina had her eyes become watery over what she heard. Liza was doing the same thing she did before. The green haired girl faced the other two. **"And so are you two. I will never hurt any of you intentionally and I'm sorry for what I'm feeling. But with my feelings for him, me being promised to him because of the gauntlet, you two being his girlfriends and his other girlfriends…I have no idea what to do."** She was about to say some more when she was suddenly grabbed by the psychic prodigy and pulled into a deep hug. Cynthia joined in and so did Clair.

" **It's alright Liza. I don't blame you,"** said Sabrina. The caretaker of the valley started crying into the embrace.

" **And we're not that mad. In fact we have something to tell you,"** said Cynthia. When they separated after a few minutes, the champion of Sinnoh smiled at her before facing the blunette. **"But first, do you want to come clean too or what?"** she asked her.

Clair's heart started thumping loudly as she looked at Cynthia before facing Sabrina. **"I…ah…"** She took in a deep breath. **"I love Ash too."** She tensed up and closed her eyes.

" **What are you doing?"** asked Cynthia.

Clair opened one of her eyes and saw that she was sitting calmly down on the bed and so was Sabrina. **"You're not mad? You're not gonna kick my ass?"** she asked her. Cynthia burst into laughter before shaking her head and Sabrina merely chuckled. Clair opened her other eye and relaxed a bit. **"Why aren't you though?"** she asked them.

" **What, you want to get beat up?"** asked Cynthia in surprise. Clair shook her head but told her that she knew about her past and how she might feel a little threatened by all this. **"You know, I think I would've been if it was someone else. But with Ash, somehow I have this feeling that it was always supposed to be this way."** Clair and Liza titled their heads but Sabrina nodded in agreement. She felt the same way. **"Maybe it's because it's you and the other girls but whenever I think about him being with one of them or you, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. But when I think of some other random girl with him, it pisses me off. Don't know why, how and I don't care. But I'm actually alright with it all."**

Clair and Liza were stunned over what she said and glanced at one another before shrugging. They faced Sabrina and Cynthia before Clair spoke again. **"Well, thank you I guess. But what about his other girlfriends? And there is something you two should know as well."**

" **That's right,"** started Liza. **"It's not just us who…"**

" **Don't,"** interrupted Cynthia, surprising them.

" **We know,"** said Sabrina, making the two have their eyes widen. **"Don't say anything to anyone."**

Liza recovered first. **"But…but…how?!"** she stammered out.

" **Like you said, when Ash faced Damian, a lot of things were revealed. You may not have said it, but your actions revealed it,"** informed Cynthia.

" **So does this mean that the other girls know that there are six others who have feelings for Ash?"** asked Clair and the two girls nodded.

" **Why haven't you said anything?"** asked Liza in bewilderment.

" **Because we didn't want to say anything about it and we wanted Ash to figure it out without us telling him,"** answered Sabrina. The psychic prodigy was asked why they would do that. **"Firstly is because we trust him. We know that he won't do anything if and when he finds out how you feel before talking with us."** The two girls nodded in understanding over that. They knew that he would be like that. **"Second, for some reason, something is telling us to let him figure it out on his own."**

" **Really?"** asked Clair and they replied back saying yes.

" **So what about the other girls?"** asked Liza.

" **What about them?"** asked Cynthia.

" **Aren't you going to talk to them too?"** asked Clair.

Sabrina and Cynthia looked at one another before grinning. **"Well, our sisters will. But when it's the right time,"** revealed the psychic prodigy. Liza and Clair understood that and said no more on that subject. After some more talking that allowed the four of them to get on the same page, they decided to call it a night. The four went to bed with two of them feeling absolutely joyful that things were working out better than they dreamed it would so far. They fell asleep soon enough with good dreams visiting them.

In another room two people were in their beds. They had decided to sleep on separate beds that night. They had also decided to take a break from each other after another argument happened between the two after their friend's match. But they decided not to tell anyone anything for the time being since they didn't want attention on them right now. Both of them had just laid in their respective beds for a long time before one of them fell asleep. The other one, who was just about to fall asleep herself, was startled awake when she heard her now ex-boyfriend snore. She turned her head and gave him an annoyed look before facing the wall again.

She tried to go to sleep but couldn't. After a while, she turned onto her back and faced the ceiling. She thought of everything that she had gone through. All of her adventures with all the people that she traveled with. Her family and friends that she loves and cares for. Her dreams and goals that she had when she was younger. The choices that she made that she thought were for the best or made sense. She also thought of all the mistakes that she made. All the times that she quit when she should've pressed on and vice versa.

And that made her think of her relationship with the green haired connoisseur. The reasons how it started, the good and bad times they shared, what they did for one another and how they kept each other going. But then she thought about how even though she was happy with him, it wasn't what she originally wanted. That she had been keeping secrets from him. And it looked like he was keeping secrets from her too. Perhaps they weren't meant to be together forever. Perhaps they were only there to help each other take the next step in life before moving on from one another.

She wondered about all that for so long that she felt like she was coming undone. She took in some air through her nose before exhaling it out through her mouth. She did that several times to help her calm down and get a hold of herself. She glanced at her roommate and looked at him for a couple minutes. She then faced the ceiling again before closing her eyes and said a prayer in her mind. _Please Arceus…help us figure out if what we had was right. Help us find what we're looking for. If we're not for each other, help us find the one who is. Please._ After that prayer, the purple haired girl moved onto her side and faced the wall again. A couple minutes later, she fell asleep.

Not too far from the hotel, a man in his early thirties was resting on his couch while flipping through the channels on his TV. Seeing that there was nothing on to watch, he was thinking about turning it off when he happened to stop on a news channel. He listened to the report about the outcome on the latest match of the tournament. When it finished, he chuckled a bit while turning it off. **"Should've known it would be you Ketchum. That so called dragon master had no chance against you. But I am glad. We will face off once more. I hope the first person who has ever beaten my Darkrai has become a lot stronger."** After that statement, a dark shadowy figure rose up from beneath the ground until its form sharpened and became corporeal. The man grinned at his pokémon. **"For we have made the ultimate team now and are much stronger. Are you ready for the rematch of the century Darkrai?"**

The legendary dark figure that was hovering in the air crossed his arms and nodded. **"I am Tobias."**

* * *

 ** _A/N - Several characters who have been in the dark have been brought forward with Clemont, Bonnie and Max making more progress in their growth. Several other new characters have been introduced/mentioned. Many questions have been answered but now, many more have come up. I will say this as well; I have made plans to upload sooner but I'm not sure yet if it will happen since I will be going camping this upcoming weekend. Also, I am planning to do something special for all of you because of my one year anniversary coming up in writing this story. Damn, I can't believe that it's less than 2 weeks for it to be one year writing this and it's still going strong. Thank you everyone for that! I just hope I can make it in time to post up what I want to do for you guys on that day in appreciation for all the support. Remember to review, fav and follow! Until next time, Silent is out!_**

 ** _Question 1 -_** _Did the battle meet, exceed or fail to meet your expectations and what was one of your favorite parts of the battle if there was one?_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _Anyone else love camping and if so, where is your favorite spot?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **Tournament Upcoming Match**_

 _Finals_


	49. Chapter 49 - Day of Dates

_**UPDATE #3 8/23/2016**_

 _ **Just letting you all know that the next chapter will be posted this upcoming Friday, 8/26/2016. I know it has taken a long time but there was nothing I could do about it since I had very little time to work on this here and there. Many things will be changed and you'll find out about them, my surprises and of course, the next chapter. Thanks for the support and take care! I'll see you guys Friday!**_

* * *

 _ **UPDATE #2 7/29/2016**_

 ** _Hello everyone! Wanted to put an update (again) about the next chapter. I'm still working on it and its taking longer than I thought to get it done and get it done right, especially with work and everything else going on. Its about 30% done as of typing this updated note. Also, the surprise that I had for you guys before my absence is also being worked on. There are actually 4 of them! ;) With that being said, the next chapter won't be posted until both it and the surprises are done and ready for you all. I don't know when that will be but I hope it will be soon. As always, thanks for reading and being patient. I hope you all are doing well and when it's finally posted online, you'll be in for a treat. :)_**

* * *

 _ **A/N - Hey, guys! Silent here with a new chapter for you all! I want to say thank you for the patience and for the understanding. As an apology, you'll get a fairly long chapter in this one. Before I let you read the chapter, a few quick things...**_

 _ **1\. Mega Stones/Mega Evolutions -** Several have asked about why I made Mega Charizard Y so rare while Mega Charizard X is more common. I did that for this story because it makes sense. Only charizardite y being available as a gift for the victor of the Gauntlet makes it more valuable and goes in well with what I have planned. It's also logical in a sense because that particular mega evolution does not change Charizard's typing but makes him more powerful. Other mega stones/evolutions are going to be treated the same way and some will have a purpose behind it. Also, in this story, mega evolutions also heal the pokemon's minor injuries because of the intense energy released. _

_**2\. Nicknames -** The nicknames between Ash and his girlfriends I have come up with on my own. They were very hard to come up with since I want it to be something that means something between them. Same thing regarding their necklaces as the design on them is meant to portray the nickname he has for her. _

_**3\. Rayquaza and Latias -** Glad to hear that you liked their scenes. I was very worried about that and wondered if they should even be included but in the end it looks like it paid off. _

**_4\. Iris and Cilan -_** _Won't say much about what their going to go through but you'll see what may or may not happen soon enough._

 ** _5\. Pregnant girl -_** _Same thing with this. You'll be getting more clues about who it is and her confession will be soon but not yet._

 ** _6\. Lemons -_** _I know I'm not the greatest lemon scene writer and that's fine with me. I do like to experiment with my writing and see what could make it better. However, when it comes to my lemon scenes, I won't go past a certain point. For one, I will not write or go into full on details (ex; tasting juices) and two, I won't have Ash and his girls do certain things. If you're looking for more hardcore stuff, then go watch porno or read some of the other fanfiction stories where they go really into it and some of it is just plain horrible, both in writing and the scene itself. I'm trying to show the love, feelings and emotions between them while having the experience happen naturally. And that's really hard to write about with certain sexual scenarios. And some of those things are being reserved for the "bad" stuff (like Natasha's horrible experience with the Skull Brothers)._

 ** _7\. Story finishing -_** _This story is not over by a long shot. This is still only the first half of the story. The war against darkness will be the second half. So no worries about the story ending soon. I still have a lot of surprises and plans for you all. ;)_

 ** _8\. Replies to some reviews;_**

 ** _God -_** _Thank you dude! I will do my best to keep up the quality and everything is much better now. :)_

 ** _Guest 1 -_** _Thank you buddy for the compliments and glad to hear that you enjoyed reading the story! I hope you continue reading and liking it! As for your request, I'll think about it. I am on instagram but not on it much. But I will check it out. :)_

 ** _Guest 2 -_** _:) Thanks!_

 ** _Jaguars5 -_** _Ash and Leaf will go out this chapter. Whether Leaf becomes pregnant or not, you'll just have to keep reading to find out._

 ** _Rams30 -_** _You'll find out if Ash has a kid or not soon._

 ** _Sjin -_** _Thanks dude for the praise and happy to hear you're liking it. I'm also humbled by your words because I do in fact want to publish a book one day. Cynthia will have her turn but not yet. About the story ending, read above. :)_

 ** _Vikacoco -_** _I will try buddy to update quickly but can't promise anything. But here's the next chapter! :)_

 ** _XxREYxX -_** _Hey buddy. I don't understand Spanish (very rusty from my classes) but after using good ol Google to translate, I want to say thank you for your kind words and I'm happy that I was able to keep writing even after a year._

 ** _Okay, with that done, I present to you the next chapter of the story! Enjoy and don't forget to review, fav and follow!_**

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 49 – DAY OF DATES

A young pokémon researcher was leaning against the fence he just rebuilt. He was exhausted, hungry and sweating like crazy. His grandfather had woke him up early in the morning and set him to work. Normally he would've asked why he was doing all the hard labor around the laboratory. And why aren't any of the aides or volunteers doing it. But this time he kept his mouth shut and didn't comment back or whine about the tasks he was given for one reason and one reason only; he had fucked up colossally and as a result, his grandfather was beyond furious. He had never seen him so angry. Especially towards him. The young man shuddered in his place as he remembered the scary look his grandfather had as he chewed him out over his behavior the other day. He leaned against the fence post and let out a sigh. **"Man, I hope Gramps doesn't stay pissed at me for long. I don't know how much longer I can take this."**

" **However long he punishes you, you deserve it Gary."** He jumped from the sudden voice speaking and turned around while cursing under his breath. It was his sister Daisy. He was about to say something when she spoke before he could. **"Grandpa wants you. He's in the study."** Without waiting for a reply back, Daisy moved away towards another part of the pokémon preserve to feed the pokémon there.

Gary let out a sigh and headed towards the laboratory. He soon reached it and when he entered into it, he made for the study. He knocked on the door before entering and saw the old professor extremely busy with several reports that he was looking at. **"I'm here gram…I mean Professor Oak."** One of the things he was made to do was call his grandfather by that title. It was meant to teach him respect for others. The other reason was to also show him that just because he is an Oak too, it doesn't mean that he can get away with things. He waited a few minutes for him to reply back with why he was summoned.

He was about to start talking when Professor Oak spoke but did not raise his gaze to his grandson's. **"Be patient. Your next assignment is on the way. Just wait quietly until its arrival."** Gary felt his heart rate shoot up at the cold tone he was given. Never had he spoken to him like that before. He would much rather have his grandfather yell at him like he did the previously.

The young man stayed silent and waited until the door opened again behind him. **"I'm here Professor Oak,"** said the new person. Gary turned around to see who the new person is. It was a female pokémon researcher who was wearing a long white lab coat over a black skirt and black button down blouse with long hair. The moment he realized who it is, he had a stunned expression form on his face. **"Surprised?"** He didn't respond back and she moved past him. **"Believe me, I was too when the Professor told me he needed my help,"** said the woman.

Gary faced his grandfather. **"Don't tell me my assignment is…"**

" **Your assignment is what I make it be,"** cut off the Professor with a stern tone of voice. Gary went quiet immediately and the new person didn't show any surprise towards the professor's cold treatment of his own grandson. **"Now, you will aid Professor Johnson with anything and everything within the next couple of weeks. Understood?"** Gary said nothing but barely nodded. **"Good. Now wait outside."** The young man left the room and waited in the hallway after closing the door. Oak let out a quiet sigh and rubbed his forehead with his hands. Johnson gave him a sympathetic look. **"I hope I'm not too stern on him. But I don't know what else to do. And I'm sorry for calling you out of your vacation early."**

" **It's quite alright,"** replied Johnson. **"After explaining what had happened, I'm sorry to say that I didn't have trouble believing it. Especially since I had my own recent encounter with him."** Oak shook his head over that and apologized on behalf of his grandson. **"You don't need to apologize for him. And no worries Professor Oak. I will keep my eye on him and will make sure that he learns to be better."**

Oak allowed himself to smile a bit and stood up. **"If there is anyone who can make him get better, it's you. You were able to affect him in the past. Perhaps you can do it again. And this time keep it permanent,"** he said. Johnson smiled a bit while also going a little red in the cheeks. She nodded at him and shook hands with the professor before she exited the office.

When she stepped outside the office, she saw the young man leaning against the hallway wall with his arms crossed. **"Follow me,"** she told him while walking past him. After taking a few a steps, she glanced back and saw he hadn't moved. **"I said let's go,"** she repeated.

Gary moved to her and she turned around to face him. **"Let's get this straight Johnson. Just because you're a professor now and not some aid, doesn't mean you can boss me around. I don't care wha…"** He couldn't finish because Johnson had grabbed his crotch and squeezed it.

" **That's Professor Johnson to you Gary,"** said the girl with a serious tone. She studied his face and saw him trying to hold back his tears from the pain she was causing him. **"Now you will do as I say and you will not complain over any part of it. If you don't…this is only the start."**

Gary felt as if his entire body was being punctured by hundreds of needles because of the pain. **"Please, Vanessa…"**

" **You dare plead with me?!"** she screamed at him before crushing his delicate area by tightening her hold that made him howl with agony. **"Not after the bullshit you did to me! And what you did to your friends! You will address me as either Professor Johnson or Ma'am. Understand?!"** Gary quickly nodded his head and she let go of his private parts. He dropped to the floor, holding his groin while whimpering because of the extreme pain. **"I'm going to make a call,"** she told him **. "You better be in my office by the time I finish up with it."** She turned around and walked to her office. Gary raised his head a little off the ground in order to see his new boss walk down the hallway with her long pink hair swishing from side to side from her movements.

High up in a mountain, a single cabin was located on a cliff. It was one of the training cabins that the Pokémon League had erected for authorized trainers to use. Speaking of trainers, there was a man with grayish blue hair standing near the edge of that cliff. He was overlooking the Indigo Plateau forest as the morning light became brighter. In the distance he could faintly see the stadium and the hotel. Behind the man were his pokémon and they all were silent. They were waiting to see what their trainer would decide.

After some time, the man came to a decision and turned around to face his pokémon. **"It's been a long time coming. We will go greet the Aura Guardian and see if he is still the same person. Since he was the first one to beat you…"** The black humanoid pokémon crossed his arms at that. **"…and you…"** The blue and white eon pokémon looked away from those words. **"…I hope he has become stronger. Because we have become stronger. And now we have the ultimate team. We have plowed through every one we've come across since then. I want a good battle but we will still triumph. When we win this match, we will finally be ready to beat each and every Elite Four member and then the Champions. Then, we will knock down the Master and take the crown."** The pokémon merely nodded silently at his words but with serious gazes on their faces. The man reached into his cloak and pulled out a photograph. He looked at it for a moment. **"I do this for you. I hope I can make your dreams come true."** The man's eyes watered as he stared at the picture. A single tear escaped from his eyes and landed onto the photograph. He hurriedly wiped it clean, worried that it would ruin the old picture. But luckily nothing happened. He let out a sigh of relief, looked at the photo again before placing it back inside his cloak. **"Time to go."** He returned his pokémon except for one and climbed on top of its back. **"To the hotel Latios."** The legendary quickly took to the sky and flew towards the hotel in the distance.

At the hotel penthouse suite, a large group of family and friends were already up and everyone was in the dining room enjoying their breakfast. Several conversations were going on at once between different groups of people. Not all were partaking in them though. Several were being quiet, but for different reasons.

Liza was one of them and she was just thinking about how she could talk to Ash about her being promised to him because of the Gauntlet. And how she really feels about him.

Clair was also silent. She was thinking about how Ash dedicated his last match to her. Sure, he did do it for Iris, Cilan and Daisy too. But that was something that no one had ever done for her. And she was thinking about how she felt when in his embrace.

Daisy was another one who was silent but would periodically glance at the other girls who she found out have feelings for Ash before going back to her plate. When Lily and Violet asked her what was wrong since she was so silent, she merely shook her head and answered that she was just thinking. Her two sisters gave her concerned looks but didn't push her. They knew to leave her be for the time being when she was acting like this.

Lizabeth, Shauna and Giselle however, were not keeping silent. Instead, they were whispering to one another about what they could do to increase their chances so things could work out for them all. The valedictorian had become friends with the two as well since they were each going through the same thing. The three of them wanted to talk to the other two girls about what they talked about with Cynthia and Sabrina. But they didn't have a chance yet. Each of them had a feeling that something happened since both of them seemed to be out of it after their conversation.

Natasha was another one who was really quiet. But that wasn't because of her inability to speak. And once again, she was sitting beside Ash but also next to Leaf this time. The red head was eating her food while thinking about everything she had witnessed yesterday that her savior had done. It boggled her mind that he and his pokémon are so strong. That he was able to capture one of the most powerful pokémon in the whole world. That he had Rayquaza's respect. Not to mention the incredible bond between him and his pokemon. That he trusted them and they trusted him. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and saw him practically inhaling his food. That is until Sarah smacked him against the back of his head and told him to slow down. Ash merely brushed it off and continued his wolfing down of his meal. Seeing that happen brought a smile to her face. The red head then continued her meal while thinking about what she had to do.

While everyone was enjoying their time, a certain girl was lost in her thoughts. She wanted to know just how in the world she was going to come clean to her beloved that she was pregnant. She glanced at Joy, trying to catch her eye so she can somehow give her a look so she can know that she needed someone to talk to. But the nurse was busy speaking excitedly with her boyfriend Richie. Catching some words from their conversation, she understood that they were talking about how to battle and then capture a wild pokémon. That made her smile a bit as she thought about the first time she had to do that. Not wanting to bother her friend, she took another bite of her food and looked at the love of her life. She watched him eat his meal while talking and joking around with their friends. _I have to tell him. But how? And when? Should I wait till after the final match? What should I do…_

While the pregnant girl was lost in her thoughts, a certain young teenage couple was talking to one another about what they were going to do. They wanted to tell their families that they had officially gotten together. **"When do you want to tell them?"** asked Max quietly.

" **Well, the sooner the better I think,"** replied Bonnie. She glanced around at the table and saw that mostly everyone was in a good mood since they were talking and joking around. Only a few were being quiet but that was normal to her. Well, as far as she knew anyway. She thought for a bit before facing the boy with glasses. **"I think we should do it now."**

Max's eyes went wide. **"Now?!"** he asked her in a surprised whisper.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at him. **"Yes, now. They're all in a good mood and when else will everyone be together?"** Max thought for a bit until he commented back that she had a point. **"Of course I do. Now let's do it."** She grabbed hold of his arm and stood up, making him stand up as well. **"Everyone! We have something to say!"** The dining room gradually quieted down and all eyes moved onto Bonnie.

Seeing everyone's attention was now on her made Bonnie go red. She opened her mouth to say what she planned on saying but nothing came out. Realizing she was having stage fright, Max grasped her hand so she could calm down and show her support. The blonde teenager thanked him quietly before she began speaking. **"Max and I wanted to say that after hanging out together for a bit and talking yesterday, we decided to make it official. He and I are together and wanted to let you all know."** When she finished speaking, their friends and family beamed at the two while some wolf whistles were made. That made the couple embarrassed, turning red.

While Norman gave his son a nod with a smile, his mother went a little overboard. **"Oh my little Maxie is growing up!"** cried Caroline. She got up and went to hug the two. After hugging Bonnie and telling her how happy she is, she turned to her son and gave him a bear hug.

" **Moooom!"** whined Max, feeling embarrassed over how his mother was acting. He looked at his sister and father. **"Help me!"** he requested but the two just laughed at him. Seeing that he had no way out, he accepted his fate and allowed his mom to smother him with her motherly affection.

Clement was looking at his little sister with happiness. He thought that they might be a little young but then again, his parents got together when they were young too. But good thing they didn't have kids till much later. He would have to make sure that they wait too. But for now, he congratulated her, told her that he will always support her and to let him know if she needs anything. Bonnie thanked her brother, hugging him and told him that that she's very glad for that. When the siblings separated, the girl went up to her boyfriend who was finally freed after he complained that he was being crushed. May and Norman also congratulated the two. Seeing his sister with Max made Clemont think that the two made a good couple. But then a certain image popped up into his mind that made him feel slight jealousy. He pushed past it quickly enough though and focused on what was happening.

Two from the group were feeling happy for their friends and what they were seeing occur in front of them. But then when they glanced at each other, their happiness died down some. Both were feeling anger and sadness spring up within themselves at the sight of the other. They had another argument in the morning after they had woken up. They just didn't know why but ever since the altercation with Drax, every little thing was blown out of proportion from both of them. The purple haired girl and the green haired young man hurriedly moved their sight away from each other to prevent themselves from starting something.

The raven haired guardian watched the teenagers embrace one another, which made him smile. He knew that the two would be good for one another since they had similar personalities but also complimented the other well with their differences. He happened to glance at the red head next to him and saw a surprised expression on her face. **"You alright?"** he asked her. Natasha snapped out of it and faced him. _Yes. Just surprised that they got together. Aren't they a little young?_ Ash looked at the two again before he nodded in response. **"They are. But you can't really explain things when it comes to matters of the heart."** She gave a stunned look over what she heard him say. He noticed that and turned to face her as he chuckled. **"Yea, I have my moments."** She couldn't help herself and giggled quietly as Ash looked around the dining room. He saw that many were talking to the new couple. They were congratulating them while also teasing the two. He then noticed his friends Iris and Cilan having a mix of emotions within them. He wondered why that would be and why this was the second time he sensed the two having weird feelings…

Natasha looked at Ash as he pondered quietly over whatever he was thinking about. She gazed at him for a little bit before turning away. _This might be a good time. Everyone is happy right now and hopefully that will allow him to not get too angry with me. But then, what if he does get angry?_ She wanted to tell him but was so scared of things going sour. But right when she was about to stop because of her fear, an idea came to her head. She turned her face towards him again. _Ash?_ He moved his gaze onto hers. **"Yeah Natasha? What's up?"** The red head took in a deep breath. _Remember how I wanted to tell you something?_ Hearing the important tone in her mental voice, he sat up straighter and waited for her to continue. She saw the way he was looking at her. She never wanted him to stop looking at her like that. Natasha could feel her heart begin to beat faster with every passing second. But she forced herself to continue with her idea at least. _If…if I had done something…bad…a mistake…in my past…will…will you forgive me for it? Or would you…be angry with me? And tell me to…to go?_

Ash gave her a sympathetic look and was quiet for a few seconds. The others in the group went back to their meals after congratulating Max and Bonnie. **"What did I promise you?"** he asked her quietly. Natasha did remember what he promised her but she couldn't respond. **"I promised you I would never tell you to go, to leave. Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to realize it and try to fix things if possible. And if not, then to never do it again."** He smiled at her and she felt like she could come clean to him. But she couldn't believe what he said. _Thank you Ash. But how could you be so forgiving? So trusting?_ He chuckled a bit. **"Well, like I said before…"**

 _Ash someone is here!_ The guardian stopped his speaking and turned to face Sabrina and Anabel. They had sensed something right when he did. The three caught one another's look and his eyes glowed blue suddenly that made Natasha gasp. Her gasp made several turn to them. But when Ash stood up, whirled around and faced the dining room entrance with a bright blue sphere of aura energy appearing in his hand, everyone noticed the glow and went quiet. He held up the aura sphere, ready to hurl it. Natasha could feel the energy radiating off of it and him and so could the rest. **"It's rude to eavesdrop let alone come into a place without an invitation,"** spoke Ash seriously towards the entrance.

Before anyone from the group could say anything, they heard someone speak, which startled them. **"Relax, I mean you no harm."** A man with grayish blue hair stepped into the dining room with his hands raised. **"I do apologize for the rather rude intrusion but I wanted to visit my opponent before our match. It's been a while Ash."** Realizing who it was now, many in the group calmed down but stayed vigilant. Several of them had their hand hover over their poke balls.

" **How did you know where I am and how did you get in here Tobias?"** asked Ash while still on guard with the blue sphere still up.

Tobias chuckled and lowered his arms. **"I flew here with Latios and landed in the balcony. You should really lock your balcony doors. And President Goodshow did mention that he would give you the best damn suite in the place during his interview after the stadium attack. Where else would you be?"** he asked rhetorically with a slight grin.

Sensing no hostile emotions from him and seeing that he was acting normally for the time being, Ash relaxed. The blue sphere disappeared and his eyes turned back to brown. **"Alright. But you could call next time or use the door,"** he advised the older man.

Their new guest chuckled a bit. **"I do apologize,"** said Tobias. **"But I've never been a fan of stairs or elevators."** He took a few steps closer to Ash and the group who stayed in their positions. Seeing the rather serious expressions on their faces, Tobias became worried. **"You did hear me when I said that I mean no harm right?"**

The red haired mermaid stood up and then spoke. **"We did hear you,"** answered Misty.

" **But we've had some rather unpleasant experiences lately,"** added Dawn following her lead by standing up with several others doing the same and nodding in agreement.

" **And we've had enough surprises for the time being,"** continued Serena. Her statement and tone of voice made the girls who are hiding feelings for Ash become worried over that.

" **So excuse us for the lack of trust right now towards others who we don't know that well,"** finished May.

Seeing how the group was standing together without hesitation made Tobias become surprised. He hadn't seen anything of the sort for a long time. Not since he left his home town. Not since he made that promise to everyone he knows. And not since he had to do the one thing he thought he would never do. He glanced around at the group as he began speaking. **"I can understand what you mean and I do not hold anything against you. But you must know that I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm merely here to…"** He stopped talking abruptly the second he saw the red haired beauty. His mind formed an image on her, which made his eyes grow wide and he couldn't believe it. It couldn't be possible. **"Anastasia?"**

All eyes went onto Natasha and as a result, she became very frightened. She didn't know why this new person who she never met before was staring at her as if he knew her. And she definitely didn't like the way he was looking at her either. Fear filled her when he started moving closer to her, frozen in her spot. He was only a few feet away from her when his path was blocked. **"Back off,"** warned Ash in his serious tone of voice. Seeing his reaction, many from the group moved closer to the three.

Tobias looked at Natasha for a moment before he snapped out of his stupor and looked at Ash. He noticed the angry look on his face and then he looked at the red head again. The image his mind formed onto her faded away and that was when he realized it; his mind was playing tricks on him. **"I'm sorry,"** he apologized. **"I thought…I thought you were someone I knew since you look so much like her from my past. Forgive me if I scared you."** He took a couple steps back to show he wasn't a threat.

Ash glanced at Natasha and she looked at him. _I'm okay._ He gave her a slight nod of his head before facing Tobias once more. **"So why are you here?"** he asked.

Tobias was quiet for a moment while he processed what just happened to him. He let out a sigh a moment later and explained the reason for his visit. **"I came here to speak to you for a bit about our upcoming battle. Can we talk somewhere in private?"** he asked.

Ash glanced at his family and friends before looking at the newcomer once more. **"Alright. Let's go to the balcony,"** suggested the guardian and he agreed. The two left the dining room and headed to their destination while the rest cleaned up since they were done with breakfast. Once outside and away from the door, the two finalists faced each other. **"So what did you want to talk about?"** asked Ash.

" **Before that, I want to apologize again. I didn't mean to frighten the girl…"**

" **Her name is Natasha,"** interrupted Ash.

Tobias nodded his head. **"Natasha. I didn't mean to frighten her. She just very much looks like someone from my past…"** He went quiet for a moment and Ash could sense some sadness coming from him. He waited for him to continue and after a little bit, he did. **"Anyway, here is the reason why I came to see you before our match. I wanted to tell you that I'm expecting a great battle from you. You're the first trainer to ever defeat my Darkrai and Latios. I hope you have become stronger."**

He titled his head a bit from that. **"Is that so?"** asked Ash and Tobias replied back that it was. **"Why?"**

He grinned in response before telling him. **"Because I like a challenge. I have my own goals and I'm sure you have your own. But in order to reach it, I have had to face many things. As a result I have come to look forward to them. Because each one beaten means I am one step closer to completing a promise I made long ago. And I have formed the ultimate team."**

Ash wasn't expecting Tobias to say something like that. **"I understand."** He thought for a moment with curiosity filling him but kept it civil. **"I have my own promises to keep so I know the feeling. And you said you have made the ultimate team?"**

Tobias gave him a look of respect. **"So you do as well huh? Maybe we'll share our promises to one another one day."** Ash replied back that perhaps they will and Tobias nodded at that. **"And that is correct about my team. I have done much research and traveled around the world many times to acquire what will help me get to the top,"** revealed Tobias. **"My pokémon are well balanced, they have become much stronger and we are ready. But I wanted to let you know in person something besides that; my team is made up of all legendary pokémon."** Ash raised his eyebrows in response, making him chuckle. **"I wanted to warn you and give you a fair shot. I could even tell you who they are to even the playing field. But I will still win in the end,"** he finished up with a smirk.

Ash cracked a grin in return since he could sense that he was being genuine. **"I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that because after Drax, I'd hate for you to be easily defeated since I like challenges too. And that's alright. I'd rather wait to see who you have. I already know about two of them. I guess we'll just see who will win."** Tobias chuckled a little but before he could reply back, one of his poke balls opened up and a dark figure appeared. **"Hello Darkrai,"** said Ash without fear.

The black legendary nodded at him before he began speaking with his telepathy. **"I wish to face the one who defeated me in the finals,"** expressed Darkrai.

" **Understandable. Let's see if he accepts."** A blue orb appeared in Ash's hand and then his grass starter from Hoenn, Sceptile appeared. The tall green lizard stood up straight and placed a twig in his mouth. He crossed his arms and eyed Darkrai. **"Scep sceptile scept,"** he greeted the legendary with slight taunting.

" **Oh we'll see who will win. I won't be going easy on you this time,"** remarked Darkrai. The two pokémon eyed each other with respectful and challenging looks. **"Be prepared."** And with that, the legendary returned himself to his poke ball and Ash returned his pokémon.

" **This out to be interesting,"** commented Tobias. **"I've never seen Darkrai be so focused about a battle."** He extended out his hand towards Ash. **"Let's make this the best final ever witnessed in the world. I hope you're ready Ketchum for our battle tomorrow. You did get the message right?"**

" **Yes, I got the message in the morning. And no worries, it will be the best tournament final ever seen. You can count on it,"** said Ash. He grasped his hand and they two shook on it.

They separated and Tobias brought out his Latios who hovered beside him. **"Good. I'll see you tomorrow at noon then. You know about two of my pokémon. You may have a plan for them. But I hope you're strong enough to at least put up some fight against the other four. They've been getting rather bored lately,"** commented Tobias and Ash merely chuckled. Latios flew up into the air at that point. **"Prepare yourself,"** shouted out Tobias as he flew into the distance on top of Latios.

Ash watched him fade into the horizon before heading back inside. When he entered the living room, he saw that everyone was there. They asked him if everything was alright and what Tobias wanted. He told them about what he said, how excited he was to battle him and they understood. **"Hey Ash."** He turned his attention onto Sarah. **"When do you want to go?"** she asked him.

Earlier on in the morning, when she, Ash, Leaf and Anabel woke up, they fooled around a little bit with some teasing actions and morning kisses. Afterwards, they had decided on a few things together about their dates for today. Each of the girls wanted some time alone with Ash and so came up with the plan that they would go on separate dates that day. And in order to save time so they could all do so, they told Ash that they don't want some fancy night out. But instead they would let him know what they wanted to do right before heading out. The three girls had also decided that Sarah would go first and have her date in the morning. Anabel would have her turn in the afternoon and Leaf's date would be in the evening.

Ash glanced at the time and saw that it was 840am. **"We'll leave at 9. Meet me in the balcony okay?"** he told her and she agreed. The blonde girl left the living room to get ready for her date. As the others in the group went their separate ways, Ash went up towards the red head. **"Did you have anything else to tell me?"** he asked her. Natasha wanted to tell him but didn't want to mess up his day with his girlfriends. She had forgotten about that when they told everyone what they were going to do that day. And she did have a little bit of time left. _It's alright. I'll tell you later. You should go get ready._ **"Are you sure?"** he asked her and she said she was. **"Alright. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Okay?"** She smiled slightly at him and left to go to her room. After watching her go, he then went to see his friend from Kalos. He went to his room and knocked on the door. **"Clemont?"**

" **Yea, come in,"** he replied from within the room.

Ash entered the room and saw his friend getting ready to work on his invention. **"Any progress?"** he asked him.

Clemont shook his head as he placed a tool on the table. **"No. I can't isolate the problem by itself. It's driving me mad."** He let out a sigh to calm down and faced his friend. **"Anyway, what's up?"**

" **I need a favor,"** said Ash. He moved closer to Clemont and took out a small black device from his pocket. **"Is there a way that you can break into this thing and see who it belongs to?"**

Clemont took the device and looked at it. **"A smart phone? Where did you get this? And you have no idea who it belongs to?"** he asked as he began looking it over and noticed the damages on it.

" **From Lance who found it at the Skull Brothers' hide out. We think it's theirs but we want to know for sure and see who they were working for,"** answered Ash. **"You can use it and look at some of the stuff in it. But Lance had his best try to get into the more personal and important files but he had no luck."**

Clemont's eyes widened at that. **"If his best can't do it, what makes you think I can?"** he asked him.

" **Hey, c'mon man. I've seen you make things that no one else has,"** reminded Ash. Clemont turned on the phone and went through it while Ash continued talking. **"Just do your best buddy. If you can get into the harder to crack stuff, then great. If not, then that's cool too. But I only ask you because you're the only one who I can trust with something like this."**

Clemont stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ash. He had opened up the personal files in the phone and was about to select the video folder. **"Thanks man. That means a lot to me that you trust me like that."** Ash nodded at him and Clemont looked at the phone again before continuing what he was doing. **"I'll do my best. I'll try to see who this belongs to and what else is in here."**

" **Thanks buddy. Let me know when you get something out of it."** Ash left the room and Clemont took out his laptop and some tools from his backpack and went to work on the phone. Ash let out a sigh as he went to his own room. _Good thing I deleted the rape video. I don't want anyone else to see that. Natasha has been through enough._ Ash entered his room and quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans, black shirt and black jacket. After he got ready, he left his room and headed out to the balcony.

When Ash stepped into the balcony, he didn't even have to wait for a minute until Sarah appeared. The moment he saw her, he just couldn't help but stare at her. She was dressed in similar attire that he first saw her in; a blue buttoned down blouse with no sleeves along with a red skirt that reached down to the middle of her thighs. Though she was dressed somewhat modestly, her clothing still accentuated her athletically toned yet curvy body. She smiled at him with slight embarrassment. Though it still covered her up well, she had never worn such a short skirt before. **"Hey Sarah. You look great."**

Her cheeks reddened. **"Thanks Ash. Are you ready to go?"**

" **Yup. But where do you want to go?"** he asked her.

She was quiet for a second. **"I want to go to Cherrygrove City."**

Ash wondered why she would want to go there. **"Isn't that your hometown?"** he asked her.

She smiled, feeling happy that he remembered that about her. **"Yes. I want to show you something."**

" **Okay. No problem."** He grasped her hand and closed the distance between the two before they vanished in a blue glow.

Several girls were speaking with one another inside their bedroom. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Cynthia, Sabrina, Leaf and Anabel were busy discussing what they had found out before and what the Sinnoh champion and Saffron gym leader were told by their two friends. **"So they told you just like that?"** asked May after finding out how Clair and Liza just came clean. Even though it was borderline accidental.

The two nodded. **"Yea. After Liza let it slip how she was happy to find out it was actually Ash who won the gauntlet, she told us that she loves him. And after that, Clair confessed too,"** clarified Sabrina.

It was quiet for a moment. **"Okay,"** started May. **"And you said that they pretty much confirmed what we saw? That Lizabeth, Shauna, Giselle and Daisy have feelings for Ash too?"** she asked them and again the two nodded. They turned to face the red haired mermaid who was being unusually quiet. **"You alright Misty?"** asked the brunette.

The Cerulean gym leader faced her sister and friend. **"I…I don't know. Even though we thought we saw something when they helped us out…even though we discussed it…I didn't think it was true."** She looked down at her feet. **"I just don't know what to think or feel about all this."** The girls in the room didn't say anything. It was weird seeing her like this. No remark, no comment, nothing at all. Usually it would be her who brings something up or takes the helm. But not this time. It was quiet for a bit as each girl thought about what they learned and discussed until the door opened.

They looked towards the door and saw a purple haired girl enter the room. **"Hey guys. I was wondering where you all were,"** said Iris as she closed the door behind her.

" **Well, no need to worry cause you found us,"** remarked Dawn and Iris rolled her eyes. **"What's up?"**

" **I wanted to know if any of you wanted to hang out today?"** she asked the group of girls.

" **Sure. It's not like we have any plans for now,"** stated Serena.

" **Speak for yourself,"** piped up Leaf. **"You forget that Anabel and I have our dates with Ash today?"**

" **Oh relax will ya? We can still spend some time with them until he and Sarah come back,"** reminded Anabel. Leaf muttered something under her breath at the Salon Maiden but they heard her. A few laughed out loud, making Leaf cross her arms and glare at them.

Serena finished up her laughing and faced Iris. **"So what do you have in mind? And where's Cilan?"**

" **What am I, his keeper?"** she asked them and the girls just shrugged. **"He's probably out doing connoisseur things and I really don't want to deal with that,"** answered Iris and the girls giggled. **"I don't know really. I'm up for anything actually. We can battle, go to the mall, the arcade, train again or whatever. I just don't want to do nothing,"** she finished saying.

The girls thought for a bit before the petite blunette took control. **"Alright. Let's go have some practice battles,"** suggested Dawn as she stood up and they all looked at her. **"It'll be good training and it'll help us keep busy."** Her sisters understood the hidden message in her words and agreed with her.

" **Great. Let's go get our pokémon and meet in the balcony. We'll move the things out of the way,"** said Iris as she headed out the room with a few from the group following after her to get theirs as well.

Far away from the Indigo Plateau, a blonde girl and a raven haired young man appeared out of thin air in front of the pokémon center of Cherrygrove City. Sarah's smile became larger as she looked around. **"I didn't think being back in my hometown would make me feel so happy."** She turned to look at him. **"Thank you Ash."**

" **Hey, no problem Sarah. Anything for you,"** he told her. Sarah blushed over what he said to her and she couldn't help herself anymore. She gave him a quick but heated kiss before hugging him tightly. **"So, what did you want to show me?"** he asked her afterwards.

" **You'll see."** She released him, grasped his hand and then led the way. On their walk, they didn't bump into anyone. It was still morning and many were either at work already or still snoozing away in their homes. They continued through the town while Sarah pointed out some of her favorite places to visit and train. They also talked about many different topics such as training, some of their favorite pokémon, what they wanted to do one day and so on while cracking some jokes here and there. **"That was too funny!"** laughed Sarah as Ash delivered the punch line to his joke. The two laughed heartily while rounding a corner to a street. She looked to her right and stopped walking. **"We're here,"** she told him.

Ash looked at the place they stopped in front of. It was a modest two story house with a small front yard and an attached garage painted white with a brownish red roof. There were no lights on and no car in the drive way. **"Is this your home?"** he asked her.

" **Yup,"** she answered while leading him towards it. Sarah separated from Ash to unlock and open the door before the two stepped inside. She turned on the lights and faced her boyfriend. **"Welcome to mi casa."**

Ash looked around the living room and spotted the simple but nice furniture. It was set up in a way to feel inviting and open but also cozy at the same time. **"It's a nice set up you got here,"** complimented Ash.

" **Thanks. Problem is that I don't spend much time here,"** she admitted and they both chuckled. **"Would you like anything to drink?"** she asked him and he said water would be fine. She headed into the kitchen with him following after her. **"I bet you're wondering why the house is empty huh?"** she asked him while pouring a cup of water for him.

" **You got me there,"** he replied back. He took the cup from her and drank some water. **"Thanks,"** he said afterwards.

She smiled at him. **"You're welcome. And nobody's home because…I'm alone,"** she admitted with her smile fading away.

He tilted his head. **"You mean…alone, alone?"** he asked her and she nodded. **"Why?"**

She let out a sigh. **"I'll tell you. But first I want to show you something."** She led him back to the living room towards the fireplace. She stopped about a foot or so away and pointed at the framed pictures there. Ash went to them and the first picture he noticed was of a happy couple who looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties. **"Those are my parents,"** said Sarah. He nodded and went to the next one that depicted a male who looked to be in his forties with black hair. **"That's my uncle,"** she told him and again he nodded. He continued on looking at each picture with her telling him who was in it and what was going on. He then reached the last picture at the end.

Ash let out a gasp when he saw it. It was a picture of himself back when he was younger. He was holding up the Orange League trophy with his pokémon around him. The title read "NEWEST AND YOUNGEST ORANGE LEAGUE CHAMPION: ASH KETCHUM". He looked at it for a bit before turning his astonished gaze to the blonde girl next to him. **"Why do you have this? Why is it framed?"** he asked her.

Sarah went red with embarrassment and lowered her gaze to the floor. Ash waited for her to answer, keeping silent. She slowly raised her head, showing slightly watery eyes. **"Because I've been through so much in my life. But it was because of you that I was able to move on. You were my inspiration to never give up and to go after my dreams when I was younger and going through a very hard time."**

Ash's eyes widened in surprise over what she just revealed. **"I was?"** he asked her in a whisper. She didn't answer him. Instead, she went to one of the couches and sat down before she buried her face in her hands. She wanted to tell him but didn't know where to start from. Ash made his way to her and sat down beside her. **"Sarah?"** he said softly.

She took in a breath before lifting her head and looked at him. **"It's a long story."**

He let a small smile form his face. **"I'll gladly listen to it all."**

Her lips quivered a bit but quickly controlled herself. She thought how she should start for a moment before she started speaking. **"I've been alone for a long time but I wasn't always alone. Though I was an only child, I never felt loneliness. My parents took great care of me and we did a lot of things together. From camping trips to movie nights and other things. I even had several friends who I would play with all the time and their parents were friends with my parents."** She took a second to organize what she wanted to say next and Ash placed his drink onto the table. **"Everything was going well in my life. But then one day when my parents went out for a date while my uncle baby sat me, they never came back."** Ash had a frown form on his face and Sarah took in another breath before continuing. **"I found out that my parents were in a horrible car accident and died because of it."**

" **I'm so sorry Sarah,"** remarked Ash quietly. He took her up into a tight hug, trying to show that he was here for her.

Sarah reciprocated the hug and felt some comfort from the embrace. It allowed her to continue. **"I was barely nine years old then and was just starting my classes to become a pokémon trainer. Everyone I ever knew, from my friends and my parents' friends, abandoned me because I was constantly in a gloomy mood."** Ash shook his head in sadness that people would just leave her like that. **"All except for one. My uncle took me in so I wouldn't be in foster care. But no matter what he did, I was still depressed. I stayed like that for a long time, wondering why they were taken from me. I wanted to know why Arceus could be so cruel to allow that to happen. I wanted to know why that person who was drunk thought he could drive. He lived through it but my parents didn't. I felt like I was cheated and that it was so unfair."** Ash felt so horrible hearing what she went through. He started rubbing her back gently and she leaned her head against his chest. **"Nothing would cheer me up or break me out of my sad state."**

Sarah went quiet for a couple minutes again and Ash said something. **"But you were able to get out of it,"** he stated.

Ash waited for her to reply back since he sensed her trying to keep herself in control. Her emotions were starting to act up over her telling her life story and what she went through since that day. She looked up at him a moment later before nodding her head. **"Yea,"** she said quietly. **"When I was almost ten years old, something happened that helped me."** She looked towards the pictures on top of the fire place. **"I was sitting in this very living room and my uncle was flipping through the channels on the TV. I was in my same sad state until I noticed what was on the TV. He stopped on an amazing battle going on between a Charizard and a Dragonite. I had never seen such an intense match. I was entranced by it and watched it with all my attention. And then it showed their trainers. It showed the Champion Drake first before it showed the challenger."** She turned her gaze to him, looking at him intently. **"You."**

Ash knew his cheeks had reddened over how she was looking at him and the way she said 'you'. **"I couldn't believe it. You were so young, probably just a little older than me and already battling against a Champion. I was already giving my attention to the battle but after seeing you, my eyes became glued to the match. I watched you win with your Pikachu. I watched you get your trophy and raise it above your head with your pokémon beside you."** She lowered her gaze and took in a breath to rest for a moment. He waited for her to continue and she did soon enough. **"When I saw that, I felt something inside me. Whatever it was, it helped me break out of my sadness. It made me realize that if you can do that, if someone so young could achieve greatness, then I can overcome my problems and get somewhere in life too. That I shouldn't let losing my parents keep me from living my life."**

Ash couldn't believe what she just said. That somehow it was because of him that she was able to move on from what happened to her. He wanted to say something to her but didn't know what. She started speaking again and he decided to wait. **"My uncle saw the look on my face and he bought that picture for me. He gave it to me on my tenth birthday, right before I went to get my starter Cyndaquil from Professor Elm. Do you know what he said?"** Ash shook his head but kept his eyes on her. **"He said; 'If he can do it, so can you. Whenever you feel like your lost, stuck or that you're not good enough, look at this picture and remember what a young boy was able to do because he never gave up.' And that's what I did Ash,"** she said. She moved her gaze back to his and looked into his brown eyes with her yellow ones. Ash could see her eyes shining from her tears. **"During my journey, whenever I felt like I wouldn't achieve anything or I felt sad again, whenever I was going through a hard time, I looked at your picture. It would remind me to not give up and to keep my dreams alive."** She hugged him tightly all of a sudden. **"That was the only thing that kept me going. I traveled all around Johto, beating the gym leaders, training hard, focusing on becoming stronger and smarter, not bothering with anything else."** Ash kept quiet but was listening to every word she was speaking with rapt attention, while trying to understand everything she was telling him. **"I had finally beaten Clair right when I turned fourteen. It took me so long because my uncle couldn't support my traveling expenses and so I had to get a job every now and then. I was getting ready to enter my first tournament soon after that win when my life was turned upside down again."**

" **What do you mean?"** asked Ash, speaking up finally. **"What happened?"**

Sarah raised her gaze to his from within the embrace and he saw her eyes over filling with water. **"My uncle became sick and then passed away because of cancer."** She couldn't hold them back anymore and let out tears. She started crying and Ash took her up into a hug. **"I was finally starting to believe that things could get better…Why did that have to happen? Why does life have to be so cruel? He was there for me always…"** She sobbed for a bit and he felt even worse over her losing yet another loved one. **"I was able to see him one last time before he passed on. He told me to never give up on my dreams and to only do what is right, even if it's not easy. I promised him I will do my best."**

She barely got that out before she started crying loudly for a few minutes, unable to continue speaking while Ash gently massaged her back. **"He's in a better place now Sarah. And I bet he's proud of you,"** he told her gently.

It took her some time but then she calmed down enough to talk again. **"He left me this house and some money he had saved up while working day and night. It took me a long time to get over his death. Until then, I became a shut in again and didn't follow my promise. I thought 'what's the point?' and I was depressed again."** Ash was having his eyes fill up with tears now. He was doing his absolute best to be strong for her, to allow her to get all of this off of her chest without him getting emotional but he was having a very hard time with that. **"My pokémon were starting to become lazy and depressed too because of me. But then something happened that helped me break out of it again. A couple months after my uncle's funeral, a letter came to me and it was from my uncle."** Ash became confused and she noticed it. **"I was confused at first too until I opened it. It was a post dated later he had written when he first got sick."** Ash had an understanding look form on his face and then focused on Sarah when she continued speaking. **"In the letter, he said that he knew that I would face tough times but to always remember that death is a part of life. That instead of dwelling on that, we should focus on the living part of life. To enjoy the good things in life. That I shouldn't let this consume me because any moment can be our last."** Sarah started crying again, unable to continue with the memories of her past making her become very emotional.

Ash didn't know how he was doing it but he was keeping his own sadness from taking him over. But he tightened his hug on Sarah who felt comfort from it. After a little bit of time, she composed herself. **"After I read his letter, I cried myself to sleep in the living room. When I woke up, I read the letter again. And that's when I saw something else he wrote that I didn't notice before the previous night. He said to remember the boy who followed his dreams. I took out your picture and looked at it again. And that's when I decided something."** She looked at him, making eye contact with her golden wet yellow eyes. **"I decided to not let the bad things hold me down anymore. I decided to fulfill my promise to him and to become the best I could be. And I also made a promise to myself too."** She took in a breath before letting it out. **"I promised to myself that I would one day find you…battle you…and win or lose, thank you for inspiring me."** She gazed into his eyes before she leaned in and placed her lips onto his softly. She held it there for a few seconds before separating and she kept her eyes locked onto his. **"Thank you Ash for everything. For helping me, taking me in, teaching me, protecting me, for loving me and for being my Inspiration. I only hope that I can be something to you as well."**

Sarah finished her story of her life and leaned her head against his chest, freely letting her tears go while in Ash's embrace. The raven haired guardian was thinking a mile a minute. He couldn't believe how much he had affected her life. How he was the one who kept her going somehow without knowing about it at all. He thought about everything she told him. Having decided on what to say to her, he placed his hand underneath her chin and gently raised her head so he can look into her eyes. **"Sarah Wiseman…"** started Ash, speaking softly while Sarah was listening to him with her heart hammering. **"I cannot believe that I made that much of a difference in your life. And without even knowing about it. I'm humbled by your words and I'm so sorry for what you've been through."** She let out some more tears. **"I will do anything and everything I can for you."** She smiled slightly over that. **"And, I have to tell you this too; the first time I saw you at this tournament, I was nervous."**

Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. **"Really?"**

He rubbed the back of his head. **"Yea. Even though at the time I was only thinking about the girls, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you are. It had been three years since I had disappeared to prepare for the darkness. Coming back and having to face the number one contender against the Champion of Johto…who is also very attractive…"** Sarah blushed at that, unable to help it. **"…right off the bat made me very nervous. I just tried to stay as cool as possible, not letting it get to me,"** he admitted to her.

" **So that's what you were doing,"** remarked Sarah with understanding dawning on her. **"You sure did annoy me though with that calm attitude of yours,"** admitted Sarah cheekily.

He chuckled. **"My bad."**

Her smile grew. **"It's alright. You know, after our battle, when we exchanged numbers, I was hoping that you would call me. That you would ask me out."**

He raised one of his eyebrows. **"Really?"**

She nodded. **"Yea. Because after interacting with you, I saw how respectful you are and I knew then that I was right; I had thought that you were one of a kind even before meeting you and I was right. No other could ever measure up."** She turned crimson after admitting that but kept her gaze on his.

Ash went red too but also chuckled a bit. **"Well, what do you know?"** She gave him a confused look and he explained. **"It's just funny how things end up being. Who would've guessed that I, me, would be an inspiration to someone else? Let alone a girl. And what are the odds of said girl and her inspiration getting together? How often does that happen?"** he asked her.

She thought about what he said before answering back. **"Not often at all. Rarely."**

" **Exactly. And let me tell you this too."** Sarah went quiet to hear him. **"Your courage, your respectful ways towards others, your love for battling, your determination to do your best and keep your promises…and your love for me, your faith and loyalty in me, is incredible. That means so much to me. That you don't allow others or live events to hold you down, to change your mind or your heart in what you know is true and pure. You fight for what you believe in…wait, that's it! I finally figured it out."** She tilted her head a bit at that, making her hair cover part of her face. He moved it gently behind her ear before continuing on, making her heart beat faster over his action. **"You are my Fighter…my Faithful Fighter."** Sarah let out a small gasp at what he said and she was filling up with emotion. **"And let me tell you this; we barely know each other for a few weeks…but its like we know one another for years. I will do anything and everything for you Sarah. I will always love you, treat you fairly and I will never, ever hurt you for any reason. I swear it."** With that promise, he leaned in and gently placed his lips onto hers.

Sarah felt like she was going to melt. Her heart was beating madly and she felt like she was complete. She had never felt anything like this before. She never thought she would have her Inspiration. The boy who gave her courage to go after her dreams, to not give up, be hers. She kissed him back and soon their love erupted passionately. She pushed him backwards onto the couch and climbed on top of him. She ran her hands through his hair and she felt his hands rubbing her side and leg. She was becoming enflamed and was having a hard time controlling her actions. Finally, after several minutes of intense lip locked action, the two separated. Yellow and brown eyes looked into one another, seeing the love they have for one another. **"Ash…"** she said softly before saying her next words in barely a whisper. **"I want to become one with you."**

Ash raised his hand and cupped her cheek while looking into her unique golden eyes. She leaned into it, loving his touch. **"Sarah… I love you. I'll go with the pace you want to go but we don't need to do this and I don't want you to regret it. I don't want you to think you need to do this because of what was said earlier to you by Gary or what I've done with the girls."**

Sarah shook her head. **"It's not that at all. I truly do want this."** She grasped his hand on her cheek with her own. **"I will never regret doing anything with you for you are the man for me. After meeting you at this tournament, I realized why I never wanted to talk or interact with any other guy and why my focus was on you. It was because you held my heart from the second I saw your battle with Drake. It was because of you that I was able to break out of my depression and live life. How could anyone else be for me?"** Ash had no response to that and Sarah took advantage over that. **"I want to experience what real love is. I already had my first kiss with you. I want to experience everything else with you and only you,"** she said, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

Ash was beyond astonished as to what she just revealed. He couldn't believe it. How could he mean so much to her when he had never met her until the Spirit Tournament? **"Sarah…I don't know what to say to that. But I will not do anything to ever hurt you or to take advantage. But I need you and want you to know that I love you and we will always be together. "**

A large smile formed on her face after he said that. **"And that's why you're the perfect guy for me Ash."** Sarah cupped his face with both hands, lowered her head to his and kissed him. He returned the kiss and soon he felt her tongue trying to get into his mouth. He let it and returned the favor. He could feel her body against his, making him become enflamed. He ran his hand up and down her leg while his other hand rubbed her side. She moaned into his mouth and he felt his heart beat increase from it.

He sat up suddenly, surprising her so much that she let out a squeal into his mouth before quickly going back into the kiss. She raised her hands and made him take off his jacket and then she threw it to the side. She then lifted up his shirt from the hem and took that off too before tossing it next to the jacket on the floor. She caressed his chest with her hands, making him heat up from her touch. She broke their kiss and looked at him again before she moved her hands to her blouse and started unbuttoning it. When she finished, he helped take it off of her before tossing it onto the coffee table. She reached behind her back and undid her bra's clip before letting it fall down off of her, revealing her perky firm breasts. **"Do you like them?"** she asked him worryingly.

He smiled at her. **"I hope this answers your question."** Before she knew what was going on, she felt his tongue over her nipple, making her let out a moan. He took her supple mound into his mouth and grabbed the other with his hand. He licked her nipple before sucking on it as he squeezed and kneaded her other breast. His attention onto her tits was making Sarah become hotter. She couldn't take it anymore and pushed him back down onto his back. Before he could say anything, she locked her lips with his, keeping him occupied as she unbuckled his belt and started lowering his jeans.

The beautiful Johto native broke the kiss to finish taking off her beloved's jeans and then she lowered his boxers, revealing his semi erect shaft. She turned red at the sight of it and then looked at Ash. He raised himself and locked his lips with her while his hands slid down her sides, making her shiver. He moved his hands underneath her red skirt, grasped her panties and lowered them while leaving her skirt alone. When she kicked them away, he rubbed his hand over her womanhood and she started stroking his shaft. Both of them were becoming too hot to almost think properly anymore. Sarah pushed Ash down again and climbed on top of him. While she was straddling him, his now fully erect shaft was against her lower body, rubbing it. She was panting already, feeling it against her womanhood. She raised herself onto her knees and steadied his shaft. She was about to lower herself when Ash came to his senses and stopped her. She gave him a confused look until he spoke. **"Sarah…are you protected?"**

Realizing why he stopped her, she smiled at him. **"Yes, I am."** He smiled at her and she lowered herself to give him a kiss for a moment before sitting up again. She went up onto her knees once more, lined up his shaft to her opening and slowly lowered herself. **"Aaahhh…"** Sarah let out a long but quiet moan as she impaled herself onto his shaft, slowly taking in more of him as she continued. Ash was groaning as he felt himself go deeper into her, with her hugging him tightly. When he hit her barrier, she placed her hands onto his chest to support herself, grit her teeth and pushed past it. The instant he broke her hymen, pain shot through her body and Sarah let out a loud cry.

Ash wanted to do something to help her get her mind off the pain but she wouldn't let him. She closed her eyes and lowered herself all the way until his entire shaft disappeared inside her. She stayed like that, trying to get used to him fully inside her as tears escaped her eyes and dropped onto Ash's body. He felt so horrible for causing her pain. **"Sarah?"** he asked her in a whisper.

She opened her eyes a moment later, feeling some of the pain disappear but still felt most of it. **"I'm…I'm okay. It just…hurts."**

" **I'm sorry Sarah for causing you pain,"** apologized Ash as he raised his hand and caressed her cheek.

She leaned her head against his hand. **"It's alright Ash. It's just…the way it is."**

" **Even so, I wish I could prevent that from happening,"** he told her.

She smiled at him and lowered herself to get closer to him. She hovered an inch away from his face with hers. **"I gladly embrace this pain because I'm experiencing it with the one who inspired me, who gave me courage and hope to keep going."** She kissed him softly at first before it slowly became a heated one. Sensing Sarah was getting comfortable, Ash started moving his lower body, pushing in and out of her but gently for the time being. She started moaning into his mouth, feeling her core becoming hotter and hotter. She let out a squeak when she felt his hands grab her breasts and squeeze them.

She broke the kiss when Ash began moving faster, going crazy from it. **"Oh god…Ash…feels so good…"** she panted onto him. She raised her body back to a straddle position and grabbed his hands that were still on her chest. She made him squeeze her breasts harder, letting out a louder moan. Neither of them cared that she was being loud because they were in an empty house with no one to hear them this time. Ash started pumping into her harder and faster, making her lean her head back towards the heavens and let out a howl of pleasure. **"Yes! Oh god…yes! Ash!"**

" **Sarah!"** grunted Ash. He maintained his speed for a little while longer before starting to slow down. Sarah was feeling like she was on fire from the slower more fulfilling movements. After some time, he had her get up so he could reposition himself since he was lying awkwardly on the couch and it was bothering him.

Sarah straddled him again but this time she faced away from him, with her back and rear towards him. She steadied his shaft and came down again. She let out a moan as he entered her once more, feeling complete and felt him start pumping into her. **"Ah…oh my…"** panted Sarah, feeling her core become hot immediately.

He moved his hands towards her rear and slipped them underneath her skirt and clamped down onto her waist. **"Sarah…you look so…devious with your skirt still on!"** commented Ash. He was becoming more turned on as he looked at her cute rear going up and down while being partly covered by her raised skirt.

Sarah glanced back at him while turning red. **"Don't…joke…"** she moaned.

" **I'm not,"** he replied back. **"It's so…sexy…it's making me go crazy!"** He summoned up more energy and his speed and power went up so dramatically that it made Sarah let out a howl as he rammed into her.

" **OH FUCK!"** Sarah thought before that she was feeling incredible but now she was starting to feel like she was beyond that. She felt his shaft basically plowing into her. She felt so hot, she wondered as to why she wasn't on fire yet. They kept going, moaning until she felt his hands against her sides. He pulled her down to him and had her lie down against him with her back on his chest. He grabbed her breasts from behind and squeezed them before playing with them while he increased his pace. **"AAHH! Damn! That's it! God that feels great!"** exclaimed Sarah, feeling his shaft moving within her and his hands on her tits.

He grinned from behind. **"Thought you might like this,"** he said cheekily. She turned her gaze sideways to his and the second she did, she felt his lips on hers. They kissed furiously while panting into each other's mouths. Both were feeling beyond enflamed and he picked up the pace, making her mewl with pleasure into his mouth. That is until she broke the kiss and began howling with delight. She couldn't take it anymore. Ash was keeping himself from finishing, wanting her to finish first. He didn't know how he was doing that but he was. Sarah was starting to feel like she was going to burst from all the sensations she was feeling. After a little bit more time, she felt it coming. **"Ash…its…its coming…do it… inside."**

" **Sarah…"** replied back Ash. That was all he could say. His mind was entirely on pleasuring her. He pumped into her a few more times before ending it with one final ram that went all the way into her, causing both to climax at the same time with loud moans. They were frozen in place for a bit as they felt the other's release. Sarah had arced her back as she felt Ash's seed shoot up into her before she relaxed after a moment. She laid on top of his body, relishing in feeling him against her and he loved it too. They were lost in their blissful feelings from their love making for a moment before Ash gently pulled out of her, making Sarah tense up for a split second before she relaxed. The two then lied down on the couch together on their sides while facing each other. They leaned in and shared a loving kiss. Afterwards, they looked into the each other's eyes while their foreheads touched together. **"I love you my Faithful Fighter."**

She beamed at him with a large and happy smile. **"I love you too my Inspiration."** He smiled at her as he wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her in closer to her. He rested that hand on her lower back and Sarah rested her head against his other arm. She buried her face into his chest with her hands clasped together between the two bodies, loving his scent. " **I know we should go back soon. But can we stay like this for a bit?"** she asked, speaking into his chest.

He placed his chin gently on top of her head. **"Of course Sarah."** He set an alarm on his Poketch and then hugged her again tightly with Sarah letting out a content hum from it. They stayed like that quietly, just enjoying the other's presence beside them. Sometime later, his alarm went off.

Sarah let out a whine. **"Ah…why?"** She buried her face deeper into his embrace, making him chuckle as he dismissed it. She raised her gaze to his. **"What's so funny?"** she asked him.

" **Never thought you would be such a whiner,"** he teased her.

" **HEY!"** she shouted at him but he just burst out laughing. She couldn't help it, his laugh affecting her and she started laughing a bit herself. **"You're such an ass,"** she said, hitting his arm while laughing.

He finished up his laughing and looked into her golden yellow eyes with his brown ones intently, making her stop immediately and take in a sharp breath. **"Maybe, but you love me."**

Her face flushed with color. **"And you love me."**

He smiled at her. **"I do."** He then gave her a passionate kiss that made her melt into it. When they finished, Sarah got up and helped him up before they started getting dressed. He was surprised to see her fully dressed before he was. Sarah noticed that and gave him a sly smile. **"I've always been quick to get ready."**

He chuckled as he finished up. He watched her lock the door from the inside. **"Ready to go back?"**

" **Almost."** She went up to the fireplace where her uncle's picture was. She took it into her hands. **"Thank you Uncle for everything that you've done for me."** She placed her right index and middle fingers against her lips before placing it onto the picture of her uncle. **"I hope you're proud of me and that your soul is resting."** She placed the picture back where it was and turned around to see Ash standing right in front of her. Her cheeks went pink a bit from the way he was looking at her. **"I'm sorry. I just do that every time I leave home."**

He smiled at her and grasped her hands gently. **"That's nothing for you to apologize for Sarah. That's actually a very respectable thing you just did and I'm happy to know that about you."**

She smiled before moving in closer to him and leaned against his body. She sniffed a little while in that position. **"Thanks Ash."**

" **You're welcome. Ready to go?"** he asked her.

" **Yes,"** she replied back without even looking up. The two disappeared in blue glows as they teleported back to the hotel.

In the balcony were Ash's girlfriends and they were already having practice battles against one another. They at first thought to invite others but then decided against it since they wanted to do something by themselves for once. That didn't go according to plan though. After hearing noises from outside when they first started, many decided to check on it and saw what they were doing. After finding out what it was, some went back inside like the parents, Lizabeth, Shauna, Giselle, Daisy, Natasha and Clemont. Others however, were now watching the battles between the girls. Brock, Lucy, Chili, Violet, Cress, Lily, Bonnie and Max were at the side lines. Right now, it was Dawn against May and the two were evenly matched. While the two battled, the rest who were in the balcony were watching them. They looked out for anything that they can tell them to improve on afterwards. But two of them were having a hard time keeping their focus on the match but for different reasons…

Dawn's Piplup was doing his best to take down May's Glaceon but she was way too fast for him. **"C'mon Piplup! You can do it! Use Water Gun to trip her up and then get in close with Drill Peck!"**

" **Pip piplup!"** let out the small proud penguin as he shot out a stream of water towards the ice cat before running in closer towards his opponent from behind it.

" **Glaceon, use Swift and then Protect!"** countered May. Her ice cat had her eyes glow blue before blue star shaped rays were flung at the penguin. She then brought out a protective shield around her.

The stream of water collided against the barrier and didn't harm the ice type. But it took it down and made her exposed to the water type's next attack. Right when Piplup was about to smash into Glaceon with his Drill Peck, he was struck by her Swift, sending him flying back. He crashed against the floor before slowing getting back up. He glared at the blue cat before letting out a grunt and fell face first. **"Piplup is unable to battle! Glaceon wins!"** commented Cynthia since she decided to be the referee.

Dawn let out a sigh. **"Good job Piplup. We'll get her next time,"** she told her pokémon before returning him. She went up to May who finished congratulating her Glaceon and returned her as well. **"Nicely done May. That was a good match,"** she told her.

The brunette smiled at her. **"Thanks Dawn. You almost had me though,"** she remarked.

The two went to their friends watching and they told them what they could improve on. They made a mental note to work on what they were told about. Afterwards, Serena and Iris went up to face each other. This time Sabrina took over for Cynthia so she could relax a bit. Right before tossing out their poke balls to begin the match, a blue glowing sphere appeared between them. Ash and Sarah appeared a moment later. **"Hey, what's up?"** he asked them after noticing them.

" **Oh you know, just some practice battles,"** informed Leaf. Ash and Sarah understood and quickly moved out of the way so Iris and Serena could battle. The purple haired girl sent out her Dragonite and the honey blonde haired girl had her Pangoro appear. As the two started their battle, Ash and Sarah watched them go at it a bit.

The raven haired guardian turned to the others. **"Everything else alright?"** he asked them and May told him that all is well. **"Cool. What are the rest doing?"** he asked them.

Cynthia answered for everyone. **"Your mom and the other parents are just relaxing in the living room. Natasha and Clemont are in their own rooms. Clair and Liza I think left earlier on but don't know why. They'll probably be back later. Richie and Joy went to explore the forest to see if they can capture her first pokémon. And I think Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle are also in their rooms. Perhaps Daisy too,"** informed the blonde champion.

" **Okay, thanks for the update Cynthia."** Ash faced the battle that was going on but his mind was thinking about other things. He had sensed Misty being a little out of it but didn't bother her about it. He knew that when she was ready, that she would speak her mind. After watching Pangoro land a critical hi on Dragonite, he faced the Frontier Brain who turned her gaze to him. **"When would you like to go out?"**

Anabel felt giddy all of a sudden. **"As soon as I'm ready,"** she told him. The purple haired girl left the balcony and went to her room to change for her date.

Ash told them he was going to go get ready himself. The moment he was out of ear shot, the girls next to Sarah turned to her. **"So, how'd it go?"** asked Leaf with a smirk with their sisters doing the same.

Sarah blushed heavily at that but also smiled. **"It went very well. I'll tell you about it later in private,"** she told them quietly but happily. Most of the girls grinned and agreed with her. But Sarah also noticed something that made her tilt her head when the red head just nodded her head. **"Misty? Are you alright?"** she asked her.

The rest turned their attention to her. **"I'm fine. Just thinking about some things,"** she replied back. Cynthia asked her if she wanted to talk about it. **"No, not right now."** They said nothing more and faced the continuing battle between Iris and Serena. Sarah watched with them for a bit before telling her sisters she'll be back after a bit. Knowing why she was leaving, they didn't say anything but several shared knowing looks and giggled quietly.

After Ash went inside, he talked to his mother and the girls' parents for a bit before going to his room. He took a quick shower and dressed into black jeans and a blue short sleeved collared shirt. He didn't wear a jacket this time cause it was past noon and the weather was warmer now. He exited his room and went back to everyone in the balcony in time to see Iris and Serena finish their match. Iris had won the match with her Haxorus after losing her Dragonite. After complimenting each other on the battle and getting some pointers from their friends, Leaf and Sabrina went up to battle each other. Leaf sent out her Dusknoir while Sabrina sent out her Alakazam.

As they watched the surprisingly even battle, Anabel came back outside ready to go a couple minutes later. She was wearing light purple dress pants with a purple short sleeved button down blouse. The moment he saw her, Ash had a smile form on his face. **"Hey Anabel, you look great. Ready to go?"** he asked her as he walked up to her.

The Frontier Brain blushed at his compliment but smiled nonetheless. **"Thanks Ash. Yes, I'm ready."**

He smiled at her and grasped her hand, making her heart beat quicker at his touch. **"See you guys later,"** he told the rest without breaking eye contact from her and the two vanished from sight.

Seeing her best friend leave with the man she wanted to be with for so long made Lucy smile. **"It's about time,"** she commented to herself.

" **What?"** asked Brock a little loudly, catching some of their friends' attention who looked at them.

" **Anabel is finally with Ash. It's been a long time that she wanted this and she finally has it,"** she informed him. He had understanding dawn on him and nodded. Lucy watched the battle for a moment before moving her eyes onto Brock. She thought a bit about something before returning her attention back to the battle.

The ones who heard Brock and listened in on Lucy understood what she was saying. Almost all of them went back to viewing the battle except for a certain red haired girl. She began thinking about what Lucy said. How Anabel was waiting and holding on to Ash for so long. How she did that too and so did his other girlfriends. _Each of us have waited for him…each of us loves him…each of us went through so many things with and without_ him. She thought a bit more about that, which led her to think something else. _Has…has Daisy been going through this too? She has joked about it in the past, teasing me over it. Has she been hiding it all this time so I wouldn't feel angry? Or feel betrayed? But what did she go through with Ash? They never really did anything together. How could she have feelings for him?_ Misty thought about her sister's situation for a long time but kept her expression neutral so no one noticed what was going on in her mind.

After seeing what the commotion was in the balcony, three girls went back inside their room and began talking with one another. Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth were wondering just where Clair and Liza had gone. They had searched for them earlier on after breakfast to talk about what they were going to do about their special circumstance. But the two were nowhere to be found in the hotel. **"You think maybe Daisy told them to leave?"** asked Giselle after a moment of silence.

The two girls shrugged. **"Who knows? Maybe she did. But what right does she have to make us do that?"** asked Shauna.

Lizabeth shook her head. **"It might even have been Cynthia and Sabrina after their talk last night. I want to know just what they talked about. And Daisy has the right since she's Misty's sister. You would probably do the same for your own sister too if you had one,"** she reasoned.

Shauna let out a sigh and nodded slightly. **"Even so, what about her? I have a feeling that she's in the same boat as us. You think maybe she's trying to make us leave so then she could have a better chance? Or maybe she told the girls already and that's why there was a talk between the four?"**

Giselle and Lizabeth glanced at one another before the valedictorian replied back. **"I don't think so. I don't think she's the type to do something like that."**

" **How would you know?"** asked Shauna while crossing her arms. **"It's not like you're best friends with her. We barely know her. Hell, we barely know you."**

The black haired girl shrugged. **"You have a point there. But as far as what we do know about each other is that we each have feelings for Ash. Loving feelings for him and neither one of us wants to just give that up,"** pointed out Giselle, making both Shauna and Lizabeth nod in agreement. **"I haven't felt anything bad from her and she never treated me badly. I think she's just trying to protect her sister."**

" **Protect her from what though?"** asked Lizabeth. **"From us? We don't want to hurt her or Ash's other girlfriends. We just want a chance. How is that hurting anyone?"** she asked her new friend.

Giselle couldn't answer her at all. **"I have no clue. But there must be something. We must have overlooked or missed something…"** And with that, the three started thinking up as to why she would be acting this way.

That is until they heard a knock on their door. **"Come in,"** answered Shauna.

The door opened and in walked none other than the girl from their topic of discussion. Daisy Waterflower walked into the room and eyed the three girls who had instantly gone quiet at the sight of her. The Sensational Sister saw the surprised expressions on their faces but that did not stop her from going on with her plan. Before any of the three could speak, the blonde girl said the reason why she was there. **"Look, I want to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday,"** she told them.

That was not what they were expecting at all. The three glanced at one another and then faced the blonde again. **"Daisy, it's fine,"** replied Giselle.

But she shook her head. **"No it's not. I shouldn't have been so hard you. You can't control who you have feelings for."** The girls agreed with her on that, nodding their heads. **"But even though I said that, I'm still keeping to what I said before."** The three said nothing and she continued. **"Please, make this easier on everyone. On Ash, on Misty, on the girls, on yourselves. Just leave them be. Don't pursue it."**

Seeing them become quiet and not replying back, Daisy turned to leave the room. She almost reached the door when she was forced to stop by Lizabeth speaking. **"Why shouldn't we? And what about you? Are you going to take your own advice?"**

Daisy slowly turned back around to face her, Shauna and Giselle. **"You shouldn't because of many reasons. Because of the darkness coming. Because Ash has to focus on combating that. Because of the fact that he already has 9 girlfriends. That they have somehow come to an understanding. That they already have such little time to be with one another. Do you really believe that they would be happy with cutting up the already small amount of time they can spend with each other because of the war to even less time because of you?"** The three had their hearts start beating faster at those questions. They hadn't thought about any of that. Seeing the realizations on their faces, Daisy knew that they hadn't thought about that. She shook her head in sadness. **"You think that just because you have feelings for Ash…maybe even love him…that you deserve to be with him. That you should be together. That's only a small part of it. Have any of you done anything for him?"** she asked them and they didn't respond. Daisy walked closer to the three and stopped right in front of them. **"If you did have a chance to be with him, will you be alright with sharing him? Being in a group of girls that are with him? Do you truly not care about that? Can you be with him but also not be with him while your 'sisters' take turns with him? Would you mess around with other guys while waiting for your turn? Or will you stay loyal and faithful to him and be patient? Will you protect and love him no matter what? Will you do the same for his other girlfriends, who would become your sisters?"** The eldest Waterflower stopped for a moment to see if any of the three had an answer. But none of them did. **"You haven't thought about any of that have you? Nothing is easy. And I would rather feed myself to a Gyarados than to betray Misty. And I will do everything I can to protect her and him. They deserve to be together and happy. I will sacrifice my own happiness for that. When Clair and Liza come back, I'll warn them as well. So don't do anything to jeopardize what they have. Or it will be the biggest mistake of your lives."** She waited to see if any of the there would comment back or say something. But none of the three did. Taking that as the end of the conversation, Daisy walked out of the room.

Giselle, Shauna and Lizabeth were speechless over what they were told. After Daisy left, they turned to face one another and saw that each of them had watery eyes. It was then that the three of them had come to realize something. That Daisy Waterflower was in love with Ash but also loved her sister so much that she would sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of theirs. And that she wasn't trying to make things easier for her at all. She only wanted to protect them. To give them a chance to experience some happy and good times between them because of what's coming. **"How could we be so foolish?"** asked Giselle sadly to the other two. **"To think that she would play games…"**

The blunettes shook their heads as tears fell from their eyes. **"How could we forget about Ragnarok and the darkness?"** asked Lizabeth in a whisper.

Shauna buried her face into her hands. **"I thought she was just trying to keep us away from Ash so she could have a better shot. But I was wrong. So wrong."** She raised her gaze to the two before locking eyes with Lizabeth. **"Lizabeth…what are we going to do?"** she asked her best friend with her voice starting to crack.

Lizabeth took her best friend into a hug. Shauna rested her head against her shoulder and just let herself go. As she cried, the other two also began sobbing as well, unable to help themselves after seeing her break down. **"I don't know Shauna…I don't know…"** The blunette looked at the black haired girl and gestured her to come to them and took her into a hug as well. The three girls quietly sobbed as they just let out their sadness in the privacy of the room.

When Daisy left the girls' room, she went to her own room. She lied down on her bed and hugged the Squirtle doll once more. She closed her eyes and tried to control the whirlwind of emotions that had sprung up within her. She prevented herself from crying by taking in several slow breaths. _I have to be strong. I have to be. I have to make sure no one tries to mess things up. For Ash. And for Misty…_

At the Pokémon League headquarters, a blunette and green haired girl were walking through a hallway together with a league official leading the way. They were there to see the Dragon Champion about a couple things. They reached the end of the hallway and the official knocked on the door. **"Enter,"** said a voice from inside. The official opened the door, took a few steps in and then moved to the side to allow the two to go in. **"Thank you Natalie,"** said the spiky haired man. She nodded and left the room. **"So, what brings you two here?"** he asked them calmly as he leaned back against his chair.

Both girls sat down on chairs in front of his desk. **"We're here to tell you something important,"** said Clair. He gestured to her to continue. **"I've come to tell you this; I have feelings for Ash and I'm going to pursue it."** He raised his eyebrows in response but didn't say anything. **"I don't care that he's not from a bloodline of dragon trainers. I don't care that he's a few years younger than me. And I don't care what you, our family or anyone else says. And you can't stop me so don't even try,"** she warned him.

Before he could say anything to his cousin, Liza spoke up. **"And I know that you know about the Gauntlet and what it means. What Ash is promised. But don't you dare say anything to him!"** Lance opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. **"You will not say anything to him and you will not allow anyone else from the league to tell him either! Because I will tell him myself when I'm ready. Got it?!"** she told him with a glare.

Lance saw the way both girls were giving him determined looks. He didn't say anything for a moment while he thought. He also felt amused over their behavior. _You have got to be kidding me…_ He couldn't help it anymore and started chuckling out loud. Both girls were surprised at first but then quickly became angry, thinking that he was laughing at them. Before they could say anything, Lance held up his hand, signaling them to be quiet. **"I wasn't laughing at either of you,"** he told them. **"I was laughing because I can't make either of you do anything anyway. Yet both of you decided to come and tell me not to get involved,"** he admitted and both girls had their eyes widen.

They glanced at one another with surprised faces. They couldn't believe it. **"What kind of trick is this?"** asked Liza as they faced him again.

" **What are you trying to pull?"** asked Clair.

Lance chuckled in response. **"Nothing. I swear."** He made eye contact with his cousin. **"Clair, whatever you want to do, I support you 100%. If our family doesn't like it, that's too bad for them."** The gym leader had her jaw drop, unable to believe what he just said to her. He chuckled a bit before facing Liza. **"And I won't say anything and neither will anyone else. I give you my word."** Liza was too shocked to even respond in any way. **"Is that all you two wanted to tell me?"** he asked them with a smirk.

Clair and Liza looked at one another and then faced Lance once more. **"Yes,"** said the two together.

" **Alright then. If you don't mind I have something important that I need to get ready for,"** he told them.

" **Oh so I'm important?"** asked an amused voice. The three faced the door and saw the Kalos Champion Diantha. She had just entered the room in time to catch Lance speaking. He went red at that and both girls had their eyes widen. **"Hello there Clair and Liza. I hope I'm not intruding on your meeting,"** she told them as she walked gracefully towards the three.

" **Actually, we were just about to leave,"** informed Liza. Both girls stood up and greeted her. Liza glanced at Lance. **"Now I see what's going on. A little date for the two…"**

" **Don't start Liza and get out!"** snapped Lance.

The three girls laughed out loud before Clair and Liza bid their farewells to them. The two walked out of the room. Before the door closed behind them, they heard Lance tell Diantha that they were never going to let this go. Gym leader and valley caretaker grinned at one another. **"Got that right,"** they said together again. The two friends began walking down the hall as they thought up ways to torment Lance on what they just found out.

In the middle of the Indigo forest, a pink haired girl was with her boyfriend. The two were taking a break after searching for a pokémon for her to capture. She wanted a cute one but also one that was strong. They were sitting on top of a large boulder beside the river now while eating some snacks. **"How come you didn't want that Growlithe MJ?"** asked Richie. He threw a few goldfish crackers into his mouth.

" **I don't know,"** replied back Joy. **"I guess its cause I feel like they should be partnered with one of the Officer Jennys, you know? And I don't think I would be a good enough trainer for one cause I don't know if we'd connect that well,"** she said truthfully.

Richie looked at her with a funny gaze. **"You're crazy,"** he said, making her look at him with a surprised look. **"How could you think that? You take care of so many different types of pokémon like its nothing. Of course you'd be a great trainer for Growlithe and connect with him. With any pokémon for that matter,"** he said.

Joy felt good hearing that from him, her confidence rising. **"Thanks Richie,"** she said quietly.

He smiled at her. **"Of course Maria. I know you'll be a great trainer."** He flashed a smile at her and she smiled back.

A sudden rustling caught their attention, making the couple look towards the nearby bushes. A few seconds later, a red fox like pokémon with six tails appeared. The pokémon looked at the two with wary eyes. It had barely escaped a few other pokémon that were chasing after it since it had stumbled into their territory without knowing. And now it had come across two trainers. It stayed put in its spot with its guard up, trying to see what they'll do.

" **Hey, a Vulpix. That's odd. They're not native around here,"** remarked Richie and Joy nodded. **"You want to catch it?"** he asked her.

Joy looked at the small fox carefully and noticed the way its fur was bristled slightly and the look in its eyes. She had seen that look in many pokémons' eyes before and knew what it was. It was lost and scared but knew it would attack if threatened. Joy glanced at Richie before she slipped down the boulder and he followed after her. She knelt down beside him and broke a piece off of her biscuit. She held out her hand with a piece of biscuit in it. **"Hey there,"** she said softly. **"You hungry? You can have some if you want. I won't hurt you and neither will Richie. I promise,"** she said in the same soft tone of voice. Richie knelt down as well to show that what she said is true.

Vulpix looked at the two for a few minutes, wondering if they were a threat or not. Seeing them not taking action and that it was hungry, the red fox decided to take a chance. It cautiously made its way closer to them while keeping its body low to the ground. It was ready to change direction and flee if needed.

Joy saw the fire type coming closer and she let a smile form on her face. **"That's it,"** she encouraged the pokémon. Vulpix was soon close enough to start sniffing her hand and the biscuit that she was holding. Deciding that since the biscuit smelled good that it should taste good, the fox quickly snatched the parcel of food and took a few steps back. The pokémon hungrily ate the biscuit before locking eyes with the trainers again. **"Did you like it? Do you want some more?"** she asked while getting another piece ready and holding it out. Vulpix came closer a little more willingly now and took the food. But this time, the fire type didn't move back. Joy smiled and glanced at Richie who nodded at her with a smile. The pink haired nurse felt something warm against her hand. She looked down and saw that Vulpix was sniffing at her other hand that was holding the rest of the biscuit. She opened her hand and allowed the fox to eat the rest of it. **"There you go, I hope you liked it,"** she said. She watched the fox eat the food for a moment. **"Vulpix, I'm looking for my very own pokémon."** The fire type finished the food and looked up at Joy with its big black eyes. **"My very first pokémon. Would you like to come with me and be that pokémon? I will do my best to take care of you and help you grow strong. What do you say?"** she asked the fox.

Vulpix looked carefully into Joy's eyes, while Richie kept quiet and didn't interfere. After a moment, the fox turned around and walked away from Joy. Seeing that it had rejected her, the nurse hung her head in sadness. Richie wrapped an arm around her. **"It's alright MJ. You tried. That's the important thing,"** he told her.

Joy was about to say something when a howl caught their attention. The two looked up to see Vulpix standing with its six tails standing up straight. It was in a battle stance. Though it had just escaped from a battle from other wild pokémon, it still had some energy to fight. And that was for survival. This however would either help it become stronger from the experience if it wins or become partnered with a kind trainer if it loses. A win in either scenario is what the fox thought. **"So you want a battle first?"** asked Joy and Vulpix nodded. Joy felt a round object in her hand and when she looked down, she saw a poke ball.

" **Use Sparky to get your first pokémon MJ,"** suggested Richie.

She looked at him and saw her boyfriend giving her an encouraging look. She felt her heart beat quicken. **"Thanks Richie."** She stood up and so did he before looking at the fox. **"Alright Vulpix! I hope you're ready!"** said Joy before tossing out Sparky's poke ball into the air.

A blue glow appeared in the middle of what looked like a tropical resort. Two figures appeared from it and they looked around. **"So, we're at Hoenn's Battle Frontier. What do you want to do here?"** asked the young man. His girlfriend had told him quietly where she wanted to go before they teleported from the hotel.

Anabel turned to face him. **"I wanted to visit Scott and tell him about us since he's like a father to me,"** she told him.

Ash nodded in understanding. **"Alright then. Let's go find him,"** he told her.

But he barely took a step when she stopped him. **"You don't find Scott. He finds you,"** she told him with a giggle.

" **Is that so?"** asked Ash with interest.

" **It is so. Unless you're Ash,"** said a new voice that made the two turn around.

" **Scott!"** shouted out Anabel before hugging the man. He was dressed in his usual shorts and Hawaiian shirt.

" **Hey Anabel,"** he said happily as they hugged. When they separated, he turned to Ash. **"It's been a while my boy. You've grown. You're going to have to tell me how you were able to hide for three years and keep me from finding you,"** he said while raising his hand.

" **Too long. And sorry but can't spill my secrets,"** replied back Ash with a chuckle as he shook hands with him. **"How have you been?"**

" **Been good,"** stated Scott after the handshake. **"I daresay you've had your own ups and downs."**

" **You can say that again,"** said Anabel for her boyfriend with a frown and Ash nodded in agreement.

The Frontier owner gave them a sympathetic look. **"Well, let's try to not let it affect us so much eh?"** advised Scott. **"Let's grab a bite to eat. So what brings you two here?"** he asked them while walking towards a nearby restaurant.

Ash and Anabel followed after the Battle Frontier owner. **"Well, there's something I want to tell you Scott,"** started Anabel.

" **Really?"** asked Scott. He opened the door and held it for them. **"How about you tell me during lunch? I'm pretty hungry…"**

At that moment, a loud rumbling came from the young man's stomach, making him go red. **"Yea, me too,"** he said while rubbing the back of his head.

Both Anabel and Scott laughed out loud. **"C'mon. Let's order some food before Ash faints and then you'll tell me what you want to say Anabel."** The three went inside, sat in a booth and quickly ordered some food. After their waiter wrote down their orders, he got them some water and drinks. Afterwards, he headed into the kitchen. **"So what did you want to tell me?"** asked Scott after taking a sip from his drink.

Anabel glanced at Ash who turned his gaze onto hers. **"Well, I wanted to tell you that I've been hoping for something for a long time. And it's finally happened,"** she said happily as she grasped his hand and interlocked their fingers together. She then faced her pseudo father. **"Ash and I are together now and I wanted to tell you in person."**

Scott didn't respond for a moment. He looked at the two with a blank expression before the corners of his lips turned upwards into a smile. **"I'm happy to hear that,"** he told them.

The couple smiled back at him. **"Thanks Scott. And I also wanted to tell you that…"**

" **I already know,"** interrupted Scott. **"You don't have to explain but I do support it as long as you're happy,"** he told her. He saw that they were both stunned and he chuckled. **"I have my ways remember? And you're in the spotlight now Ash."**

The two understood and laughed a bit. **"Well, that makes things easier,"** remarked Anabel.

" **It does,"** agreed Ash. Right then, the waiter returned with their food. **"What perfect timing!"**

Anabel and Scott shook their heads while laughing, unable to control themselves as Ash's hunger took over. The three had a good time together as they ate and talked. Scott asked Ash what he'd been up to during his three year disappearance. Ash told him of some of the things he's done such as his training. He then told him the reason why but made him swear not to tell anyone about it. At least not until they were prepared. When he was told of what was coming, Scott shuddered in his seat. But he said that he would do everything he can to help out when it starts. After that gloomy topic, they talked about other things such as the Battle Frontier. **"You know, I still think you should become a Brain,"** commented Scott after drinking the rest of his soda. **"With your skill and power, you can become the Frontier King, the leader of the Brains. What do you say?"** asked Scott.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"You're too kind Scott. And if that happens, that would be cool. But you know me. I still have a lot to learn and do. And with this coming darkness and war, I doubt I'll be able to do that,"** reasoned Ash.

" **Well, the war won't last forever. I'm sure we'll triumph in the end with everyone working together."** Both Anabel and Ash commented that they hope so. The owner nodded his head. **"How about after everything is done?"** asked Scott.

Anabel glanced at her boyfriend, wondering what he'll say. Ash let out a sigh. **"I don't know Scott. I think it's a little too soon to think about that. Especially when I have many things to get ready for. But I'll keep it in mind,"** he said.

The Salon Maiden said nothing since she knew that was what he was going to say. But she was surprised that she didn't feel saddened that he was still not taking up the offer. She thought that perhaps it was because she knew how he felt about her and that they were together now. She felt happy that she wasn't worried about losing him anymore. But then she thought something else that saddened her a little before she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind.

Scott understood and nodded while letting out a sigh. **"Alright. I won't ask again. When you feel its right, come see me,"** he advised and Ash thanked him. He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. **"Oh man, I'm late for a meeting with the other Brains. How did I let that happen? Anyways, I'll see you two lovebirds later. Enjoy yourselves and take care!"** he told them as he stood up. With surprising agility and speed for his size, Scott quickly left the restaurant.

The couple chuckled as they watched him leave before going back to their food. They finished their meals as they continued talking. When done, Ash turned to face Anabel. **"Should we get out of here?"** he asked her and she replied back that they should. They got up and the waiter came to thank them for their patronage. Ash was about to pay for the service and meal when the waiter told him that Scott took care of it. Making a mental note to thank him for that later, the two left the restaurant. **"Where do you want to go or what do you want to do?"** asked the raven haired young man.

The purple haired girl wrapped her arm around his and snuggled against his side. **"How about we go for a walk to the coast?"** she suggested and he agreed to that. The two walked towards the coast while they talked about many things. From her Brain duties to his travels during his three year disappearance. They also talked about the other Frontier Brains as well. **"Yea, they've become stronger but so have you. Maybe you should have a rematch or something with us all. What do you think?"** she asked him.

" **Sure, why not?"** replied back Ash. **"It'll be fun to battle them again. And it'll be a blast battling against you too."**

She smiled at him. **"That would be fun."** Her smile turned into a grin and Ash tilted his head when he saw that. **"And you could wipe the smirk off of Tucker's face when you beat him. He's been getting a little arrogant lately since he's been on a winning streak."** That made the young man laugh and she giggled as well. They continued their conversations while going at a leisurely pace. When they finally reached their destination, they saw the blue ocean sparkling from the sun's rays. They just stood there for a couple minutes while taking in the view. **"It's so mesmerizing huh?"** asked Anabel.

Ash looked at her and saw her gazing at the sight. The way her purple eyes were shining under the sun's light was enchanting to him. **"It's nothing compared to what I'm looking at,"** he remarked.

Anabel faced him and saw the way he was looking at her. She turned crimson and looked away in embarrassment. **"You're just saying that,"** she said in a low voice.

" **Hey,"** he said softly. He waited for her to look at him again and when she did, he continued. **"I don't just say things. I meant it,"** he told her and she sensed his feelings for her.

The Salon Maiden could feel his love for her. But what she thought about back in the restaurant came to her mind again and she couldn't push past it this time. She was still a little insecure about it all. **"I know that Ash. I'm very happy that we're finally together. But there's something you should know. I know it may sound childish but…it's just…"** She looked down. **"…compared to my sisters, your other girlfriends, I'm not that beauti…"**

" **Stop,"** interrupted Ash, making her go silent. He placed his hand underneath her chin and gently raised her gaze back to his. She felt her heart beat quicken at his touch. **"You are beautiful Anabel. Don't ever think otherwise. And it's not just beauty that you have. You have so many qualities that I respect and love. You have empathy, you have brains, you have heart..."** Anabel's lips began quivering and she was having a hard time controlling her breathing since his words were penetrating through her doubts. She couldn't hold back anymore. Anabel had her eyes water before she started letting out tears of happiness over what he was saying. She hugged him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her. **"Don't ever think that you're less than others. Because you are more than what you think you are. You want to know what you are?"** he asked her. She calmed down a bit before slowly raising her watery gaze to his. **"You Anabel are my Frontier Beauty."**

She let out a gasp over what he called her. Never did she dream that he would call her something like that. She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest. Though she loved him for a long time, she felt like she couldn't get him to notice her. Especially when she found out about his love for the girls after she went to him when he was hurt after the stadium attack. She felt such sadness when she heard that at first because she thought there was no way she could get with him since she couldn't compare to them. That there was no way for things to work out for her. But luckily for her, she was wrong.

" **Ash…you've just made me the happiest I've ever been,"** she told him in a whisper. She leaned in and kissed him. Softly at first as she wanted him to feel the love she has for him. But soon enough, she couldn't restrain herself anymore. A strong desire had lit inside of her and she couldn't stand it. She enveloped her arms around his neck and had her tongue dance with his. Ash grasped her thin waist and picked her up. She yelped in surprise into his mouth before continuing her loving actions. They finished up their affectionate display with a soft lingering kiss before breaking apart and looked into each other's eyes. He couldn't stop looking into her purple eyes and she was feasting on his brown ones. **"I want to show you something,"** she told him in a whisper after a moment.

" **Alright."** He lowered her back down and she took his hand. She started leading him back a bit the way they came before taking a turn down a different path. Ash was wondering where they were going since they were heading into a forest now. The path soon disappeared and they were now just moving through grass and bushes. **"Anabel, where are we going?"** he asked her.

" **You'll see,"** she said teasingly. They continued on and Ash started noticing that the ground was rising up. After some time, they stopped in front of a large green wall made up of vines and bushes in between two large trees. **"We're here,"** she told him. Before he could ask about what she meant, Anabel let go of his hand and moved forward. She raised her hand with her palm facing forward towards the green wall. She concentrated a bit before the vines and bushes were outlined in a pink glow. They started moving until they opened up a path large enough for a person to move through. She turned to face him. **"Follow me,"** she told him with a sly smile before going through it.

He followed after her and after taking a few steps, the entrance sealed itself shut. Not caring about that since he knew it was Anabel who did that, he went through the path. The path was a little difficult for Ash to go through since he was bigger than Anabel. But he continued on and when he entered the area on the other side, his jaw dropped at what he saw. He was standing in what appeared to be a small cave whose entrance faced the beach on the right side with the entirety of the Battle Frontier visible on the left. **"Wow. Where are we?"** he asked as he took in the view.

" **We are in my secret spot,"** informed Anabel, standing beside him. **"It's a small cave like hole in the side of the mountain. As you can see, this is it,"** she told him while gesturing around the cave like area. Ash looked around and saw that the cave was basically a medium sized room. He looked out towards the entrance once more afterwards. **"This is where I would come to get some privacy so I can think about things…and a certain someone,"** she told him.

Ash turned his gaze away from the view towards Anabel after her words. He saw the way she was looking at him and knew what she meant. **"Anabel…"**

She silenced him by placing her finger against his lips. **"Ash…I've used this spot to think up a hundred million ways to tell you how I feel about you. But whatever I came up with was nothing compared to how it happened. And I want to say that I'm glad it happened the way it did because not only did I end up with the man of my dreams, but I also gained sisters who I trust, love and respect as well."** He smiled at her and she lowered her finger. **"What I want to tell you is this; from the moment I saw you years ago, I knew you were the one for me. Even though you thought I was a guy at first,"** she said with a slightly annoyed look. That made Ash rub the back of his head in embarrassment while saying he was sorry. Her expression changed to a more loving one. **"It's okay. Even with that misunderstanding, I grew more feelings for you the more we interacted. I was so sad that you left and didn't take up the offer Scott gave you. I didn't want you to leave and I didn't have the courage to tell you how I felt,"** she admitted to him.

" **I'm sorry Anabel that I didn't realize this back then. I was a dense one and I still miss some things. It didn't help that I was focused on Misty and May then too. And that I still wanted to travel around,"** he told her.

The purple haired girl shook her head. **"It's alright. I think it was always supposed to be this way. And I think I was acting a little crazy then. I mean you were barely in your mid teens. How could you stay? How could you have noticed everything that was going on around you? How could you give up traveling the world and get tied down at such a young age?"** Ash commented back that she had a point but he still never wanted to make her feel bad. **"I know Ash and thank you for that. And I have to admit something to you. I had a few suitors ask me out before, like the guy from the Rhyhorn racing park. I hope you're not angry with me about that."**

Ash shook his head. **"How could I be if you did go out with other guys before? And why wouldn't they ask you? You are an incredible girl and deserve to be happy,"** he told her.

Anabel blushed at that. **"Thanks Ash. But I was never interested in them and declined the offer. They may have been handsome, rich, famous or whatever. But…they were nothing compared to you. Because I only ever felt something when I thought about you."** Ash rubbed the back of his head again while he reddened. **"Even when Lucy told me to take up the offer to see how you would react, I didn't want to do that to you and I didn't want to mess up my chance if I did have one."**

" **So what's what happened then,"** remarked Ash and Anabel tilted her head. **"Well…um…when I thought that you might take him up on his offer, I became a little jealous and sad,"** he admitted.

Anabel's eyes widened. **"You did?!"** she asked in shock.

" **Yea,"** he told her, making her fill up with emotion over that. That he felt something over the possibility of her being with someone else and not him. **"Remember what I and the girls told you before? About the Guardian's Shield, what the girls told me and everything else?"**

Anabel thought about that and remembered everything that she was told. She nodded her head and smiled. **"I do Ash."** She raised her hands and cupped his face. **"And let me tell you this; I want to tell you that I've loved you since then, I love you now and I will always love you."** She raised herself to reach his lips and kissed him passionately.

Ash kissed her back and moved one hand through her hair while the other he placed on her lower back. Their kissed became more intense as they continued. The guardian's hand draped around her waist and lifted her up again. He had his tongue enter her mouth and they went at it for a bit before they slowly stopped. Looking into each other's eyes, they saw the love for one another but also felt the heat within themselves. **"Anabel Lila…my Frontier Beauty...I love you too."**

The purple haired girl smiled happily at his words. He saw the way her eyes were filled with passion and he could feel it. The Salon Maiden was feeling so many good feelings spiraling around within her that she couldn't control it. And if she was being honest to herself, she didn't want to control it. She wanted to let loose her feelings and take the next step. **"Put me down,"** she requested after a moment.

He lowered her back down onto the cave floor and she grabbed the hem of his shirt. She pulled it off over his head without waiting for him to say anything. She caressed his chest scar as she looked into his eyes. **"I want to feel everything with you. I want this with all my heart. Please don't say anything right now and don't do anything else but what I ask of you next. Okay?"** she asked him in a quiet voice. He looked into her eyes and saw the desire in them and he couldn't say no to her. He nodded after a moment and she opened her mouth to tell him what she wanted. **"Make love to me,"** she told him before she leaned in and gave his chest scar a kiss, making him become enflamed from it.

The purple haired girl raised her head in time to receive the raven haired guardian's kiss. Their kissing became more heated as their tongues entered the fray. While their tongues danced, they went to work on undressing their lover. Ash was unbuttoning her blouse quickly while Anabel was unbuckling his jeans. He took off her blouse at the same time his jeans dropped to the floor. He grabbed one of her petite breasts over her bra and she squeaked into his mouth. It was barely a handful since she had a much more petite and slender body than the other girls but he didn't care about that at all. He squeezed it making her moan before he reached around with his other hand and started undoing her bra. While he did that, they continued to kiss and soon her bra was off too.

He lowered himself and took up her small breast's nipple into his mouth. The purple haired girl let out such a sensual moan because of it that he had a hard time controlling himself. He began unbuttoning her pants and she let him do that while she enjoyed his attention on her chest. Her pants dropped to the floor. She grabbed his boxers and he grabbed her panties and the two lowered their lovers' underwear. Before she knew it, a strong hand was rubbing over her womanhood. **"Oohh,"** moaned Anabel but she did not stop him. Instead she grasped his shaft and began stroking it. Ash felt himself losing control as he felt her soft hands on his shaft. She smashed her lips against his and began kissing him with such vigor that he was having a hard time keeping up with her.

They continued their zealous kiss while they pleasured one another for a few minutes. Ash slowly pushed Anabel up against the cave wall. She let out moan as she felt the cold, uneven stone wall against her back and his warm body against her front. They slowly separated and looked into one another's eyes, seeing the heat inside them. **"Do it now,"** pleaded Anabel in a whisper. **"Put it in me now. And before you ask, I am."**

Without a word spoken, Ash bent his knees a little to line up his shaft with her opening and pushed into her. **"Ah…"** groaned out Anabel as she felt him go inside her. She was very tight and hard to push into because of her small frame. He worked his way in slowly, making sure not to hurt her while she continued moaning and gasping for breath as he did so. She felt like she was going to be damaged from his well endowed shaft. But oddly enough, she didn't care about that and instead, it made her become even more inflamed. Soon enough, he reached her barrier and that surprised him some. Sensing his surprise, she gave him a slight smile. **"I told you I've been waiting for you. And Scott raised me to be a proper woman, to wait for the right guy,"** she told him.

He smiled at her. **"I know. I guess I forgot with all this excitement going on. But that makes this all the more special,"** he told her and she had a large smile form on her face. **"Are you ready?"** he asked her. She nodded and he broke her hymen by pushing into her. She let out a cry of pain from that. But what surprised him was that it wasn't as loud as the other girls. He thought it might be worse for her because of her smaller body. He continued pushing into her until he was all the way in and stopped so she can get used to him in her. **"You alright?"** he asked her since she wasn't making a sound nor was she letting out tears.

She took in a breath. **"Yes. I'm surprised…it didn't hurt that much. Even after talking with the girls,"** she revealed to him.

He smiled at her. **"I'm glad to hear that. Just don't say anything to the girls about it. They might get jealous,"** he told her with a chuckle.

She smirked a bit. **"Let them be. Right now though, all I want is you,"** she told him as she caressed his chest with her hands, making him shiver from it. She worked her way up to his face, and cupped it once more. She leaned in and placed her lips onto his.

As they kissed, Ash began to move his shaft within her womanhood. He withdrew from it before pushing back in slowly, making Anabel mewl with pleasure into his mouth. He straightened his legs, making her go up as a result and let out a shocked squeak. She wrapped her legs around his lower back and he continued pumping into her.

The purple haired girl loved the sensation of him moving in and out of her. And for some reason, she loved feeling the rough and cold cave wall against her back. It was making her senses overload with feeling it all. She was becoming hotter and hotter with every passing second and she didn't know if she could take it much longer. The overwhelming pleasure from it all was driving her insane. Or maybe it had to do with her being able to sense feelings and emotions that was doing that to her. Whatever it was, she loved it. The raven haired guardian was becoming lost in his desire. He increased his pace some and she let out a howl of pleasure. **"Yes! That's it! Show me how much you love me!"** she screamed.

Her words echoed in the small cave and it resonated with him, making him go even harder and faster. It was too much for the petite Frontier Brain. **"Oh god! Ash…I'm already..."** Before either one of them could do or say anything else, she climaxed. **"Oouuuhhhhh!"** She gripped his shoulders with her hands while the blissful feeling filled her and her moan echoed in the small cave. Ash felt her release wash over his shaft but he didn't stop. Instead, he slowed his pace down. She leaned her body against his and let her legs fall, unable to hold herself up. **"Oh my Mew…"** she said quietly. **"That felt amazing…"** It took a moment for her to regain her senses and she felt his still rock hard shaft inside her, sliding in and out of her. **"Oh Ash…mmmm…you're still…going?!"** she asked in surprise but enjoying it nonetheless.

He grinned at her when she raised her gaze to his. **"I'm not done yet. I'm gonna make sure you feel even better than amazing and I'm gonna show you how much I love you,"** he told her.

The purple haired girl went crimson over his words. She then felt his lips on hers. She kissed him back with zest as they continued their love making. He moved his hands down against her sides, making her shiver over his massage. He rested them on her waist for a moment before breaking the kiss. She gave him a confused look before letting out a groan. He had slipped out of her, making her feel hollow without him in her. He quickly made up for that though as he made her turn around and entered her from behind while he wrapped his arms around her front. The moment she felt him push into her womanhood again she moaned with pleasure. He picked up his pace, making her start making continuous lewd noises from his actions. She placed her hands against the cave wall to hold herself up since she was losing feeling in her legs. He pressed against her back and had her press against the wall with her front. But his arms were the ones taking the full pressure, saving the petite Frontier Brain from getting hurt from the wall.

Ash moaned and grunted while plowing into her from behind and she mewled and panted from his actions. **"Ahhh…Ash…"** Anabel was becoming lost in her feelings again and she was feeling herself build up for another release. She glanced back at him and saw the desire in his eyes, making her feel even hotter. **"Pound me Ash!"** yelled Anabel all of a sudden. **"Harder and faster! Tear it up!"** she ordered him.

Ash saw the lust in her eyes and it drove him crazy. **"I'm gonna wreck you!"** He kissed her before he started pounding into her with reckless abandon. She squealed and squeaked into his mouth as their tongues wrestled with one another's. After devastating her for a while, he felt the familiar sensation of him about to burst. **"I'm gonna burst!"**

" **Inside!"** commanded Anabel. **"I want to feel it! Mark me as yours!"**

After a few more thrusts, he pushed into her with one final hard ram and exploded into her as he groaned out loud. Anabel cried out in shock as she felt his warm seed flow into her. She never thought it would feel so damn good in feeling that inside her. That sensation made her go over the edge and made her climax for the second time. The two felt blissful feelings wash over them and stayed frozen for a few seconds. Until Ash slipped out of her and they both collapsed onto the ground with Anabel on top of him. They were unable to speak, panting heavily to regain some energy back.

After gathering herself once more, the Salon Maiden turned her gaze towards him. **"Gonna wreck me huh?"** she asked him with a devilish grin.

" **Hey, you asked me to pound you harder and faster,"** he reminded her with a smirk.

She blushed heavily at that but didn't turn away. **"I did. And that was amazing. I love you Ash…my Adventurer."**

" **Your Adventurer?"** he asked.

" **Yes because it fits you well. You are an adventurer. That's why you didn't stay,"** she remarked. He smiled at her. He moved his hands onto her waist and pulled her closer to him before placing them on top of her flat stomach. She leaned her head against his shoulder and placed her hands on top of his. The two stayed like that, just enjoying the other's company as they looked out the mountain cave. Anabel started absentmindedly caressing his forearms until she felt something. She looked down at his arms. That was when she noticed some red bruised marks on them. He had prevented her from getting them from the cave wall during their lovemaking when he had pressed against her. **"Ash! Your arms!"** she shot and snapped her face to his.

" **I'll be fine Anabel,"** he replied back. A blue glow outlined his arms and the purple haired girl watched as the red marks faded away. **"See? Nothing to worry about,"** he told her softly.

She grasped one of his hands and held them against her chest before looking up at him. **"Even so, I can't stand seeing you hurt. Even something as trivial as this,"** she told him.

Ash raised his free hand and cupped her cheek. **"It's alright. My Frontier Beauty is much more important than a couple bruises,"** he told her with a smile.

She felt her heart beat quicken over his words. She had hoped that she could end up with him, thinking it would be great. But she had no idea that it wouldn't just be great, but incredible. She placed her lips softly onto his. After their kiss, she rested her head against his chest and raised his hand that she was holding towards her neckline. Ash covered her body with his free arm and tightly hugged her. The couple stayed like that for a little while, loving the feeling of the other's body against theirs. After some time, the purple haired girl was starting to feel a little cold and the raven haired guardian noticed that. They decided to get dressed and go back. After putting on their clothes, they held hands and disappeared in a blue glow.

A green haired young man was walking around aimlessly at the Indigo Mall. He had left the hotel after breakfast and just wanted to be away from everyone for a bit. Especially his ex-girlfriend. He was angry with her. It didn't help that every stupid little thing was causing them to argue and fight. But he was also saddened over what happened between them. He didn't think that they would ever separate. He didn't think that his old insecurities would come back and haunt him. He didn't think that she would still be hiding some things from him.

But that was his problem. He didn't think. He just kept pushing things to the back of his mind. He kept telling himself that he was imagining things even though he saw some things with his own eyes. And he kept his own secrets from her. He didn't tell her about hanging out with Burgundy. He didn't tell her about his other secret either, which involved his failed relationship with another gym leader…

Not only did he keep secrets from her, but he also used her in a way to keep his mind off of his own issues. He wondered if she was doing the same thing with him. He wondered if there was a way for them to get back together. He wondered if they should get back together. He wondered if there was a reason to try to work things out. He wondered if they were really good for each other. He wondered if they should just move on and bury the hatchet…

The connoisseur kept walking at a leisurely pace through the mall while he was lost in his thoughts. He was so absorbed in them that he didn't notice that someone had seen him from the other side of the walkway. The person who saw him was a pretty red haired girl with blue eyes. She was dressed in a medium length green skirt and green button down blouse with a yellow hat. She had her eyes widen before a grin formed on her face. She was about to enter the store she was standing in front of to get her friend when said friend exited the store.

" **What are you so happy about Georgia?"** asked her friend after stepping out of the store with no bags and seeing the ridiculous look on her face. The one who stepped out of the store had purple hair and purple eyes. She was wearing black dress pants, a pink long sleeved blouse with a red vest over it.

" **Oh, you know, just happy to be here with my best friend Burgundy,"** stated Georgia as her grin became larger.

Burgundy gave her friend a suspicious look. **"Every time you say that, you do something after that embarrasses me. What are you trying to do?"** she asked her. Georgia twisted her arm around Burgundy's and basically pulled her towards the other side of the mall's walkway. **"What are you doing?!"** she cried out.

" **You'll see,"** answered the red head.

The purple haired girl was about to say something else when she saw someone in front of them that made her close her mouth and her eyes widened. Now knowing what her friend was about to do, she made herself stop abruptly. That move was not something her friend anticipated, making her trip and fall. But she didn't let go of her friend either so she toppled after her. Both girls fell to the floor, causing a ruckus and making many to turn to look at them to see what happened.

" **What was that for?!"** asked Georgia angrily.

" **I didn't mean for that to happen!"** shot Burgundy in defense.

" **Are you two alright?"** asked a concerned voice. That voice made both girls snap their attention onto the person who asked that. They saw a green haired young man giving the two a worried look, making the two go red in the face but for different reasons. Georgia was embarrassed that she fell and caused a scene. Burgundy was embarrassed because of that too but also because she made herself look like an idiot in front of someone who she thought a lot about. The green haired young man extended out a hand to the girls. **"Here, let me help you up,"** he offered them.

" **Thanks,"** remarked Georgia as she stood up.

" **Thank you,"** said Burgundy, getting back to her feet. **"Always need to help right Cilan?"**

Cilan shrugged with a smile but also went a little red. **"Can't help it Burgundy. A connoisseur should help others,"** he stated. The two shook their heads over his words. **"So what are you two doing here? Shopping?"** he asked them.

" **Duh. What a great detective,"** quipped back Georgia.

Burgundy hit her friend in the shoulder. **"Hey, quit it!"** she hissed at her.

" **Get over it! Just because your boyfriend is here doesn't mean you have to be so uptight!"** shot the red head.

The purple haired girl blushed heavily over that and Cilan also went red in the cheeks. **"He's not my boyfriend!"** snapped Burgundy. She slowly looked at him. **"Sorry. She likes being a pest,"** she explained while giving her friend a dirty look.

" **It's alright,"** said Cilan, doing his best to remain calm but his heart was hammering for some reason. **"I guess I'll let you two go do whatever you had planned,"** he told them. He turned to move away.

" **Actually…"** started Georgia, making him turn back around. **"We have nothing planned. We were just wasting time until tomorrow's finals match,"** she explained. **"Why don't we do something together?"** she suggested.

" **Alright,"** said the two together.

That made Cilan and Burgundy smile sheepishly over that while blushing a bit. Georgia smirked over their actions and led the way while the two walked beside her and started talking with one another. Georgia watched the two's interactions from the corner of her eyes as they continued walking around the mall and did things together.

" **Typhlosion, use Flamethrower!"** ordered a blonde girl.

" **Dodge it Lucario with Extreme Speed and get in close!"** countered another blonde girl.

Sarah and Cynthia were the ones battling now after Leaf, Sabrina, Lucy, Brock, Violet, Chili, Lily and Cress got a turn. After each of their battles, they were given tips about what they could do to improve their strategies and also pointed out things that they missed. They thanked them and watched the others as they battle to return the favor. Max and Bonnie were up next and they were so absorbed into the amazing battle that their eyes were glued onto the match. The others were impressed at Sarah's skill and were amazed that she was able to keep up with Cynthia. But they knew it was only a matter of time until the Sinnoh Champion took over. She was considered one of the strongest trainers in the world for a reason. And that reason was just about to show.

The Champion's aura canine dodged the flames gracefully using its increased speed and sprinted towards his opponent. **"Good job Lucario! Now end this with Close Combat!"** commanded Cynthia.

The Johto native saw the black and blue pokémon get close and her eyes widened. **"Use Flame Wheel to keep it back!"** countered Sarah but it was too late. Her starter barely stopped spewing out a stream of flames before a fist collided against his head. Typhlosion roared with pain but Lucario didn't let up. A flurry of punches and kicks were connected onto the fire badger in a matter of seconds. After a final blow to the stomach, the fire badger could take no more and dropped to the ground.

" **Typhlosion is unable to battle. The winner is Cynthia!"** remarked Lucy who was referring the match.

Both blonde girls returned their pokémon after thanking them for their hard work and shook hands. **"You're pretty good Sarah. You could probably become Champion one day if you keep at it,"** commented Cynthia.

" **Thanks Cynthia. You're really good too. You deserve to be Champion,"** she replied back. Cynthia smiled at that and thanked her for the kind words. Right when the two girls moved towards the group, a blue glow appeared in the balcony. **"Hey Ash, Anabel. How'd it go?"** asked Sarah when they emerged from it.

Before either of them could answer, the Pike Queen moved towards the Salon Maiden. **"Yeah, how'd it go? Do anything fun?"** asked Lucy with a smirk as she wrapped her arm around her best friend's shoulders.

The others glanced at them with some giving curious looks while others gave sly smiles. The purple haired girl had her cheeks redden but smiled back. **"Nope. Not telling Lucy,"** she said.

" **What?! I told you everything between me and Brock!** " snapped Lucy.

" **LUCY!"** shouted an embarrassed Brock. The entire group started laughing out loud as Brock turned so red that he crossed his arms and glared at everyone. **"What a bunch of jerks!"**

His girlfriend moved to him while giggling and grasped his arms with her hands. **"Ah, c'mon babe, it's not a big deal. She's my best friend and girls tell each other everything,"** she told him.

Brock looked into Lucy's eyes and felt himself calming down. **"Alright. But do you really have to say everything?"** he asked her and she shrugged. **"Fine, if that's the case then I'll tell my friends what we do,"** he told her.

Her eyes widened and Brock grinned at her. **"You'll do no such thing!"** she screamed at him.

" **How come you can tell your friends and I can't tell mine?"** he asked her.

" **Because it's different! Got it?!"** she replied back while grabbing his shirt and shook him a few times.

He chuckled at her. **"Alright, alright. I'm just messing with you,"** revealed Brock. He grasped her hands on his shirt and held them between the two. **"You know I would never tell anyone what we do. If you want to tell your girlfriends, that's cool. Just make sure they don't tell anyone. Alright?"** he told her.

Lucy saw the way he was looking into her eyes and heard the soft way he spoke to her. She felt her heart beat quicken over it. **"You always know how to calm me down, don't you?"** she asked him in a whisper.

Brock smiled at her. **"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I couldn't?"** he asked her.

" **A horrible one,"** answered Lucy with a smirk. She then gave him a heated kiss and he returned it.

The others watched the couple make out and they either smiled or shook their heads while chuckling. But one of them was giving the couple an unbelieving look. **"Damn,"** commented Max, seeing the two go at it. **"I still can't believe Brock is in a relationship. With an actual girl."**

The pokémon breeder heard that and broke the kiss to glare at the teenager. **"What the hell man?!"** shouted Brock, becoming angry. He advanced onto the teenager. Max gulped before he bolted. The group was unable to hold it in anymore, laughing loudly as they watched Brock chase Max around the balcony. The older male was making many promises of severely hurting him while the teenager was doing his absolute best to keep away from him.

The raven haired guardian shook his head after laughing a bit as he watched the two. He glanced around at his friends and family, seeing them all in good spirits. He then noticed that someone wasn't there. He turned to May who was closest to him. **"Hey, where's Mist?"** he asked her.

" **I think she's in our room. She said she wanted some time alone,"** replied back May.

Ash had a concerned look appear on his face but before he could say anything, the honey blonde haired girl spoke up. **"It's alright. She's just thinking about some things,"** explained Serena.

" **So no need to worry my Guardian,"** finished Dawn.

He nodded at them. **"Even so, I'll go check on her,"** said Ash. He turned to another girl. **"Hey Leaf. I'm gonna go check on Mist, get ready and then we'll go afterwards. Is that okay with you?"** he asked her.

" **Sure. Gives me some time to go get ready too,"** said Leaf. Both Ash and Leaf left the balcony and entered the suite before heading into different rooms.

" **Mist? Are you in here?"** asked Ash as he knocked on a bedroom door. He didn't hear any answer from inside. He opened the door and stepped inside. **"Mist?"** He called out to her as he walked further into the room. He stopped when he saw her. The red head was lying on her side facing the wall on one of the beds. He moved quietly towards her and saw she was asleep. He smiled at her before he grabbed a blanket and placed it over her. He then gently moved her hair that had fallen over her face behind her ear. He lowered his head and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and she hummed in response. **"Sweet dreams my Mystic Mermaid."** The young man looked at her for a bit before he turned around and made to leave the room. But then he felt a hand grasp his. He stopped and glanced back to see that she was now awake and looking at him. **"Hey Mist. I'm sorry I woke you,"** he told her as he moved back to her side.

" **It's alright,"** replied back Misty in a low voice. **"I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just thinking about a lot of things and just knocked out like that,"** she explained to him. She moved a bit to the side and gestured for him to sit down beside her. The moment he did, the Cerulean gym leader leaned against him while moving her arms over his stomach before tightening her hold on him.

Ash sensed some unease in her and wanted to know what was causing it. **"What's wrong?"**

The red head raised her gaze to his. She looked into his caring brown eyes with her blue ones. **"Nothing. I've just been thinking about some things. About the future regarding Ragnarok…the darkness and war coming…about our situation with the girls, me and you."** Ash nodded as she said those things and leaned his head against hers. **"And I know we are together but I just…miss being with you,"** she told him.

Ash let out a sigh. **"I know Mist. I think about all that too. And I know what you mean. I miss being with you too."** He grasped her hand and interlocked their fingers together. **"But I will never leave you. I will never hurt you. I will never stop loving you. I will do my best in everything and anything for you. I hope you understand that at least,"** he said softly.

Misty had a large smile form on her face. **"I know Ash. And I will never leave you, hurt you or stop loving you either. And I'll always be here for you like before. I hope you always remember that."**

He raised his head and the two looked into one another's eyes. **"How could I forget?"** he asked her and she titled her head. **"You were the one who was always there for me and helped me get on the right path in the beginning. How could I ever forget my Mystic Mermaid Misty?"** The gym leader took in a sharp breath over that and her heart started beating rapidly. She could never stop feeling so special and loved when he said his pet name for her. Before she could say something, the raven haired guardian continued. **"You were the first friend I made when I started my journey. And you were the one who was there for all my other firsts. My first pokémon caught. My first badge won. My first time competing in a tournament. My first time saving the world. My first kiss. My first real girlfriend. My first time experiencing what love really is."** She steadily reddened over everything he said but went crimson over that last one. But couldn't help but smile and so did he. **"So tell me Mist, how could I ever forget you or all the things we did together?"** He waited for her to respond back for a bit and she couldn't. **"See? It's impossible. Nothing can ever replace my Mystic Mermaid Misty."** He leaned in and placed his lips onto hers. The red haired woman felt like she was going to melt. The two shared a passionate kiss before separating and the two hugged each other tightly.

" **I love you Ash…my Pokémon Master,"** she said in a whisper.

" **I love you Misty,"** he replied back. The two stayed like that for a moment until Ash started speaking again. **"I know that things changed and it's not what we planned in the beginning with May, Dawn and Serena. I know things are much more complicated. I know it's been a while since we had our date. And I know that we didn't spend that much time together during our day together and I'm sorry about all of that."** Misty shook her head and was about to speak when he interrupted her. **"No Mist. I will make it up to you. I promise."**

She saw the way he was looking at her and the seriousness in his voice. She could feel his love for her and that made a powerful emotion fill her. Before she knew it, she was kissing him again furiously and he was returning it. The two continued their passionate display for a bit until they slowly stopped. They rested their foreheads against each other's while their eyes were locked onto one another's. **"Ash?"**

" **Yea Mist?"**

" **Thanks."**

He smiled at her. **"Anytime Mist. And are you sure you're alright?"**

" **Yea, I'm good. Much better now actually."**

" **Okay."** He closed the distance between the two and gave her a simple loving kiss on the forehead. Just that simple act was enough to make her melt into his arms and to reinforce how much he cares for her and loves her. When he pulled away, he moved his gaze onto hers. **"I gotta go shower and get ready before Leaf has a fit. I'll see you later."**

Misty smiled at him. **"Yea, you should go shower cause you stink. You wouldn't want Leaf to die from it,"** she told him with a wink.

He chuckled at that before getting out of bed. He made his way out of the room while talking. **"You have a point. But if she can't handle it like you can, then it's not meant to be,"** he joked back and left the room.

Misty shook her head with giggling. **"I swear Ketchum, no one can truly handle you. Maybe that's why it takes so many girlfriends to keep you grounded."** Right when she said that, a thought came to her mind and she started thinking about that and a few other things.

Ash went to his room, showered once more and changed into some new clothes. He wore black pants this time and a green buttoned down long sleeve shirt that he didn't tuck in. He left the top two buttons on his shirt open. He put on his black jacket and stepped out of the room. He headed to the balcony and saw that his girlfriends weren't there and there was no one battling anymore. He went up to Brock and Lucy who were cuddled together on a lounge chair. **"Hey, where's everybody?"** he asked them.

" **Max and Bonnie were about to battle but everyone decided to take a break. And Misty came to talk to the girls. They're in their room right now,"** explained Brock.

" **Ah. Okay."** He left the two alone and was about to head back inside when his childhood friend and crush came outside. She was wearing a green dress but different than her last one. It wasn't sparkling and it had narrow straps that went over her shoulders. It reached halfway down her thighs with small cuts on the bottom sides of it to enable better walking for the wearer. She was also wearing a thin black silk jacket. Ash gave a wolf whistle at her, making her blush. **"You look great Leaf."**

" **Duh, I know,"** she remarked back with a grin.

He rolled his eyes. **"Why can't you ever just take a compliment without being so difficult?"** he asked her with a chuckle.

" **Cause then it'll be too easy Ashy,"** she responded.

He scoffed at that. **"Whatever Leaf."** He grasped her hands and interlocked their fingers together, before giving her a quick kiss. When they separated, he waited for her to tell him where she wanted to go but she was silenced from the kiss. **"Oh, now you shut up. Aren't you supposed to tell me where we're going?"** he asked her jokingly.

" **HEY!"** She snapped out of it and punched him in the chest. **"That's mean!"** she told him.

Ash chuckled again. **"Only way to get you out of your trance Leaf,"** he explained and she narrowed her eyes at him. **"Come on, you know I'm joking. So where do you want to go?"** he asked her again.

She kept glaring at him for another minute before calming down. **"Pallet Town."**

He tilted his head. **"Home? Why? I thought you never wanted to go back there?"** he asked her.

" **True. But I want to go back and do some things that we used to do together,"** she said quietly.

Ash understood her meaning, nodding at her. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. Leaf gasped in shock over that and he smiled at her. **"Alright then. Pallet Town it is. You ready Leaf?"** She composed herself and nodded. The two disappeared in a blue glow.

When the two teleported away, Brock turned to Lucy. **"Any idea as to what they're gonna do?"**

Lucy thought for a moment and then shrugged. **"You mean besides have some fun? Nope."** The two moved on from that short conversation. Instead, they just enjoyed feeling the other's body against their own. **"Brock?"**

" **Hmm?"**

" **Do you ever think about the future?"** she asked him.

He was silent for a moment. **"I do."**

" **What do you think about?"** she asked him while her head was still resting on his chest and looking up towards the sky. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set.

" **Many things Lucy."** As the former gym leader began telling his girlfriend all the things he's thought about in the future, the Frontier Brain listened to every word he said. As he spoke, she wondered if they could have any of that with the impending darkness coming for them all.

A raven haired young man and a brunette girl appeared out of thin air in the middle of a small town. The two glanced around and saw that many shops were starting to close up since the work day was coming to a close. **"So, we're back in our home town. What do you want to do that we used to do as kids?"** asked Ash.

Leaf put her right index finger up to her mouth and thought for a bit. **"Hmmm…how about we go walking for a bit first, then go get something to eat and then we'll figure out which one to do exactly?"**

" **Sure. Sounds like a plan to me,"** agreed Ash. He grasped her hand and the two started walking down the road.

As they traveled through the small town, they reminisced about the good times they had together when they were kids. How they played some games together. How Delia would take them out into the town together. How they stayed up late into the night while reading comic books together or watching scary movies. They turned a corner and Ash finished up his story about one of the things they did while at the pokémon summer camp. **"…and remember how I yelled at you not to throw the water balloon at me?"**

" **And yet I still threw it at you,"** giggled Leaf as Ash shook his head but chuckled. **"I won the game since there were no more players left. I remember how Serena came running to you after asking if you were okay. You were drenched and shivering. I was like 'Eh, it's Ash. He'll be fine'. She gave me the dirtiest look I've ever seen as a kid. Damn, she scared me."**

The two laughed loudly at that. **"I remember! Man, I thought Serena was gonna hit you!"** said Ash and laughed even harder.

Leaf stopped walking and crossed her arms over that. **"You would've liked that wouldn't you?"** she said as she narrowed her eyes on him.

" **Eh, it's you Leaf. You would've been fine,"** he told her, using the same words she did. He cracked a sly smile at her when she glared at him.

" **Hmph!"** Leaf turned her face away from him. **"Thanks for caring."**

" **You're welcome."** Leaf turned her gaze back to Ash's to tell him off for that remark. But she wasn't able to since a pair of lips landed onto hers. She sunk into it and kissed him back. When they separated after a moment, they looked into one another's eyes. **"That's not fair Ashy. You're cheating,"** she told him in a whisper.

He had his trademark goofy grin appear on his face. **"Nobody said there were rules,"** he told her truthfully.

She shook her head and giggled. **"C'mon. Let's go find a place to eat."** Leaf held his hand and lead the way again. They talked some more as they continued on while searching for a place to get a meal. Most of the shops they saw were closed. The ones that were open were just emergency shops that sold medicine or water. They weren't surprised since it was a weekday and the sun had gone down. **"None of the places are open. I don't feel like going all the way to the other side of town just for a coffee at that twenty four hour place."** She looked at him. **"Should we keep going?"** asked Leaf.

" **I'm surprised you still remember where some things are,"** he commented and she rolled his eyes at him. Ash chuckled at that and then thought for a moment. **"Up to you Leaf. Remember you, Anabel and Sarah decided to make the plans for the dates today,"** he told her.

She let out an annoyed sigh. **"Alright, fine. Let's go to the first place we see open."**

" **Fair enough. Let's go."**

The couple traveled through the mostly quiet town while keeping their eyes open for the first available eating place. They passed a couple streets until they found one that was still open right when it became dark. It was called 'Pallet Restaurant'. Neither of the two ever heard of the place and thought that it must be new. Ash and Leaf glanced at one another and both of them just shrugged. **"How original,"** remarked Leaf as they headed towards it.

" **Yea. Hard to make up good names though. Hope their food is good at least,"** added Ash. He opened the door for her.

Leaf shook her head as she walked in. **"Do you ever stop thinking with your stomach?"** she asked him.

" **Only when I'm not hungry,"** answered Ash as the two stood at the host's table.

" **Which is never,"** quipped Leaf right when the host appeared, which prevented Ash from countering.

" **Good day. Table for two?"** he asked them.

" **Yes please,"** replied Leaf. The host nodded and led the way. **"I win again Ashy,"** taunted Leaf in a whisper as they followed after him.

" **That doesn't count. He interrupted us,"** replied back Ash.

" **Still counts."** Ash sighed at that and didn't continue, having enough for the moment. **"Thank you,"** said Leaf as the host showed them their booth.

" **You're welcome. Your waiter will be right with you,"** he informed them before leaving.

Ash and Leaf sat in the booth facing each other. Before either of them could say another word, their waiter appeared. **"Good evening. My name is Alvin. Looks like you two are first timers here."**

" **How'd you know?"** asked Ash and Leaf together.

Alvin smiled at the couple. **"This is a fairly new establishment, being open for only a couple years."** The two glanced at one another and gave each other a look before facing the waiter again. **"And I remember everyone who comes to eat here since I'm always working whenever we're open."** Ash and Leaf had looks of understanding form on their faces. **"So, with that said, do you need a minute to look over the menu?** " he asked them. They said that they did and he told them he'll come back with some waters at least. Ash and Leaf each grabbed a menu from Alvin and looked through it. When Alvin came back with their waters, he asked them again if they were ready.

Leaf glanced at Ash who nodded. **"Yup, we're ready to order,"** said Leaf and Alvin got his notepad ready. **"Can I get a vanilla coke, a bacon burger with grilled onions and some fries?"**

" **Same for me,"** added Ash. The waiter jotted down their requested meals, took back the menus and left to input their order. **"Good old fashioned burger huh?"** asked Ash with a chuckle. **"I thought you would want something like grilled salmon or steak."**

She wagged her finger at him. **"Just because I'm dressed kind of fancy doesn't mean I'm a gold digger. And you can't really go wrong with burgers,"** countered Leaf with a wink.

" **Never would even think that about you Leaf,"** said Ash and she smiled at him.

The two talked for some time until their food arrived. They both tore into their burgers, devouring it within minutes since they were both hungry. Leaf was surprised at herself that she ate so ravenously. She thought she must've looked like she was starving or crazy but she didn't care. Because the only one's opinion who mattered to her at that place was the one sharing the booth with her and he was worse. After finishing their burgers, the couple started munching on their fries as they talked. **"So, you anxious about tomorrow's match?"** asked Leaf as she dipped her fry in ranch.

Ash finished chewing the fries in his mouth and swallowed it before answering her. " **Yea. I can't wait. It's gonna be awesome. I have a feeling it's going to be my greatest match yet,"** he told her.

Leaf could feel how psyched he was for his match tomorrow. **"You're pretty excited. Do you have a plan?"** she asked before taking a sip from her drink.

" **I do,"** revealed Ash. **"I have a plan for his Darkrai and Latios. I wonder what other pokémon he'll have."**

He took a sip from his drink and that was when she remembered something. **"Wait, didn't you say that he has a full team of legendary pokémon with him?"** asked Leaf and he nodded. Her eyes widened at that. **"Damn. Wait…why don't you just use your legendary pokémon too?"** Ash shook his head. **"Why not? You had Rayquaza almost battle against Drax. Why not against Tobias?"** She was astounded that he wasn't going to use any of his legendary pokémon against his final opponent.

Ash smiled at her. **"Because Drax pissed me off and he needed to be taught a lesson. But then Rayquaza didn't even battle. As for Tobias, even though I lost to him, I took out his Darkrai and Latios with Sceptile and Pikachu. And my pokémon are far stronger than they have ever been. I will show that having a legendary pokémon on your side, even a full team of legendaries, doesn't mean that you'll win,"** he explained confidently.

Leaf was surprised over his words. Of course she knew how strong he had become. How powerful his pokémon are. Especially the ones she's seen battle. But she was still shocked with how he viewed things. He could probably wipe the floor with Tobias' pokémon with just Rayquaza, even if they were legendaries themselves. But he was going to do it with just his regular pokémon. **"Ash…when did you become so incredible?"** she asked him teasingly.

He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and his cheeks flushed with color. **"Eh, you know me. Always ready to take on my next challenge,"** he answered with a chuckle.

She smiled at him. **"Speaking of challenges, do you think that…"** Leaf stopped talking abruptly as she saw a couple walking towards the host behind Ash a short distance away.

" **Leaf? What's wrong?"** asked Ash seeing her become so out of it. But she didn't answer him. Instead, her eyes grew wide and her heart began beating faster. She tried to control her breathing but had a hard time doing so. **"Leaf?!"** he said again with a little more worry. Hearing her name the second time made the brunette move her eyes onto him. **"What's wrong?"** he asked her.

She composed herself the best she could and opened her mouth to answer. **"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."** Ash didn't believe her and he was about to ask her to tell him when she cut him off. **"Everything's fine. Let's just finish our meal and get the check,"** she told him.

Getting the hint, Ash said no more at the moment and nodded. He tried to make things go back to what it was before but Leaf just wasn't in the mood anymore for a conversation. He wondered what that could be from. He was about to ask her something when loud and obnoxious laughter rang out through the restaurant. **"Was that a hyena laughing?"** he asked out loud and turned to see where it came from while massaging his ears.

Leaf however began shaking. Something had stirred inside her when she heard the laughter and anger was building inside her. Ash sensed her emotional state and when he looked back at her, he saw her expression twisted with rage. **"Leaf? What…"**

" **I'm sorry Ash,"** she said, cutting him off.

Before he could say another word, his childhood crush stood up and stormed away from their booth. Ash was transfixed in his spot, watching her go towards a booth some distance away from them. He wondered why she was going there and why she was angry all of a sudden. He looked at the ones sitting inside the booth. One of the two was a young man, possibly around his age and dressed in formal attire. The other was a woman who looked to be in her late thirties or early forties. She was wearing a dress that was in his opinion way too inappropriate since it showed off way too much skin. From showing off her cleavage too much to being way too short since it barely covered her rear. He looked at her more closely from his seat since he thought she looked familiar. _That's weird…she kind of looks like…_ And that's when it clicked. His eyes widened in shock and he let out a gasp. _Oh shit!_ He saw Leaf stop right in front of the booth and heard some words from the couple in the booth. He stood up, threw some high notes onto the table without care that he was probably overpaying the tab and hurried after her.

Leaf was moving with a determined look on her face. Her eyes were narrowed onto the older woman in front of her as she drew closer to her. Each step she took seemed to make her even angrier as many things went through her mind. She reached the booth and stopped right beside it, making the two turn their gaze to her.

" **Why hello there,"** said the young man as he took in her beauty. But then he noticed the angry gaze on her face and he raised an eyebrow. He turned his gaze back to the woman with him. **"You didn't tell me there would be another joining us. And what's wrong with her?"**

The woman faced the man. **"No she's not and I don't know who she is,"** she explained and the young man just sighed while saying that's a shame. That statement made Leaf's anger go even higher that she didn't even recognize her. She started shaking in her spot as her hands clenched into fists. The woman turned to the girl again and just noticed how beautiful she is. She gave her a nasty look out of jealousy and anger that she was being interrupted with her date for that night. **"Excuse me but what are you doing here?"** She looked her up and down before locking eyes with her. **"You some hooker or something? You want to make money or steal my date to be your client for the night? I don't think so. Go stand on the corner. You'll probably find some work. And why are you shaking like a damn vibrator?"**

Leaf snapped at that. **"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!"** The entire restaurant went quiet at once after her screaming and all eyes were moved towards their direction. The woman's eyes widened in shock at hearing that but then she yelped when the girl hit her. Leaf had slapped her across the face as hard as she could. She was about to go for another one when she was prevented from doing so. **"LET ME GO!"** roared Leaf as she struggled against him.

" **Leaf! Calm down!"** advised Ash as he held her back.

" **NO I WILL NOT!"** cried Leaf as angry tears escaped her eyes while she tried to break free from him.

The young man who was with Leaf's mother was frozen still from what was going on. The woman was looking at the brunette with an unbelieving gaze while holding a hand against her cheek where she was struck. She couldn't believe that she was here and that she had hit her. **"Leaf?! What are you doing here?! And what right do you have to hit your own mother?!"** she asked angrily.

Hearing that made the brunette became even angrier, rage filling her and Ash was surprisingly having a hard time containing her. **"YOU DARE SAY THAT?! THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME AFTER YEARS OF NEGLECT AND NOT SEEING ME?!"** screamed Leaf, startling everyone there and making her mother jump in her seat. She continued on, letting out everything she had held inside regarding her mother while doing her best to get free from her boyfriend who was still holding her back. **"After everything you've done to me?! After never caring about me?! After leaving me on my own all the time even when I was just a kid so you could bring home a different guy to fuck every other night?! After you never called me to check on my journey when I left town?! After you never helped me in anything I did?! All you ever did was look out for yourself! If anything I should be tearing you apart for my horrible past that I went through because of you!"** Leaf finished up for the moment and just focused on trying to break free from Ash, yelling at him to let her go so she could continue giving her so called mother the punishment she deserved.

The entire restaurant was eerily silent and at a loss at what was happening. The young man who was with Leaf's mother was frozen in shock at what was happening in front of him. Her mother stood up and glared at her daughter. **"You stand there and speak like you know what I've been going through. You yell at me and embarrass me in front of everyone here. You don't know anything and yet you make a scene!"** Leaf stopped struggling and locked eyes with her mother. Ash relaxed his grip on her but kept his hold on her just in case. Neither of them however anticipated what happened next; her mother slapped her back hard across the face. Leaf cried out from the hit and Ash stood there horror struck at what she just did. Leaf straightened out and looked at her mother with an angry but also teary gaze. The elder woman didn't care anymore what was happening or who was listening but she was going to let it all out for her daughter. **"Your father was weak! Always lowering himself for others and never made enough money! He couldn't satisfy my needs and couldn't take care of anything! We were constantly late on bills and he never had the balls to ask for a raise! That's why I started seeing other men. When he found out, I didn't care. I told him that plainly and that's why he left. He left and didn't fight for me or you because he was weak! And he left without a second's thought for you because you're nothing but a mistake!"** Leaf's eyes let out more tears at hearing that her father didn't care about her either. Ash could feel how horrible she was feeling and he was filling up with sadness as well. But he was also becoming angry. Her mother kept going. **"You are a foolish and naïve child. The world is a cruel place and I couldn't support you and myself. I never even wanted children! And I have my own desires! My own needs! My own dreams and goals! I couldn't be weighted down by you! The offspring and byproduct of blind love that I had for a weak man! After I realized all that, I decided to look out for only me! I couldn't let you keep me from living my own life! You should be thanking me on your hands and knees for even allowing you stay in the house and be fed for so long!"**

Leaf's mother finished up her angry speech and expected the truth to break her daughter. But that's not what happened. Instead, Leaf's anger over the truth overwhelmed her sadness and she started yelling again. **"That's your reasoning?! You good for nothing selfish piece of shit! You ran away from trouble! You wanted everything to be given to you on a silver platter! Instead of working hard and doing your best to take care of your family, you only thought of yourself! You spread your legs like a whore that broke us!"** screamed Leaf.

Leaf's mother took in a sharp breath when her daughter called her a whore but then quickly started shouting back. **"How dare you call me a whore! Look at you! Dressed like a damn skank! And with this random man no less! When did you come back into town huh? You know what, I don't even care! Leave me alone and don't ever come back! I never wanted you and I don't need you in my life again!"**

She was about to say something else when Leaf interrupted her. **"FINE!"** she yelled. She stopped struggling against Ash and he loosened his grip on her. The restaurant was still eerily silent, with no one making a sound or daring to move. Ash had his eyes go back and forth between Leaf and her mother, wondering what was going to happen. Until the brunette spoke again but this time with a forced calm tone of voice. **"I'll leave you alone. You'll never see me again."** Her mother turned to sit back down into her booth. **"But not before I tell you this; all I ever wanted from you when I was a kid was for you to be my mom."** She stopped and turned back around to face her daughter. Leaf was giving her a cold look. That made a shiver travel down the woman's spine. **"That's it. All you had to do was try. But you didn't. You were too busy letting any guy who gave you a second look fuck you so you could get things from them like the gold digging, selfish, materialistic slut that you are."**

Her mother gasped at that but also became filled with anger. She slapped her daughter again, making Leaf's head turn but she didn't cry out over it. She straightened out, gave Ash a look that clearly said not to get involved and looked her mother in the eye. **"Hard hearing the truth isn't it?"** she asked her quietly yet it was heard in the dead silence of the restaurant. Her mother didn't respond. **"I used to think that I wasn't good enough for you, doing my best to make you notice me. But now I've realized that you're the one who was and still isn't good enough for me. You made me depressed. You made me cry. You made me think I was worthless."** Leaf was starting to become emotional again. Though she was controlling her voice and temper, she was shaking from her anger. **"You are a horrible person and a pitiful excuse for a mother. I pray to Arceus that I never become anything like you. One day, if I'm lucky enough, I will have children of my own. And when I do, I swear on my life that I'll be a million times better mother than you."**

The woman glared at her daughter. **"Not that I care, but who in their right mind would choose you of all the girls out there?"** She glanced at Ash. **"This man?"** She looked him up and down. **"He may look handsome…might even be rich too…but I bet he doesn't give a damn about you at all. He'll probably use you and then leave you like yesterday's trash."** Ash narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing. She smirked at him. **"What? Angry that I revealed your plan? Don't flatter yourself. I know how all guys are. Even him,"** she said while tilting her head towards the young man who was still sitting in the booth. **"But don't worry. You can use and abuse her for all I care."**

Leaf began shaking and was about to yell when she felt a strong hand gently grasp her shoulder. She glanced back and saw the look on Ash's face. He had heard enough. **"You shame mothers everywhere. You disgust me and you've crossed the line Yvette."**

Yvette became angry over him saying her real name out loud. She had always used aliases during her dates and never told her real name to any of the guys she has fucked over the years. She glared at him. **"Who do you think you…"** She trailed off, not finishing her words. She was beginning to have a feeling that she knows this man from somewhere. She looked at him more closely. **"Wait…you're that boy…the one who's house Leaf would go to all the time…"** Her eyes widened in shock as she realized who he is. **"Oh my god! You're the Aura Guardian! Ash Ketchum!"**

Everyone in the restaurant stared wide eyed at Ash and Leaf. They didn't think they would see the Aura Guardian anytime soon. Sure, most of them did know Ash Ketchum because of the tournament and some knew him because they were locales. But they weren't really paying attention to who he is because they didn't expect him to be here of all places. Ash glanced at Leaf and gave her a look that everything will be alright. **"Yes I am,"** he started before raising his gaze back to Yvette.

She was now looking at him like a Deerling caught in headlights for a moment before snapping out of it. **"Then it's true! What was rumored and what was reported during your match! You're with my daughter?! And with several others?!"** She looked at Leaf. **"You damn whore. Of course you would get with a guy who was with several other girls. That's where you belong. You belong in a group of cock hungry sluts!"**

Ash grew furious at that but Leaf snapped and slapped her mother again who cried out. **"Don't you dare insult my sisters! They've done more for me than you ever did your whole life! And Ash has always been there for me! He was the one who supported me, cared for me, encouraged me and everything else! His mom Delia was more of a mother to me than you ever were! And you will never understand what's going on between us because you've never understood what love really is!"** Leaf took in a breath and Yvette held her bruised cheek, fear now filling her over her daughter's rage filled expression. Ash grasped her shoulder again and she calmed down. She took in a long breath and locked eyes with Yvette for the final time. **"I'm done with you. You may have given me birth. But you were never my mother."**

Leaf turned away from Yvette and walked away from her with Ash walking beside her. Yvette watched her daughter and the guardian leave the restaurant while an unknown feeling began filling her. Pushing it aside, she moved her gaze around the restaurant. She saw everyone was staring at her. **"What?!"** she shot at them. Many shook their heads before returning to their meals. She turned around to sit back in her booth and saw that her date for the night was gone. He had slipped away and left the place in a hurry. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she glanced back to see it was the host.

" **I'm sorry Miss but…wait, you know what? I'm not sorry. You must leave,"** he informed her.

" **What?! What right do you have to just…"** She stopped talking when he pointed to a sign hanging on the wall. It stated that they reserved the right to refuse service to anyone.

" **Please leave or I will call the police on you,"** said the host. Unable to do anything else, Yvette picked up her jacket and moved towards the exit. The host escorted her out and held the door for her. **"You are no longer welcome here,"** he told her as she stepped out. She turned around to reply back but the door was quickly shut in her face.

After they left the restaurant, the couple was walking down a road in silence. Ash was holding Leaf's hand and she was holding his very tightly. She was letting out tears from her eyes as they walked. She was lost in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts after her confrontation with her mother. Her boyfriend was giving her support by just being quiet and letting her lead them wherever she wanted to go. They continued on for a little while longer until they ended up standing in front of a door that belonged to a two story house. It was his house. Ash glanced at her and she slowly raised her gaze to his. Seeing her watery eyes and tear streaked gaze, he said nothing. He unlocked the door after having the keys teleported to him thanks to Mewtwo.

The second the door opened, Leaf disappeared inside and Ash was left to lock up alone. When he finished, he turned around and looked at the stairs. He let out a sigh and slowly made his way up the stairs. He reached the second floor and entered his bedroom. He walked over to the brunette who was sitting on his bed with her head hung and buried into a pillow that she was hugging. He sat down beside her. **"Leaf…"**

" **I'm sorry Ash!"** she snapped, interrupting him. She stood up, took a few steps away as she tossed the pillow to the side and then whirled around before looking eyes with him. **"I'm sorry for fucking up again! I messed up our date! After so long, after so much bullshit, we finally had some time together. But then I go and turn it into shit! Just like I always do!"** She started crying and Ash felt so much sadness fill him over what she was saying. **"I just couldn't help it! When I saw her, I felt so much anger and sadness that I was barely controlling it! And then when she laughed, it killed me! I couldn't believe she was having so much fun and she was so happy without me! I…I just had to…to do something! I had to confront her about everything!"** She let out some stuttering breaths in between her sobs, which prevented her from continuing on for the moment. Ash was feeling so horrible over what she was feeling and going through. He was about to say something when she spoke. **"I'm so sorry about messing up our night! I never thought this would happen. I should've never said for us to come back here. I never thought I would run into her again. I just wanted to do some things we used to do as kids to remind myself of the good times I had here with you at least. But no, all the places were closed and I just had to see her! And tonight of all nights!"**

She buried her face into her hands and started crying heavily. Ash couldn't bear it anymore. He stood up and went to her. He extended his hand out to her and placed it on her shoulder once more. But before he could say anything, she smacked it away. **"NO ASH!"** she yelled at him and he had an astonished look form on his face. **"You can't tell me that you don't care about that! I swear it's like I'm cursed! I keep fucking things up! You should just stay away from me! You deserve much better than me!"** She sobbed heavily now and she turned to leave his room.

But he wouldn't let her go. Ash moved after her, whirled her around to face him and grasped her shoulders. **"LEAF!"** he started with a serious tone of voice while looking into her eyes. She froze, unable to move away or say anything because of the intense gaze he was giving her. His gaze morphed into an understanding one and looked into her eyes as her tears continued to fall. **"It's okay,"** he said gently to her. **"It's okay Leaf. I get it. It's fine. There's no need to worry. You didn't mess up anything. You did what you had to do. It's better that you did do this because now you finally know. You can begin to move on. And I will help you any way I can."**

Leaf looked into his eyes as he said that. She could fell the sincerity from his words and she could see the love in his eyes for her. She could hear her own heart thumping in her ears. She couldn't believe it. How could this man be so damn perfect? **"Ash…why…just…"** She let out a sigh and thought for a moment, gathering her thoughts and he kept quiet waiting for her to talk. **"All the things you've done for me. How you are always there for me even though I treated you so horribly."** She let out more tears, taking in a few stuttering breaths. Ash gently wiped away her tears with his thumb before hugging her tightly and closely. Leaf rested her head against his chest and hugged him back tightly before saying everything that was on her mind. **"You saved my life so many times. You helped me overcome so many problems when others didn't care. My own mother…someone who should've been the one to support me, love me, help me…she failed at that constantly. But not you. She can't measure up to you and she never will. Nobody can. I said this before and I'll always say it; you are the best thing to ever happen to me."** Ash rubbed her back, making her feel some comfort from his action. She raised her head to look him in the eye before continuing. She moved one of her hands to his abdomen and placed it over his shirt against the area where she knew his stab scar was. **"Even though we had a nasty fight, you risked your life for me. I can never be the cause of your pain or suffering again. I wish I had never broken our promise. We could've had so many incredible adventures together and so much time together. I will never, ever hurt you again and I won't let anyone else hurt you either. I love you with all my heart Ash. I'll do anything to make it up to you. For you are my Shining Light that helped me escape from my horrible life."** After her last statement, Leaf hung her head and let out heavy tears.

Ash felt so much sadness coming from his childhood friend and crush. He couldn't believe that she was still thinking about all the bad things she made him go through. It was then that he understood that she was doing her best to keep her fear and insecurities locked up in front of everyone. But now that she had confronted her mother, it had come back. And now that they were alone, she felt that she could release them. He gently grasped her hand that was on his stomach and did the same with her other hand. He lowered his head down enough so he could see her face. She noticed that and slowly raised her gaze and he copied her.

Ash looked into her watery filled green eyes. He was mesmerized by them, so unique and filled with emotion. He felt so much love from her, feeling the sincerity of her words. He wiped away her tears before he caressed her cheek with his right hand, making Leaf lean towards it, enjoying the feeling. **"Leaf…I love you with all my heart. Thank you for your kind words. And you don't have to do anything. As long as you're happy, I don't care about anything else. I've told you this before and I still mean it; you don't need to worry about the past anymore. And you don't need to worry about what happened recently. What matters now is that we're finally on the same page. That we are together and I will never, ever leave you. That I will do all I can to make sure you are happy and safe."**

Leaf couldn't help herself. Even though she was just lost in anger and sadness recently, she was filling up with happiness over his words and the way he was looking at her. She let her beautiful smile form on her face that Ash loved seeing. She lifted her hand between them with her pinky extended out. **"Pinky swear?"** she asked him in a whisper.

Without hesitation, Ash wrapped his pinky with hers and smiled back at his childhood crush. **"I swear on my life, my Exotic Flower."**

Leaf gasped at his pet name for her, her heart fluttering. Her eyes filled up with water again but this time they were tears of joy. She moved back a couple steps from him, releasing their pinky hold in the process. **"Close your eyes."** He complied, shutting his eyes. A moment later he heard her voice. **"Open them."**

Ash opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was the beautiful brunette from next door in the nude. She had taken off her clothes but was covering her more private parts. He could still see that she had fair light skin with a curvaceous body similar to May's but more slender. One arm was over her chest and her other hand was covering her womanhood. **"I want you so badly Ash. But I'm sorry for being so nervous,"** revealed Leaf shyly. **"I wasn't lying before when I said I've never done anything with anyone before."**

Ash let a warm smile show on his face to her, which comforted her a bit. He went to her, making Leaf's heart start pounding so fast she felt like it would pop. When he reached her he cupped his hands on her face and gave her a deep kiss filled with his love for her that sent a jolt through her body. His hand moved to stroke her hair and she felt as if she was going to melt. When they separated, Leaf looked into his eyes before moving from him to the bed. Ash watched her go, her cute naked behind swaying as she got onto the bed. She turned around after moving to the middle of the bed, sitting but still covering herself. Ash undressed in front of her before moving to join her. Leaf's face went scarlet at seeing him fully in the nude, his scars standing out and his semi erect shaft visible. He went to her and kissed her again as he gently made her lie down onto the bed with him going on top of her.

Leaf allowed him too and moved her hands onto his body, uncovering herself. She could feel his shaft against her waist, his body against hers. The brunette was becoming so hot that she wanted to just go wild as she kissed him furiously. She didn't care about her mother anymore. She didn't care about all the mistakes she made anymore. She didn't care about any of that at all anymore. What she did care about was showing how much the man she was kissing means to her.

After a moment or two of them making out, she felt one of his hands move towards her chest while the other slid down her stomach. She felt him grab her breast and rub over her opening. **"Ah…Ashy…"** she moaned into his mouth, feeling so enflamed now. She reached down, grasped his shaft and started stroking it. Ash hissed into her mouth, making her tremble as they continued their kissing.

A moment later, he broke their kiss and moved his head down towards her now exposed breasts while peppering her with kisses down her neck and chest till he reached her supple mounds. She let go of his shaft when he raised his head, his eyes roaming over her body that made Leaf become a little self conscious before he then looked her in the eyes. **"You are beautiful Leaf."** She smiled, gaining some confidence from his words along with pink circles appearing on her cheeks before letting out a squeal. He had taken one of her pink nipples into his mouth, licking and sucking on it.

She grasped his head with both hands, making him take more of her breast into his mouth. **"Ooohh, Ashy…that's it..."** He moved his mouth to take her other breast into it, making her moan even louder. He moved his hand to her opening and started rubbing over it again. **"Ah…"** moaned Leaf, feeling her core become even hotter than before. She started panting from his rubbing and playing. A moment later, Ash inserted a finger and she squeaked in surprise but didn't stop him. **"Oh…god…Ash…"** He kept up his actions and soon enough, Leaf was panting and making lewd noises. **"Ash, I feel it coming!"**

 _Damn, already?_ Thought Ash while he continued his actions. A moment later, Leaf climaxed, washing his hand with her release while letting out a howl of pleasure. When she relaxed, Ash gazed at her after their kiss, seeing the blissful look on her face. **"Someone's satisfied,"** he commented, making her cheeks go pink.

" **I am,"** she said quietly but with some embarrassment. **"I've never felt so amazing before. Misty was right. You really do know how to pleasure a girl."**

Ash chuckled before letting a grin form on his face. **"And we barely started."** She smiled deviously back at him as he repositioned himself so his shaft was near her womanhood. **"Looks like you're ready. Are you protected?"** he asked her and she replied saying she is. **"Then it's time for us to become one."** He lined up his shaft to her opening and pressed the tip of it against it making Leaf shiver. He locked eyes with her and slowly worked his way in. The process was made a little easier since the brunette had already climaxed, allowing him to enter her but she was still very tight. She started panting as she felt herself burning up while he made his way into her. He reached her barrier and Leaf felt it.

She groaned and shivered, already feeling some pain. **"It…already hurts,"** she told him quietly. He placed his lips onto hers and she wrapped her arms around his back. A few seconds later, he pushed past her hymen, breaking it and continued on in one fell swoop as far as he could quickly to not drag out the process. Leaf's body tensed up as pain coursed through her body. She screamed into his mouth while digging her fingernails into his back and tears escaped from her shut eyes. She couldn't believe how much it hurt. Ash felt the stinging pain from her nails as well as the extreme tightness of Leaf that practically suffocated him but said nothing, focusing on kissing her and not moving to allow her time to get used to it.

A couple moments later, he felt her body relaxing and he slowly withdrew from her before pumping back in. **"Oooooh…"** moaned Leaf, breaking their kiss and he looked at her. He wiped away the tear streaks on her face gently as he continued his slow pace. Leaf at first felt like she couldn't overcome the incredible pain but after it died down a little and Ash started moving within her, she felt feelings of ecstasy rise up within her. She felt him withdraw his shaft from inside her until only the tip of it remained before plunging back all the way into her. **"Ash…I love you…"** she moaned while her green eyes bore into his brown ones.

" **I love you too Leaf,"** he replied back before picking up his pace,

" **Oh my god! Ash! It hurts! Please slow down!"** she begged him, unable to take it, her grip tightening on him again.

Ash slowed down before stopping immediately and he cupped her face with his hands again. **"I'm so sorry Leaf. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright?"** he asked her with concern coating his words.

She moved her hands to grasp his that were on her face. **"I'm alright…it's just…too much."** Ash nodded and said that they should stop if it's too much but she shook her head. **"I still want this. Just…go slowly. Please,"** she requested.

" **As you wish Leaf,"** he told her. He started pumping into her again but maintained his slow pace while almost fully withdrawing before sheathing his shaft completely back inside her slit.

" **That's…that's it…Ash…ooohhh…mmmm…that's better!"** exclaimed Leaf as he continued.

This slow pace was also enflaming Ash, making him go crazy from it. This was something he wasn't used to but would keep at it for her, seeing the way it made Leaf become so satisfied from it. He lowered his head to her breasts and took one into his mouth again, making the brunette let out more sexual noises from the multiple sensations. He flicked her nipple with his tongue before sucking on it. He alternated his targets while playing with them.

Leaf was burning up and she could already feel herself about to explode once more. **"Ash…I…I feel it coming again…I'm…I'm gonna…"** She couldn't continue anymore but grasped his head with her hands again and pushed him down harder onto her chest. A short time later, once again Leaf climaxed while letting out a loud sensual moan. Her release washed over his shaft and she felt out of breath and tired. But she felt incredibly good.

Ash raised his gaze from her tits and looked her in the eye. **"Again huh?"**

" **Shut up,"** she told him with before grabbing his head and made him come down to her so she could kiss him. As they kissed, Ash started pumping into her again. That made her stop and look him in the eyes. **"Ah…you…haven't finished?!"** moaned Leaf in disbelief, feeling him move within her again but a little easier now since she got used to him somewhat and her release lubricated his shaft.

" **Not yet…but I'm getting there,"** he told her while keeping up the same slow pace. He grabbed hold of her perky tits with both hands, squeezing and playing with them, making Leaf moan loudly.

" **Ah…ah…oh my god…"** moaned Leaf as she took him in. He roamed his hands over her body, making her shiver as he did so. He moved them to her hands and interlocked their fingers together. He then raised their hands over their heads and had them lean against the bed's headboard. He leaned in and kissed her furiously while he continued pumping into her. Leaf felt herself heating up from his actions once again and was having her tongue wrestle with his. Needing to breathe after a bit, they separated and looked into one another's eyes. **"Hmmm, I love feeling you inside me,"** she moaned.

" **I bet you do,"** whispered Ash with a grin, making the brunette go crimson but she didn't reply back.

Leaf loved every second of it even though she felt like she was going to burst at any time. She was really sensitive to it all. She felt his hot breath against her face and that was making her even more heated. **"Ashy…"** moaned Leaf. **"I'm almost there…you can go…a little harder…"**

He looked into her green eyes. **"Hope you're ready…"**

Leaf's eyes widened after he said that because he picked up the pace. **"OH GOD!"** It still hurt her a little but she felt much more pleasure from the movements and didn't stop him. She felt her breasts grabbed and squeezed and she panted loudly.

Feeling her round orbs in his hands, the way she was letting out noises and feeling her hugging his shaft, he was starting to feel that sensation of him about to let loose. **"Leaf…I'm so close!"** he told her.

The brunette was filling like she was going to be torn in two from him thrusting into her but she didn't care. Hearing him say he was about to climax, she felt even hotter, wanting him to do it. **"FINISH INSIDE ME!"** That was her only response before high pitched moans took over. He picked up his pace and she moaned and panted from his actions. Feeling himself about to explode, he finished it with a final thrust. He exploded into her, making her howl in delight at feeling the warm seed enter her, making her release for the third and final time that night.

They stayed frozen for a moment before he slipped out of her and collapsed onto the bed beside her. The two stayed there, somehow both of them fitting on the twin bed while panting heavily. The two glanced at one another after a moment and smiled. Leaf immediately moved to lie on top of him fully, lining up their bodies. They looked into one another's eyes, smiling before sharing a kiss filled with their love for one another. **"I love you my Shining Light,"** she told him after.

He pulled her in closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. She hummed in response, enjoying and appreciating it. **"I love you my Exotic Flower,"** he told her quietly.

Her smile grew and kept her eyes on his. **"Do we have to go back?"** she asked him quietly and he nodded. **"Oh, that sucks. I wanted us to stay here,"** she said, looking around his bedroom. **"Every time I'm here, I feel safe and comfortable. And I've had so many happy memories here. Maybe that's why I came here after the restaurant without even thinking about it…"** She gasped all of sudden and looked back at him after realizing something. **"Wow…I can't believe it took me so many years to finally figure that out."** She shook her head at herself.

Ash smiled at her. **"Yea, we did have many good memories here together. And we just created another one,"** he told her. She looked at him and smiled.

" **Yea, you're right."** She leaned in and gave him a simple kiss before separating. **"We should probably go back, even though I'd rather spend the night here. I don't want the girls to think I stole you from them,"** she joked while giggling.

" **Yea, good idea. You don't want to piss them off. Maybe Serena will hit you this time,"** quipped Ash.

Leaf smacked his chest. **"Jerk. I knew it. You want her to hit me don't you?"** she asked him.

" **Eh, it's you Leaf. You'll survive,"** he said before he started laughing. Leaf couldn't help it and started laughing too. The two got up while still chuckling and got dressed. Once finished, she hugged him tightly and he hugged her before the couple teleported away from the room that held many memories between them.

In a land far away, a blonde young woman was lying down in her bed while trying to go to sleep but was having a hard time. It was late at night and she had a long meeting with her advisors about her kingdom. From the resources they have, to their emergency plans, how prepared her knights were for conflict and many other things. She made plans with them to begin preparing for what was coming. She didn't tell them the full story just yet but simply told them that she wanted her people safe from any possible danger.

When she finished with the meeting, Ilene asked Riley to not bother her unless there was an emergency since she was exhausted. When she entered her royal chamber, she let herself drop onto her bed. She just laid there for a couple minutes before deciding she should get up and change into her pajamas. Afterwards, she used the bathroom, washed up and brushed her teeth before getting into bed.

As she laid in her bed with her covers drawn up to her shoulders, she was unable to stop herself from thinking about many things. From her royal duties to the darkness that was coming. She thought about everything that had happened since the tournament began and wondered why so many things occurred during this time. It was bizarre since it seemed that everything that happened was because of it. She couldn't figure out why and so left it alone.

But she also started thinking about other things. She wondered about the things she's done lately and the choices she's been making too. _Why did I decide to go visit Ash when he was hurt from the stadium attack? Why did I develop feelings for Gary? Why did I choose Gary for my first boyfriend? Why couldn't I see him for what he really was? Why did I hurt Ash because of him?_ She thought about all that for a long time. She couldn't figure it out either and took in a long breath before exhaling it out. Something else came into her mind then. _I was so scared when Gary tried to force me…_ She remembered what she was feeling during that altercation. Her frightened state, his unyielding nature, how she felt like she was helpless against his actions and how he caused her to hurt herself.

She shivered in her bed from that horrible memory, making her eyes fill up with water. She forced her mind to move on from it but she couldn't. Instead, it brought up what happened next. How her Knights came to her aid and protected her. The moment they arrived though, she had only acknowledged Ash, not even saying anything to Riley. How she clutched onto the raven haired guardian. How she asked him to take her home and not her other Knight who was also her advisor. How she didn't stop Ash from picking her up and holding her in his arms. How she just let go in front of him. And when he had brought her back home, how she hugged him goodbye and glanced back at him before he teleported away.

She was lost as to the reasons behind her actions and choices. From going to the tournament to having Ash bring her back. _Why did I do all that?_ Ilene thought about that for a while longer but she didn't come up with an answer and fell asleep with her thoughts swirling around in her mind. As she slept, she dreamt of many different things, both good and bad. But every single one of them contained a certain raven haired guardian…

* * *

 ** _A/N - Talk about a fluff filled chapter huh? Hope you liked it. I'm working on the next chapter and it won't take as long as this one to post (I hope). Remember to review, fav and follow! Until next time, Silent is out!_**

 ** _Question 1 -_** _What pokemon do you think Ash will use against Tobias?_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _Who do you think Tobias will have in his team of legendaries?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **Tournament Upcoming Match**_

 _Finals_


	50. Chapter 50 - The Tournament Finals

_**A/N - What's up my readers? Yes, I know it's been a while but I haven't had much time to work on this and I wanted to do something special for my readers and since its my 50th chapter! I never thought I would write this much and go on for more than a year. But I know partly it was because of you guys that helped me keep going, even through all the bullshit that happens in life. So, thank you and the surprises and changes that I have made for you all will be shown at the end of the chapter in my ending chapter notes. Before I let you read the next chapter, a few things...**_

 _ **1\. Leaving false information in reviews -** I don't like it when people lie and give false information. I had one guest leave a review anonymously that he/she knew me personally and that I had told them that I had quit writing. That seriously pissed me off and it was the only time I had ever deleted a review. Whoever wrote that, and this goes for others as well, I didn't like that at all and I will not tolerate it. _

_**2\. Me abandoning my story -** That will never happen. I will continue working on my story until it is finished. Sometimes, it may take me a while to post up a new chapter but that doesn't mean that I have forgotten about it or that I'm not going to continue. If that day ever comes, I will personally let you all know myself. But, as I said before, that will not happen. I may not be able to promise regularly scheduled updates, but I can promise that I won't leave the story unfinished._

 _ **3\. Threatening/Blackmailing -** Another thing that I didn't appreciate was that several readers threatened to stop reading if I didn't post up soon. Look, I get that you want to know what happens next and you're psyched for the story. Thank you for that. But I will not jeopardize the quality of my story just so I can get a chapter out. I have mentioned it several times before that I will not post until I feel that the chapter is good enough. I want to maintain the quality if not get better with each chapter. So if you can't be patient for that, then I guess it's been nice talking to you. _

_**4\. Reviewers who just skim the chapter -** Yes, I know my chapters have become long. But that's because of all the information that I need to get out and flesh out what is happening. So if you skim through the chapter, oh well. But don't skim through it and then in your review ask what happened, or that you feel it wasn't enough, or it seemed too short, or whatever. It's not my fault you skim through it and not pick up things. _

_**5\. Pokemon guesses for both teams -** Thanks for answering the questions. Some of you made some correct guesses. So you'll see who I have in mind for the final battle. I hope you all like it! It took me a long time to get it done right in my eyes. _

_**6\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 -** Hey buddy. This story has not 'died'. See above. _

_**Guest 2 -** Yes, Sarah is an OC that I have created. Any other questions about her?_

 _ **Guest 3 -** Lucario and Gardevoir are having a little mini vacation back at the island._

 _ **Guest 4 -** Thank you man for the compliments! :)_

 _ **Jaguars5 -** You'll find out in in this chapter if he'll win the tournament._

 _ **Sjin -** Thanks dude for the praise. You'll see soon who the pregnant girl is. _

_**UnhappyPancake -** Dude! It's been a while. Yes, so much pressure for this chapter! lol_

 ** _Alright. Now with all of that done and out of the way, I hereby present to you the 50th chapter for my story, which was supposed to be the chapter posted for my 1 year anniversary. (Oh well...) I hope you enjoy it and the changes and surprises will be in my ending author notes. Remember to review, fav and follow!_**

 **-** I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 50 – THE TOURNAMENT FINALS

A man with grayish blue hair was standing near the edge of a cliff in the evening. Looking out into the distance, he thought about what happened to him that day when he went to visit Ash. How his mind played a trick on him and made him see 'her'. After a couple minutes of silent thinking, he reached into his pocket and took out the photograph again. He looked at the red haired woman that was smiling in the image. Her head was turned slightly to the side but her eyes were looking forward, right at him. _Anastasia…_

A poke ball attached to his belt opened of its own accord suddenly. The dragon and psychic legendary pokémon appeared with a concerned expression. **"Tobias, are you alright?"** asked Latios through his telepathy.

Tobias glanced at the dragon. **"No,"** he answered. **"When I thought it was her, I became entranced. Without thinking I just started moving towards Natasha…"**

" **Natasha?"** asked Latios.

" **The look alike,"** explained Tobias and Latios had understanding dawn on him **. "Anyway, I just moved towards her without even thinking until Ash stepped between us and stopped me. That was when I realized it wasn't her…"** Tobias trailed off and looked at the photo again.

Latios could sense the intense feelings of his trainer and friend. **"You will see her again one day. You just have to keep on the path."**

Tobias put away the photograph and took in a deep breath. He looked at his pokémon and nodded with a slight smile. **"Thank you my friend for keeping me on track. Let's rest for tomorrow's match,"** he advised and the legendary nodded in agreement before he was returned. Tobias made his way back to the cabin he was staying at. As he made his way, his mind was full of thoughts. _I will see you again Anastasia. I will not lose. Though I respect him, I won't even let the Aura Guardian stand in my way…_

It was late at night and three men were sitting in a jail cell. They were silent, neither one of them making a sound with their heads in their hands. Not once did any of the three speak since the day they were brought to the cell. Nor did any one of the three interact with the other or fall asleep easily until the later hours of the night. All they did was remain quiet and eat their meals whenever it was brought to them. They couldn't believe what happened to them. They couldn't believe how their grand scheme to humiliate and discredit their most despised person didn't go according to plan. They went over every detail in their mind and just couldn't find the reason for their failure. Everything was going according to plan. That is until the girls got involved…

The sounds of sudden walking caught their attention and they raised their heads in surprise. Nobody was around at this hour normally. Each of the men glanced at one another before turning their attention to the cell door when Officer Jenny appeared in front of it. She looked at them for a moment in silence before opening up a poke ball and a Growlithe appeared beside her. **"Stand up, face the wall and place your hands on top of your head."**

The men let out a sigh before standing up and doing as they were told. Afterwards, she unlocked the door and went inside while her loyal pokémon let out a deep growl as a warning to the men. She handcuffed each of them with their hands behind their back and then made them follow her with the fire dog bringing up the rear. The five walked through the building for a bit until they reached a room. Jenny led them inside and had them sit on the three chairs before removing their handcuffs. She then re-cuffed them onto the table. She and Growlithe left the room right after. The three men glanced at one another again but when the door opened once more, they moved their sight onto it.

A black haired woman entered the room dressed in formal business attire. She moved towards the three and sat down in front of them. She took out a smart phone and placed it on the table. She pressed one of the side buttons before she eyed each man for a few seconds. **"My name is Tanya Andrews and I'm here to help you,"** she told them. Neither of the men said anything and she continued on. **"So it's true. I've been told that you haven't spoken to anyone. That will make everything easier in getting you what you want. And I know what you want."**

The three looked at one another again before one of them spoke. **"Lady,"** started the dark haired man and she faced him. **"You got our attention. So what do we want?"** he asked her.

" **Revenge,"** she said without hesitation.

That answer caught them off guard. Glancing at the other two before facing her, the purple haired man asked her a question. **"What are you talking about? We don't want revenge."**

She raised her eyebrow at them. **"Really? Don't worry. No one can hear you because of my phone."**

The three eyed the device before looking at her again. **"And we're supposed to just believe you?"** asked the blue haired man. She gave a look that clearly said that they don't have a choice. They let out sighs and he spoke again. **"Alright. Let's say you're right for the sake of conversation. How would you know? And if we wanted that, how will we get that when we're stuck in here?"** asked the blue haired man.

Tanya allowed a smirk to form on her face. **"Don't worry about that. If you truly do want that, then follow these directions."** The black haired woman began explaining what she was going to do for them and what they had to do in return for her. After hearing the details, the three men shared a look before facing her and nodded. **"Good. Be ready. And don't worry…"** she said as she picked up her device from the table and stood up. **"…no one will know about this except for us and my employer."** She pressed the side button on the device again before exiting the room.

After Tanya left the three, Office Jenny once again entered the room with her Growlithe. After switching their handcuffs once more, she led them back to their cell and locked it. She returned to the front of the police building where her desk was situated behind a marble counter in the lobby and sat down on the chair behind it. She let out a yawn and glanced at her fire dog. Growlithe was lying down beside her and she smiled at him. She scratched behind his right ear and the pokémon let out content growls.

As she scratched him, she wondered why the prisoners looked a little happier. She also wondered why that lawyer would want to represent them of all people. And she also wondered why Lance would approve of her meeting with them at such a late hour. But she knew better than to question him. But she still couldn't shake off a feeling that something was wrong. _This is all too weird,_ she thought. _Sucks how I couldn't listen in on their conversation at least. Stupid equipment not working right. And who in their right mind would want to defend them? With all that evidence against them? And who would want to be on the Guardian's shit list?_

That thought made her think of Ash suddenly and all the things she saw him do. From the lake incident, to the stadium attack, the Skull Brothers, what he did during his eight match against Damian and what happened in his latest match against Drax. Her cheeks reddened as her mind brought up flashes of what he's done. After imagining some things, she shook her head. _Damn it. If only he was a little older. Or if I was a little younger._ She let out a sigh and shook her head. _Oh well. No point crying about something that was never yours. But I can't help but have a bad feeling. I just hope nothing awful happens anymore._ She finished scratching the fire type and then faced her computer screen. _Might as well get some work done._

As Officer Jenny looked over her emails and completed some paperwork at the police station, Tanya was making her way down the street at a brisk pace. As she moved, she kept awareness of her surroundings but in a subtle way. She moved past some streets and then rounded a corner. She continued on for a bit until she reached a small motel at the end of the street. She headed towards a staircase and traveled to the second floor before using the card key she was given to enter a room. She closed the door behind her and the first thing she saw was a man named John sitting on the bed watching some TV. **"How'd it go?"** he asked her without looking away from the news he was watching.

She smiled smugly and he saw it from the corner of his eyes. **"Easier than I thought it would be. They're in,"** she answered him. She reached up and grabbed the top part of her black hair and pulled it. Her wig came off and she tossed it onto the dresser. She took out the smart phone and placed it on the dresser. **"That sure was handy. And so was this,"** she added after taking out a folded piece of paper. It was the letter that she showed to the police officer to be able to get in. **"Sometimes I surprise myself,"** she gloated over her forged letter.

John turned off the TV, lowered the covers and got into bed. **"Well, good job Domino. I'm going to sleep now that's done,"** he told her. He faced the wall and closed his eyes.

She kept her attention on him for a few seconds before grabbing a pair of shorts and a shirt for her pajamas and entered the bathroom. She quickly changed and exited it. She picked up the phone and sent a quick status report to Giovanni. Afterwards, the deadly woman got into her own bed and closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep, she thought about the incoming attack, John's obsession with Natasha, Natasha's condition and where she's at, the Aura Guardian Ash and everything else. _Soon, it will be done. The Aura Guardian will die and so will everyone else. That stupid whore will get another round of punishment from John. And Gio will finally have everything set for him to take over and I will be with him when he does._ Domino had an evil smile form on her face as she closed her eyes to sleep.

As the sun began rising hours later, several people had woken up and already doing something in the Indigo Hotel penthouse suite while the rest were just beginning to awaken. One of these was a green haired young man who was lost in thought. Cilan was sitting up in his bed and thinking about everything that had happened yesterday. He had run into Burgundy and Georgia at the mall and decided to spend some time with them. Though Georgia would constantly put some distance from her and the two, for some reason he didn't care. And neither did Burgundy. As he shopped, talked and ate together with her, he couldn't help but feel comfortable with her. And happy. The long hours that he was with her didn't feel forced or awkward or anything bad at all.

Small sounds of movement made him turn his gaze towards his roommate, who was now his ex-girlfriend. Iris fidgeted around in her sleep before stopping and became still once more. Cilan kept his gaze on her for a bit before looking away. He felt some guilt fill him over what he's done recently. When he returned late last night to the hotel, almost everyone had gone to sleep except for a handful. Joanna and Grace were in the living room and his brothers and their girlfriends were in the balcony star gazing.

And one other that was awake was the purple haired girl that was sound asleep in her own bed now.

When he had entered the room, he expected her to be asleep but she wasn't. She was wide awake and sitting up in her bed reading a book with the covers drawn to her waist. She looked at him for a moment when he stepped inside the room. She then placed the book onto the night stand, moved down into the bed as she drew up the covers to her shoulders and turned her back against him. He stayed in his spot for a minute or two before slowly changing into pajamas and got into his bed without a word spoken.

As he remembered that from last night, Cilan felt awful. He didn't like feeling that way and it was starting to eat away at him. He didn't know what was worse. That he didn't tell Iris about Burgundy or that she didn't tell him about Drax. Or the fact that the love they had between them was now gone.

He tilted his head at that thought. _Were we really in love?_ He asked himself. _We had good times and cared for each other, sure. But, we never confided in each other. I was never able to inspire her or motivate her._ That was when Drax's words echoed in his mind. That it was because of him that she had grown weak. _Maybe I am at fault for that. I mean…I did use her in a way in the beginning to get over my failed relationship with…her._ He then thought about his past failed relationship. The one where he had his heart broken. _But I did also help her too. Doesn't that mean anything?_ He remembered how Iris went looking for Ash and saying her prayers when she thought he was asleep. He wondered if she ever had any feelings for Ash. If she had ever truly gotten over that or moved on from it. He then thought about how he just ended things with her without a second's thought. _Did I truly have feelings for her? Or were they just…fleeting? Did we just stay together because it was…easy? Were we just helping each other…cope? Did we think we were in love and acted like we were when in reality we weren't?_ He thought about all that for a while until he came to realize some things. He would have to talk to Iris about them all. And there was something else too. Something that surprised him in a good way but it also made him feel horrible for not realizing it sooner. He took in a breath before deciding to get out of bed, get dressed and get started on breakfast to distract himself.

After Cilan left the room, a little while later Iris woke up. She stirred from her sleep and took up a sitting position. She looked around and saw that she was alone since her ex-boyfriend's bed was empty. She looked at it for a second before getting out of bed and heading into the attached bathroom. As Iris took care of her morning routine, she became lost in her thoughts. She thought of how Georgia called her last night and once again told her of Cilan and Burgundy spending time together. It shocked her that he was spending time with her so soon after their break up. But what really astonished her was the fact that she realized that she didn't care about that as much as she thought she would.

Sure, she was angry and had stayed up to see when he would come back. Her plan was to confront him but by the time he finally appeared, she just didn't want to anymore. She didn't want to try to hold on to something that wasn't working anymore. She stopped brushing her teeth mid way and looked herself in the mirror as she realized something. _Is that why I'm not that angry with him? Does this mean that…I've come to terms with what this really was? But what was this?_ Iris finished up brushing her teeth, spit out the toothpaste and washed her mouth with water before letting out a sigh. She thought about the reasons behind them getting together. How she was in such a bad place and that she could tell that he was in a similar predicament as well. Yet neither of them didn't really acknowledge their problems. Or of the secrets that she kept from him and the secrets he kept from her. Grabbing the towel off the hanger after splashing some water on face, she dried her face and looked herself in the mirror once more. She thought heavily for a couple minutes before coming to a decision. _We're going to have to talk to one another about what this really was._ The purple haired girl left the bathroom, changed out of her pajamas and headed out to join the others who were no doubt gathering in the dining room for breakfast.

In another room, two blunettes were fully awake, out of bed, dressed and were in a hurry. They were busy packing their belongings into their luggage. After what Daisy Waterflower had told them and Giselle yesterday, they had decided that they were being fools after wallowing in their self pity for a long time. Shauna and Lizabeth informed Giselle that they were going to leave first thing in the morning and that shocked the black haired girl. No matter what she said, she couldn't convince her new friends to stay. That they can find a way where everything could work out but only if they tried.

But they wouldn't listen and told her to leave their room. Before she left, they advised her to do the same as them; that if she truly did love Ash, that she would leave him be too. To allow him time to have some good times and happiness before the world goes to shit. After she left with tears building in her eyes, the two blunettes forced themselves to go to sleep so they could wake up earlier than everyone. They didn't want to get caught, especially by Ash because if they saw him again, they didn't know if they could leave without confessing.

That didn't quite go according to plan though since they didn't wake up at their intended time but later on. Realizing they had slept in some, they quickly got out of bed to follow through with their decision. As Shauna finished her packing and zipped up her luggage, Lizabeth was taking out the last of her clothes from the closet. The two quickly finished up their packing and looked at one another. **"Are you sure you want to do this?"** asked Shauna.

Lizabeth was quiet for a moment. **"Yes. There's no other way. Let's hurry up and leave before someone sees us,"** she replied back. Grabbing their luggage, the blunette girls went towards their room door, opened it and stepped outside into the hall. And immediately bumped into someone who just stepped out of the room next to theirs…

A yellow haired young man was tirelessly working away on his lap top. It was connected via a cable to the smart phone that his friend had given him. Clemont had been working all day yesterday to try and crack the phone's security measures until he decided to take a break and sleep. But he woke up early again to continue on it. He had been successful in getting past the initial defenses without too much of a hassle. But the deeper he got into it, the more complex and difficult it became to get through. But he also knew that he was getting close because the wall he was trying to break through was the toughest yet. And he had a feeling that this was the last defense.

Clemont opened up a program on his lap top and ran it. It detected the smart phone and a series of tests were administered to it. The program he was using was one of his own design. He created it to trouble shoot his Clembot and other highly sophisticated equipment in his gym as well as break through security measures if they had become corrupted or compromised. The tests finished and he read the results. Now figuring out what was going on, he made some mouse clicks here and there along with some typing out computer code and hit the 'Enter' key on his lap top. A progress bar appeared in the middle of his screen as the program began doing its thing.

 _Finally,_ thought Clemont while a small smile appeared on his face. He leaned back into his chair and stretched out his fingers before relaxing. _I hope this is the last thing to break through. And then we can find out just who the hell those assholes were working for._ As he relaxed, he thought about some things. He thought about his sister Bonnie and how she was now in a relationship with Max. Sure, they might be a little young, but he could tell that they fit together. He then thought about the other people in the group. From his better known friends like Ash and Serena to his newly made friends such as Riley, Ilene, Violet, Lily, Daisy, Cress, Chili and the rest. He was glad to have many good friends around him who he could have good times with and trust. But then he thought about something else.

He thought about a certain brunette with green eyes. Thinking about her made his smile grow larger. He heard her laughter in his head, remembering her energetic and spunky attitude. How he felt so comfortable around her and how she was always interested in the things he was working on. And the fact that he would always feel better when around her or after talking to her over the phone. His eyes grew wide suddenly as he came to realize something; _I like her…I like Shauna._ After that realization though, he didn't become happier. Instead, his smile faded away as he remembered something else. _But_ s _he's going out with Tierno…I'm too late…damn it!_ He slammed the side of his fist against the desk out of anger.

" **Clemont?"** He spun around in his chair at the worried tone of voice and saw his little sister giving him a fearful look. He hadn't noticed her coming into his room at all, so into his thoughts. She had come to get him for breakfast since he wasn't there. **"What's wrong?"** she asked him fearfully.

Seeing the scared look on her, Clemont took in a breath and let it out slowly. **"I'm sorry for scaring you Bonnie. But it's nothing so don't worry,"** he told her calmly.

Bonnie looked at her brother carefully. She could tell that something was wrong but didn't want to pester him about it. **"Alright. Well, breakfast is ready and I came to get you. Let's go,"** she said.

Clemont glanced at the screen again and saw that the progress bar was still at 1%. Realizing that it was going to take a long time to finish, he faced his sister again and nodded. He stood up and walked over to her. **"Thanks sis,"** he said before the two siblings exited the room together and headed to the dining room.

A raven haired young man was still asleep in his bed. Sleeping with him was three of his girlfriends. After Ash and Leaf came back last night from their date, they saw that everyone had gone to bed. Except for Sarah and Anabel who were waiting for them in his bedroom. After changing into their pajamas, the couple joined the two girls in bed. They talked for a bit and wished each other a good night before falling asleep. Once again, Leaf was sleeping on top of him with Sarah and Anabel snuggled up against his sides.

Ash turned his head slightly but continued sleeping. He was seeing another dream with him back in the pyramid like temple. He looked around and found nothing. Until a blinding white light appeared that made him shield his eyes with his arms. **"Why do you keep doing this to me?!"** he yelled out.

The angelic voice answered him. **"Because you must be ready! You're greatest challenges are still coming! You still need to become stronger and you have yet to make your choice!"**

" **I will get stronger and I will never choose!"** he countered back angrily. **"I will save them all! And what did you mean about my beloved? What were you saying about the ones I love?"**

Silence greeted him for a minute before the voice replied back. **"I will tell you but only if you can answer this; how will you save them all?"** asked the voice and the bright light faded away. Sensing that, Ash lowered his arms and opened his eyes slowly. He saw a glowing white sphere in front of him but couldn't make out what was in it. **"How will you save them?"** repeated the voice and the white sphere pulsed. Ash wasn't able to answer and the voice continued. **"How can you make that decision? How can you figure out a way to do that and follow through? How can you do all that when you can't even do what you know you should? That you don't go after the things you want? That you keep saying that you're not good enough?"** she asked him. Before Ash could answer, multiple figures appeared around him in white lights before they dimmed away. They revealed his girlfriends and he was surprised to see them there. Before he could respond, more and more figures kept appearing and it was of the other six girls who he believed to have feelings for and them for him as well. **"You're girlfriends Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina love you and you love them. The other girls Clair, Liza, Giselle, Shauna, Lizabeth and Daisy; you know that they have feelings for you, most likely love you and you know that you are feeling something for them that is leading towards love. And there is still much that you do not know. There is still much that you have not noticed."** As Ash looked at each of them, he felt the same stirring feeling inside of him that he always felt whenever he was around his girlfriends. The white sphere spoke again. **"And yet you don't do anything. You're still afraid that you're not good enough for whatever reason. And because of that hesitation, because of all those doubts, you will never be able to protect them all. You will never find out the truth. You are holding yourself back because you are not embracing what is true. And until then, you will never truly unlock your potential. Because of that, with the way you are heading down the path, if you want to have any chance at winning in the future against Ragnarok, you're going to have to make sacrifices. You're going to have to make tough decisions. And that is why YOU. MUST. CHOOSE!"** A blinding light erupted from the white sphere and engulfed the young man.

Ash snapped his eyes open and stared at the ceiling of his room. It took him a moment to realize he was panting. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it out quietly. Now feeling other bodies next to his, he looked down and gazed onto the three girls who were sleeping with him. He thought about what he was told while his eyes were on them. _Whoever or whatever that voice is, its right. I can't keep doing this to myself…to them…I have to face what I'm feeling…I have to face my fears…I have to let them all know what's on my mind. But when? And how?_ Lost in thought for a while, movement caught his attention and made him move his sight onto Sarah. The blonde girl had awoken and her golden yellow eyes were locked onto his. She smiled at him and he returned it. **"Hey, slept well my Faithful Fighter?"** he asked her quietly.

The Johto native nodded. **"Yes. Better than ever my Inspiration,"** she answered. She leaned in closer to him and gave him a loving kiss.

When they separated, Ash's head was gently made to turn by a pair of petite hands that had cupped his cheeks. Soon enough, the Salon Maiden's lips were pressed onto his and he sunk into it. **"Good morning my Adventurer,"** whispered Anabel after separating with a large smile.

" **Good morning my Frontier Beauty."**

" **Hey, what about me?"** Ash looked at the brunette and saw her straddling him once again. He hadn't noticed her waking up and sitting up during the kissing. **"Is my Shining Light keeping me in the dark?"** she asked with a pout.

Ash shook his head while Anabel and Sarah grinned at that. **"You know that I would never allow that to happen to you. To any of you."** That made the three girls smile happily. **"But then again, what will my Exotic Flower do for me?"** he asked her with a smirk.

She hit him playfully against his chest. **"Dork. Of course you would ruin that romantic moment,"** replied back Leaf as she leaned in closer to him. She gave him a simple but love filled kiss. When finished, she sat up again and the two smiled at one another.

Sarah sat up and leaned against the headboard. **"So are you ready for your match today against Tobias?"** she asked him.

Ash looked up at her. **"Yup,"** he answered and she smiled. He leaned his head against her side. She placed her right hand on top of his head and gently messaged his head while running her hand through his hair. Ash let out a content sigh from that since that action made him relax and feel good at the same time, enjoying her hand going through his hair and she liked doing it too.

Anabel snuggled against his side more and moved her hand onto his chest with her finger tips tracing his chest scar. **"So you have a plan?"** she asked him.

" **I do,"** replied Ash, enjoying her touch as well. **"I think you'll be amazed,"** he told them.

" **I'm sure we will,"** commented the purple haired girl as she continued.

Leaf looked at the three in front of her and smiled. She couldn't help but feel so happy. But then she thought something that made her shake her head while chuckling. That drew the attention of them and asked her what's up. **"I was just thinking how funny it is that we're all so comfortable with this. How things just worked out for us. And I don't know if anyone else would be alright with it all. I mean, just look at the way you guys are right now. I bet if I was some other girl, I would've gone crazy seeing you two cuddling up against Ash."**

The four of them glanced at one another before letting out laughs themselves. Leaf had a point. It was funny how things just worked out between them all. But they weren't going to complain about it. Why would they? They were happy and content. What kind of fools would they be if they didn't appreciate what they have? But then Ash remembered about the dream he just had and how he needed to do something about the girls he has feelings for soon.

Before he could dwell on that that would have caused his girlfriends to ask him what's up, a knock on the door was sounded out before they heard Delia speaking through it. **"Hey, breakfast is almost ready. Hurry up and join us."**

" **We'll be right there,"** called out Ash. The girls got off the bed and Ash followed suit. He took out some extra clothes for his girlfriends since they were in their nightgowns and handed it to them. As they began to get dressed, Ash headed into the bathroom to use it and wash up. When he emerged from it, he saw them fully dressed. Each of them was wearing black basketball shorts that reached their knees but a different colored short sleeved shirt. Leaf was wearing a green one. Sarah was wearing a yellow one. And Anabel was wearing a purple one. **"Looking good,"** complimented Ash with a grin.

The girls rolled their eyes but couldn't help but smile and feel good from his words. **"Yes, we know,"** said Anabel as she and her two sisters went into the bathroom to wash up themselves.

As the girls used the bathroom, Ash changed into his gray sweats and blue shirt. He then sat on his bed and waited for his girlfriends to come out. While he waited, he thought about the dream he had again until he was sent a mental message from Mewtwo unexpectedly; _they're ready._

Feeling happy over what he was told, he smiled. _Awesome! Thanks buddy, I owe you._

 _I know. That makes it three now._

Ash chuckled quietly but thanked him. He had asked Mewtwo for his assistance in getting the gifts he wanted to get for his newer girlfriends. He was able to take care of that in advance for Misty, May, Dawn and Serena because he already knew what to get them and what his pet names are for them. He hadn't had a chance yet to get something for them because of everything that has happened. And because he didn't have a pet name for any of them until recently.

But he sent a mental message to the psychic feline last night after finally figuring out what he wanted to get them. He wondered if the design he picked out for each girl was something that they would like. He thought about that for a bit until the bathroom door opened and the girls stepped out. **"Ready to go?"** they asked him together.

" **Almost,"** he replied back and stood up. **"I need to do something first."** The girls tilted their heads as he walked up to them. **"Sorry I didn't do this yesterday but I had to wait until I got things right."** Utterly confused, the girls glanced at one another and then at Ash. Before they could say anything, three glowing blue spheres appeared between them. The glow faded away to reveal thin long boxes. Their eyes widening, the girls slowly reached for the box that was hovering in front of them. After opening it, each of the girls let out a shocked gasp before taking out the item that was inside of them. His girlfriends pulled out a white gold necklace with a black pendant. But the design on each of them was different.

Leaf's had a bloomed greenish blue diamond flower on the front. When she flipped it over, she saw the inscription on the back which said;

FOR MY EXOTIC FLOWER

LEAF GREEN

Sarah's had yellow diamond boxing gloves that were also held together in a prayer like position. The words on the back of her pendant said the following;

FOR MY FAITHFUL FIGHTER

SARAH WISEMAN

Anabel's had a pink diamond heart which also had the following engraving on the back of it;

FOR MY FRONTIER BEAUTY

ANABEL LILA

The three girls were looking at their gifts with wide eyes and closed mouths. Ash was waiting for a response from them and before he knew it, the girls had tackled him to the ground and held him tightly.

" **I love it! Thank you Ash!"** said the girls happily over and over.

It took them a while to calm down enough so he could respond back to them. **"You're welcome and I'm happy that you like it,"** replied Ash. The girls each gave him a quick kiss before they got off of him and helped him up. He placed the necklace on each of the three and they admired it in the mirror. Leaf, Anabel and Sarah couldn't help themselves and had large smiles on their faces while feeling absolutely wonderful. They turned around and took turns in kissing him again but this time with much more passion as their thanks. When they finished with that, he asked them if they were ready to go and they said they were. The four of them headed out of the room together and went to the dining room to join the rest who were already eating their morning meals.

When they entered the living room however, Ash told them he was gonna go get Natasha and join them. The girls nodded and went to the dining room while he went towards the red head's room. He knocked on it while saying it was him. Getting no answer he opened the door a little bit and poked his head inside. **"Natasha?"** he asked but got no response. He stepped inside the room while becoming worried. The bed was made and there was no sign of a struggle whatsoever. He checked the bathroom but again, there was nothing. Fearing that something happened, he quickly made his way out of her room. And bumped right into Lizabeth and Shauna. The three of them lost their balance for a second before quickly finding it again. **"Hey, sorry for that. I was just…wait, are you leaving?"** he asked them after seeing their luggage with them.

Both Shauna and Lizabeth felt their hearts beating like mad. They didn't know what to do or say, glancing at each other. Thinking quickly to avoid a scene, Lizabeth faced Ash again. **"I'm sorry but both of us have to leave. We…ah…have to…go back to work."**

Shauna jumped in quickly. **"Yea, since we start work again and can't take any more days off,"** added the blunette fighter. After saying that, both of them passed by Ash while saying their byes.

Seeing them walk away while sensing their emotions all over the place made Ash's heart skip a beat. He could tell something was up and he couldn't have them leave now. Not when he had to talk to them but was now the right time? He pushed that out of his mind for the moment after coming up with an idea. He caught up to them and stood in front of them with his hands raised. **"Hold on!"** he exclaimed and the two girls stopped. They gave him neutral looks but inside they were feeling a whirlwind of emotions. **"You can't go. Not now. I'm just about to face my final match of the tournament and you want to leave now? Can't you stay a little longer? Please?"** he asked them.

Shauna and Lizabeth exchanged looks before looking at Ash again. They saw the way he was looking at them with his caring brown eyes. Their wills to leave, to not disturb the short amount of time he has with his girlfriends, bent a bit over it. Taking in a deep breath, Shauna spoke for the both of them. **"Alright Ash. We'll stay but only until after your final match. Then we'll have to go,"** she said and Lizabeth nodded in agreement.

" **Okay. And thank you for staying,"** he told them with a slight smile. Unable to say anything, the two just put their belongings back into their room and went with Ash to the dining room.

When they entered the dining room, Ash was about to ask the others if they had seen Natasha but stopped because of what he saw; Natasha was already there. She was sitting beside May with an empty seat next to her. She looked at him the moment he appeared and kept her eyes on him as he moved closer to her. Shauna and Lizabeth found seats together beside Giselle, who gave a surprised look that they were still here but said nothing. When Ash sat down beside Natasha, he spoke to her. **"Hey Natasha. Good to see you getting used to us,"** he told her happily while grabbing some food. She blushed slightly. _Hey Ash. Well, it was because of May I'm here actually. She came to get me since breakfast was ready._ He glanced at the brunette and she turned to look at him. **"Thanks May."**

She smiled and nodded, knowing what he was talking about. **"Hey, no problem. And I think Natasha has had enough of you constantly being around her. Give her some space, geez,"** she joked.

Ash rolled his eyes at the laughing brunette but chuckled. **"Yea, whatever you say my Princess,"** he told her. Natasha glanced at May who winked at her and she smiled back. She turned to face Ash who was wolfing down his food once again. She couldn't help herself and her smile went larger over his actions before returning to her meal. As she ate, she thought about some things. How she felt comfortable around him. How his family and friends accepted her without question even with the horrible way she came into their group. She couldn't believe how everything went but she wasn't going to dwell on that. Instead, she came to a conclusion and decision soon enough though. _No May; I can never get tired of him…of Ash. And you and the others seem like decent people. I will tell him of what's coming after his final match of the tournament. That way, he won't be distracted and lose. And I still have time…_

While they all ate and spoke with one another, time seemed to be flying by. Joy told everyone of the new pokémon she caught, which was a Vulpix. They congratulated her on the capture and she in turn thanked Richie for helping her catch her very own pokémon. Richie hugged her with one arm and pulled her in closer to him while saying that it was his pleasure. Violet, Lily, Cress and Chili were talking with one another about what they had to do after the tournament and how they were going to keep in touch with each other.

Clair and Liza were unusually quiet, just eating their meals and gave only short answers whenever they were spoken to. Daisy had talked to them yesterday after they returned from their visit with Lance. But the two girls flat out refused to listen to the eldest Waterflower and told her that they were going to tell Ash about how they felt. Even when Daisy told them that she wouldn't let them, they dared her to try and stop them before leaving for their room. Right now though, they were starting to have some doubts over telling Ash after cooling off because of what Daisy had told them.

Speaking of the blonde, she was playing around with her food, barely eating anything. Violet asked her if something was wrong but she merely shook her head and just said she was feeling anxious over the last match. Leaving her be, Violet started speaking with Lily in a low voice about what their sister could actually be going through. Daisy looked around the dining table and took in the sights. That is until she glanced at the raven haired guardian for a second. Instantly her heart beat quickened seeing him smile and she forcefully tore her gaze away from him. Only for it to land onto her baby sister Misty who was looking right at her. Fear erupted inside her and she tried to casually keep looking around a bit to play it off and went back to her food. From the corner of her eyes, she could tell that Misty was still looking at her for a little bit before looking away. Taking in a deep breath, Daisy scolded herself mentally for almost getting caught. _Control yourself damn it! She can never find out or it will destroy her._ Daisy recommitted to her resolve and finished up her meal to not draw attention.

After some time, Delia happened to glance at the clock and saw that they only had an hour left until the match started. Hey eyes widening, she turned to her son. **"Ash, you're going to have to get ready soon for the match."**

Ash faced his mother, turning away from Cynthia who he was talking to. He looked at the clock as well. **"Oh damn, you're right."** He stood up and they all eyed him. **"Thanks for breakfast. I'm gonna go get ready,"** he told them as he began walking away.

" **Hold up Ash,"** said Cynthia as she stood up and he stopped and looked at her. **"I wanted to tell you that I have to go too."**

" **You're not gonna watch my match?"** he asked her, feeling a little down.

She shook her head. **"No, it's just I have to be with my fellow Champions when you win this match because we have something we need to do for the victor of the tournament. Its tradition,"** she informed him.

He smiled at her. **"Alright. I get it."**

She moved to him and gave him a simple but loving kiss in front of everyone. That drew some envious feelings for the six girls who were hiding their feelings. **"I know you'll win, but good luck Ash."** He thanked her for that and watched her leave the dining room before he too left the dining room after telling them he's going to get ready.

After the two left, the rest began cleaning up so they could get ready themselves. Afterwards, they broke into separate groups and went to their own rooms. Ash's girlfriends entered their room and began talking while changing their clothes. **"Who do you think he'll use for the match?"** asked May.

" **Probably his best,"** remarked Serena. **"Even though all of his pokémon look strong, I think some of them will be more powerful than the others,"** she reasoned.

" **You're probably right. Some of them have been with him longer than the rest. That experience will be important,"** added Misty.

" **Hey, what are you going to wear?"** asked Dawn as she tried to pick out something but couldn't. The other three were having problems too since none of the four could decide on what to wear. After checking out some outfits, they came to a decision to wear similar things; black jean shorts that reached the middle of their thighs but with different colored tops just like they did during Serena's date with Ash. Misty decided on a yellow tank top, May went with red, Dawn chose blue and Serena went with pink. As the four started taking off the clothes to wear their shorts, their door was knocked on. **"Who is it?"** asked Dawn as she zipped her shorts and buttoned it. Sarah's voice was heard from the other side of the door. **"Come in,"** said Dawn while picking up her blue tank top.

Sarah, Anabel, Leaf and Sabrina walked in together. **"You four aren't ready yet?"** asked Anabel seeing them still putting on clothes.

" **Hold your horses,"** said Serena after putting on her pink tank top and began brushing her hair. **"Looks like we all thought similarly,"** she remarked after she noticed what they were wearing.

The four girls who just entered the room had worn the same kind of outfits as them. Each was wearing the same black jean shorts with a different colored top. They wanted to wear the clothes that they just recently picked out that Ash had bought for them. Sarah was wearing a white tank top, Leaf had a green one, Anabel's was lilac colored and Sabrina's was purple. Speaking of the psychic prodigy, the red head noticed that she had a slightly uncomfortable look on her face. **"You alright?"** Misty asked Sabrina after putting on her top.

The other girls looked at her and she blushed in embarrassment. **"I'm just not used to wearing such revealing clothing,"** she told them. The girls understood that instantly since they had always seen her wearing outfits that covered most of her body.

" **Hey, we get it. But don't worry about it. You look great,"** said Leaf.

The gym leader smiled at her. **"Thank you."**

" **Hey, no need to thank me,"** she said while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. **"We're here for each other. And that dense head,"** she finished saying and they all started laughing.

After calming down, the blunette spoke up. **"So,"** started Dawn, getting her sisters' attention. She faced Misty and she tilted her head. **"About what you talked to us about yesterday, when do you want to do it?"** she asked her.

" **After the tournament,"** she answered and they all agreed with her.

That was when Sabrina got a sudden mental message from Ash; _come to my room when you can._ That made her jump in her spot, not expecting it all. The girls eyed her with concern. **"Sorry, Ash just sent me a mental message and it surprised me,"** she told them.

" **It's alright. I almost dropped the bowl of soup I was holding when he did that to me the first time,"** revealed Misty and the girls giggled as Sabrina left the room. **"By the way nice necklaces,"** complimented Misty towards the other three.

Sarah, Anabel and Leaf beamed at her, Dawn, Serena and May while grasping the necklaces around their necks. **"Thanks,"** they said together. The seven of them talked a bit more after checking out the gifts that Ash had got for them. They then headed out of the room towards Ash's.

The psychic prodigy made her way to her boyfriend's room. She entered it and saw him sitting on the bed still dressed in his sweats and shirt. **"Ash? How come you're not dressed yet? And why did you want me to come to your room?"** she asked him.

" **Do I need a reason to see my girlfriend?"** he asked her with a grin while making his way to her and she smiled sheepishly. **"I gotta say Sabrina, you look incredible."** She blushed heavily over his words with her heart pounding a little stronger. Before she knew it, he had kissed her while moving his hands onto her thin waist. She reciprocated the kiss and moved her hands around his neck. When they finally separated, he looked into her pink eyes and she looked into his brown ones. **"I have something for you,"** he told her quietly after a moment.

She tilted her head as he moved one of his hands into his pocket and took out a thin rectangular box. He handed it to her and she took it with widened eyes. She opened it and took out what was inside. Just like with his other girlfriends, he had gotten her a white gold necklace with a black pendant on it. On the pendant was a purple diamond Egyptian looking eye. She slowly flipped it over and read the inscription on the back.

FOR MY PSYCHIC WONDER

SABRINA NATSUME

The psychic prodigy was frozen. She didn't know what to do or say. She had never received a gift from anyone but her parents before. And she wasn't the materialistic type of girl and she wasn't expecting him to give her one now after hearing about the dates with her sisters. But she felt intense happiness over what she was given from him. She slowly raised her gaze to his and looked into his eyes for a few seconds. **"Ash…thank you!"** She hugged him tightly while holding the necklace in her right hand.

" **You're welcome Sabrina. I wanted to get you something after we visited your parents. And though that was kind of a date with you and we had some fun…"** Sabrina's face went scarlet over that. **"…I wanted to get you something. I just didn't have it ready then. I hope you understand,"** he told her.

" **I do,"** she replied back softly. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye before leaning in. She placed her lips onto his and the two shared a passionate kiss.

While they went at it, the room door opened but the two didn't care since they both sensed who came in using their powers. **"Well, look at them go,"** said Serena and the girls shook their heads but were smiling nonetheless. When the two separated, they looked at the girls. **"Finally,"** said the Kalos native as they moved towards the middle of the room.

" **Getting jealous are we?"** asked Ash with a grin.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a mock glare. **"Oh you don't want to tease your Angel Ashy."** He chuckled at that.

" **You should get ready Ash,"** advised Dawn, making him turn to face her. **"You have thirty minutes left."**

" **Alright. I just wanted to give Sabrina her gift too,"** he said. The girls noticed the necklace when he took it from the dark haired girl's hand and placed it on her. He connected the ends and let it lie against the bottom of her neck. He smiled at her and her him before he went to his closet to get his outfit. The girls gathered around the prodigy and looked at the gift he got her. **"So, should I change in the bathroom since I take it you're not leaving?"** The girls turned to face Ash who was holding up his guardian's uniform from the hanger.

" **What, are you embarrassed of showing us what we've already seen?"** taunted Leaf with a smirk, though she did blush a bit and so did her sisters as each of them thought about what they did with him.

They weren't the only ones though.

Ash couldn't help but blush too as he rubbed the back of his head. **"Well, not really. It's just…I want to be respectful, you know,"** he admitted.

The girls smiled at him. They couldn't help but feel happy over his words. Even though they had experienced many things with him and went to the next level, he never wanted to make them feel uncomfortable. **"It's okay Ash. If you want us to leave, we'll leave. But we don't mind at all. Actually, we'll enjoy it,"** said Dawn with a devious smile.

He chuckled at that. **"As you wish my Lucky Star."** He took off his shirt and sweats, making his girlfriends inhale sharply at the sight of his toned body with just his boxers on. Each of the girls believed that they could never get enough of seeing it, especially feeling it against their own, even with the scars. They also knew that he would never get tired of them either. And they were right.

The girls watched him put on his guardian's attire. First it was his blue pants. Then it was his long sleeved tight black shirt that he tucked into his pants before tightening his belt. He wore his blue vest over the black shirt and then put on his black combat boots. He tied the laces, stood up and picked up his black fingerless gloves. After putting those on his hands, he picked up his blue cloak. He wrapped it around his shoulders and clipped the fastening together around his neck. The last item he reached for was his blue fedora hat. He sat it on top of his head and finally turned to face the girls. **"Alright, I'm ready."**

" **You sure are,"** remarked Serena.

" **No other Guardian looked better,"** complimented May.

" **Got that right. C'mon, let's go,"** added Dawn.

" **You have a tournament to win,"** said Misty.

Ash nodded at his girlfriends. **"Time to do this."** The nine of them left the room and entered the living room where most of the group was at. **"Hey guys. Are you all ready?"** he asked them and several said they were while others merely nodded. **"Cool. I'm gonna go check on my pokémon. I'll see you after the match."** They wished him good luck and the girls gave him good luck kisses before he looked at everyone, with his gaze lingering on his girlfriends and on the other girls for a split second longer. After that, he gave them a court nod before he teleported to his pokémon.

" **We should start heading out,"** said Delia and they decided that was a good idea since it would take them some time to reach the stadium. Though they still had some time left, they wanted to get good seats. The group of family and friends left the suite and went down the elevator. Once they were all out of the hotel, they made their way towards the stadium. As they did so, several conversations were going on between most of them while some were thinking quietly and the rest were enjoying the scenery that they walked by. They soon reached the stadium with some minutes to spare and once again found several seats near each other. They waited for the match to begin while conversing with one another but a few out of the group were busy talking in low voices and some others were lost in thought. But then Cilan got a call and left the group, telling them he'll be back later. Iris barely glanced at him leaving before returning to continue her talk with her friends.

Giselle had sat down next to Shauna and Lizabeth who turned to look at her. **"I thought you were going to leave?"** she asked them quietly so only they could hear.

" **We were and we were packed and ready to go,"** started Shauna.

" **But then we ran right into Ash and he asked us to say until after the finals match at least,"** finished Lizabeth.

Giselle nodded in response. **"I see. I hope you stay,"** she told them.

That remark made both blunettes tilt their heads. **"Why?"** they asked together.

Giselle let out a sigh and spoke to her feet. **"Because…I understand what you're going through since I'm in the same boat. And I've come to realize now that if you go now, without ever trying to go for it, then it's going to haunt you for the rest of your life. And I don't want to live my life that way anymore."** She looked up at them and locked eyes with the two. **"And I know you wouldn't want that either."**

Shauna and Lizabeth couldn't believe what they were hearing. **"Why are you saying this? Wouldn't it be better for you if we left? Then maybe you'd have a shot,"** commented Shauna.

" **She has a point. Why are you doing this? And did Clair or Liza tell you anything that's making you say these things to us?"** asked Lizabeth.

Giselle shook her head. **"No, they didn't tell me anything. I don't know where they went yesterday, what they did or anything else. And they didn't tell me to say this. I tried talking to them last night but they just kept quiet. Anyway, I'm saying it because…I feel as if it's right."** Both blunettes tilted their heads. **"I don't know how to explain it…I don't know how to explain why I don't feel threatened by you having feelings for him as well. Why I want you to be with him too. I just don't know why…but ever since this tournament, I have this feeling that it's supposed to be this way. Even with what Daisy told us, I have this feeling that each of us are supposed to be with him and have each other as sisters and friends. I don't know how or why but I just do."** She looked towards the stadium field as the announcer began speaking. **"I believe that it was always supposed to be this way…"** Both of her friends just stayed quiet and didn't respond back. Instead they just thought about what their new friend told them until the announcer started introducing the battlers.

In other parts of the stadium, other people were waiting for the final match to begin. Some of them were a few of the contestants who were beaten in the earlier rounds of the tournament. Jack Thompson and David Blake were among them, sitting in their own separate group of friends while chit chatting and waiting for match to begin. They didn't want to miss this match since it was supposed to be one of the best finals match in history because of several reasons. One was because of the history between the two combatants and the second was how strong both of them are.

One other was thinking along the same lines as the two but he was sitting by himself in another part of the stands. His cloak was around him and he had the hood over his head, which concealed part of his face. He didn't want anyone to talk to him since he was still in a bad mood because of his defeat in the last round. But he wouldn't go back on his word for he couldn't stain his honor. As Drax waited for the battle to begin, he kept thinking about what he did wrong and what he could've done differently.

Somewhere else in the stands there were two people waiting to see the power of the guardian first hand. Domino and John had arrived earlier on in their disguises. While she was enjoying a hot dog, John was looking around the stadium to see if Natasha would be there. Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, she smirked at his actions. _How pathetic._ Ignoring him, she finished her hot dog in time to hear the announcer start the match…

In the VIP room of the stadium, the Champions and President were restlessly waiting for the final match of the tournament to begin. Especially the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia. She couldn't wait to see the battle between Ash and Tobias. She knew that it was going to be the greatest finals match in history for many reasons. She was sitting on the couch right in front of the windows with Diantha next to her. The two were having an intense discussion over what kind of pokémon and strategies that the two would use. The others were behind them and in their own conversations.

Lance was sipping on his drink while standing in the corner and speaking with Goodshow. But his eyes would dart towards the Kalos Champion every now and then. **"I think you two will be good together,"** commented Goodshow quietly after noticing that.

Lance snapped his attention onto him. **"Charles…"**

He held up his hand to signal him to be quiet. **"Lance…I may be old but I'm not blind,"** he said kindly. He turned to look at Diantha. **"She likes you. She has for a long time."** He faced Lance again who was now sporting a shocked look on his face. He smiled at the man. " **I heard things went swell with your little mission with Diantha."** Lance was about to speak when again Goodshow signaled him to be quiet. **"I just know. Don't mess this up. Cynthia was never for you. But perhaps she is. And perhaps you are for her. All I ask is to not let your pride get in the way. Otherwise you will end up alone. Trust me,"** he told the younger man. Goodshow tipped his drink against his before leaving Lance to his thoughts.

The Dragon Champion watched the President of the Pokémon League make his way to his own reserved seat. He then moved his sight to where Diantha was and saw her laughing. He thought about what he was told. He saw the way she talked, the way she held herself, how she did her best to help him whenever he was lost or trying to fix things. He then thought about all the times that she was there for him. Even when he was chasing after Cynthia. _I'm such a fool._ He shook his head and was about to go join the others when a knock came on the door. He opened it and saw it was the Kanto News reporter Britney Snow. **"Hello. Can I help you?"** he asked her.

" **Hello Lance. I'm here because Steven invited me,"** she told him quietly.

Lance turned around and found Steven standing beside the bar with Alder next to him. Feeling unusually good all of a sudden, he let a childish grin form on his face. **"Hey Steven. You're girlfriend's here!"**

Multiple necks snapped as the four champions and the president faced the entrance to the VIP. Britney went crimson red and so did Steven. Cynthia's eyes narrowed a bit but she said nothing. The elegantly dressed champion quickly moved to the two. **"Lance…"**

The Dragon Champion however didn't let him finish. **"Oh don't worry about me. Look after your date,"** he said with an even wider grin. He walked over to Diantha and Cynthia and sat on the single person couch next to theirs.

Steven shook his head and faced Britney. **"Sorry. He's usually not like this,"** he told her.

" **It's alright,"** she said as she looked at the rest. She noticed Cynthia giving her a rather cold look. **"Um, maybe this wasn't a good idea."**

Steven tilted his head before looking back and found the reason why she said that. **"She won't do anything,"** he said, a little louder than usual so she could hear. Cynthia narrowed her eyes even more before facing the field. Steven let out a sigh and he turned his gaze back to her. **"Don't worry. She's calmed down a bit. If she was still super pissed, you would know it,"** he said with a half smile.

Britney nodded her head silently. **"I guess. But why did you invite me here if she was going to be here? I don't want to cause anything to happen…"**

" **I know but nothing will happen. And I called you here because I wanted you to come and watch the final match with me. It's supposed to be a great match. So, will you?"** he asked her.

She noticed how he was looking at her and that made her cheeks redden a bit. **"O-Okay."**

" **Great! C'mon, we'll sit over there,"** he said. He grasped her hand gently and led her to the couch that was a little away from the center one that Cynthia and Diantha were sitting on.

The moment the two sat down, the announcer spoke up. **"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN,"** he started, his voice booming out over the stadium speakers. The crowd fell silent and many shared excited glances towards family and friends. **"THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY! WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE FINAL MATCH OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"** The people in the stands erupted with cheers and Ash's group was among the loudest. **"EVERY SINGLE TRAINER HAS BATTLED THEIR HARDEST TO BECOME THE STRONGEST THERE IS. BUT ONLY ONE CAN REACH THE TOP! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!"** Once again, the stadium became so loud that it caused the VIP windows to shake a bit. **"IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR FINAL TWO TAKE THE FIELD AND SHOW JUST WHO IS THE BEST TRAINER OUT THERE WHO HAS THE MAKINGS OF BECOMING A POKÉMON MASTER! FIRST UP IS THE TRAINER OF LEGENDARIES HAILING FROM PARTS UNKNOWN...TOBIAS TAKUTO!"** A black pillar of energy shot up from beneath the ground at the red trainer's box, which caused many in the stadium to shout in fear. The energy pillar faded away to reveal a man with grayish blue hair standing straight up with his legendary pokémon floating in the air beside him. Darkrai let out a powerful wave of dark energy that made cold shivers go down the people's spines. After seeing him appear, the crowd was not frightened anymore and let out cheers for him. Ash's group glanced at one another with impressed looks over his entrance and they weren't the only ones who were. The announcer speaking forced their attention back onto the field however. **"AND THE OTHER FINALIST…THE AURA GUARDIAN FROM PALLET TOWN…ASH KETCHUM!"** A large light blue glowing sphere of aura energy appeared on the other side of the field. The sphere grew larger and larger as white streaks of electricity sparked around it. Even though the crowd had seen this before in the previous round, they were still awed by it and many were waiting to see the 'eyes'. And their wish was granted soon enough. A pair of dark blue eyes glowed from within before the sphere of aura energy burst open. It sent out a wave of aura energy over the stadium that not only soothed everyone but also energized them all. The people then noticed the Aura Guardian; Ash was standing dressed in his guardian's attire and had his arms crossed as usual. But he was not alone. Pikachu was on his shoulder and both Lucario and Gardevoir were standing beside him again. Wide grins were on each of the three pokémon's faces, with two of them glad to be back. The aura flaring around Ash slowly died down and his eyes returned to their brown color in time to receive the crowd's cheers and shouts.

Both Ash and Tobias walked towards the referee and picked up their microphones. Once attached to their collars, they faced one another. **"Good luck Ash. I'm expecting this to be the greatest final match in tournament history,"** stated Tobias with a smirk.

Ash grinned at him. **"Right back at ya."** The two shook hands and went to their respective trainer's box where their pokémon were waiting for them.

The referee raised both flags. **"This is the final match of the Spirit Tournament. This is a 6 versus 6, 1 on 1 match, with no time limit. Mega evolutions and substitutions are allowed. Begin!"**

Tobias didn't even say a word but Darkrai took to the field. **"NO SURPRISES THERE! TOBIAS IS STARTING WITH DARKRAI!"** Ash's eyes glowed blue and a blue sphere appeared on his side of the field before it faded away to reveal a poke ball. The ball opened and a tall green lizard with a tree like tail appeared. Sceptile placed a twig in his mouth before crossing his arms and eyed his opponent. **"ASH HAS CHOSEN SCEPTILE! LOOKS LIKE HISTORY HAS BEEN REPEATED! WE ALL REMEMBER THE LAST TIME THESE TWO FOUGHT! THIS IS SURE TO BE ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!"** The crowd was going insane and making so much noise that many had closed their ears.

Two close friends, Burgundy and Georgia, were sitting next to each other and were filled with excitement over the starting match. **"This is going to be awesome!"** said the purple haired girl, unable to hold in her excitement.

" **You said it. I never would have believed that Ash would be this powerful and be in the finals against Tobias,"** remarked the red haired girl.

" **Looks like you two are pumped for the battle."**

Both girls turned to face the new arrival and saw a green haired man standing beside them with some snacks and drinks. **"CILAN!"** exclaimed Burgundy happily. She got up and helped him with the snacks. **"Thank you for this and we didn't really want anything."**

" **Speak for yourself,"** remarked Georgia as she helped herself to some popcorn.

Burgundy rolled her eyes and looked at Cilan. **"Sorry about her,"** she told him.

Cilan just smiled and sat down next to her. **"It's alright. Let's watch the match."** She agreed and both of them faced forward. But not before the two moved a little closer together. Georgia noticed that but said nothing. However, a slight grin was spreading on her face.

The crowd was continuing to shout and scream their excitement over the match. But for the four on the field, their attention was only on their opponent. The two pokémon locked eyes with one another and so did their trainers. **"You ready for this?"** asked Tobias.

" **Are you?"** countered Ash.

Tobias smirked. **"If you're that confident, then we'll start off strong. No mercy will be shown. Just don't take it personal,"** he finished. Ash nodded in reply and their pokémon got into battle stances. **"Dark Void!"** Darkrai had his blue eyes glow as he raised his right hand and a black sphere of glowing energy appeared in his palm. From the sphere, multiple orbs of dark energy shot out of it towards the green lizard.

" **Protect!"** commanded Ash. Sceptile had a protective shield appear around him. Multiple spheres collided against the barrier but none were able to pass through.

" **Disable!"** ordered Tobias. Darkrai concentrated on the green lizard as his eyes glowed blue. Sceptile was outlined with a blue glow right after his shield went down for a couple seconds before it faded away. **"Good! Now once more! Dark Void!"** he said with a smirk. The legendary pokémon fired off his signature attack again. Multiple dark spheres went racing towards his opponent.

" **BAD LUCK FOR THE GUARDIAN! NOW HIS POKÉMON IS VULNERABLE SINCE HE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO USE THE DEFENSIVE MOVE 'PROTECT'!"** Ash's group groaned at that and wondered what he was going to do as they saw the spheres hurtling towards his pokémon.

Ash waited until the very last second before saying his command. **"Agility!"** said Ash. Sceptile sprinted away from his spot in less than a second, using his incredible speed to dodge the incoming spheres.

Seeing his opponent gracefully avoid the spheres stunned him for a second before he snapped out of it. **"That won't save you forever! Keep going Darkrai!"** remarked Tobias. Darkrai kept launching his Dark Void spheres all over the place. However, Sceptile was able to evade them all using his speed. Several times there were close calls but no matter how many were fired at him, the green lizard was able to find a way to escape them. His incredible acrobatics were making the crowd go insane from it. Tobias grit his teeth. _How in the hell has he become so fast? He's able to dodge them all! I'm going to have to trip him up._ **"Dark Pulse!"** he shouted all of a sudden.

Darkrai quickly powered up the attack and the dark beam of energy was shot at Sceptile. He was barely able to dodge the attack by diving down to the ground but maintained his momentum by going onto all fours before quickly getting back to his feet and dashed towards the pitch black pokémon. **"Quick Attack!"** Sceptile concentrated and using the speed he had gained already from Agility, he increased his velocity so much that he vanished from sight. He reappeared behind Darkrai and slammed into him with his shoulder, making the black pokémon go sailing forward. **"X-Scissor!"** Sceptile chased after Darkrai with his arms appendages glowing green.

Seeing his pokémon about to get cut down a size, Tobias became both angry and afraid for his pokémon. **"Darkrai! Gather your senses!"** The legendary pokémon recovered in the air and stopped himself in time to catch the lizards' attack in mid swing.

" **WHAT?!"** exclaimed many surprised people from the crowd.

Ash and Sceptile had their eyes widen while Tobias and Darkrai smirked. **"Too cocky Ash,"** remarked the grayish blue haired man. **"Shadow Ball!"**

" **Energy Ball!"** countered Ash immediately after, not losing his focus.

Sceptile fired a green sphere of energy from his mouth right as Darkrai blasted him with a dark purplish black sphere of energy from his hand. Both pokémon were struck from point blank range and sent flying back. The two crashed against the ground and skidded some distance before they stopped. But they got back up with ease and were ready for more. Seeing the two pokémon going toe to toe with one another was making the crowd cheer and roar over it. **"Wow, what a match and it's barely started,"** commented Sarah.

Dawn nodded in agreement. **"Trust me Sarah. After their match back in Sinnoh, they're only getting warmed up,"** she revealed. That caused many in the group to become both anxious and excited. Even Natasha was starting to feel her blood pumping from the match.

" **You've gotten much stronger Ash,"** stated Tobias. **"I remember Sceptile would've been panting heavily by now after all that."**

Ash nodded over the compliment. **"Right back at you Tobias. Darkrai seems to have gained much more power since last we battled."** The two gave each other respectful looks and so did the pokémon. **"But it's time to continue the battle. Screech!"** Sceptile let out a loud horrible sound that made Darkrai cover his ears and writhe about. **"Leaf Blade!"** The grass starter shot forward with his arm's appendages once again glowing but this time a dark green.

" **Counter with Shadow Claw!"** shouted Tobias but it was no use. The legendary pokémon was still in agony from the high pitched sounds he was tortured with. He could do nothing but watch as his opponent had his pokémon begin to attack his pokémon. He grimaced seeing Darkrai take the powerful cuts and he let out painful cries from it. **"No more games! Vanish from sight!"**

The powerful legendary faded away into the air and Sceptile's last attack hit the ground, cutting into it. Sceptile straightened out and took up a defensive stance at once while having his eyes dart everywhere. Before Ash could say anything, a dark orb was shot at his grass lizard from behind and Sceptile was barely able to dodge it by flinging itself to the side. More dark orbs were then shot from all over and the Hoenn starter was doing its best to evade them all. _Damn it! We need to draw him out!_ **"Leaf Storm!"** shouted Ash. His pokémon dodged another dark orb before he summoned a whirlwind of sharp leaves and had them cut through the air around him.

Anguished yells were heard before Darkrai appeared in the air, unable to stay invisible due to the pain of the many cuts he had sustained. **"Good job! Now Brick Break!"** shouted Ash. Sceptile shot forward with his right arm glowing white.

" **Darkrai!"** shouted Tobias right when Sceptile was about to deliver the blow. But the legendary couldn't move. Sceptile swung his arm down but what happened next was what he was expecting. Darkrai stopped his attack by catching his arm. A dark orb was then shot out of his free hand and connected against the green pokémon. Sceptile instantly fell asleep and dropped to the ground.

The crowd gasped and many shouted in surprise. Ash's group had shocked expressions appear and many worried what would happen now. **"WHAT A TWIST! DARKRAI WAS FAKING HIS OWN INJURY TO DRAW IN HIS OPPONENT!"**

Tobias grinned at the raven haired guardian. **"I told you Ash! We won't be holding back and we will win!"** He expected the raven haired young man to be surprised, upset or even worried. But he wasn't expecting him to grin back. That confused him and his pokémon. **"Why are you grinning? Your pokémon is about to be defeated because of Darkrai's special ability or if you return him, it'll be out of the match completely!"** Darkrai was having a faint glowing outline around him as his special ability of Nightmare was coming into action. Black glowing streams of dark energy traveled towards the sleeping pokémon to drain his energy.

Ash's grin spread a little before he answered him back. **"Tobias, Sceptile and I have been waiting a long time to have a rematch with you and Darkrai. We know how powerful he is and how his Dark Void attack and Nightmare ability is a very dangerous combination. But we have something planned for you…"**

" **You may have had something planned, but that doesn't matter anymore,"** replied back Tobias. **"There's no way you can do anything right now! Darkrai, finish this!"** Darkrai's eyes glowed blue and the dark streams of energy moved faster. Right before they reached the sleeping grass type, Ash let out a whistle. It was a loud, short but sharp whistle. Instantly, Sceptile opened his eyes and stood back up. **"WHAT?!"** shouted Tobias in shock and many from the crowd had the same reaction as him.

" **Fury Cutter!"** commanded Ash and Sceptile shot forward with his arm's appendages glowing green once more. He started hacking away at the astonished and shocked defenseless legendary with each connected strike becoming more powerful than the last.

Both Tobias and Darkrai weren't able to snap out of their shock that their opponent woke up from his Dark Void attack. Seeing his pokémon once again become a cutting board, Tobias snapped out of it and gave out a desperate command. **"Poison Jab!"** he yelled. A fist shot forward out of nowhere covered in purple ooze and connected against the lizard's chest that stopped his assault.

Sceptile took some steps back as he clutched his chest and winced. Some purple sludge was digging into his skin. He had been poisoned from the attack. Ash sensed his pokémon's pain from the aura bond between them. **"Can you continue?"** he asked and the starter nodded without even looking back at him.

Darkrai took the opportunity to catch his breath some. Seeing him in such a state already made a shiver go down Tobias' spine. _He came up with a way to counter my Dark Void and Nightmare combination. By just whistling! He sure has changed. And how powerful has Ash's pokémon become?!_ He quickly studied both pokémon on the field and noticed some things. To the untrained eye, his pokémon looked like he was fine. But he could tell that he was floating in the air with some difficulty. The cuts he had sustained had taken a lot out of him. But he also noticed that Sceptile's panting was gradually getting heavier. The poison from the last attack was starting to work its magic. _Have to finish him soon. I can't mess around anymore!_ **"Double Team!"** Darkrai split into a dozen copies and surrounded Sceptile. **"Dark Pulse!"** The dozen Darkrai fired the attack at once.

" **Jump!"** shouted Ash. Sceptile barely made it out in time to avoid the attack. Even though only one was the real attack, he had no idea where it was coming from and couldn't take a chance on that. **"Leaf Storm!"** While still in the air, Sceptile summoned a swirling vortex of sharp leaves and sent it crashing down on top of the dozen copies.

" **Get out of there and use Ominous Wind!"** yelled Tobias. All the Darkrai's vanished into the shadows and the storm of leaves just collided against the ground. Before the grass type began coming back down towards the Earth, Darkrai appeared in front of him out of thin air. He then aimed at Sceptile and blasted out a repulsive wind from his hands. The grass starter was struck and was sent higher into the air before falling down to the ground that caused a cloud of dust to rise up and covered him. The pitch black pokémon returned to his side of the field.

Darkrai and Tobias waited patiently with their guard up to see the result. A few seconds passed when suddenly green bullet sized seeds was fired from within the dust cloud towards the legendary. Darkrai ducked underneath the Bullet Seed attack and was about to counter with a Dark Pulse. Right before he did though, a small brown seed shot out of the cloud, struck him and became embedded on his skin. It opened and several vines flowed out of it and wrapped around him. It started sapping its strength and Darkrai let out agonizing yells. The dust cleared to show Sceptile panting heavily with one knee on the ground. The poison was spreading throughout his body and was also losing strength fast.

Many from the crowd couldn't believe what was going on. Both pokémon were insanely strong yet to see a regular pokémon giving a legendary a hard time on its own was something else entirely. They were evenly matched. **"THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN TOBIAS'S DARKRAI GET VERY CLOSE TO BE BEATEN BY JUST A SINGLE POKÉMON! BUT IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE SCEPTILE WON'T BE ABLE TO GO ON MUCH LONGER! WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?!"**

Ash's group was beyond astonished over the incredible battle and it had barely started. **"Do you think Ash will win?"** asked Bonnie.

" **Of course!"** answered Max. **"Sceptile is one of his strongest!"** he said, complimenting the pokémon. He knew how much potential they have and how stubborn they are since he had one of his own.

" **Don't be too sure son,"** remarked Norman, making him and everyone in the group to look at the Petalburg gym leader. **"Ash and his pokémon are strong but anything can happen at the last second,"** he explained.

They nodded and turned back to the match. **"Well, we'll see soon enough,"** commented Caroline.

Tobias was looking at Darkrai with both fear and worry. Never was his first legendary so easily beaten to his last legs and by just one pokémon. **"Darkrai!"** he called out to his friend. **"I know you're hurting but I know you can do it!"** The black ghost like legendary gathered energy from his trainer's encouragement and straightened out some. **"That's it!"**

Ash looked at Darkrai and Tobias. He could sense that the legendary was severely weakened but it still had a lot of fight left in it. **"Sceptile!"** The grass type glanced back at his trainer. **"You think you can still go on?"** The starter scoffed and stood back up but it took him a couple seconds. _Good buddy. But looks like we're going to have to do the other plan earlier than expected. You think you can pull it off still while poisoned?_ Sceptile communicated back through their aura bond that he could do it. **"Alright, Sceptile, time to end this!"** stated Ash. That statement caused many in the crowd to widen their eyes and gasp in surprise. **"Tobias! We've got another surprise in store for you!"**

Tobias raised an eyebrow. **"Bring it Ash! Darkrai and I can handle it!"** he replied back confidently.

Ash grinned and so did Sceptile. **"Oh don't worry we will. Sceptile, you know what to do!"** The grass type had a green outline appear around him before he started glowing green.

Tobias instantly recognized the move. **"Don't let him finish healing! Stop him with Shadow Balls!"** Darkrai fired dozens of dark purple energy balls towards Sceptile. They were just about to hit him when he split into a dozen copies. The copies then dodged them and sprinted forward while still glowing green, shocking everyone. **"How?! Damn it! Rapid fire Dark Pulse!"** The legendary fired beam after beam at the speedy pokémon but the ones he managed to hit were just copies as they just vanished into thin air.

Before Tobias could try another tactic, one of the Sceptile appeared behind Darkrai suddenly and the green glow was very bright. **"Too late! Solar Beam!"** shouted Ash.

 **"SHIT!"** exclaimed Tobias. He had been tricked. Sceptile wasn't trying to heal itself with Synthesis. He was gathering energy for the attack.

Darkrai couldn't even attempt to avoid the attack at all when Sceptile fired his attack. A large green beam of energy engulfed the legendary before it exploded and raised a cloud of smoke. A moment later, the smoke cleared and it revealed both pokémon barely conscious and panting heavily. Darkrai had received tremendous damage from that last up close move and the poison was taking its toll on Sceptile. Both Ash and Tobias waited to see what would occur and so did everyone else in the stadium and those watching from home.

After several more seconds, Sceptile slowly stood up. Darkrai followed suite and hovered in the air. Neither would give up so easily. **"WHAT WILLS! BOTH POKÉMON ARE FEELING EXCRUCIATING PAIN BUT ARE STILL ABLE TO KEEP GOING! WHAT IS KEEPING THEM UP?!"** said the announcer and the crowd roared and cheered over the battlers.

The grayish blue haired man looked at his legendary. He could tell that if they didn't do something quick, then they would lose this round. **"Darkrai! Quick Attack!"**

" **You too!"** ordered Ash.

Sceptile and Darkrai shot forward like bullets and slammed into each other with such speed that a shockwave erupted from the force when they collided. Both pokémon were trying to overcome the other. **"Shadow Claw!"** shouted Tobias all of sudden.

Darkrai attempted to slash at the lizard from close range but then Sceptile blocked him with his arm's appendage. That startled Darkrai and shocked Tobias. **"Good job! X- Scissor!"** Sceptile grinned at Darkrai before he had his appendages glow green once more before he swiped at the legendary in two crossing diagonal slashes. The legendary was pushed back from the attack and was barely standing. **"Finish it! Focus Blast!"** Sceptile began focusing his power and Tobias told Darkrai to get out of the way. But it was too late. Sceptile unleashed his power and it struck the legendary, sending him colliding into the stadium wall. The black humanoid pokémon then dropped onto the ground and didn't get back up. Seeing his adversary down for the count, Sceptile straightened out and placed a twig in his mouth. He then glanced at his trainer and gave him a thumbs up. But then he dropped to one knee and began panting heavily from the poison in his system. The next second, he too fell face forward.

" **Both Darkrai and Sceptile are unable to battle. Trainers, send out your next pokémon!"** said the referee.

Both Ash and Tobias recalled their fainted pokémon as the announcer spoke over the roar of the crowd. **"UNBELIEVABLE! BOTH DARKRAI AND SCEPTILE ARE OUT FOR THE COUNT! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN THE LEGENDARY GET TAKEN OUT BY A SINGLE POKÉMON! WILL HE BE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH LATIOS AS WELL?!"**

Tobias clipped Darkrai's ball onto his belt before eying Ash. _He's become a lot more calculating and strategic but still unpredictable. That is a powerful combination. I must be more careful from now on. I think he's earned himself a battle with one of the others._ He allowed a grin to form on his face as he unclipped a poke ball from his belt. **"Well done Ash. You promised an incredible match and you haven't disappointed so far. I think you've earned this."** The older man tossed out the ball into the air and bright white light escaped from it.

The pokémon who appeared caused many to gasp and let out startled yells. The pokémon was a quadrupled being with a large sharp hump like back along with two cannons that extended out from it that curved into an oval with the ends meeting one another. It was mostly colored red with blue and yellow markings as well as short but sharp protrusions all over its body. **"I introduce to you the fire and water type legendary…the only pokémon of its kind…Volcanion!"** stated Tobias and the legendary pokémon had pressurized steam erupt around its body.

" **Incredible. That's a fire and water type?!"** asked Daisy to no one in particular but several from the group were thinking the same thing.

" **How is that possible?"** remarked Lily with her eyes wide as she turned to Cress.

" **No idea. I would've thought it would be impossible for a fire and water type pokémon to exist since both elements can be so volatile,"** he replied to her.

" **That pokémon sure looks strong,"** commented Violet in a whisper.

" **It is,"** began Chili, making his girlfriend and the other to look at him. **"A fire pokémon's strength can be judged with how much heat it can generate. And we can feel it from here."**

They had understanding looks form on their faces. **"It doesn't matter how strong that pokemon is. Ash will find a way to beat him,"** said Misty with conviction as she looked at her sisters and their boyfriends. The five glanced at her and nodded.

But when Daisy looked at her baby sister, the red head locked eyes with her. At that moment, the blonde girl felt her heart skip a beat at the gaze she was given. She then remembered how she looked at her the same way during breakfast. _She knows! I don't know how, but she knows!_ Fear, shame and worry filled the eldest Waterflower all of a sudden but before she could do or say anything, Misty faced the field once more. Daisy kept her gaze on her for a few more seconds before forcing herself to turn back to the field as well.

Ash was astonished to see the legendary. He had only ever heard of its name even with all the studies and research he had done with Mewtwo during his 3 years of training. It looks like there were still many things he didn't know about. Nevertheless, he refocused onto the match and summoned one of his own pokémon to the field through his aura. A poke ball appeared out of nowhere in a blue glow and opened to reveal the powerful dragon and ground type Garchomp. The blue land shark let out a vicious roar that made many shiver from it and took up a battle stance at once. Cynthia eyed the dragon from the VIP room and could tell that his Garchomp was powerful indeed. She began thinking about what a match it would be between her and his dragons against one another. Until she had her attention return to the match when Ash began speaking. **"I believe you started off the first round so we'll start this time!"** called out Ash and Tobias didn't argue about that. **"Garchomp! Earthquake!"** The Sinnoh dragon stomped his large foot against the ground and caused a massive tremor to rock the area. Many people had a hard time staying on their chairs and even in the VIP room the champions, reporter and president were feeling it.

Volcanion felt the effects of the attack and it hurt him a fair amount. However, he was able to shrug off most of the damage due to his bulky figure and from his good balance and low center of gravity. After the tremors stopped, the legendary shook his head a bit and let out a roar. That surprised his opponent. **"Good job! Counter with Flame Charge!"** Volcanion engulfed itself in flames and with surprising velocity, dashed towards the dragon while picking up speed.

Astonished over how quickly it was moving regardless of its irregular shape, Garchomp and Ash didn't react in time. The dragon was smashed into by the legendary and he let out a cry of pain as he was pushed backwards a good distance. Snapping out of his stupor, the raven haired guardian gave out his next command. **"Dragon Claw!"** Garchomp shot forward and quickly struck back, slashing at the fire and water type several times in less than a few seconds that made the legendary back away. Garchomp once again let out a vicious roar but then snarled loudly at his opponent. He was angry but mostly at himself for not evading the attack, knowing that he could've easily if he was just focused. **"Garchomp!"** shouted Ash and the dragon glanced back at his trainer. Seeing the serious gaze on his face, the blue land shark quickly calmed down and took in a breath. He nodded back and faced the legendary.

" **Wow, he was able to calm down and control Garchomp with just a single look,"** remarked Clair with wide impressed eyes.

" **Didn't you say that being able to do that with dragons is one of the things a true dragon trainer can do?"** asked Liza.

Clair nodded. **"Well yea, but there are other things too. Then again, he does have Rayquaza on his side. Nothing else to prove honestly at this point. Unlike Drax, Ash is definitely a real Dragon Master."**

The others in the group heard the small conversation between the two close friends. Several had feelings of pride surge within them, like Ash's girlfriends and his mother. Others started thinking about that and one of them was the purple haired girl from Unova. Iris was thinking along the same lines as Clair since both of them were dragon trainers and had studied the lore greatly. _Clair is right. Ash has truly become one of the greats._ The dark skinned girl allowed a small smile to form on her face for the first time in a couple days. She began thinking about him and the adventures they had together, which made her forget about her current problem all together…

" **Sandstorm!"** ordered Ash. Garchomp summoned a swirling cloud of sand and dust over the entire field and his dragon disappeared into it.

Tobias raised his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes from the sand. **"Not bad but not good enough! Steam Eruption!"** Volcanion had his two cannons separate from one another and face outwards before quickly launching superheated pressurized steam. The steam was so powerful and hot that it completely washed over the sandstorm and vaporized it, clearing the field. But Garchomp was nowhere to be found. **"What the…"** Tobias scanned the area with his eyes and so did his pokémon. **"Where did he go?!"** he asked out loud in frustration.

" **Sorry Tobias. But can't spill my secrets now. But you should watch out in 3…2…1…"** A blue dragon with a blue outline around him appeared out of thin air right in front of the quadrupled pokémon and slammed against him with incredible force. Volcanion was sent backwards a good distance even with his feet digging into the ground and leaving behind a trail. The legendary panted some from the attack, having receiving a great deal of damage from it.

" **How?"** asked a stunned Tobias.

Ash grinned before explaining. **"Aerial Ace into Dragon Rush."**

Understanding dawned on the grayish blue haired man and he nodded. But when he allowed a grin of his own to form on his face, Ash tilted his head. **"Very impressive. But don't think you can win with just that. Volcanion isn't a legendary for nothing. You will see the true power of fire and water working together! Flamethrower and Hydro Pump!"** commanded Tobias. What happened next stupefied everyone, including the young Aura Guardian. Volcanion again separated his cannons and aimed them at Garchomp before firing both attacks. Not one after the other. But at once. Both fire and water attacks were launched at the same time, one from the right cannon and the other from the left.

Seeing this occur made Ash, along with everyone else, widen their eyes. Seeing the different elemental attacks hurtling towards his pokémon made him instinctively go on the defensive. **"Protect!"** Garchomp summoned a protective barrier around him at the last second. The flames and torrent of water collided against the shield and the dragon was struggling to keep it up. After the attacks ended, the barrier was dropped and the dragon panted. **"That was too close,"** remarked Ash, while thinking of a way to stop him from using that move again.

But Tobias wouldn't give him the chance. **"Again!"** he ordered. Scorching flames and pressurized water was blasted from Volcanion's cannons.

" **Get into the air!"** ordered Ash. His dragon evaded the attacks by flying up into the air, dodging them completely this time. **"Now counter with Draco Meteor!"** Garchomp charged up the attack and fired a large meteor down onto the grounded legendary.

" **Brace yourself!"** shouted Tobias and Volcanion got into a defensive position and had a shield appear around him. The large meteor broke apart into multiple pieces and each one slammed against the shield. The legendary was having a hard time keeping it up. When it finally ended, Tobias saw that his pokémon was panting. _Damn, that dragon is strong. We need to end this soon or we may have problems later on._ **"Bring him down!"** Volcanion once again started firing his fire and water type attacks at once. Garchomp evaded them in the air. **"You can't escape! Keep firing! He'll tire out eventually!"** commanded Tobias. Blast after blast of flames and water were shot upwards into the air towards the blue pokémon but none connected. Yet it kept him from countering with any of his own attacks.

 _Shit, this is not good._ Ash watched his dragon dive, dip, duck and dodge the attacks. He had never before seen such speedy dual type attacks. It didn't help either that they were being launched at the same time. **"Counter with Dragon Pulses!"** Garchomp fired multicolored beams of draconic energy whenever he had the chance. But every single one he launched was intercepted and canceled out from the legendary with his own attacks. **"Damn it!"**

Tobias started laughing. **"You're going to have to do better than that Ash! Volcanion can keep this up all day. Can your Garchomp do the same?"** he asked him. His revelation startled everyone in the stadium and they all wondered just what the guardian was going to do.

Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu glanced at one another with worried looks. Ash told his dragon to keep avoiding the attacks but to not counter anymore for the moment to conserve energy. As Garchomp did what he was told, Ash refocused onto the red pokémon on the ground, trying to find a weak point. _That pokémon is definitely a legendary for a reason. He can use both water and fire type attacks and at once without problem and has incredible endurance. And he's keeping Garchomp at a distance, preventing him from getting close._ He watched how the cannons on his back would shoot out both type of attacks from either one. He also saw how the cannons moved on his back. After studying him for a moment, he realized something. The cannons couldn't point directly down. From the way they functioned, he could tell that they had some restricted movements and could only effectively aim at any point at or above its waist. _That's it!_ **"Garchomp!"** shouted Ash all of a sudden, catching everyone's attention. **"Go into the ground!"**

Garchomp quickly evaded the last attack that was sent his way and rocketed down towards the ground. He began spinning his body while bringing his claws in front of him. The instant he touched the ground, he drilled into it easily and disappeared underneath the field. The crowd quietly but impatiently waited to see what would happen next while holding in their breath.

But Tobias was not one of them. **"Make him get out! Earthquake!"** Volcanion rose up onto his hind legs before stomping the ground with both of his front legs. The ground shook tremendously and made many fall off their seats. When it finally stopped, they waited to see if anything would happen for a moment. **"I think that…"** Sudden rumbling was heard from beneath the ground. **"I guess not."**

" **That's right,"** added Ash. **"Stone Edge!"** The ground beneath the fire and water type broke apart and jagged rocks rose up and hit him. Volcanion howled in pain and attempted to move away but before it could, Ash gave his next command. **"Dragon Rush!"** Garchomp emerged underneath Volcanion while in a blue glow and smashed into his underbelly. The red pokémon let out a horrific yell but that wasn't all. Garchomp used his overwhelming strength to push his large foe into the air, shocking everyone of his incredible feat. **"That's it buddy! Now finish this with Superpower Dragon Claws!"**

" **No!"** shouted Tobias. **"Use Steam Eruption!"** But it was no use. Volcanion tried to target the blue dragon but he couldn't aim his cannons down. And even if he could, Garchomp was directly underneath him while pummeling into his underbelly with devastating blows. There was no way to get a shot at him. Realizing that, Tobias grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. _Shit, if this continues, Volcanion will be out for the count and he'll still have his Garchomp. I'm sorry Ash but I cannot afford to lose. I have too much riding on this._ As if hearing his thoughts, his legendary pokémon glanced at his trainer and gave a slight nod through the pain. Tobias had his heart skip a beat over how his pokémon knew and agreed with him. He didn't waste any time. **"Explosion!"** Volcanion glowed an intense white immediately.

" **Get out of there Garchomp!"** yelled Ash while many in the stands screamed and shouted over what was going to happen. The land shark however knew that he couldn't get away completely since he was so close but decided to at least get some distance between them. He delivered one more full powered punch against Volcanion's stomach that made him rise up into the air before Garchomp flew away as fast as he could.

Volcanion let out a loud roar before an intense white energy blast erupted from him. The explosion expanded and soon caught up with the fleeing dragon and engulfed Garchomp who disappeared from sight. Only his howls of pain were heard from inside the blast. Everyone in the stands shielded their eyes from the attack's brightness in the sky. A little while later, the bright light dimmed and the energy sphere faded away until only the two pokémon were visible once more. Both Volcanion and Garchomp fell to the ground and landed with loud thuds and made the ground cave in around their bodies.

The referee lowered both flags and was about to talk when slight movement caught his eye. Very slowly, using every ounce of will and strength he could muster, Garchomp rose to his feet while panting heavily. **"Volcanion is unable to battle. Victory goes to Garchomp! Trainer, send out your next pokémon!"**

The crowd was silent for a moment before erupting with loud cheers. They couldn't believe that the dragon was able to survive the blast. And neither could Tobias. **"THAT'S ANOTHER LEGENDARY POKÉMON DOWN FOR THE COUNT! CAN THE GUARDIAN CONTINUE OR WILL THE BATTLE TURN?"**

Tobias returned his Volcanion and thanked him quietly before placing his ball onto his belt. He took out another one and was about to toss it when Ash returned his Garchomp. He watched as the guardian had another pokémon take the field. A blue ninja frog appeared who stood up straight and crossed his arms. _Interesting choice. I wonder how this will go._ Tobias tossed out his poke ball and a sylph like pokémon appeared with a crystal and rock body. It was colored pink and white mostly. Many people in the stands awed and cooed over the enchanting pokémon. Ash and Greninja were both surprised to see her with Tobias.

" **Oh my Mew, how beautiful!"** exclaimed Dawn.

" **Now that's a contest contender if I ever saw one! Who is that pokémon?"** asked May.

" **That's Diancie! The legendary fairy and rock pokémon!"** revealed Serena. The group had their eyes widened. They couldn't believe that such an eye catching pokémon was a legendary.

" **LOOKS LIKE BOTH SIDES HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER THEIR OPPONENT! DIANCIE IS A ROCK AND FAIRY TYPE WHILE GRENINJA IS A WATER AND DARK TYPE! WILL THE SPEEDY NINJA OVERTAKE THE LEGENDARY'S DEFENSES?"**

Ash started formulating a plan in his head on how to battle Diancie. He knew how powerful her defenses are. _Damn, looks like Tobias wasn't kidding about forming an ultimate team. Darkrai and Latios…then Volcanion that I don't have any information on…and now he has Diancie with him. I wonder who the other two will be…wait, now's not the time for that. I'm sorry Diancie, but I'm going to have to battle you if I want to win._ Greninja glanced back at him and nodded, agreeing with him before facing the legendary and got into a fighting stance.

Tobias saw them getting ready to battle and he grinned. **"Good to see that you're pumped for battle Ash. But I got a surprise for you!"** He lifted up his right hand to show off the mega ring he had on his bracelet. Everyone in the stadium and those watching at home were surprised to find out that the legendary pokémon could mega evolve. He touched the mega ring and his fairy was encased in a white bright sphere before it exploded to reveal its mega form. The black rock like crystal that was the bottom half of its body had several crystals form around it and a large round pink diamond was on its head. Two long white ribbon like appendages extended out from the back of its head. **"Now her attack power is raised to incredible levels as well! Good luck trying to beat her Ash!"** boasted Tobias as Mega Diancie made a graceful twirl and then got into a fighting stance with her eyes locked onto Greninja.

" **I told you once before that I like challenges!"** remarked Ash and Tobias grinned. **"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"** The blue frog sprinted forward while water ninja stars appeared in his webbed hands.

 _That's it, keep coming closer,_ thought Tobias as the pokémon advanced. Right when Greninja was close enough, he shouted out his command; **"Moonblast!"** Diancie's eyes glowed pink as she launched the powerful beam of pink energy right at her opponent. Greninja however kept advancing and at the last second, he vanished from sight. The powerful fairy move missed and collided against the stadium wall. **"What the hell?! Where'd he go?!"** wondered Tobias out loud.

His question was answered when a water shuriken was shot out of nowhere and struck Diancie against her side. The legendary turned to face the direction it came from but then another one hit her from another direction. No matter how quickly she tried to turn, the fairy pokémon couldn't locate her attacker and the water ninja stars were taking its toll. **"Keep it up Greninja!"** encouraged Ash and his water starter kept going.

Seeing his pokémon become target practice was angering him. He thought that with the mega evolution that Diancie would be able to keep up with the speedy frog. But he was wrong. _I need to slow him down._ **"Dazzling Gleam!"** The legendary immediately brought out a bright pink energy blast from within her that shot out in all directions that expanded with incredible speed. It caught Greninja in its wake and made him stop his relentless actions in his tracks. The water frog was blasted backwards and he crashed against the ground hard. **"End this with Moonblast!"** ordered Tobias to take advantage. Diancie's eyes glowed pink as she once again launched the powerful beam of pink energy at the water type.

" **Ice Beam!"** countered Ash. The water type shot to his feet and fired an icy blue energy beam towards the oncoming attack.

The two powerful attacks met in the middle of the field and stalemated. Each was trying to overcome the other, struggling to keep it up. **"INCREDIBLE! THESE TWO POKÉMON ARE LOCKED IN A POWER STRUGGLE! WHO WILL GIVE WAY FIRST?!"** The crowd was stunned at what was happening before letting out roars and cheers.

Tobias was wondering how in the hell his Greninja was able to keep up still. _Damn it Ash. I didn't think you'd get this strong to give my legendaries a run for their money. But I can't lose. Looks like I'm going to have to get brutally serious if I'm going to win. I hope you don't take this personally._ **"Diancie! Time to take control! Diamond Storm!"** Diancie concentrated and while maintaining her energy beam, she whipped up a storm of diamonds and launched them at Greninja.

Both pokémon and trainer had their eyes widened in surprise and were unable to react in time. He was bombarded with the incredibly hard and sharp projectiles. Unable to hold up his beam, the blue frog stumbled and Diancie's Moonblast cut through his Ice Beam and slammed against him. Greninja went sailing through the air and then he crashed against the stadium wall but that wasn't all. The storm of diamonds kept coming and pelted him continuously, making him let out agonizing cries while smoke and dust rose up around him. **"Get out of there!"** yelled Ash with worry but his pokemon was stuck. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the attack ended and the dust cloud faded away. But what it revealed in its wake made many from the stadium to shout in fear. Greninja was kneeling on the floor, panting heavily while looking incredibly hurt with many bleeding cuts and bruises.

Ash's family and friends were beyond worried. And one of them was the red head. Natasha had a sullen look on her face at seeing the water type so hurt and her heart was beating rapidly. She had grown to like the blue frog since he watched over her, was kind and respectful of her. She didn't like seeing him in so much pain. And she definitely didn't want her savoir to lose. _C'mon, I know you and Ash can do it!_

" **How much longer do you think Greninja can hold this up?"** asked Bonnie to her friends.

" **I don't know. I know Greninja is as stubborn as Ash but it looks like he's really hurt,"** remarked Clemont.

" **Well, don't count him out just yet,"** interjected Serena, making them look at her. **"I'm sure Ash has plan."** They nodded in understanding and gave their attention to the battle again.

Ash was looking at his pokémon with worry as he stood back up and eyed his opponent. **"Are you alright Greninja?"** asked Ash. The water type glanced back at his trainer and locked eyes with him. A few seconds passed as the two communicated through their aura bond. **"I see. Are you sure?"** Greninja turned his gaze back onto Diancie and made his way back to his side of the field. He winced a little before taking up a battle stance once more. The two were met with astonished gazes by everyone in the stadium. Tobias was about to say something when Ash spoke. **"You caught us by surprise Tobias. We underestimated how powerful Diancie can be in her mega form. But now we know better. And we have something for you as well."**

Tobias and Diancie tilted their heads. **"What do you mean?"** he asked.

Ash only gave a vague answer; **"You'll see in just a second."** Pikachu jumped off his shoulders and Ash placed his hands into a prayer position while Greninja did the same as he straightened out.

Absolutely confused, Tobias was wondering what in the world they were doing. And he wasn't the only one. Almost everyone else in the stadium was at a loss of words except for Serena, Bonnie and Clemont. Before anyone could say anything, what happened next caught their attention. A blue glow appeared around Ash and Greninja before the glow encased them. The glow brightened strongly, making everyone shield their eyes until it faded away. When they could see again, everyone drew in a sharp breath at what they saw. Ash's Greninja had some of his minor wounds healed and he had changed his form after bonding with his trainer. His face had black and red markings, a large water ninja star was on his back and his body became much leaner. Ash and Greninja opened their eyes and everyone saw that their eyes are glowing blue. **"Are you ready my friend?"** asked Ash, his voice echoing slightly due to their connection.

" **I am,"** responded Greninja with a telepathic voice, making everyone, including Ash's group, become startled. They were not expecting that all. Even the Kalos natives that saw this before were shocked; it looked like Ash and Greninja have reached the next level in this form. The water type got into a fighting stance once more and Ash crossed his arms. **"You are a worthy opponent. And though I respect you and view you as an ally and friend, I will not hold back! It is time to reveal my true power!"** Greninja vanished from sight after saying that.

" **What the hell?! What's going on?!"** asked Tobias in shock and worry.

" **You'll see soon enough Tobias,"** replied Ash.

Tobias grit his teeth. **"Diancie, stay on guard!"** The legendary fairy took up a defensive stance while frantically looking around and so did her trainer. The stadium was eerily quiet, watching with waited breath over what could happen.

A large water shuriken, the size of Diancie herself, came cutting through the air towards her from behind all of a sudden. **"Protect!"** shouted Tobias in fear. The fairy was able to summon a protective shield in time to prevent getting hurt. But when it hit the shield, it caused a massive crack to appear. Both trainer and pokémon took in a sharp breath over that. **"Damn it. That was too close,"** sighed Tobias. **"Diancie, draw him out again! Use Dazzling Gleam!"** Diancie had her eyes glow pink and was just about to let loose an all around blast...

But then Greninja appeared right in front of her out of thin air and delivered an incredible uppercut to her jaw, sending her flying into the air. The blue frog vanished from sight again and reappeared in front of the airborne crystal pokémon. He grasped the large water shuriken from his back, split it into two sword like weapons and then he let loose a flurry of devastating strikes onto the pink pokemon that made her cry out in agony from each hit.

Seeing what was happening in the air above the field made Tobias become angry. **"Diancie, get away!"** he yelled out but it was no use. Greninja finished up his combo with a cross slashing attack with both water swords that made the legendary rocket to the ground with great force. Diancie crashed into the ground, making a crater in its wake. But she was able to get back up with some difficulty and looked up with an angry gaze. Only to see a pressurized torrent of water come down onto her that pushed her into the ground once again while yelling out in agony. **"Diancie!"** screamed Tobias in fright. The water cleared away to reveal a barely conscious Diancie hovering in the middle of the crater. **"Thank Arceus…"**

" **You should withdraw her,"** advised Ash after seeing the condition she was in.

Tobias looked at Ash and Greninja, who had returned to his side of the field. He then looked at Diancie who returned his gaze. She shook her head and hovered back to her side of the field but with great difficulty. **"I cannot. I respect my pokémon's wishes and she still chooses to fight. I am honored to have such pokémon with me,"** he responded back.

Ash and Greninja nodded back with respect. **"Understood. Let's finish this."**

" **I agree. Diancie! You know what to do! Trick Room!"** ordered Tobias and Diancie had her eyes glow pink once more.

Ash's eyes widened. **"Don't let her use it! Quick Attack!"** Greninja sprinted forward with such speed that he became a blur to most eyes. He slammed into Diancie and she cried out in agony. But what happened next, caught them off guard.

Using the long white cloth like appendages, Diancie quickly caught Greninja and wrapped him up tightly with them. **"I knew you would've rushed in to stop that and we could use that to our advantage."** He let a smirk show on his face towards Ash whose eyes narrowed. **"Now it's our turn! Diancie, end this with Hyper Beam!"** Diancie concentrated her remaining power into a white energy ball in front of her so she could launch it at the trapped pokemon.

" **WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THINGS WOULD TURN OUT LIKE THIS! GRENINJA IS STUCK AND HAS NOWHERE TO GO AND CAN'T DO ANYTHING BUT AWAIT DEFEAT!"** said the announcer and the people in the stands were shouting, cheering and screaming, including Ash's group.

Among them, Serena was becoming incredibly worried since she knew what will happen whenever Greninja gets hit or hurt in this form. She stood up and went to the railing while screaming, surprising her friends and family. **"ASH! You have to do something! You can't get hurt!"** she told him with a very worried tone of voice. Her choice of words confused everyone who heard her.

But they didn't ask about what she meant because their attention was on the battle. **"Use Water Shuriken to break free!"** He tried to form the aquatic weapon in his webbed hand but couldn't. **"Damn it. Use Scald!"** He tried to launch the attack from his mouth but Diancie slammed him against the ground, preventing him from doing so before raising him up again.

Ash felt the damage that Greninja was inflicted with and he clutched his chest and started panting. His reaction made everyone in the stadium become startled with Serena letting out a yelp. Glancing back at Ash, Greninja gave him a look that made his trainer worry. **"Whatever you're thinking about doing, forget it! You can do it! Break free!"** shouted Ash, pushing through the pain he was feeling.

But Greninja merely smirked before sending him a mental message through their connected state. _I accept my defeat._ He concentrated on their connection in order to break it and quickly did so. Both Ash and Greninja lost the blue glow in their eyes and Greninja returned to his normal form. Immediately afterwards, Diancie launched her Hyper Beam and it engulfed the water starter before it exploded, bringing up smoke. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the unconscious form of the ninja frog. Diancie gently lowered him onto the ground with her appendages and let go of him.

The referee raised the red flag and lowered the green flag. **"Greninja is unable to battle. Winner is Diancie!"** The crowd made so much noise but it didn't matter to the raven haired guardian.

Ash's family and friends were wondering just what exactly occurred in the field. **"Why did Ash look like he was hurt?"** asked Violet.

" **And why did Greninja revert back before he was defeated?"** asked Chili.

Most everyone in the group shrugged but then the Showcase queen answered the question. **"Because in this form, even though Greninja gets incredible power from it, rivaling that of a mega evolution, any time he is hit or gets hurt, Ash feels the pain too,"** explained Serena sadly.

Understanding dawned on them all and they thought about what the water starter did. **"The respect and bond between Ash and Greninja must be incredible for them to do that for one another,"** remarked Cress and the others agreed with his statement.

Natasha was absolutely stunned over what she saw and learned just then; she never heard of a pokémon doing that for a human or a human doing that for a pokémon. But she just witnessed it and heard the reason why. Her admiration, respect and feelings for the young man increased greatly over that. _Ash…you truly are one of a kind._ Her eyes locked onto the guardian and someone noticed the way she was looking at him…

Back at the field, Ash couldn't believe what his pokémon just did for him. He shook his head before he raised a poke ball and returned Greninja. He looked at the ball afterwards. **"Thank you my friend for doing that. We will win this match for you. Take a nice long rest."** He clipped the ball onto his belt and took in a long breath. He glanced at Lucario. **"Are you ready for your official debut?"** he asked him.

Lucario gave an almost feral grin, ecstatic about finally battling. **"About time and I am."** The aura canine jumped into the air while doing a front flip and landed onto his feet. He raised his head towards the sky and let out a loud battle cry. His howl caused many to have shivers go down their backs. When he finished up, he took up a battle stance and locked his eyes onto his opponent.

" **Oh damn, Ash is having Lucario fight now?!"** asked Richie with both excitement and anxiousness.

" **This is going to get intense,"** remarked Joy and several agreed with her while murmuring that they hope that Ash and Lucario don't go overboard. But some of the others were confused as to why they were saying that. Yet when they asked about it, they were told that they will see soon enough.

" **Diancie,"** called Tobias and his legendary looked at him. **"Can you continue?"** he asked and she nodded. **"Alright. Let's get ready to battle."**

Seeing Tobias not withdraw Diancie, Ash communicated with Lucario through their aura bond. _Lucario, we need to finish this fight quickly but I don't want to hurt Diancie too badly. She's already on her last legs but won't give in._

Lucario nodded in response. _I understand Master. I will make this short._

" **You're move Tobias,"** offered Ash.

Tobias tilted his head but then smirked. **"You're becoming way too cocky for your own good Ash. Diancie, Psychic!"** Her eyes glowed pink in response. But before she could do anything, Lucario vanished from sight. **"Not this again!"** shouted Tobias. **"Diancie, use…"** He couldn't finish because Lucario reappeared in front of Diancie and unleashed a rapid combination of punches and kicks. Diancie cried out in intense pain but then Lucario finished up with a last punch with his fist covered in a metallic sheen. He struck her in the chest and sent her colliding into the stadium wall. She became stuck from the sheer force behind the attack and Tobias widened his eyes in shock.

" **Diancie is no longer able to battle. Lucario wins!"** said the referee.

Tobias returned Diancie while the crowd became so loud that he was having trouble hearing himself think. _Damn it, I knew I should've recalled her. She was way too tired to continue but I let her go on. I'm sorry Diancie._ He turned around and looked at Lucario who didn't even look like he had just used an attack. _What power and strength…_ A shiver went down his spine over the serious gaze he saw on the pokemon. _I guess this will be a good match for him._ He withdrew a poke ball from his belt. **"Ash!"** he called out towards him and he caught his attention. **"Your Lucario looks very strong. But I don't think even his strength will be enough for my next pokémon! Don't blame me when you're pokémon is as flat as a pancake!"** he said before tossing out the ball into the air. A flash of white light and then his next pokémon appeared.

" **Oh my Mew…"** whispered Delia.

" **What in the world is that?!"** asked a bewildered Sabrina but nobody answered her, too shocked at seeing the intimidating pokémon that appeared.

The pokémon that appeared was a very tall and very large white humanoid pokémon that took up much of its half of the field. It had yellow and black markings on its body. It had claws for hands and a series of dots for its face. Two columns of colored stones were on both sides of its body. **"UNBELIEVABLE! TOBIAS HAS WITH HIM THE LEGENDARY REGIGIGAS, THE TITAN POKÉMON! IT HAS BEEN STATED THAT THIS WAS THE POKÉMON WHO MOVED THE CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD TO THEIR CURRENT PLACES! WITH SUCH INCREDIBLE STRENGHT, WHAT CAN LUCARIO AND ASH DO NOW?!"** The crowd was at first stupefied at seeing the white titan but then snapped out of their stupor and made loud noises.

Ash and Lucario looked at Regigigas and wondered just how in the hell did he capture him. Even Pikachu was starting up at the legendary in awe and Gardevoir was beyond worried. Glancing at one another, Ash and Lucario nodded. They couldn't lose focus now. Lucario took up a battle stance and Ash started thinking up of a plan.

Seeing them not backing down surprised Tobias. **"I admire your courage Ash. But you have no chance against Regigigas. His strength is second to none! He will pulverize your pokémon!"**

Ash shook his head. **"That is true that his strength is formidable. But that doesn't mean he's invincible. We'll take him down!"** shot Ash confidently.

Tobias shrugged. **"Maybe you can do that. You do have some time."** Ash titled his head. **"You have until my pokémon has his colored stones on him glow. Once all of them are glowing, he will have access to 100% of his strength and his speed will be doubled! When that happens, none will be able to stop him."** As he finished speaking, the bottom colored stones on the legendary's body began glowing.

" **I see. Then in that case, we won't let him!"** countered Ash. **"Lucario! Bulk Up and Clam Mind!"** The aura canine flexed his muscles, increasing his mass and then took in a deep breath and exhaled, focusing his mind. The second row of stones began glowing now. **"Again!"** Once again, Lucario did the same thing and increased his physical and mental defenses and abilities even more. The third row of colored stones glowed now and there was one left. **"Aura Spheres!"** shouted Ash. Lucario shot multiple blue energy spheres and each one exploded against Regigigas when he was struck. Lucario kept going, not stopping and shot many more spheres until a cloud of smoke covered the gigantic pokémon.

After a couple minutes, the smoke cleared and showed Regigigas still standing. But there were multiple bruises on his body. A couple seconds later, the final colored stones began glowing as well. The dots that were his face glowed in addition and a loud mechanical sound that could only be interpreted as a roar was let out from the titan pokémon that made many flinch and cover their ears. **"Hahaha! That's it, it's over!"** boasted Tobias. **"Fire Punch!"** With startling speed for his size, Regigigas moved closer and shot his enormous fist that was covered in flames forward.

Lucario barely dodged out of the way but then sprinted forward. **"Brick Break!"** shouted Ash. Lucario slammed his glowing white fist against Regigigas's side. But Regigigas barely felt it and he swiped at Lucario like he was an annoyance who moved out of the way. **"Damn, he's really strong!"** commented Ash and Lucario nodded in agreement after taking up a fighting stance once more.

As the aura canine tried to damage the towering behemoth with speedy strikes, the people in the stands were watching with wide eyes over what was going on. **"How can Ash win against that?!"** asked Clair.

" **I don't know but he'll think of something. I hope,"** remarked Liza quietly.

" **He will,"** commented Leaf and the ones around her looked at her. **"If it's one thing I know about Ash, is you can never say he's done until he's done."** Her group agreed with her and faced the field again.

In the VIP room, the champions, president and reporter were beyond amazed at the battle so far. Never have they seen such a close match that the odds kept shifting from one side to the other. Britney was so into the match that she hadn't noticed that she had gripped Steven's hand and was holding it tightly. Though Steven did notice that, he didn't say anything about it and just let it be. It didn't hurt that he was enjoying her touch either. Diantha, Lance, Alder and Goodshow were also watching with amazed expressions on their faces, unable to comprehend what was going on.

The last in the room, Cynthia was watching the battle with wide eyes and her heart was hammering. She didn't think Tobias would have so many powerful legendary pokémon with him and that they would be so damn hard to beat. This battle was reminding her of the last tournament that Ash and Tobias were in. How even though Ash was on a roll, he was stopped by Tobias and his legendary pokémon. _Please let history not repeat itself,_ she thought as she watched Ash's Lucario land another strike against his side but then was smacked away by the large pokémon, sending him flying back. As he advanced towards the black and blue pokémon, Cynthia kept watching. _I know you and Lucario can do it!_

Back on the field, Lucario got up in time to see what his opponent was about to do. He dove underneath Regigigas's flying fast, avoiding another Fire Punch by the skin of his teeth. He quickly got back up and put some distance between the two by going back to stand in his side of the field. _Damn it, he's fast, but we can be faster,_ thought Ash. **"Lucario, Agility!"** Shooting forward, the fighting type increased his speed to such a point that only after images of himself were left. **"Aura Sphere!"** While maneuvering around the field, Lucario fired more blue energy balls onto the white pokémon. Regigigas grunted over the attacks because of the slight pain he was feeling but it wasn't enough to keep him from countering back. He kept swiping at the evading pokémon but would miss constantly and he was starting to become frustrated.

" **Foresight!"** shouted Tobias and his pokémon stopped moving and focused its mind. **"Good, now Hidden Power!"** Regigigas brought forth multiple white spheres of energy around him before shooting them towards a certain spot. The energy spheres crashed against Lucario who just happened to move there at that exact moment. He was blasted off his feet and sent tumbling onto the ground. He rolled a few times before stopping but he quickly got back up onto his feet while panting a bit. But he didn't have time to catch his breath since Regigigas had followed after him and swung down his large fist on top of him to crush and end him.

" **LUCARIO!"** shouted Ash and Gardevoir, with Pikachu covering his eyes and many in the stands shouted in fright.

Regigigas landed his strike on Lucario and pushed him down into the ground. He stayed like that and didn't move, causing many to wonder why. That is until what they saw happen next. The huge clawed fist was raised but not because of the titan pokémon. Even though the force behind the strike was so powerful that it caused him to be pushed into the ground, Lucario had caught his fist. And now, he was pushing it slowly up while the titan kept trying to smash him back into the ground. **"IMPOSSIBLE! LUCARIO HAS CAUGHT REGIGIGAS'S PUNCH AND IS LIFTING IT UP! WHAT INCREDIBLE STRENGTH AND WILL!"** The crowd was absolutely shocked over what they were seeing and nobody was making a sound and Tobias was at a loss for words. Even Ash's earlier opponents, Jack, David and Drax were silenced from what they were seeing. Not only that, but Domino and John were watching with astonished looks on their faces, unable to believe what was happening.

Lucario was using every ounce of strength he could summon to keep pushing back and then he took a step forward, causing many in the field to gasp. Regigigas however barely moved back but let out another mechanical sound that sounded like a growl. It was becoming angrier by the second that it couldn't defeat the pipsqueak pokémon. As a result, he applied more pressure onto his small adversary, making him drop to one knee. _C'mon Lucario! I know you can do it! You faced harder trials before! You and I at full power are one of the few who can go toe to toe with Mewtwo for Arceus's sake! I know you're stronger than this! You are called the aura pokémon for a reason! Unleash your power!_ Ash sent those mental messages through their aura bond to try and encourage his friend and pokémon.

Lucario heard what Ash was saying and it resonated with him. He raised his head a bit and slowly stood back up onto his feet. His eyes narrowed before they glowed a bright blue. Lucario focused his energy and with a mighty roar, pushed his opponent back who took a couple steps backwards. **"NO WAY! LUCARIO HAS PUSHED BACK THE TITAN POKÉMON! THAT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE!"** Nobody could believe what the black and blue jackal just did. Not even Tobias was reacting and Regigigas had its glowing stones flash and flicker, as if to signify that he was confused over what just happened.

Lucario however stayed focus on his opponent. _Thank you Master for reminding me of my potential._

Ash let a small smile form on his face. _Just repaying the favor buddy. Now let's show them what we're capable of._ Lucario agreed to that. He concentrated and the next second, a blue outline glowed around him. Ash started speaking and everyone listened carefully. **"You've become very powerful Tobias. And Regigigas is a force to be reckoned with and respected. But there is a reason why Lucario are considered to be one with aura. And this particular one is a special one…"**

" **How so?"** asked Tobias.

" **Because Lucario is a master aura user taught by the legendary Mew herself and he is my instructor!"** Tobias's jaw dropped and many had the same reaction as him. Taking that as his cue, Lucario had blue flame like energy erupt from him that danced around him. What he just did made everyone in the stadium to murmur and gossip over him. Seeing their reactions, Ash grinned and Lucario took up a battle stance once more. **"Lucario! Show them what an Aura Master can do! Advance!"** Lucario shot forward, the glowing blue flames around him making him look like a wild blue fireball.

" **Regigigas, take him down! You're still the strongest! Crush Claw!"** commanded Tobias.

As the two pokémon drew closer to one another, the people in the stadium watched with wide eyes. _Use Extreme Speed and Power Up Punch combo!_ Lucario increased his speed all of a sudden and vanished right when Regigigas was about to catch him. Before the titan could react, a powerful punch was connected against his abdomen, making him let out an agonizing sound. But Lucario was nowhere to be found. Another strike landed against his back, making the colossal pokémon take a step forward. He whipped around angrily with his tree like arm swinging through the air but hit nothing. One more hit was landed against his leg that made him drop to a knee.

" **Impossible!"** shouted Tobias, seeing his pokémon struggling to get back up. He had sustained heavy damage around his knee and was letting out more frustrated and angry mechanical sounds. **"Damn it, use Earthquake!"** The titan slammed his clawed fist onto the ground angrily with such force that the entire stadium was shaking. The steel beams and concrete walls groaned from it and their sounds scared the people in the stadium, fearing that it could collapse. Seeing that the attack wasn't making his foe appear, Tobias grit his teeth and ordered Regigigas to stop the attack.

But for some reason, Regigigas wasn't paying attention. He kept making the ground shake and soon enough, cracks were beginning to form along the stadium walls. **"Stop! You need to stop now!"** shouted Tobias in a panic but his legendary wasn't hearing it. He was becoming consumed in his anger over getting beat from a pokémon a fraction of his size.

Seeing that the titan pokémon was losing it, made Ash decide to end things as soon as possible and sent out his next commands. **"Lucario, grab his attention!"** Lucario appeared out of nowhere right in front of the legendary and fired a point blank Flash Cannon into his face. Regigigas stopped his attack and roared with pain. The white colossus straightened out and then had its differently colored stones on its body all glow red. Tobias shouted at his pokémon to calm down and to resume the match but it was too late. Regigigas was now stuck in his anger and he began attacking Lucario relentlessly.

Seeing Tobias lose control and Regigigas go mad, Ash remembered something in his research during his three years of training. Certain legendary pokémon had a hidden aspect to themselves, which were dangerous ones. One of which was if some of them became angry, they would lose themselves and go on a rampage. And seeing the legendary become so, Ash realized that the friendly match had now become a deadly battle.

Frightened screams and shouts were heard from the stands as people backed away into the further parts of the stands. But Ash's group did the opposite and moved in closer as they yelled at him to get out of there. The champions in the VIP room were contacting the league officials so they could come in with tranquilizer darts and try to subdue the rampaging legendary. Soon enough, half a dozen officials came in with tranquilizers into the field and aimed at the titan. They began firing at him but the tranquilizers weren't having any of the desired effects.

Instead, it just pissed off the legendary even more. All the titan was seeing now was red and couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe, right or wrong. Regigigas let out loud mechanical sounds and stomped towards the officials while raising his fist. Lucario tried to get his attention by attacking him but it didn't work. The large fist came crashing down with the entire stadium shouting and screaming in fright. The league officials were able to dodge the strike by flinging themselves to the side and Regigigas ended up punching a hole into the ground. He lifted his hand out of the hole and saw the officials on the ground, slowly getting up. He targeted a few of them and swung his fist again at them.

But then a black and blue blur rushed in front of the titan, saving the officials and once again Regigigas punched a hole into the ground. Lucario had saved the officials and took them up into the stands. Angry and frustrated sounds were let out from the titan until a loud shrill scream caught his attention. Turning his body to the other side, he saw a frightened and frozen female official on the ground. He raised his fist and brought it crashing down onto her with screams and shouts heard throughout the stadium.

The girl on the ground could only scream and cover her face with her arms as she closed her eyes. She expected to feel excruciating pain and be pushed into the ground before her life was suddenly over. But as some time went by, she noticed that nothing happened. Opening her eyes and peeking through her hands, what she saw made her take in a sharp breath and her eyes widened.

The Aura Guardian was standing in front of her with his hands raised in front of them. A blue shield was around them and he was holding it up against the titan's relentless attacks. But the shield was having cracks form from it and Ash was doing his best to keep it up. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and neither could anyone watching.

Ash struggled in holding the shield against the enraged legendary. _Damn it! I can't keep this up! Lucario, grab his attention!_ Lucario started firing different attacks at the white titan but he wasn't even feeling them in his rage. Ash could hear his group shouting in fear for him and his hair stood on end. He watched as Lucario tried to get the angered giant's attention onto him. _Damn it, we need to stop this before it becomes worse! Mewtwo, can you hear me?!_

 _Ash? What's wrong?_

 _I need my mega ring!_

 _Your ring? What's going on? Do you need me there?_

 _I don't know! I need to stop Regigigas who has gone berserk! But I don't want to hurt him! Lucario should be able to do handle it in his mega form. I need my ring!_

 _I see, very well. If you need me, let me know._

 _I will._ After the mental conversation, a blue glow appeared around Ash's left wrist and the pure white bracelet appeared with a blue stone in it. Seeing the ring on his wrist, he concentrated on his aura and next second, it flared out from him and his shield strengthened. He then unleashed a full powered Aura Pulse. A giant wall of aura energy slammed into the raging titan and pushed him back a few steps, shocking everyone that he was able to do that. The aura canine moved to be between the legendary and his friend. **"LUCARIO!"** yelled Ash, catching everyone's attention. **"UNLEASH YOUR FULL POWER AND STOP HIM!"** Not wasting time, he pressed the mega ring and Lucario was covered in a white glowing sphere that blinded Regigigas who threw up his arms in front of him. The white sphere erupted and revealed the aura canine in his mega form. He had grown taller and his muscles became much more pronounced. The metal protrusions on his body became larger, his ears became a little longer and he had brown tufts of fur at the ends of his limbs. Lucario engaged the titan at once and Ash helped the scared Natalie get back up and had her enter the tunnel. She thanked him for saving her as she left with her heart beating madly and he returned his attention onto the battle.

With Lucario able to use his entire full power, he was able to go toe to toe with the colossus. His aura flaring around him as he moved, he slammed into Reigigigas's chest with his shoulder, making the titan stumble backwards. Becoming even angrier, he stomped towards the mega pokémon and swung his tree like arm. But Lucario dodged it and drew in close enough to start pummeling his body with a Close Combat. Regigigas was stopped in his tracks because of the devastating strikes and each hit that Lucario landed made the legendary let out sounds of pain. Regigigas made a sudden strike that connected against Lucario that sent him flying back. But he back flipped in the air and landed on his feet and eyed the advancing legendary. The aura canine shot forward and ducked under his strike and once again began pummeling his torso. He would not let up, knowing that if he gave even an inch, then the rampaging titan might hurt others in his blind anger.

The people in the stands were shouting and screaming, the ones in the VIP room were frozen still, dumbfounded over what was happening. But for the two trainers on the field, their entire attention was on the battle. Tobias was trying to tell his pokémon to stand down throughout the entire time but the legendary was not hearing him. Seeing that there was no stopping his furious legendary, Tobias tried to return his pokémon a few times, but the titan didn't allow himself to be recalled. Absolutely astonished, Tobias froze over what was happening.

Regigigas lifted up his leg suddenly and kneed Lucario, making him stop his assault. He then slammed his large fist against the fighting type to crush him. Lucario caught it again but this time with ease because of him using all of his strength and power together. The colossus tried to push Lucario down but he couldn't. Seeing that it wasn't working, he let out a mechanical growl in fury and flung the aura pokémon high into the air.

" **Oh my! He just threw him into the air like a rag doll!"** cried Grace.

" **He's too powerful! He can't stop him!"** yelped Johanna.

" **Ash!"** shouted out Delia and his girlfriends together in fear.

" **Lucario!"** screamed Gardevoir in fright.

Seeing Lucario up in the air, Ash quickly formulated a plan to take advantage of their position while keeping aware of what Regigigas was doing. The white titan was powering up a white ball of energy and his eyes widened. **"LUCARIO! FINISH THIS! AURA BEAM!"** ordered Ash.

Lucario flipped his body in the air and faced the white titan who was on the ground. He brought his paws together and concentrated. A bright blue ball of aura energy formed within his paws and it became brighter and larger. **"You are a powerful adversary and your strength is incredible. But you have allowed your anger to consume you. For the sake of us all, I will take you out!"** And with that statement, Lucario launched his Aura Beam at Regigigas who was down on the ground below and fired his Hyper Beam in response.

The two beams of energy collided against one another and a power struggle ensued. The intensity of the light from the beams had made most shield their eyes. Both were trying to overpower the other but it looked like they were stalemated. Lucario put in as much energy as he could into the beam but it looked like it wasn't enough. _How could he have so much energy?! No wonder he is a legendary!_ Glancing to the side, he saw Ash, Pikachu and Gardevoir down on the ground. Even high up in the air, he could still make out their facial expressions. And seeing the worried, scared and sullen look on Gardevoir's face made his heart beat quicker. _I will not fail! I will take him down!_ Lucario's eyes glowed an intense blue and the aura around him flared out even more strongly. Somehow, he was able to gather more energy and applied it to his attack. The Aura Beam doubled in size and began pushing back the Hyper Beam. Regigigas had his colored stones flicker rapidly as if to show his surprise. **"You have caused enough havoc! I will not let you hurt anyone in your angered state!"** roared the aura canine. He summoned more energy and his beam became even larger. With the new power behind it, the Aura Beam cut through the Hyper Beam and slammed into the white colossus.

A large explosion erupted from it and covered the field in smoke. Tobias covered his eyes but Ash kept his sight onto the field. When the smoke finally cleared, it showed the legendary still standing but it had many bruises and cuts on itself. The colors on its stones were flickering but they were still red. Before anyone could say or do anything, a blue sphere rocketed down towards the titan from above and slammed into it with tremendous force. Regigigas was pushed into the ground and an enormous crater formed around its body. The red glows on its stones flickered some more while low mechanical sounds were heard before they finally faded away. The glow in the dots on its face followed suite and the colossus was finally knocked out. Lucario let out a relieved breath as he straightened out and lifted his fist off of his opponent's large chest. **"THANK ARCEUS! LUCARIO WAS ABLE TO SUBDUE THE ENRAGED TITAN AND PREVENTED IT FROM GOING ON A RAMPAGE!"** The crowd was silent at first because of what had happened. Until they heard the announcer's words finally and erupted in cheers, happy that the enraged legendary was finally subdued.

Lucario reverted back to his normal form and his aura faded away. He staggered back towards Ash who helped him stand while giving him a proud look. **"That was incredible buddy. You truly deserve the title of Aura and Combat Master,"** complimented Ash.

Lucario smirked a bit. **"Thank you Master. But one day, that title will pass on to you. And when it does, I will be happy to say it,"** he replied back.

Before either could say another word, Lucario was taken up into an embrace by Gardevoir. **"Don't you ever scare me like that again!"** cried the psychic fairy.

Lucario chuckled a bit as he returned the hug. **"I'll try not to but can't make any promises."** The two separated and looked at Ash. **"Master, I'm exhausted. I hate to say, but I cannot continue. If you don't mind, I'd like to rest for a bit."**

Ash nodded with a smile. **"Of course buddy. Take all the time you need."** Lucario thanked him and was helped towards the bench behind them by Gardevoir.

On the other side of the field, Tobias was still in his shocked state, staring at his fallen legendary. He had frozen, wondering why and how he couldn't control his pokémon. **"Red trainer, since your pokémon went on a rampage and had almost hurt others, you are hereby disqualified!"** said the referee suddenly.

Tobias snapped out of his stupor over that. He glanced at the referee and then at Ash who had a surprised look on his face over what just happened. Unable to process that he lost because of disqualification, he returned Regigigas and turned around to leave without a word spoken. But then someone shouted out his name. **"Tobias!"** He looked back at Ash. **"Hold on a second,"** he said and Tobias gave him a confused look. Ash faced the referee. **"I'd like to continue the battle. Don't disqualify him. This is no way to end this tournament,"** he requested and he saw that Tobias was giving him a bewildered look. **"It's alright. Things happen that you sometimes can't predict or control. But the important thing is that we were able to stop it in the end without things going too crazy. Don't worry about it. Let's continue the match,"** suggested the raven haired guardian.

Neither Tobias nor most of the people in the stands was able to believe what they just heard. But Ash's group gave him proud and impressed looks over his words. The people in the stands started chanting to continue the battle and the referee was looking around the stadium, not knowing what to do. The screens all around the stadium changed channels suddenly and it showed the President of the Pokémon League. **"I couldn't agree more. Let us forget what has happened as everyone is alright. Continue the match and give the people what they want. Referee, if you will please."** Seeing that it was out of his hands, the referee agreed to it.

The grayish blue haired man was astounded over what Ash just did. He took in a deep breath before nodding at him. **"Thank you Ash. I'm truly sorry for what happened. And you really are a good sportsman when it comes to battles. I don't know what to say…"**

" **Don't worry about it. Just check with Regigigas later on and find out what happened to make him lose control like that. And if you need help, I'll gladly assist. Let us continue,"** suggested Ash.

" **Alright and thank you."** Tobias had his hand hover over his poke ball containing his next pokémon but stopped. He began thinking if he should continue and if he might lose control again. But then an image formed in his mind and it gave him a push. _I can't let what happened make me quit now. I need to push on._ He grabbed the poke ball and readied it in his hand to throw. **"Alright Ash. I bet you've been expecting this one and that you have a plan for him as well. Let's see what you got!"** remarked Tobias before tossing a poke ball into the air. The blue and white eon pokémon Latios appeared. **"I believe a rematch is in order?"** he asked Ash.

Ash glanced at Pikachu who nodded at him. **"You sure about this buddy?"** he asked his starter.

" **Pikapi, pi pika pi pi,"** replied the electric mouse.

Ash smiled at him. **"Alright then."** He faced Tobias and Latios. **"I hope you're ready Tobias."**

" **I am. And so is Latios. Though Pikachu is strong beyond all others of his kind, it's still not enough,"** he remarked as he tried to stay focused on the battle. But the last match up had him losing his nerve a bit.

Ash chuckled and so did Pikachu, making Tobias tilt his head. **"Pikachu won't be the one battling. Though he did want a rematch, we decided to do something else this time around."** A blue glow appeared on their side of the field and the white and green psychic fairy appeared with her eyes locked onto the eon pokémon. **"Gardevoir will be your opponent and let me give you a fair warning; she's been itching for a battle for a long time,"** said Ash before a grin formed on his face. Gardevoir took up a battle stance with her eyes glowing blue. Her friends smiled in the stands that shewould be getting a shot to show off her power. They wished their friend luck in her mind.

Not expecting that since he was thinking that Ash would have Pikachu compete for a rematch like Sceptile did with Darkrai, Tobias let out a disgruntled breath. _Shit! This isn't good! Gardevoir's fairy typing has made all of Latios's dragon moves useless. And psychic type attacks won't do much good either. Damn it. Wait…maybe I should switch out to…no, I can't do that. I can't reveal him too. That will allow Ash to make a plan for both pokémon. I guess I have no choice. I have to win this battle!_ **"Alright then Ash. If that's the case, then we won't hold back! Latios, get ready for battle!"** he replied back as he pressed his mega ring. The blue and white dragon hovered a little higher in the air and eyed his opponent before a white energy sphere encased him. It broke apart a moment later and revealed his mega form. Latios was now colored purple and white, his arms had merged with his wings and they were now larger and longer. Latios let out a roar to signify that he was ready.

Gardevoir glanced back at Ash and nodded. Without a word spoken, Ash pressed his mega ring and the fairy was also encased in a large white energy sphere. It exploded to reveal her mega form. She didn't look much different except it appeared that she had a white puffy dress and her arms were covered in what seemed like elbow length gloves. Though the change wasn't much, it somehow accentuated her appearance and many in the stands were unable to stop gazing at her. **"Alright Gardevoir, let's show them what you can do! Psyshock!"** Gardevoir had her eyes glow blue and multiple pink energy balls the size of bullets appeared around her before they were launched at her opponent.

" **Dodge them Latios and counter with Thunderbolt!"** The eon pokémon evaded the psychic bullets and countered with a bolt of electricity at the fairy.

Gardevoir however teleported out of the way at the last second and reappeared behind the dragon. **"Disarming Voice!"** Letting out a charming cry, Latios shook his head from the emotional damage, grunting over it. **"Follow up with Shadow Ball!"** A dark purple energy ball was launched from her hands but Latios shot away from the attack and it struck the disheveled ground instead.

" **Latios is too fast for you. Shadow Claw!"** Latios made a sudden u-turn and shot forward like a bullet with his sharp wing blades glowing a dark purple.

" **Teleport!"** Gardevoir again vanished from sight at the last second and Latios swiped only the air. **"So is Gardevoir Tobias. But we're only getting warmed up. Magical Leaf!"** Appearing out of thin air in front of Latios, Gardevoir summoned sharp glowing green leaves out of nowhere and they slammed against the eon pokémon who cried out from the cuts he received. It didn't do much damage but the cuts still hurt and they stung badly. **"Slow him down more! Thunder Wave!"** A series of quick but weak jolts of electricity were shot from her hands that connected against the legendary and caused paralysis.

Tobias was left in shock over what was happening. He couldn't believe that even his Latios was getting wrecked. He was not as focused as he was during the start of the final match. His will and his confidence had been shaken after he lost control over Regigigas. And now, he was watching one of his pokémon get pulverized and outdone because he didn't know what to do and wasn't responding properly anymore. _Did I come all this way to just fail?_ He asked himself as he saw Latios trying to evade the attacks that were launched at him but was having a hard time because of his paralysis and was getting struck every now and then. _Why did I lose control? Why am I not on point anymore? Why am I hesitating to make a decision? What is going on with me?_ Tobias was lost in his thoughts and wasn't really seeing what was happening anymore in front of him.

" **Something's not right,"** said Ash quietly to Lucario who had recovered a little and was now standing next to him. **"Tobias isn't battling. He looks lost."**

Lucario nodded in agreement. **"He is. I can sense him lost in doubt and hesitation. Losing control of Regigigas has shaken him. He is now unsure of what to do anymore. You should break him out of it."**

" **You're right. Let's help him out. Gardevoir! Hyper Voice!"** shouted Ash. Gardevoir let loose an incredible sound wave that was faintly pink colored that slammed against Latios who shouted in intense pain.

Latios agonizing cry snapped Tobias out of his thoughts and he locked his eyes onto his weakened legendary. _Damn it, I'm such an idiot! I need to pay attention! What's done is done! I cannot lose! I have too much riding on this!_ **"I'm sorry Latios but I'm back now. Time to take back control! Attract!"** ordered Tobias.

" **Don't look Gardevoir! Teleport out of the way!"** shouted Ash. Gardevoir teleported away from the eon pokémon and reappeared high up in the air. She was floating thanks to her psychic powers. **"That was close…"**

" **What a cheap tactic…"** growled Lucario as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on Latios.

" **Relax Lucario. It's not like she'll actually leave you,"** whispered Ash and Lucario growled a bit more but said nothing. **"I see you won't stray from using tactics like that,"** stated Ash.

" **I have too much riding on this Ash. I can't lose. And if I remember correctly, didn't you have one of your pokémon use that same move?"** he asked him.

" **I see and that was unavoidable due to my Lopunny's ability,"** explained Ash.

Tobias nodded. **"Alright then. Though you have the upper hand now, that doesn't mean you'll win. Latios, Aerial Ace!"** Even though he had been paralyzed somewhat, Latios still vanished using his speed. He reappeared behind Gardevoir and slammed his wing against her back, sending her rocketing to the ground.

" **Gardevoir!"** shouted Ash and Lucario. Hearing their screaming, she concentrated and was able to will herself to slow down thanks to her psychic powers. She landed softly onto the ground and looked up at the eon pokémon.

Only he wasn't in the air. Her eyes widening, she sensed something behind her and once again she was struck from behind. Latios had used Steel Wing and Gardevoir was sent flying forward. Latios chased after her with his wings still covered in a metallic sheen. He was just about to hit her again when he flinched, his paralysis keeping him from finishing his attack. **"Icy Wind!"** shouted Ash. Gardevoir whipped around and had chilled air crash against the dragon. Latios roared with pain and his wings became covered with an icy layer, which would hinder his movements even more now.

" **No! Latios, Shadow Ball!"** The purple dragon launched the dark ball of energy right at Gardevoir who was struck in the chest and it exploded, hurting her greatly. **"Now finish with Hyper Beam!"** Latios powered up the white ball of energy in front of his mouth, getting it ready to fire. A second later, the powerful beam of energy raced towards his opponent to end the battle.

Gardevoir saw the white light approaching her and she could sense the fear in Ash, Lucario, Pikachu and her friends in the stands. The white beam of energy engulfed her and many screamed and shouted in shock from the stadium. When the attack finished, they thought they would see the fainted fairy. But there was nothing there except for a smoldering dark spot. **"No…"** whispered Ash while Lucario just stared at the spot in disbelief.

The stadium was silent. Not a single soul was making a sound as they were all stuck in disbelief. Nobody could understand what just happened. Even Latios and Tobias were shocked, not meaning to make that happen. The referee was about to make the call when a sudden Thunderbolt struck Latios that made him shriek in pain. Wondering where the hell it came from, everyone looked around until they saw a glowing pink sphere up in the air.

" **Gardevoir!"** shouted Ash and Lucario happily.

" **She's okay!"** exclaimed several from her group of friends.

At the last second, Gardevoir had teleported away from the Hyper Beam using all the will she could summon. She couldn't lose on her first official battle. Not after everything that Ash and Lucario had done for her. Ash had saved her, took her in, healed her and helped her become strong. And Lucario was always there for her as a friend, a protector and now her mate. _I cannot lose! This is my chance to prove myself!_ She raised her right hand towards the sky and bright pink energy ball appeared. Seeing her get ready to attack, Ash and Lucario grinned while Pikachu cheered on his friend. And then, she vanished before reappearing right in front of Latios with the pink ball of energy in front of the dragon.

" **Get out of there!"** shouted Tobias but it was no use.

Latios was suffering from his wounds and his paralysis didn't help either. The only thing he could do was try to get into a defensive stance right as the Moonblast engulfed him and it exploded. The field was covered in smoke and when it finally cleared, it showed a heavily wounded Latios barely hovering in the air. Before Tobias could say anything, the legendary dragon dropped to the ground and reverted back to his normal form. **"Latios is no longer able to battle. The winner is Gardevoir!"** said the referee. The stadium erupted in cheers as Gardevoir went flying towards Ash, Lucario and Pikachu. The four shared a hug while congratulating her on her victory.

Tobias returned his fainted dragon and took out his last pokémon's poke ball. He stared at it for a bit as he thought heavily. _I can't believe it's come down to this. He's taken out five of my legends. Sceptile and Greninja are out for the count but taking out those two took everything I had. And they may be tired out, but he still has Garchomp, Lucario and Gardevoir. How powerful is Ash? Truly, he has become one of the greats. But I can still turn things around. I have to. For everyone back home. And for her. I have to. I still have my most powerful pokémon. He may have four pokémon left, but three of them are exhausted. I can still do this._ Tobias looked up at Ash and saw him waiting for him to continue with Gardevoir in the arena. **"Ash Ketchum,"** started Tobias. He took in a breath before he continued. **"I have never before needed to use more than Darkrai and Latios to beat others. Yet you have pushed me and my pokémon to the limit and even stopped a rampaging titan. You have truly become a worthy rival and friend. Also, thank you again for bringing me back into focus. Though I only have one pokémon left, he will bring me victory!"** He raised the poke ball and had Ash look at it. **"Prepare to meet the most powerful psychic type in the world!"** And with that declaration, he tossed out the ball before it opened. It revealed a reddish-orange and green humanoid being with tentacles for arms and legs. It had a crystal like heart in the center of its chest. The space pokémon took up a battle stance at once and eyed the mega pokémon.

Ash was surprised to see Deoxys with Tobias. When he said the most powerful psychic in the world, he thought he would be bluffing. But he wasn't. Well, not exactly because Ash knew that as powerful as Deoxys is or could be, he was still not the most powerful psychic. That title and honor belonged to only one being who is one of his closest friends. **"Man, if Mewtwo heard him saying that now…"** Ash chuckled quietly and so did the three around him.

But then a mental message was sent to Ash that made him stop. _I heard that. I want to face him._

 _How?_

 _After your last message, I kept watch in case something happened again._

 _I see. But I can't have you battle Mewtwo. You're not my official pokémon…_

A moment of silence followed until the legendary sent him another message. _Then capture me._

 _What?!_ Ash's eyes widened over what he just heard.

 _You heard me. Capture me._

 _But you said you never want to be captured._

 _I did. And now I'm saying this. Capture me. I want to battle. And this way, I won't have to worry about anyone else trying to capture me._

 _Are you sure about this Mewtwo?  
_

 _Yes, I am Ash. You are the only human I fully trust. Do this for me and consider one of the three that you owe me cleared. And if I ever change my mind, you can always break the poke ball._

Seeing no downside to this and wanting to respect his friend's wishes, he agreed. _Alright Mewtwo._ **"Tobias!"** shouted Ash, catching his attention. **"I have a surprise for you if you can wait."** Tobias nodded and Ash thanked him for that. **"Gardevoir, come back."** The psychic fairy returned to her trainer and reverted back to her normal self. Next second, a large blue sphere appeared next to the trainer and his pokemon, making the crowd gasp in awe over it. A tall, purple bipedal feline emerged out of it and locked eyes with the man.

" **Is Mewtwo going to battle?"** asked Delia out loud but nobody answered her. Everyone was silent as they watched the intimidating pokémon. A blue glow appeared in Ash's hand and he raised the Master Ball to capture the legendary but he was stopped.

 _No. Save that just in case,_ said Mewtwo mentally.

Ash smiled a bit. _I don't see any other pokémon deserving this other than you my friend. Who else could possibly deserve the only poke ball of its kind? One that can capture any pokémon without fail? One that is probably meant for only the most powerful and hardest to capture?_ asked the guardian.

 _And that is why you must keep it. We don't know what is coming in the future. But I do know it will be a waste to use such an item on a willing pokémon. But I do thank you for the respect and compliments._

 _Very well then._ Their mental conversation ended and Ash had the Master Ball fade away to be replaced with a premier ball. He held it up for Mewtwo to touch it. The purple feline pushed the button with his right hand and the ball opened. It pulled him inside and the ball immediately dinged. Turning to face Tobias and Deoxys now, Ash gripped the premier ball tightly. **"Thank you for waiting Tobias. Now, it's time to introduce my newest pokémon. We have been friends for a long time and he just now became my pokémon. Let us see who is the most powerful psychic in the world! The space traveling Deoxys…or the brother of Mew?"** Almost everyone in the stands gasped over hearing that the purple feline was the brother of the legendary ancestor pokémon Mew. **"Let's find out! Mewtwo! I choose you!"** Ash tossed the premier ball into the air.

A flash of white light later, and Mewtwo appeared who instantly went on guard. **"Thank you for this. And I have another request; allow me to fight this battle my way. Without your commands or guidance,"** said the purple feline. Ash agreed to the request.

Deoxys glanced back at Tobias with a look. **"You want to fight on your own as well?"** he asked and the DNA pokémon nodded. Tobias thought for a bit and decided to do the same since he trusted his pokémon. **"Very well then. Good luck."** Deoxys faced forward and also got into a battle stance.

The stadium was eerily silent, watching carefully while hardly breathing. A few seconds passed before both psychic legendaries shot forward and slammed into one another. The force behind it caused a shockwave to erupt that traveled over the entire stadium, blowing people off their seats. **"AND THE BATTLE HAS CONTINUED! WE HAVE TWO PSYCHIC LEGENDARIES COMPETING NOT ONLY FOR THE TOURNAMENT WIN, BUT FOR THE TITLE OF THE MOST POWERFUL PSYCHIC POKÉMON IN THE WORLD! WE HAVE DEOXYS, THE SPACE POKÉMON AND MEWTWO, THE BROTHER OF MEW! NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT EITHER OF THEM BUT WE DO KNOW THIS; WE ARE IN FOR A GRAND BATTLE TO CLOSE UP THE TOURNAMENT!"** The crowd got out of their stunned silent states and roared over the glorious battle in front of them.

Mewtwo and Deoxys separated from one another and eyed each other. Next second, Mewtwo vanished from sight and Deoxys narrowed his eyes as he tried to sense where he would be. He snapped his sight to the right and had his tentacle arms stretch forward. He caught the purple feline in his grasp when he appeared but lost his grip as he immediately teleported away before reappearing in the air. **"Not bad. Catch this!"** Mewtwo shot a dark purple energy ball forward that raced towards its target.

At the last second Deoxys vanished from sight and also reappeared in the air. **"You're not the only one who can teleport,"** commented the DNA pokémon.

Mewtwo just smirked however. **"Good. I'd rather have a challenge."** And with that, Mewtwo shot forward and slammed his ice covered fist into Deoxys's chest. The red pokémon yelped with pain but then immediately countered with a Shadow Ball of his own in point blank range. Mewtwo was sent back a bit but wasn't allowed room to breathe. A barrage of Shadow Balls were launched and each one struck its target. The purple feline grunted in pain before bringing up a purple barrier around him that stopped the onslaught. He then fired an Ice Beam that made Deoxys teleport away. Mewtwo had his eyes glow blue as soon as he sensed Deoxys reappear and the space pokémon was outlined in a purple glow.

Struggling against it, Deoxys tried to escaped but couldn't. He was sent rocketing down to the ground and slammed into it, bringing up a cloud of smoke. The smoke cleared and showed a pissed off Deoxys. **"You'll pay for that!"** shot Deoxys. He attempted to teleport behind the purple feline but couldn't. Absolutely confused, he didn't know why he couldn't. **"What the…"**

Mewtwo teleported right in front of Deoxys and delivered a Psycho Cut that sent his opponent crashing into the stadium wall. When the legendary moved off the wall, Mewtwo spoke. **"I used Disable on you; you can't teleport anymore until I allow it."**

Deoxys had his eyes widened. **"No way! No other psychic type or not, has ever been able to do that to me!"**

Mewtwo allowed a smirk to form on his face. **"Looks like I'm the first."**

Growling at him, Deoxys got into a fighting stance. **"Oh, don't count me out just yet!"** The DNA pokémon started morphing, changing his body structure. It took barely a second but now he was much leaner and skinnier. As soon as he finished, he moved so quickly that he vanished from sight.

Mewtwo's eyes widened at what he saw and before he could react, an electrified punch landed against his cheek that sent him crashing into the ground. A series of lightning fast electric jabs were thrown onto the trapped feline who let out grunts of pain. Though the attacks didn't have much power behind him, they were being shot with such speed that it more than made up for it. Mewtwo wasn't able to block them at all since Deoxys was moving way too fast for him.

Concentrating his power, the purple feline created a barrier around him that prevented him from getting hurt anymore. Deoxys retreated to a safe distance before taking up a battle stance. **"How'd you like those knuckle sandwiches?"** taunted the red legendary.

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes but didn't respond back. Instead, he tensed up his muscles, increasing his mass greatly. The purple barrier faded away and he too got into a fighting stance. **"You call those punches? It felt like a massage to me. Lucario hits much harder than you do,"** shot Mewtwo.

" **You're delusional. But if you want more power, than you got it!"** Once again Deoxys changed his form but this time he became slightly larger than his normal form. He had sharp protrusions extend out from his knees and his tentacle arms became slightly thicker with his circular chest plate gone. He shot forward again and began throwing punches that were covered in electricity and flames.

But he couldn't land them. Mewtwo was able to outmaneuver Deoxys in his attack form and prevented him from landing a hit. But he wasn't able to counter back at the moment. Seeing that he wasn't able to land a hit, Deoxys changed forms and was now in his speed form once more. Instantly he gained advantage and landed his strikes against Mewtwo, thinking he had him.

But Mewtwo didn't even bother blocking the attacks now and just let him continue because when he used Bulk Up, he increased his defenses considerably. He was barely feeling them now and it felt like a message to him. Deoxys delivered one final strike before realizing what was happening. He glanced at Mewtwo and saw him smirking, making him become surprised. A blue energy sphere appeared in the feline's hand before it collided against Deoxys and exploded. Panting a bit, Deoxys glanced at Mewtwo in time to see him vanish from sight. He looked up and saw him in the air again but with dozens of small purple energy balls in the air around him that looked like bullets.

Mewtwo launched his Psystrike and the psychic bullets rained down onto the DNA pokémon with tremendous speed. Seeing the attack from him now made everyone who was watching realize that it was Mewtwo who had helped out the guardian during the stadium attack. Doexys changed his form once more but different than the rest. His body, limbs and head became encased in a thick protective layer of skin that made it look like he was in a protective suit. He took up a defensive stance, covering his face and chest with his thick arms and crouched down onto one knee. Mewtwo's attack landed against him and on the ground around his adversary. Countless mini explosions erupted, causing smoke and dust to rise up around the target. After several seconds, his attack finished and the smoke slowly cleared. Deoxys stood up after a moment in time to receive a Focus Punch to his chest.

But Deoxys didn't even feel it in his defensive form. Realizing that, Mewtwo let out a shocked breath and tried to do something else. But Deoxys didn't let him as he grabbed the purple feline with his tentacles. He morphed into his offensive form instantly. **"I got you now!"** Deoxys followed up with his signature move called Pyscho Boost. A full powered psychic blast exploded from his chest crystal after his statement. Mewtwo was engulfed in a large purple beam of psychic energy before he was blasted back into the stadium wall.

" **Mewtwo!"** shouted Ash, stunned over what happened. His friends and pokémon were also astonished over what happened.

The psychic feline was embedded in the stadium wall for a second before he snapped back into focus. His eyes glowing blue, he freed himself from his position and levitated in the air on his side of the field. He was panting heavily and was hurt. But he still had more than enough energy to go on. **"Impressive. But that won't be enough to beat me and take the title of the world's most powerful psychic!"** A blast of telekinetic force erupted from the psychic feline towards Deoxys.

Deoxys changed into this defensive form at once and braced himself. The wave of psychic energy washed over him but did little damage. When it finished, Deoxys was about to counter when dozens and dozens of psychic bullets were shot at him. Bracing himself again, Deoxys took the hits, enduring the attack. **"That won't work!"** yelled Deoxys while still getting hit. But Mewtwo wasn't listening. He kept having more and more psychic bullets pummel the seemingly impenetrable wall that was Deoxys. People were wondering why on earth would Mewtwo keep attacking when he wasn't making any progress. They thought he had gone crazy, attacking without stopping. But the psychic feline's closest friends knew what he was doing. And they were waiting to see if it would work out in the end. **"Is this all you got?!"** taunted Deoxys as he kept getting hit. **"If this is all you can do, you can never beat me!"**

" **You're right!"** replied back Mewtwo. **"Good thing it isn't all I got!"** Concentrating his power more, he created hundreds of psychic bullets now and rapidly fired them. Each of his psychic bullets were concentrated onto different parts of Deoxys's body. His back, legs, arms and chest were being targeted while his face was being protected.

Deoxys was starting to feel some pain from the attack because of the nonexistent time between each hit. It felt as if each hit was intensifying the pain. Before he could react, his thick protective covering over his chest cracked from the onslaught and he roared with pain. **"Deoxys!"** shouted Tobias in worry but it was too late. Realizing now what he was doing, Deoxys felt like a fool for allowing him to continue this way. He rolled to the side suddenly while changing into his speedy form and dodged the rest of the bullets while feeling the pain from the crack. He fired dark purple energy balls at the feline who stopped his attack and evaded them.

Seeing Mewtwo fly down onto the ground, Deoxys shot forward and right when he reached him, instantly changed into his offensive form. The two powerful psychics exchanged rapid blows against one another that caused mini shockwaves from the amount of force behind them. Both delivered one final jab against each other's cheek that made their heads turn. But immediately after, the two legendaries fired point blank Hyper Beams. The resulting collision caused an enormous explosion that brought up a cloud of smoke around them. It took a while for the smoke to finally clear and it revealed both psychics panting heavily but they were still standing.

" **I can't believe Mewtwo is getting a run for his money,"** remarked Lance, remembering how effortlessly the legendary pokémon took down his and the other champion's main pokémon easily.

Diantha nodded in agreement. **"I can't believe it either. But then again, they are both legendaries and this is more than just a tournament battle for them; they are fighting for the title of most powerful psychic in the world. That would make both of them go all out,"** commented the Kalos champion. Agreeing with that, Lance told her she had a point and the continued watching the battle.

" **To feel such incredible psychic power, it's overwhelming,"** whispered Anabel.

Sabrina nodded in agreement. **"I know what you mean."**

" **Deoxys, you alright?"** asked Tobias and the red legendary nodded. **"Okay. I'm right here if you need me,"** he offered.

" **You hanging in there Mewtwo?"** asked Ash and the purple legendary scoffed, making the young guardian chuckle. **"Alright, just checking."**

The purple pokémon had his eyes glow blue and a purple outline appeared around him. **"You are a worthy opponent and I am glad for this battle. I am learning a lot from you and it is making me stronger and wiser. Thank you for this. I hope that we may become friendly rivals even when I defeat you,"** stated Mewtwo with confidence.

Deoxys grinned back at him. **"Right back at you. Just don't be too depressed when I beat you however."** Changing into his speed form, Deoxys got ready but felt intense pain from the weakened area on his chest.

Sensing that Mewtwo knew it was only a matter of time. **"Then let's see who will be the victor in the end!"** He levitated off the ground and flew towards Deoxys while encasing himself in a purple shield.

Deoxys rushed forward at the purple sphere that was Mewtwo, changed into his offensive form at the last second and caught the purple sphere. **"Caught you again!"** exclaimed Deoxys with a smirk.

His smirk faded away however when Mewtwo gave one in return. **"I was counting on it."** A blue sphere of energy appeared in his hand before he rocketed to his chest. It connected against the space pokémon's chest and made him let out an agonizing cry from it, which also made him revert back into his normal form. In response, Deoxys slammed the purple sphere that was Mewtwo against the ground, making him let out sounds of pain too and retaliated with a Shadow Ball. Forced to let go of him, Deoxys evaded the attack and Mewtwo flew up into the air. Deoxys followed him and the two psychics faced each other. **"It's time to finish this!"** stated Mewtwo.

" **Agreed!"** remarked Deoxys.

The eyes of both legendaries glowed an intense blue and focused on their opponent. Each was trying to subdue the other with their telekinesis. After a little bit of time, Deoxys was losing control and was being lowered forcefully towards the ground. Seeing that he was beginning to feel Mewtwo take advantage, Deoxys changed into his offensive form. Now able to use his entire raw power, he began taking back control and rose back up to the feline's level. Seeing him not go down though and still resisting, Deoxys was in a state of disbelief. _There is no way! I shouldn't be having this much trouble in my attack form! No one should be able to resist me when I'm in this state! I will win!_ Deoxys gathered his energy and concentrated on subduing his opponent and rendering him unconscious.

He slowly began making Mewtwo feel his psychic power and was forcing him to the ground now. Astonished over what was happening, Mewtwo was trying to overcome the overwhelming psychic ability of Deoxys in this state. _This cannot be happening! I have no equal when it comes to psychic power!_ Mewtwo focused his mind and began taking back control slowly. After some time, the purple feline was at the same level as the red humanoid again. _I will not lose! I will not give up the title of the most powerful psychic in the world! And I will not let down my closest friend and ally! This is but a stepping stone to our future! I must be strong! The future of the world depends on us!_ Mewtwo summoned up all of his power and his eyes glowed a very bright blue.

A purple outline appeared around Deoxys who felt the intense psychic power of the purple feline. Utterly astonished over feeling that, he was unable to even make a comment or thought when he was suddenly rocketed toward the ground with incredible force. He slammed against the ground and he let out a soundless gasp from the impact. Frozen in place by the incredible telekinetic power of his opponent, Deoxys couldn't do anything but watch as Mewtwo had a white ball of energy appear in his three digit hands. Not fearing what was coming, Deoxys wanted to have his battle end without fear or regret but with pride that it took a fellow psychic legendary to take him out.

A second later, the powerful white beam of energy was fired from Mewtwo and it connected against its target that caused a large explosion and rocked the stadium. When the smoke cleared from the blast, it revealed the unconscious form of the space pokémon. **"Deoxys is unable to battle. Winner of the battle is Mewtwo and the winner of the Spirit Tournament is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"** announced the referee as he raised the green flag and lowered the red flag.

Utter silence for a moment as everyone tried to process what just happened. Soon after however, the entire stadium erupted in cheers and shouts with Ash's family and friends among the loudest of them all. They were so happy and proud for him, having finally tasted victory after many years of coming up short near the end.

But no one was as shell shocked as the raven haired guardian who was staring straight ahead of himself yet wasn't really seeing anything. He couldn't believe it. He knew that more important things were waiting for him in the future but this to him was also important. Because not only did it help him realize where he stands but he also achieved one of his life goals. Ash Ketchum had finally won a tournament and it wasn't just any tournament. It was 'the' tournament that involved the best trainers in the world barring the Elite Four, Champions and Master. He had come out on top against them all. All of his hard training, late hours of research and the incredible wills of his pokémon allowed him to finally win.

The purple feline appeared next to the raven haired guardian who finally showed signs of life as he glanced at him. Seeing the smirk on his face made Ash crack a grin in return. **"We did it,"** he told his friend. He looked at Pikachu, Gardevoir and Lucario. **"We did it…WE DID IT!"** he shouted out in pure joy as he jumped into the air with his fist. His pokémon gathered around him and hugged him, laughing as they did so. His friends and family all had happy smiles on their faces while several had proud tears escape their eyes who were his mother and girlfriends.

Tobias returned his fainted legendary and looked at the celebrating guardian on the other side of the field. _I'm sorry everyone. I lost and was unable to keep my promise. I hope they can forgive me for failing them. Especially her. But I have to admit, I am glad that he was the one who beat me because of who he is and what he's done for others._ Tobias started making his way to Ash who stopped his celebrating and moved towards him as well. The two reached each other in the middle of the practically destroyed field and shook hands. **"That was the most incredible battle I've ever had. Thank you Ash for it and congratulations on your victory,"** stated Tobias sincerely.

" **Thank you Tobias for your kind words. You are the strongest I've ever fought and this is one battle that I will never forget,"** replied back Ash with respect.

Before either of them could say anything else, the announcer of the tournament began speaking. **"EVERYONE, PLEASE REMAIN SEATED AND WILL BOTH TOBIAS AND ASH PLEASE REPORT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TRAINER'S ROOMS."** Saying farewell to each other, Tobias and Ash headed back towards their respective trainer's rooms located in their respective sides of the field. Ash, Gardevoir, Lucario, Pikachu and Mewtwo headed inside. The five of them waited inside the room for about fifteen minutes while enjoying their high off their victory until a knock was heard on the door.

" **Come on in!"** answered Ash. The door opened and a girl with pink hair dressed in a league uniform appeared. **"Oh, hey Natalie,"** greeted Ash.

Natalie reddened slightly but maintained her composure. **"Hello Mr. Ketchum. Congratulations on your victory…"**

" **Thanks but didn't I tell you to just call me Ash?"** reminded the raven haired guardian.

Remembering what happened because of that, Natalie flushed a deep crimson. **"O-Of course. Anyway, they are prepared now and waiting for you."** Ash titled his head and asked what she meant by that. **"You'll see. Just head back out to the field. And I also wanted to say, thank you for saving my life,"** she told him quietly, blushing a furious red before she looked at her feet..

Ash rose from his seat and moved to her. **"Hey."** She raised her gaze to his and he placed a hand on her shoulder that made her redden even more and her heart beat increased. **"No need to thank me but you're welcome. And thank you. I'll see you around and take care alright?"** replied Ash. She nodded at him and smiling a bit at her, he left the room with his pokemon.

Natalie watched him leave the room and when the door closed behind him, she suddenly felt like her legs couldn't support her anymore. She sat down on the bench, hung her head and tried to control herself since she had grown hot from his touch. _Oh Ash…you're so amazing…_ She allowed her thoughts to wonder for a bit, thinking about how he saved her and a few other things until she received a message on her walkie-talkie, asking where she is. Snapping out of her daydream, she replied back saying she was on the way. She let out a sigh and stood up. **"Damn it, get a hold of yourself!"** she chastised herself. She left the room and went to her office while her mind kept bringing up the aura guardian every now and then.

When Ash stepped onto the field, he was astonished as to how much it changed in a short amount of time. The ruined battlefield was now looking like new and a stage was set in the middle of it with the President of the Pokémon League standing there with several league officials beside him. Ash walked towards the stage. He was so tempted to glance at his loved ones but kept his attention on the stage. After what felt like an eternity, he reached the stage and climbed the steps onto it. He moved closer to Goodshow who immediately raised his hand. Ash took it and shook it firmly before letting go.

" **Ladies and gentleman,"** started President Goodshow, his words heard throughout the stadium thanks to the microphone attached on his shirt. **"It is with great pleasure I announce the winner of the Spirit Challenge Tournament. But before I do, allow me to say this as well; the purpose of this tournament was to find the next great Pokémon Master in the making. But I had no idea that it will allow us to find our hero as well."** Ash blushed over that and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. His group chuckled over that but also smiled, happy over what was being said. Goodshow pointed at Ash and continued. **"This young man has all the attributes and qualities of not just a Pokémon Master or a hero. But as man with a good heart and soul. I have never before been as happy as I am now in announcing the winner of a tournament. Without further ado, I present to you the winner and savior of the Spirit Challenge Tournament…the Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum!"** finished up Goodshow as he handed over the golden trophy over to the raven haired man.

When Ash took it, he looked at it for a couple seconds and raised it above his head, the stadium once again erupted with cheers that caused an enormous smile to form on his face. Mewtwo, Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu were looking around the stadium, feeling the euphoria of their victory. Ash looked at his family and friends in the stands and shouted out to them happily and they returned happy shouts back to him. Ash felt like this was one of the happiest days of his life and for the first time in his life, he felt worthy. He felt worthy of all the good in his life.

Far away from the happy moment occurring at the Indigo Plateau stadium, in a deep underground secret facility, someone was feeling intense pride. That someone was inside a large cylindrical container that was submerged in the floor for the time being. It was a man with dark colored hair and he was floating in a green liquid substance that kept him in animated suspension.

Throughout the years, this man that was inside it was never able to gather enough strength or will to fully awaken himself or move his body. He was however, able to communicate mentally to a particular person who he had watched since his beginning days as a trainer as he traveled around the world in his journeys. He was able to do that because of the bond between them. A bond made from his own aura. And he communicated with him whenever he felt that he needed guidance and though he tried his best, sometimes it wasn't enough.

But this time, there was no guidance or advice to be said or anything else. He only felt proud over what the raven haired guardian was able to do. He wanted to go to him and celebrate with him but couldn't. He could have sent him another mental message, congratulating him on his victory but he couldn't do that either because of what he promised him earlier; that he would only return when he was completely lost as to what to do when everything was crumbling around him. The only thing he could do was to feel happy and proud over what he had accomplished. _Congratulations on your victory. I am very proud of you and I hope you continue to become stronger. For you will need it to protect everyone that you love and care about. I pray that you will succeed where I have failed. I pray you don't make the same mistakes that I did. But I have hope because if anyone can do it, it's you for you are Ash Ketchum...my blood…my son…_

* * *

 ** _A/N - So what did you think? I hope you enjoyed the battle and I tried to keep it from being one sided and entertaining. Hope I did it well for the tournament final match. Also, I want to say thank you to everyone for all the reviews, favs and follows. Because of that, I have broken past 700 reviews and 300 favs & follows! It means a lot to me that so many enjoy the story and I really do appreciate it. As always, remember to review, fav and follow! _**

**_Question 1 -_** _Who was shocked in finding out who the man is in the container?_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _Were you also surprised about Mewtwo's decision?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 ** _Changes That Are Being Made_**

 ** _Change #1 -_** _I will now put up updates on my profile instead of on the last chapter of my story. So check that out if you have questions about what's going on regarding when I'm going to post. Feel free to still send me a message about it but please check that out first as it may answer your question._

 ** _Change #2 -_** _In addition to that, m_ _y profile will now have much more information about what I'm currently doing related to all my stories. So take a look at that in case you have some questions as that may answer them._

 ** _Change #3 -_** _I mentioned stories not story, didn't I? hehehe I wanted to let you know that_ _I will now be working on several stories at once and posting them up. So again, if it takes a little longer to get a chapter up, please be patient. And you can always read my other stories which will have the same high standard of quality that you are used to getting from me. (Just don't be judging too harshly! Damn, the pressure! lol) And regarding that..._

 ** _My Surprises for You All_**

 ** _Surprise #1 -_** _"The Blue Spirit" is nearing the end of its first part. Because of that, I wanted to let you know what is going to happen. There will be a handful more chapters until the end of this, and the transitioning to the war will begin afterwards (Part 2) and then the war itself (Part 3). The transitioning stage will not be as long as the first part. Probably around ten to fifteen chapters or so. The third part of the story will be long, just like the first part. Perhaps longer. I hope you're all ready._

 ** _Surprise #2 -_** _The other stories that I have been working on, I have made some progress on them and it is enough to post up some information about them. Here are their titles and you will find summaries for them in my profile as well as status conditions in where I am at for each of these new stories along with my first story._

 ** _\- 2nd story -_** _"Tale of the Forsaken"_

 ** _\- 3rd story -_** _"Agma Sins"_

 ** _\- 4th story -_** _"The_ _Prince of Rota"_

 ** _Surprise #3 -_** _You didn't think that was all did you? haha! My_ _last surprise for you is that I have completed the prologue for my 2nd and 3rd stories! I have posted them up already and I hope you like it! The 4th story will have its own prologue as well but not yet._

 ** _Again, I would like to thank you all for the loyalty, your comments, support and just keeping in touch. I hope you're all doing well and until next time! Take care of yourselves and Silent is out!_**


	51. Chapter 51 - Confessions

_**A/N - What's up everyone? Hope you're all doing well. Thanks for being patient and for all the support! This chapter will mark the beginning of the scope of things and the world becoming much larger. This is still the first part of the story but it will be wrapped up soon and then the second part will be started which will be the things happening before the war, an intermission if you will but it won't be a long part. And finally, the third part of the story will be the war itself. I hope you're all excited for it cause I have so much planned and in store for you all. :) Before you read the chapter, a few quick things...**_

 _ **1\. My primary focus -** Even though I have other stories that I have started working on, my primary focus is still on "The Blue Spirit". Though two out of the other three new stories (Tale of the Forsaken & Agma Sins) will be shorter ones, and one of them has a full story outline done already, my first story is still my main active story. As for the last one, (The Prince of Rota), since it will be a big story, it will be a while before it starts rolling. _

_**2\. Update schedule -** I still don't have an update schedule. However, I am close to getting back into the groove of things with everything so hopefully soon I might be able to post up on a more consistent basis. But nothing yet and thanks for the understanding and patience. _

_**3\. Shout outs -** Special shout outs to all those who consistently leave reviews after every chapter. And thank you for also leaving humorous and detailed reviews. There are too many to list but you know who you are! :) I enjoy getting to know my readers' thoughts, feelings, etc. on the story. And BIG shout out to a certain reviewer who broke past the 8000 character limit in his review and had to send me two private messages to complete it. haha! Thanks man! I never thought my writing and story would be so well liked that it will cause someone to leave such an informative review on their thoughts. I'm humbled by that and also from all the support that everyone shows. I truly appreciate it. :)_

 _ **4\. Replies to reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 -** Team Rocket trio (Jessie, James, Meowth) making an appearance later on...no comment. ;)_

 _ **Guest 2 -** Ash will have issues, problems, flaws and other things. But he won't be "evil". Not in this story. _

_**Alright, without further ado, I present to you the next chapter of my story! Enjoy!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 51 – CONFESSIONS

All around the world people were watching the finals match of the Spirit Tournament with widened eyes. They couldn't believe what was happening at all. How Tobias's legendary pokémon were getting beat by Ash's regular pokémon. How could the most powerful, versatile and uniquely gifted pokémon be overcome by your run of the mill pokémon? They were legendaries for a reason because of their vast powers and the fact that some of them had important responsibilities to the world to keep it going. Sure, the guardian's pokemon were unique themselves since they were probably among the strongest, if not the strongest, of their respective species. But even so, how could it be possible? It was inconceivable to the average mind. Shocked or astounded was not enough to describe their states.

And it was true for everyone in the world who was watching. Many people who couldn't be at the stadium had gathered together in each of the regions to watch the final match of the tournament. From restaurants, bars, clubs or even at someone's house or work place, almost everyone was watching with others. And several of those groups were the gym leaders of the major gyms in each area. Having met up to watch the most hyped battle so far in the world, they were happy to have a little mini vacation. Though it was slow for them all because of the tournament, they had kept their gyms open for traveling trainers who wanted to battle. But they weren't going to miss the finals match between the trainer of legendaries and the aura guardian. Because of that, each region's gym leaders met up at one of their respective cities to watch it together, catch up and have a good time.

One of these particular groups was in the Johto region where the gym leaders had gathered at Whitney Akane's place in Goldenrod City. Hers was the most accommodating to all and in the middle of the country. Falkner Hayato, Bugsy Tsukushi, Morty Matsuba, Jasmine Mikan, Chuck Shijima and Pryce Yanagi were all there. They had arrived a day earlier and spent the night at the nearby hotel in the city. Right now, they were all waiting for the match to begin and several were in discussions over what could possibly happen. Two of them were becoming very passionate about their topic that drew the others attention. **"Morty, come on! We all know how powerful Darkrai is! There isn't much if any that one can do against his Dark Void combination! That's all he needs to do and has done in the tournament! He took out most of the competition with that!"** snapped the flying type trainer Falkner.

" **I know that!"** shot the ghost type trainer Morty. **"I'm just saying that I wouldn't place all my money on just that. Everything can be countered!"**

Before anyone else could say anything, Pryce spoke up. **"Morty is right,"** he started, making the two and the others all look at him. **"One cannot place all their trust on one tactic because it can be exploited."** Some murmured their agreement with a few keeping quiet. **"You should just ask our dragon trainer Clair. By the way, where is she?"** he asked them, making the other gym leaders glance at one another.

" **Ah, don't you know?"** asked Bugsy and Pryce gave him a confused look.

The steel type trainer explained for Bugsy. **"Clair has been at the Indigo Plateau for a while now ever since Lance called her about a week or two ago. She's been staying with her friends,"** explained Jasmine.

Pryce had an understanding look form on his face. **"Ah, I see. But shouldn't she be back by now? She usually doesn't stay away from her gym and home for so long,"** he stated to no particular person.

They all just shrugged until one of them started shouting. **"HEY! The match is starting!"** said Chuck. He quickly moved to get a front row seat and the others followed after him while chuckling. He would always have his attention go to wherever a battle was. Pryce however was still thinking about what he just found out as he made his way to his seat. He wondered why Clair would be away from her gym for so long without telling others why as he sat down on the large couch and leaned his cane against his leg.

As the Johto gym leaders gathered around for the start of the battle, in Kanto, most of the gym leaders had gathered at LT. Surge's gym since he had the largest screen for the broadcast and had invited everyone to come. Besides the Waterflower sisters who weren't home and the Natsume family who respectfully declined the offer, the others had accepted and arrived in the morning of the finals match. Forrest Harrison, LT. Surge, Erika Cela, Janine Anzu, Blaine Katsura and AJ, who was the new gym leader of Viridian City, were catching up with one another while watching the match. They had already seen the guardian take down Darkrai and a new pokémon they had never heard about called Volcanion. To say they were impressed was an understatement. **"I still can't believe that Ash is in the finals and that he's gotten much stronger. I remember the first time I battled him and I beat him without much trouble,"** stated AJ with arrogance and he took a bite out of his burger.

A calm but sharp voice spoke from behind them all that made them jump since they weren't expecting it. **"You may have beaten him in the past, but it looks like he has surpassed you greatly now,"** remarked Janine while she stood in the corner.

That comment made everyone there stare at her since she rarely speaks. **"Wow, you talked!"** commented AJ, not hearing the words that she said. **"I never heard you speak before!"**

Janine didn't comment on that and instead turned her gaze away. AJ however began asking her questions to learn more about her since she was usually very quiet and reserved. Not to mention that she hardly ever left her gym that was hard to find itself since it was in hidden away in a forested mountain. But the daughter of the infamous Koga just kept silent. Janine crossed her arms over her chest with an annoyed look forming on her face. It was an obvious showing that she wasn't interested in talking but AJ didn't notice it. _Damn it. I should've kept my mouth shut. Always surrounded by idiots ever since Father became one of the Elite Four. When is this annoying dumbass going to just leave me alone?!_

AJ continued with his incessant talking until Janine had enough and shot a shuriken at the burger in his hand. It went flying through the air before getting stuck in the wall. Seeing the glare on her face, AJ gulped and moved away while several others laughed out loud. **"Hahaha! That was awesome!"** complimented LT. Surge. **"You sure you don't want to be in the military? With my word, you can become a lieutenant like me!"** Janine said nothing but narrowed her eyes on him. Getting the hint, he let it go since even he knew he shouldn't mess with her. **"Alright, I'll leave ya alone."** LT. Surge went to his large couch that he had reserved for himself only and plopped down onto it to continue watching the match. As he took in the ongoing battle, he started thinking furiously. _I never thought that little runt would get so damn strong. But then again, I should've known he would get far after he beat my Raichu with just his Pikachu. This match should be good. Hmm…I wonder if she's watching._ And with that, the abnormally tall and muscular man called a number from his Poketch…

Far away in the city of Humilau, the gym leaders of Unova had gathered there to enjoy the beach while watching the match that was being shown at each of the tiki-hut bars. Dressed in their beach attire and enjoying their time under the sun were Cheren Aspern, Roxie Homika, Burgh Arty, Elesa Kamitsure, Clay Yakon, Skyla Huuro, Drayden Shaga and Marlon Shizui. One of them, the blonde girl Elesa, was half sitting and half lying down on a beach chair next to the red head Skyla who was doing the same. The two were facing a large outdoor screen that was hung from the hut wall. Like her friends, she was engrossed in the amazing match, unable to say a word while they kept watching.

A sudden ring on her Poketch made her jump, startling both her and her friend out of their trance. **"Sorry Skyla,"** she said automatically while ignoring the agitated looked on the red head's face. She looked at the caller ID and saw who it was before she answered the phone. **"Hey Uncle Surge. How are you?"** she asked.

A gruff yet cheery tone of voice was heard on the other hand. **"I'm good Elesa. How are you doing? By the way, please tell me that you're watching the finals and not messing around with your fashion line for once."**

She rolled her eyes and her friend caught that, causing her to grin. She knew what would cause her to do that. **"I'm good thanks. And yes, I am watching it…"**

" **That little runt sure has grown and become stronger hasn't he?"** he interrupted her.

His question made Elesa chuckle. **"What's so funny?"** asked the red head.

" **He said that Ash sure has grown from being a little runt Skyla,"** answered the blonde and they both laughed out loud, gaining attention from their group. The duo waved them off and they all looked at the screen again as both girls locked their eyes onto Ash. **"He sure has Uncle,"** commented the electric trainer. Skyla glanced at her after hearing her say that, hearing the slight change of tone in her voice.

LT. Surge also noticed that. He had learned to pick up on things that others would have missed because of his experience and years in the military. **"Is my niece smitten with him?"** he asked teasingly.

Elesa reddened as she shouted back. **"It's not your business Uncle!"** Her outburst startled her friends. They glanced at her but then faced the battle that was now occurring between Lucario and Diancie after Greninja was taken out by the fairy.

LT. Surge just laughed a bit before calming down. **"Relax Elesa. I'm just messing with you."** He heard her huff back and he smirked. **"Okay, moving on. Make sure you watch it and learn some things from him so you can become stronger."** His niece replied back that she will pay attention to do that. **"Good. By the way, what's new with you?"**

Elesa let out a sigh. **"Well, everything is the same. Still training and working on my fashion line. Oh and I was asked out on a date..."**

LT. Surge's eyes widened on the other end of the line but stayed calm. **"Is that so? And? Do I need to come there and break his neck?"**

" **No,"** she replied back while shaking her head. **"It was my fellow gym leader Marlon. But I never agreed to it cause I'm not interested in him and I'm too busy."**

It was quiet on the other end for a moment. **"I see. Well, if you need anything let me know. And don't let your fashion line control your life. But do be careful who you give a shot with."**

She smiled a bit. **"I know and thank you."**

" **No problem kiddo. You know I'm here for ya. Maybe I'll come visit sometime soon and we'll-HEY! That's a huge ass pokémon! What the hell is that thing?!"** he asked abruptly. Tobias had just sent out Regigigas after the aura canine finished off Diancie. She could hear several of the Kanto gym leaders start discussing what it is over on the other end of the phone. **"Alright Elesa, I gotta go! This is getting intense!"**

" **Bye!"** said Elesa and she hung up and glanced at Skyla. **"What?"** she asked her friend after noticing her look.

Skyla looked at her for a moment before speaking. **"Elesa, we've been best friends for a long time and I have to tell you this for your own good; you fucked up by not going out with Marlon."**

Elesa narrowed her eyes at her. **"Why would you say that? You know I'm not interested in his type. He's too self-absorbed. I can't stand it and…"**

" **I know,"** interjected Skyla in a whisper so others won't overhear them. **"But you didn't even give him a chance because you've been smitten with Ash since the day you saw him."** Elesa went crimson red at that as she looked away. **"You need to get over him. It's been years and not once has he contacted you or you him. And from what's been reported on the news and media, you know he's already with several girls. No way will they ever let you in even if you tried to go for it. That is, if you could even tear yourself away from your fashion line,"** she told her with a frown. Skyla didn't want to say that to her best friend to make her feel bad about this but knew that she had to face reality. And truth be told, so did she. She was hoping that by saying this to her best friend, then maybe she could take her own advice as well and move on…

Elesa turned her gaze back to her friend's and replied back quietly. **"You may be right but…I don't care. I…I almost went to him."**

" **What?!"** yelped a surprised Skyla as her eyes widened. **"When?!"**

She let out a sigh before answering her. **"When he was in the hospital. I almost dropped everything to go to him. The only reason I didn't was because if I had left, my fashion line would've been taken over,"** revealed the electric trainer sadly.

Skyla was shocked over what she heard. _She almost went to him? She was actually thinking about giving up her dream for him? I can't believe she was actually about to do that…just like me._ The flying type trainer thought furiously for a bit before deciding on something. _I…I need to come clean to her._ **"I see. Elesa, I have to tell you something…"** She waited until her friend looked at her again. She leaned in closer and told her the next few words so quietly that she barely heard her. **"I almost did the exact same thing."** Elesa gasped and her eyes widened. **"But I didn't go through with it at the last second. Because I realized there is no way that anything will work out for me and I would've lost my pilot's license if I missed my license renewal and I would've never been able to keep my plane hangar. You should take my advice and not do this to yourself. You should just drop it and go for Marlon if he's not taken yet. At least you have someone who's interested in you unlike me,"** advised her friend with a slight smile.

Elesa stared at her for a moment. **"You like Ash too?"** she asked her in a whisper. Skyla said nothing but the look on her face was all that she needed. She hung her head after thinking about what her best friend said. **"Maybe you're right about that. Maybe I should forget about him and move on. It's gonna be so damn hard though…"** Her friend nodded her head sadly. **"But you know what you're wrong about?"** Skyla tilted her head and Elesa looked at her with a slight smile. **"Marlon. I'd rather stay single for the rest of my life,"** she revealed and her friend understood.

Skyla and Elesa both couldn't help but laugh. Before either of them could say anything else however, someone else spoke. **"What's so funny?"** asked another female. The two glanced to their side and saw the poison type trainer Roxie. They just said it was nothing and Roxie gave them a look. **"Right. I heard what you two were saying. When are you two ever going to do something without the other? Even liking the same guy? I swear you should've been born Siamese twins or something."** Both Elesa and Skyla became embarrassed over her words since it was practically true. The two of them did everything together. From shopping, working out, having the same interests to almost everything else. **"I swear, sometimes I think you two are closeted lesbians or something."**

The two narrowed their eyes on her before one of them shouted out, making some of the others glance at them with concern. But seeing that Roxie was once again the one agitating them, they decided to leave it alone before looking back at the battle. **"Just because you think it's weird to do stuff like that with friends doesn't mean others do too!"** snapped Skyla with annoyance.

Roxie just scoffed at her as she tightened a towel around her waist. **"Touchy. Whatever. But let me tell you this; who gives a shit if he's with several girls or not? And why do you even care? It's not like you want to be with him forever. Just go fuck him and get it out of your system. Hell, he's not even that great or good looking. You're only interested in him because he's famous,"** she remarked with a sneer.

" **That's not true!"** shot both girls angrily at once. But then realizing what they just said, the two clapped their hands against their mouths.

Raising her eyebrows in response, Roxie stared at them. **"Oh? So why are you interested in him?"** she asked but didn't get an answer. Instead, both Elesa and Skyla recovered and told her that she would never understand as they crossed their arms over their chests and glared at her. Roxie shook her head in disappointment. **"Whatever. I'm done trying to make you two see the truth. No man is good enough. Not even someone like Ash. They can't be trusted for anything. They're only meant to be used for your own gain. If you can't see that, then you're both stupider than you look."** She left the two girls alone and went back to her own seat after getting herself a drink.

The two friends glanced at each other. **"Something is seriously wrong with her,"** remarked Skyla.

Elesa nodded in agreement. **"Agreed. Let's forget about her and watch the match."** The two faced the screen once more and watched the battle going on between Regigigas and Lucario. But the two of them kept having thoughts enter their minds…

As the match continued between Regigigas and Lucario and it became gradually fiercer, a red haired girl was watching with her family and friends at her place. Flannery Asuna had invited her fellow gym leaders to her house in Lavaridge Town since they were famous in Hoenn for their hot springs. The plan was to relax in them after viewing the match. It didn't hurt either that she had the space to host. Roxanne Tsutsuji, Brawly Toki, Wattson Tessen, Winona Nagi, the twins Tate and Liza Fulan and Wallace were relaxing inside Flannery's home while watching the match in the living room. When Regigigas started going on a rampage, they were shocked and scared. But when Lucario and Ash wouldn't back down they watched on while barely breathing. When the two were able to finally subdue the legendary, they all let out relieved breaths.

The eldest out of the group of gym leaders, Wattson, turned to one of his closest friends. **"Ash's Lucario was able to take down the titan pokémon by himself. That's incredible!"**

Wallace nodded in agreement. **"Yes it is. To have that much power and only using it to protect others, that's the mark of a true hero. And doing so with such grace. Did you see his technique and skill?"** he asked with admiration.

Before the old man could answer, another spoke up. **"He does have skill and power. But my pokémon could take him on."** Both Wattson and Wallace turned to Brawly who had just spoken and burst out laughing. The fighting type trainer narrowed his eyes at them and crossed his arms. **"What? You think I'm exaggerating my skills?"**

Both finished up laughing and Wattson replied back. **"You have grown stronger Brawly. No doubt about that. But you're nowhere near that level. And I think you're just jealous and pissed off that Shauna has taken a liking to him, is hanging around him and even went to his aid during his eight match. You need to get over that since you messed up and lost your chance."** Brawly muttered under his breath while glaring at the two and moved away before he took up a seat away in the corner of the room on a chair. **"Was that a little harsh?"** asked Wattson all of a sudden as he scratched his head.

Wallace shook his head. **"No. Fighters like him have to hear things straight otherwise it won't penetrate their thick skulls. He messed up on that and that's a lesson he needs to learn."** The water type trainer then noticed something. **"Speaking of issues, Flannery looks very distraught,"** he said with concern to his friend.

" **You're right."** The two looked at her for a moment, seeing the fearful and sullen expression on her face. **"I think I know the reason why. But she'll be okay. She has her friends by her side,"** reasoned Wattson seeing two other girls with her and Wallace agreed.

The subject of that small conversation was feeling intense feelings inside of her. When Regigigas went on a rampage and Ash was trying to protect the league official, her heart was beating madly. She couldn't say a word nor make a sound until he was able to push away the colossus with his aura and Lucario took him out. Seeing that everything was finally alright, Flannery had gotten up and moved away towards the furthest wall to calm down. Her closest friends, Roxanne and Winona, had followed after her and trying to help her out. **"It's okay hun,"** started Winona soothingly. **"Nobody got hurt and everyone is fine."**

" **She's right. All is well. So please just take a few breaths and that will help you calm down,"** advised Roxanne soothingly to cheer her up.

Flannery took in a deep breath as she was advised to do so and then exhaled. Calming down a little, she glanced at her best friends. **"Thanks you two,"** she told them quietly. **"It's just…after everything that's happened at this damn tournament alone…any time something goes wrong, I feel like my heart is going to pop out of my chest. And I feel even worse whenever I see that he's near danger…"**

Both Roxanne and Winona tilted their heads. **"What do you mean?"** asked the rock type trainer.

The fire type trainer took in another deep breath before she locked eyes with the two. **"I…I don't know. It's been so long since I've seen Ash. But I can still remember how he helped me out in getting my confidence to run my family's gym like it was yesterday. Whenever I hear about him, think about him or see him on the TV for this tournament, I get this…this stirring feeling inside of me."** Her friends gave her stunned looks but she continued on. **"I don't know what it means but I do know this; when he vanished and no one could find him, when the stadium attack happened and he was right in the middle of it all, when he was at the hospital, when the crowd turned on him…all the times that he was in danger or facing ridicule, or who knows where, I so badly wanted to go to him. To help him. Find him. Protect him."** She looked down at her feet as she became quiet for a moment. **"I have no idea why I feel that way or want to do all that. Why is this happening to me? What does this mean?"** she asked them in a slightly hysterical tone of voice that made some of the others look at them with concerned expressions. But Flannery's friends gave them looks not to get involved and so they turned their attention back to the screen.

Winona and Roxanne looked at one another and smiled. Both of them were thinking the same thing. **"We know what this means,"** started Roxanne and Flannery looked up. **"It means that you like Ash."**

The red head had her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. **"What?! No…That can't be. I'm older than him. And we haven't seen each other for so long. And we've never went out together. And…and we haven't kept in touch. And…and…"** She kept stammering and her friends had their smiles widen.

" **Flannery, all that stuff doesn't matter and this just proves that you do like him,"** said Winona and she stopped her stammering. **"It's okay. Liking someone and having feelings for them is fine."**

The red head said nothing but began thinking about what she said for a little bit. The first time she saw him. How he helped her. The times where she would just stop what she was doing and think about where he is or what he's doing. All of a sudden, everything just clicked in her head and she took in a sharp breath. **"You're right…I…I do like him. How could I have not realized this sooner?"** she asked them.

Her friends smiled at her again. **"It's okay Flannery. Sometimes, people just miss the obvious. But…"**

" **But?"** repeated Flannery with anxiousness.

" **But it looks like he already has a girl in his life. Several actually,"** continued on Roxanne sadly for Winona who nodded in agreement.

Flannery hung her head, staring at her feet again. **"I forgot about that. What…what do I do?"** she asked them quietly.

Both girls grasped the red head's hands and led her back to the couch. **"Just watch the rest of the match for now and then we'll figure something out afterwards,"** advised Winona quietly. Flannery sat down and nodded in agreement. The three of them joined the others and continued watching the match. As they did so, Roxanne and Winona would periodically check on their friend to see her reactions. While they did that, Flannery didn't notice because she was too absorbed in the battle with her sight locked onto Ash whenever it showed his image. And she would have thoughts enter her head about the raven haired trainer…

As Ash and Tobias had Latios and Gardevoir battle, the gym leaders of Sinnoh had gathered at Snowpoint City's ice gym. The weather was leaning more towards the warmer side during this time of year and so they had decided to cool off in Candice's hometown. Instead of meeting at Candice's gym or home however, they had decided to head to the local sports bar to watch the final match. Roark Hyouta, Gardenia Natane, Maylene Sumomo, Crasher Wake, Fantina Melissa, Bryron Tougan, Candice Suzuna and Volkner Denzi were all eating and drinking as they commented about the watch while enjoying it. **"Yea, that's it! Keep evading!"** shouted out Maylene as the psychic fairy would teleport around the field to dodge the dragon's attacks.

Her friend Roark chuckled. **"Someone's had one too many beers,"** he remarked as he tried to take away the pitcher from her.

That didn't sit too well with her though. She snatched the pitcher from him and smacked him upside the head. **"Hey! Never take my drink!"** she chastised him before pouring herself another one.

" **Don't you know not to mess with her when it comes to drinking?"** asked Bryron with a chuckle.

" **Shut up!"** snapped Roark as he rubbed the back of his head.

Their group just laughed out loud. **"Never learns,"** said Fantina with a smile as she shook her head. She then looked at the screen again. **"Oh damn, look! Latios is about to fire his Hyper Beam!"** The group turned their sight onto the TV and so did the other patrons in the bar. The eon pokémon fired the powerful beam of energy and when it finished they saw nothing but a smoldering dark spot. **"Oh my Mew!"** yelped Fantina as she clapped her hands to her mouth and so did several other girls in the bar.

Before anyone could recover enough to say something, the legendary was lit up like a Christmas tree with a wicked electric attack. The camera moved around until it landed on a pink glowing sphere that was hovering in the air above the stadium. **"Oh thank Arceus! She's okay!"** breathed out Gardenia and the others let out sighs of relief.

" **Well, that's another legendary down for the count,"** stated Volkner after Gardevoir took out Latios. **"Just how damn powerful has Ash become?"** he asked to no one in particular.

" **I don't know but it looks like Tobias isn't giving up yet,"** replied Crasher Wake as the trainer of legendaries took out another poke ball. **"What kind of pokémon is that?"** he asked as Tobias brought out his last pokémon.

" **That's Deoxys, the legendary psychic space traveler,"** answered Candice and several of them had their eyes widened with surprise. **"He's very powerful. I don't know how Ash can…"** She trailed off, not finishing her statement because Ash had started speaking. A blue glowing sphere came into existence next to him before an unknown being appeared. They saw Ash and the purple feline face each other and a moment later, the guardian captured the humanoid looking feline. They listened to Ash's words and when he finished speaking, they all gasped. **"Mew has a brother?!"** asked a shocked Candice as the two psychics began their battle.

The gym leaders and the patrons at the bar were amazed at what was going on once the battle started. The legendary psychics were going against each other not only for the tournament win, but for the title of the most powerful psychic in the world. **"Yea! This is going to be awesome!"** shouted Maylene, recovering quicker than the others. She took another gulp of beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. **"They're going to end things with a bang! I wonder if our friends are watching?"** she asked out loud.

" **Ah, we're right here Maylene,"** answered Roark as he and the rest gave her a worried look.

She waved them off after giving them an annoyed look. **"Not you guys! I may be having some beer but that doesn't mean I'm drunk! I mean Korrina and the rest!"** She raised her Poketch to call her as her group understood. **"C'mon, pick up!"** she whined as it continued to ring…

In the city of Laverre of the Kalos region, Valerie Mache was in an astonished trance just like her guests. Viola Paquet and her sister Alexa, Grant Zakuro, Korrina Koruni, Ramos Fukuji, Olympia Gojika and Wulfric Urup were seated in her large dining room of her gym. Having volunteered to use her gym to be the meeting point to watch the final match, the others had arrived before the match started and caught up with one another until it started. They were amazed with both trainers' performances but more so with the guardian's since his regular pokémon were going toe to toe with the legendaries of the world. Seeing Mewtwo and Deoxys battling it out with all their power and ability were keeping them from making a sound or talking. That is until, one of them started to realize that she was getting a call. Snapping out of her stupor, the fighting type trainer picked up the call. **"Hey, this is…"**

" **I know who it is! Are you watching the battle Korrina?!"** came a loud and energetic voice.

Korrina moved her head away from her device since she talked so loudly, practically making her ears ring before answering back. **"Yea, I am Mayelne. It's incredible how far he's come,"** she told her friend.

" **I know right?!"** replied back Maylene with a loud voice again making Korrina cringe from it. **"I'm getting pumped from watching it! By the way, we need to have another sparring session soon!"** she told her.

Korrina smiled at that. **"Sure, why not? I'll let you know when."**

" **Awesome! Alright, I'll catch up with you later! I need to get some more beer to watch Ash kick ass! Enjoy it since I know you will!"** And with that, Maylene hung up as Korrina chuckled though she did redden a little.

" **Was it the drunk again?"** asked Alexa with a giggle.

Korrina rolled her eyes. **"Yea, she was just asking if we were watching the battle too. And that's mean don't you think?"** she asked her.

" **Oh, you know I'm just joking,"** said Alexa and Violet shook her head with a half smile.

" **Hey look!"** shot Wulfric, brining their attention back to the match. Mewtwo and Deoxys were up in the air and both had their eyes glow blue. **"What are they trying to do?"** he asked out loud.

" **Trying to subdue the other with just their telekinesis alone,"** explained Olympia and they all had understanding dawn on them. Not too long later and Deoxys was sent rocketing to the ground with tremendous force, making them let out shocked gasps. **"It's over,"** commented the psychic trainer as the purple feline powered up a white ball of energy in his hands.

The battle soon concluded and they saw Ash celebrating with his pokémon before he and Tobias shook hands afterwards. **"Do you think Ash will take the offer?"** asked Grant after the guardian went inside his trainer's tunnel.

" **I think he will,"** replied Valerie. **"He seems the type to not shy away from a challenge,"** she said with respect and the others agreed with her.

" **Did they arrive their already though?"** asked Viola.

" **They did,"** answered Ramos and they glanced at him. **"Lance and Diantha came a few days ago and told them and the others of each region of the plan and offer. They agreed to it and were on the next flight out to Indigo Plateau,"** he explained.

" **If Ash accepts, then this will be the first time things are done this way,"** remarked Alexa and her friends gave their own thoughts on the matter. As they conversed, Alexa thought to herself. _Damn it, I should've gone to the tournament. I would've had so many incredible stories to give the world. And it would've been fun to catch up with old friends. Oh well, I could always go tomorrow. That is, if he accepts._ She soon returned to talking with the gym leaders of what could possibly happen next as they waited for the closing ceremony and to see if Ash would take the offer or not.

In another part of Kalos, several friends had gathered at a particular brunette's house to watch the finals. Shauna Sana had invited her friends Trevor Fujii, Tierno Katsu, Miette McDowell, Aria Sheppard and Amelia De Caro over and the six of them were having a good time. Shauna had become friends with Aria and Amelia as well over the past couple of weeks and when she found out that they didn't have any plans, had told them to come. When the battle ended, the girls had gotten up and went into the kitchen to help their host bring some drinks while the two guys stayed in the living room. **"Wow, I can't believe it! Ash won!"** said Trevor with a happy tone.

" **Yea, he sure has reached a new level,"** said Tierno in agreement but with a slightly sullen tone.

Trevor picked up on that and glanced at his friend. **"You okay? Are you still thinking about Serena?"**

Tierno let out a sigh before shaking his head. **"No. It's not that. I've moved on from that a long time ago. I know she has eyes only for Ash, loves Ash and has for many years. It's just…"** He looked around, making sure the girls weren't around. He leaned in closer to the short man and whispered the rest. **"…you know I went out with Shauna right?"** he asked him and Trevor nodded. **"That was the second time we went out. I thought I would be happy with her since she's so cheerful, energetic and we're good friends. We have a lot of fun together. But I get the feeling that she's not all into it you know? Or am I just over thinking this?"** he asked his friend.

Trevor was quiet for a little bit as he thought. **"I don't know man. I don't have any experience in that regard. The only thing I can say is if I were you, I'd talk to her about this before things get too awkward. That way, if things don't work out, you can still be friends,"** he advised him and Tierno nodded in agreement. The two moved on from that and talked about something else while waiting for the girls to return.

Speaking of the girls, when they entered the kitchen they were chatting about what they just saw and what might happen now that the tournament is over. The blunette answered Aria's question before asking one of her own. **"I probably will go home and train some for the next showcase. But did you see how he just threw himself in front of that raging beast to protect that official without a second's thought?!"** asked Miette with admiration.

The girls thought about that and they nodded with most of them having their cheeks redden as they pictured him doing that in their minds. **"He sure is brave. No wonder Serena has feelings for him,"** said Aria with a smile.

" **Is someone fantasizing about him?"** asked Amelia with a smirk.

" **Hey! Nothing wrong with that!"** snapped Aria, blushing furiously but Amelia merely laughed at her.

The blunette had her eyes widen all of a sudden, realizing what was going on. **"Oh no! Back off you, he's mine!"** shot Miette warningly, making Aria take a step back from her outburst.

" **Is that why he's with Serena and several other girls and not you?"** countered Amelia and Miette clapped her hands over her mouth while becoming embarrassed and angry.

" **Talk about a low blow,"** commented Shauna while giggling over their behavior. **"You should all relax,"** she told them and the three girls locked their sight onto her. **"Ash is with Serena and those other girls. You guys should move on and get over it. Why even think about him if you can't get with him?"**

The two girls glared at her before one of them shot back. **"Well, what about you?"** asked Miette.

" **What? I don't like Ash. I never…"**

" **Not him, Tierno! Why are you with him when you have feelings for Clemont?"** interrupted Miette.

Shauna's eyes widened as her heart began beating rapidly. But she didn't know why her heart began going crazy like that. **"I don't have feelings for Clemont!"** Amelia, Aria and Miette crossed their arms over their chests and gave her a 'c'mon' look. Gathering her wit, Shauna stood her ground. **"Look, I like Clemont as a friend. And Tierno was the only one who had the guts to ask me out…"**

" **Can't argue about him having guts,"** interrupted Amelia with a chuckle.

Shauna narrowed her eyes on her. **"That's not nice. Say you're sorry!"** she ordered angrily, making Amelia take a step back out of fear and Miette was shocked at the sudden mood swing of her friend.

" **Whoa, hold up,"** intervened Aria, moving between them. **"She's only joking, even if it was kind of rude."** She glared at Amelia who let out a sigh and said she was sorry. The former Kalos queen looked at the brunette again. **"Look, he may have been the only guy who asked you out, but that doesn't mean that he's the right one. We noticed the way your eyes lit up when Clemont appeared on the screen for a little bit when they showed the people in the stands. Now why did that happen huh?"** she asked her softly.

Shauna lost the glare in her eyes but wasn't sure what she was feeling or what they were saying. **"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just glad to see he's doing fine you know. Especially after everything's that happened over there. And Tierno? He's a good friend. I like and respect him and…"**

" **Do you like him more than just a friend?"** asked Aria, interrupting her.

Shauna thought about that before she shook her head. **"I'm not sure."**

Aria let a small smile form on her face. **"That's okay. But you should figure it out before things get too complicated and you lose him as a friend forever. No matter what you decide, I'm sure he'll understand if he's a good person,"** she said to her.

Shauna thought about what she said before she hugged Aria all of a sudden. **"Thanks for helping me."**

" **You're welcome."** The two separated and glanced at the other two. **"And you two,"** started Aria, looking at Miette and Amelia who tilted their heads. **"Try not to mess up other people's love lives,"** she told them and the two girls let out annoyed sounds.

Shauna took in a deep breath before calming down. **"C'mon you three, let's go watch the closing part of the tournament,"** suggested the brunette and they agreed. The girls returned to the living room with drinks and sat down in the living room again. Tierno and Trevor asked them if everything was alright since they heard slight shouts and they were gone for a while. But the girls just replied back that it was nothing. The six of them watched as they set the stage in the middle of the stadium with several of them lost in thoughts.

A man and a woman were watching the finals in the woman's home in the small quiet town of Pallet. She thought that he had earned himself a little bit of a break after all the hard work and borderline abusive treatment she's been making him suffer through. She had made him clean all the old pokémon shelters on the pokémon preserve that were covered in dust, cobwebs and other filth. Then, he was to type up all the handwritten reports that were many months old into the computer database. After that, he was made to be her guinea pig for all of her experiments. He hasn't been able to sleep properly for days now. Seeing that he was on his last legs and that the finals of the tournament were that day, she had told him that they were going to watch the last match for research purposes. The man was too tired out to even think of anything other than relief and so agreed to it.

As the two watched the final match, the pink haired girl was watching with amazement over how the raven haired guardian was able to overcome the legendaries. She was jotting down notes as quickly as she could of whatever she noticed or thought was valuable. The way the pokémon moved, how rapidly they were able to launch their attacks, their resilience, confidence, strength, weaknesses and everything else she observed. By the time the battle finally ended, she had filled up dozens of pages of notes and they were on the coffee table. As they waited for the stage to be set and Ash to return, the girl went to the kitchen to get some drinks and snacks. When she returned, she saw her assistant with his head leaned backwards against the couch and his eyes closed. She also noticed that he had not written a single thing on his paper. She looked at him for a moment before she moved forward and sat down on the couch beside him after placing the tray with drinks and snacks on the coffee table. **"Wake up!"** she shot at him.

The man snapped his eyes open and raised his head automatically. **"I wasn't sleeping. Just resting my eyes,"** he told her with a slightly grumpy tone.

Her eyes narrowed on him. **"Are you talking back to me?"** she asked him dangerously.

His heart rate shot up and his eyes widened. He faced her and waved his hands in front of her rapidly to signal his submission. **"No no Professor Johnson! I swear!"** he told her.

She stared at him for a moment before letting it go. **"Good,"** she told him and took a sip of her drink. He let out a relieved sigh and took a sip himself. Vanessa looked at him from the corner of her eyes. _He's getting better without giving snarky remarks over everything. Maybe now I can try to make some sense to his past actions._ She lowered her drink and grasped a carrot from the vegetable platter. **"So, Mr. Oak, now that we're waiting for the closing ceremony, I have some questions for you. Did you finish yesterday's report?"** she asked him.

Gary set his drink down and answered her calmly but with a tired tone of voice. **"Yes. It was delivered last night."**

" **Good. And have the new batch of starter pokémon been fed their vitamins?"**

" **Yes. I fed them myself every morning."**

" **Splendid. Did you repair the broken healing machine?"**

" **Yes. Cost me a few cuts and scrapes but I was able to get it working,"** he stated, trying to get her to go easier on him because of that.

That didn't work though since she ignored it, thinking it was hardly a punishment before she continued on. **"Good. And why did you betray Ash?"**

" **Because I was angry and jealous that he was getting everything and I wasn't."** She gasped over what he said and he suddenly realized what she asked him and what he was saying. He snapped his attention onto her with his eyes wide. **"You…"**

She cut him off. **"You were angry and jealous that he was getting more than you?"** she asked him in disbelief. Gary went quiet and said nothing. He stood up and took a few steps towards the exit but then he felt her grab his arm and forced him to turn around. Vanessa's eyes were locked onto his. **"Why? Why were you angry and jealous? How could you be even feel or think that when you had much more than him in the beginning? What could possibly justify that…"**

" **I don't know!"** he yelled at her. She went quiet and let go of him. He took a few steps away from her and leaned against the nearest wall with his hands against it.

Vanessa felt a little saddened over what he said until she remembered what else she was told and took a step closer to him. **"You're lying to me and to yourself. You do know why. Stop making excuses for whatever problems or issues that you're dealing with! Come to terms with them now!"** she strode over to him, grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around to face her. **"Tell me why you acted like such an entitled asshole who would go behind his friend's back to try to get back at him for doing nothing wrong by telling his other friend what she was getting herself into!"**

Gary hung his head before shaking it slowly. He thought of what he could say to throw her off this topic. **"I…I thought I had finally found the one for me. I thought it was Ilene. But then, when Ash told my secret…of me being with you behind Sabrina's back…it caused us to split because she couldn't trust me anymore."**

Vanessa took a step back from him. Memories of that night came rushing back to her. How he asked her out and her agreeing to it since she had a crush on him since the day she saw him. Their restaurant dinner and how great it went. Their walk around the town until they reached his place. Him inviting her in. Their talking for a bit before they started making out and soon it turned into heated love making. How she was enjoying the intense feelings and how she thought that things were finally going her way. That she would be with him from that day on and how she wanted to tell him how much she loved him. That is until they heard a shrill scream and how he stopped and ran outside while wearing his boxers and left her behind in his room. How she went downstairs and overheard him saying that they were done to a dark haired girl who she later found out was the Saffron gym leader. How she teleported out of there and how he came back in and told her that she was the only one for him. The way they continued on into the night. And how it continued for a while until he just stopped calling her and every time that she tried to contact him, he said he was busy. How she only realized that he had been using her for his own selfish desires only when she ran into him again at the club recently.

A moment later, Vanessa came back to the present. Her eyes narrowed at him and her hands clenched into fists. She struck him against his face and he went stumbling backwards with a yelp of pain. **"So you used me for your own lust filled desires before just dropping me like yesterday's trash! We already know that! That's not what I want to be reminded of! I want to know what's the real reason as to why you're angry and jealous. And its not just because of this Ilene. You're trying to throw me off topic! What is it that made you even more of an asshole than before?!"** she asked him angrily.

Gary didn't respond until he raised his gaze to hers after balancing himself out. **"I'm so sorry about that."** Vanessa acted like she didn't hear his apology and he let out a sigh. **"I thought it was at first only about Ilene. But when I got drunk and did those horrible things, it was because of those feelings. But I don't know why I felt them. I don't know if it was only because of Ilene or other things. And since you made me do all these chores and errands these past several days, it kept me distracted from what I did. I haven't been able to think or figure out why…"**

" **Don't give me that bullshit!"** she yelled at him and he cringed over her furious demeanor. **"You know why you did what you did! What was the reason?!"**

He shook his head and then stared at his feet. **"I don't know Professor Johnson...I really don't. But I want to know! I want to know so badly but I can't figure it out! It's driving me crazy!"** he admitted to her while grabbing his hair and pulling it.

Vanessa was frozen still, dumbstruck over what Gary had admitted. She never thought it would be something like this that he was feeling. Snapping out of it, she moved forward and grabbed his hands and kept him from pulling his hair out in his emotional state. **"Mr. Oak!"** she snapped at him. She was waiting for him to calm down and to look at her. When he finally did, she continued on. **"I understand what you're saying. And I will help you out in trying to figure it out…"**

" **Why?"** he asked, interrupting her. **"Why would you help me? Why would you waste your time in helping someone who was a complete jerk to you?"** he asked her. He couldn't believe that she was willing to help him out, even after what he did to her.

Vanessa was quiet for a while before answering him. **"Because I believe that some people can change if they're not too far gone. Even the most hard headed ones. If given the push in the right direction with a purpose and kept in line,"** she told him with a slight smile.

Gary couldn't think of anything to say. A moment later, he nodded his head. **"Thank you Professor Johnson."**

" **You're welcome."** He gave her a slightly astonished look that she said his name. Until a sudden powerful punch to his abdomen out of nowhere made him let out a grunt of pain. He clutched his stomach and wheezed. **"But you fucked up. You fucked up big time."** Gary, while feeling the pain from her hit still, was starting to shiver a bit as his heart was starting to beat faster. **"You severed an old bond with your closest friend because of your imagined slights. You scarred two girls as you tried to fulfill your desire. You angered another girl by cheating on her. And you used a girl who was head over heels for you…"** Gary looked at her for a moment until he realized what she was saying. He let out a gasp but she quickly covered his mouth. **"…who may or may not be able to get over what you did to her. But, I think you can still change. And for the better. That is the only reason as to why I agreed to come back from my vacation and help out your grandfather in helping you. You can still change. And you have taken the first step towards that because you have come to understand that you did wrong and are trying to find out why. You must continue down this path if you want to become a better person. You understand?"** she asked him with a serious tone of voice.

After recovering a little from her punch, he looked into her eyes for a long time. **"You were head over heels for me?"** he asked her in a whisper.

She stayed composed even though she had a very slight feeling spring up but it quickly extinguished. She kept her eyes locked on his. **"That's all you got after what I said?"** she asked him with an annoyed tone of voice.

He slowly shook his head. **"No, it wasn't. But I want to say I'm so sorry Vanessa,"** he told her quietly. **"I…I will do anything to make it up to you. Anything you want. Doesn't matter what it is, I'll do it."** He straightened out and moved closer to her. She didn't react but prepared herself to knock his ass to the floor if he tried something. But what he did next surprised her. He knelt down and bowed his head towards her feet. **"I'm so sorry for what I did. For breaking the friendship between me and him. For trying to take advantage of Sarah and Ilene. For using you. I'm so sorry. I don't want to be that type of person anymore. I will do whatever it takes to find out why I behaved like such an asshole and get rid of my bad side."** He raised his gaze and looked at the astonished face of Vanessa from the floor. **"I swear this to you Professor Johnson."**

The intense gaze he was giving her and what he just said was not what she was expecting from him. But she could tell that he was actually being genuine. She thought a bit before deciding on something. **"This is only the beginning of your path towards redemption. It may take a long time and it may be difficult to get back on the good side of all of us…"**

" **I don't care,"** interrupted Gary at once and she went silent. **"Whatever it takes, I will do it. I will atone for my mistakes and sins."**

Understanding him and feeling the conviction in his voice, she nodded her head. **"Good. But if you ever interrupt me again, you will be sorry."** He gulped and nodded. And with that, Professor Johnson got up walked towards the couch. She stopped after a few steps and glanced back at him, making him tilt his head. **"You may call me by my first name now. But don't abuse that privilege and don't think you're off the hook yet."** Seeing the stunned expression form on his face, she said no more. Reaching the couch and sitting down, she faced the TV. **"Oh look, Ash is walking towards the stage. You should come see,"** she told him while acting as if nothing important just happened. Understanding her that they were to move on then, he slowly stood up, went over to the couch and sat down beside her. **"I gotta ask this too though,"** she started and he turned his head to look at her but she continued facing the screen. **"Are you really that much of a brainless idiot for angering a man who stopped the stadium attack by himself and can stand up against a rampaging legendary like Regigigas as well?"** Hearing nothing back, she glanced at him with the corner of her eyes and found him paler than a ghost with his eyes widened. She allowed a smirk to form on her face. **"Wow. For someone who says he's smart and doesn't miss anything, you sure do forget important things. I hope he can forgive you or next time he sees you, he may just unleash his wrath on you."** Gary leaned his head back against the couch as he closed his eyes and whimpered a bit. His reaction made her smile deviously. _I'm gonna have so much fun tormenting him like this. And it's not just for my entertainment. This is part of his punishment too,_ thought Vanessa before facing the screen again in time to hear the president's speech.

At the Indigo Plateau stadium, President Goodshow was smiling at the happy young man who was holding up the trophy high above his head and celebrating with his pokémon. After a little bit of time, he then remembered what he was supposed to do and caught his attention. Ash looked at him with a large grin on his face. **"Ash,"** started Goodshow but then waited until the people quieted down. It took a while but they finally settled down and became silent before he continued on. **"You have won the Spirit Tournament and proved yourself as one of the strongest trainers in the world. And you have earned the right to challenge each region's Elite Four and their respective Champions after if you beat them whenever you feel ready. Will you continue on this path towards becoming a Pokémon Master one day?"** he asked him.

Ash nodded in response. **"It's always been my dream Mr. Goodshow to become a Pokémon Master. I will achieve that title one day because I will never give up,"** he answered and the crowd roared.

Smiling at the young man, the president nodded and waited for the people to calm down. **"Good to hear. What if I told you that I have a surprise for you?"**

Ash titled his head. **"A surprise?"** he repeated and his pokémon glanced at one another.

Goodshow allowed a grin to form on his face as he faced the curious people in the stands. **"Ladies and gentleman…"** He glanced at Ash for a split second before facing the cameras. **"…I have a surprise for you all. Allow me to introduce to you, the most powerful trainers in the world!"** And with that introduction, several small groups entered the field from different tunnels.

Spectators in the stadium and at home became shocked to see each regions' Elites and Champion walking together towards the stage. Diantha was leading her elite that consisted of Malva, Siebold, Wikstrom and Drasna. Alder was among his elite who were Shauntal, Marshal, Grimsley and Caitlyn. Cynthia and her elite who were Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian strode forward. Steven had his elite of Sydney, Pheobe, Glacia and Drake with him. And finally, Lance was with both his Kanto and Johto elites who followed after him that included Karen, Will, Koga, Ethan, Lorelei, Bruno and Agatha. Seeing them enter the field had silenced the stadium for a short while until they began to roar and cheer. They were amazed to see them all here in one place. When they all reached the stage and filed in front of Ash and Goodshow, the president moved between them and raised his hands to signal the crowd to be quiet.

After quieting down, Goodshow turned to face Ash as he stood in front of the Champions and Elites of the world. **"Ash Ketchum,"** he started and everyone waited impatiently for him to continue, wanting to know what the plan was. **"As president of the Pokémon League, I wanted to make this tournament the biggest and greatest there ever was. But never did I dream that it would be like this. And yet, after everything that has happened here, what the people had to go through because of the attack and delays and what you did for us all…"** Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and many people smiled over his behavior, especially his group. **"…I wanted to offer this to you; as winner of the tournament, you have the right to challenge each and every region's Elite Four and if you win against them, you can challenge their Champion. You can do this at any time whenever you feel ready as there is no time limit and you don't have to fight them all immediately after one another."** Ash nodded to show he understood. **"But, my offer changes that."** Ash tilted his head and many in the stands began to murmur and mutter to one another about what the old man was trying to say. **"I offer you the chance to challenge them here now and if you win against them all, then you will be officially crowned our new Pokémon Master!"**

Ash had his eyes widen and his jaw dropped. The stands started buzzing with many excited conversations and his family and friends were astounded over the offer. **"Pokémon Master?"** he said quietly. He glanced at his pokémon who had astonished expressions on their faces. He turned back to face the president. **"But don't I have to face the current Pokémon Master to earn that title? And do I have to battle right now?"** he asked Goodshow.

Goodshow smiled a bit. **"Not exactly. Since the current Pokémon Master hasn't been seen or heard of for over ten years, we can appoint a new Pokémon Master only if the trainer has beaten all the Elites and Champions of the world."** Ash nodded to show that he understood so far and Goodshow continued afterwards. **"As for the offer? Here are the full details. If you accept, the tournament will be extended by five more days. Each day you will face a different region's strongest trainers of your choosing. But, to spice things up and to make sure that you do deserve that title, you can only use that region's pokémon against the Elites and Champion. You will have to fight all of them one after another without any rest or healing and no mega evolutions either. If you win against them all, you will earn yourself a very big paycheck and the title of Pokémon Master, the absolute strongest in the world. Are you up to the challenge and do you accept my offer?"** asked the elderly man.

Ash glanced back at his pokémon again who were now giving him neutral expressions. He then looked at his opponents. He saw each of the Elites and Champions giving him respectful yet challenging looks. Even Cynthia was giving him such a look. He glanced at the stands and found his family and friends after searching for a bit. He saw the way his mother and girlfriends were looking at him, wondering what he will decide to do. But the expressions on their faces said that whatever he decides, that they would support his decision. He became very happy over that. He looked up towards the sky and closed his eyes to think. As he thought, he was sent a mental message.

 _You should do it._

 _What?_

 _Take the offer Ash. Show the world that you deserve the title of Pokémon Master. Or are you afraid?_

 _You know I'm not afraid buddy. It's just…not the same Mewtwo. I wouldn't have beaten the current Master. And I don't need it right now. Plus, we're on a time schedule. We need to start planning._

 _You're wrong. We still have some time. And there is more to this. They are considered the absolute strongest in the world. This will be another good test to see where your strength lies. And with what is coming in the future, the world needs to follow a single leader. Someone who can help them prepare and make decisions. And what better way can you do that other than being the Pokémon Master and everyone will listen to you?_

Ash thought about what his friend said and he soon came to a decision. _You're probably right Mewtwo. But I have an idea that may help me deal with it and won't take too much time away from us._

 _Whatever your plan is, as long as it's logical, I'll follow. But if I don't like it, I'm letting you know and preventing you from doing it._

 _Oh, don't worry buddy. I think you'll like it._ The guardian took in a deep breath before exhaling it out. **"President Goodshow,"** he started, gaining everyone's attention. He handed the trophy over to Lucario, took a few steps forward towards Charles and stopped in front of him. **"When will this start and may I add a couple conditions of my own if I accept?"**

Goodshow raised his eyebrows and so did the Elites and Champions behind him. **"It will start the day after tomorrow. Now, what are your conditions? Perhaps we can accommodate it."**

Ash nodded before saying his conditions. **"My first condition is this; instead of facing a different region each day, I would like to face all of the Elites in one day. And each region's Elites would verse me in a handicap battle, with their strongest pokémon battling together against only one of mine. If I win against them all, then I will challenge the Champions on the next day with their strongest pokémon also having a handicap battle together against only one of mine as well. A true Pokémon Master, like the current one, can do that. So I want to see if I have the same level of strength as him."** His first condition made everyone drop their jaws and their eyes to widen. Each person was thinking that he had gone off his rocker with what he wanted to do. Even his group and the powerful trainers behind the president glanced at one another with surprise. What he wanted to do was possible, as the current master who was off Arceus knows where had done that, but it was still crazy. Before anyone could say something, the young guardian continued on. **"And my second condition is that if I do beat them all, I want to give the current Master time to reveal himself and accept my challenge. I want to respect and uphold that tradition. If he doesn't show up within the allotted time, then I will accept the honor and title without issue or complaint."** That second condition made many in the stands to mutter to each other and gossip. His group got out of their stunned states and felt pride over his actions. Even the elites and champions, especially Cynthia, had their respect for him grow leaps and bounds.

It took a moment for Goodshow to snap out of it. He thought about the requests for a bit before talking. **"Okay, just to make sure I heard you correctly; your first condition is to face all the elites in one day? By having each region's elites face you at the same time with their strongest pokémon outnumbering yours in a handicap match. And only if you beat them all, will you face the champions the next day with again them facing you in a handicap match with their strongest pokémon outnumbering yours once more. Is that correct?"** he asked the victor of the tournament. Ash nodded without hesitation and Charles smiled at him. **"And if you win against them all, you want to give the current Pokémon Master time to reveal himself to accept your challenge and if he's a no show, then you'll be given that title and you won't complain about it?"** Once again, Ash nodded. **"If I do accept your conditions, there is no going back. Are you sure?"'** He replied back that he was sure without hesitation, making the president smile. **"That is something we can and will accept. So, I assume that you'll accept as well?"** he asked.

Ash allowed a grin to form on his face. **"I accept."** The raven haired guardian raised his hand and the president shook it. The people in the stands roared over the decision, ecstatic that the tournament has been extended and they will see someone finally challenge the Elites and Champions of the world after so many years. And it would be a one of kind battle. After their handshake, Ash faced the group of people behind them. **"Don't go easy on me. I won't go easy on you,"** he told them. They nodded at him and he them. Before he knew it, dozens of people had entered the field with cameras. Ash had his eyes widen. **"Sorry guys, but I'm not dealing with this! Mewtwo, get us out of here!"**

" **Oh no you don't! You can't keep dodging the media and make us deal with them for you!"** snapped Diantha as she grabbed hold of him and made him stay. Ash hung his head in defeat while the rest on the stage and the people in the stands laughed and chuckled. And with that, Ash, Mewtwo, Lucario, Gardevoir, Pikachu, Goodshow, the champions and the elites were bombarded with questions from reporters and flashes of light from the photographers. This went on for quite a while until finally Ash had enough and pleaded with Mewtwo to get them out of there. Ash, his pokémon and his group, along with Cynthia, disappeared in blue glows.

A blonde woman was feeling both happiness and pride over what she just viewed on the TV. **"What a spectacular way to continue the tournament!"** She had been watching the finals match in the living quarters of her castle along with her advisor and knight Master Riley. Ilene was proud of her knight's victory. And she was beyond thrilled over the fact that the tournament was extending and that she could watch Ash continue to compete since he had accepted the offer by the president with a few conditions of his own. **"I believe he can do it! What about you Master Riley?"** she asked him while turning her gaze to face him.

Riley didn't answer immediately since he was thinking. But he didn't make his queen wait too long. **"I think if anyone can do that, it would be Ash,"** he answered truthfully.

" **Yup! That's what I thought! He'll win for sure!"** replied Ilene with a happy smile. Riley smiled back at her but it was a different kind than what she was used to. **"Ah, are you alright?"** she asked him with worry.

He chuckled at that. **"I'm fine, thank you my Queen. And it looks like you are doing great yourself,"** he remarked with a slight grin.

She narrowed her eyes at him. **"What are you trying to say?"** she asked him.

" **Oh, nothing really. It's just that you seem much happier lately whenever you see Ash battling on the TV,"** he explained to her. She gave him a 'so?' look and he clarified. **"I am merely commenting on what I noticed. Though I don't think too much of it, you should be careful of who sees that,"** he advised her quietly.

" **There is nothing there to be seen,"** said Ilene with a forced calm tone of voice. _Just what does he think he's getting at?_

Riley stood up and gave her a bow. **"That's what I thought my Queen. I apologize for my momentary confusion."** He straightened out. **"Of course there would be nothing between you two in that sense. For if there was, and it was found out, it would not end well for Ash. Since Rotan law decrees that no knight can get with royalty for it would conflict with their vows and would…"**

" **I know the laws perfectly well, thank you very much Master Riley,"** interrupted Ilene with an angry tone of voice.

Again, Riley bowed and apologized. **"Of course, forgive me my Queen. I didn't intend to lecture. I was only reminding. If you will excuse me, I would like to contact Daisy and see how she is doing,"** he requested and she agreed to it and told him to go. He thanked her and left the room.

After her advisor and knight left, Ilene let out a huff and crossed her arms. **"Who does he think he is, lecturing me, the Queen, on Rotan laws? Hell, I wrote several of them!"** She was feeling annoyed over what just occurred. She got up and went to her bedroom to have some privacy yet she was still feeling agitated over the last conversation. Deciding to take a bath, the young queen headed into her private bath that was attached to her room. After getting her bath ready, she took of her royal attire, hung them against the clothes hangers that were on the wall and got into the tub.

The instant she got inside of it, she began to relax and she let out a breath of pleasure of feeling the warm water and her annoyance melted away. **"Ah, that feels great."** Ilene shimmied down a bit enough so she could lean her neck against the curved edge of the tub. She just sat in it, feeling more relaxed with each passing second. **"Whoever says baths are stupid, has never tried taking one. I swear this is heaven,"** she told herself. She closed her eyes and just allowed her mind to wander. After some time, her mind brought up the conversation she just had with her advisor. _I was only reminding…_

She opened her eyes and sat up a bit. **"Why would he say that? Does he think there's something between me and Ash? But how could he think that? There is nothing between us…"** As soon as she said that final sentence, her heart began beating faster and her stomach twisted into knots. **"What, why am I feeling this way?"** she asked herself. She tried to understand why she felt that way all of sudden by thinking about what could've brought it on. But she couldn't think straight and the feeling didn't go away. Instead, it only intensified as time went on. **"What is going on with me?!"** Becoming worried over what was happening to her so suddenly, she was starting to freak out. Until a sudden image appeared in her mind's eye and it calmed her down.

It was of the raven haired guardian giving her a reassuring look. After calming down and the random feeling going away, the image faded away from her mind. Ilene wondered why she just went through what she just experienced. _What was that all about?_ She thought heavily about that until she came to a realization that hit her hard and made her take in a sharp breath. **"This can't be…have I fallen for my Knight?"** After asking that question out loud to herself, everything seemed to just click in her head.

That was the reason why she had asked him to become one of her knights when he asked for training three years ago with Riley before he disappeared. Why she went to visit him when he was in the hospital but instead caught up to him after he was discharged. Why she decided to stay with him and his group of family and friends. Why she gave Gary a chance and thought that he was the one for her because he reminded her of Ash somewhat but realized he wasn't because of what he had done in his past. How her brief relationship with him made her realize what she was really looking for. That she was actually looking for someone like Ash. Why she felt so horrible for insulting and slapping him. Why she was beginning to look at him differently and held onto him like he was her lifeline when she was scared. Why she wanted to get a last look at him before he teleported away after bringing her home. And how she didn't want to miss any of his battles and was happy to see him do what he loves doing…

It all made sense to her now. She had finally figured it out. Everything that she had done, the choices that she had made, the experiences she went through, the path she was walking on, it was all because of this; she had hidden feelings for her Knight, the Aura Guardian and they were finally revealed to her. **"I have feelings for him… I have feelings for my Knight…I have feelings for Ash Ketchum…"** This admittance of her feelings for him made her heart start pounding faster again and she was starting to fill up with emotion. But it wasn't happy feelings. No, they were the complete opposite. Ilene was filling up with sadness as her eyes began to water. Before she knew it, she was crying with heavy and fast tears escaping from her eyes.

She was crying because she could never tell him and never pursue it. Because if she did, she would cause something awful to happen. For Rotan law that was decreed centuries ago forbade knights getting with royalty. It was a part of their vows that they made when they took the oath. It was to keep them from getting emotionally involved so they could do their jobs properly and to protect the purity of the bloodline. They were bound to their oath and the laws, even if they retired or honorably discharged or fired, until their death. And if anyone was found to break those laws or their oath, whether it was someone from the royal family who initiated it or not, or if it was any of the knights, even the most high ranking ones, the knights would be executed without hesitation, whether it was their fault or not.

That is why the queen was crying. She had finally realized her hidden feelings for him but she could do nothing about it because if she did, then she would risk his life just so she could be with him. It wouldn't be fair to him. It wouldn't be fair to the girls who were with him now. And she could never do that to him. Ilene stayed in the bathtub as she cried for a long time, letting out all of her anguish over what she just learned. That even though she had found the one person who could actually be for her, she had to stay away from him so he wouldn't be put to death. When she was all cried out, she slowly got out of the tub, put on her undergarments and night gown and went to bed. It was barely evening but she was so emotionally drained that it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Yet she did not have a peaceful night since her dreams only tormented her with what they showed…

At the Indigo Plateau Hotel, Ash and his posse reappeared in the balcony of the penthouse suite. The instant that they appeared, Ash became trapped in a large group hug by his girlfriends who were shouting out their congratulations and kissing him nonstop. Several shook their heads at the sight but couldn't help but chuckle while others were giving slightly sullen expressions since they couldn't do that to him as well. When they finally let him go, the young man was in a daze and barely able to stay standing. Before he could say anything though, he was then taken up into an embrace by his mother. **"I'm so proud of you!"** cried Delia as she hugged him tightly.

Ash snapped out of it and hugged his mother back. **"Thanks Mom."** When the two separated, Ash smiled at his mother and then faced the group. **"I want to say thank you for supporting and believing me all this time everyone. It means a lot to me that you are here with me when I finally achieved something,"** he told them.

His family and friends commented back several things to him and he smiled while nodding. **"And we're just getting started!"** remarked Brock as he walked inside hurriedly. **"It's time we celebrate properly! Let's give Ash some time with his pokémon and the rest of you, follow me people!"**

Ash felt gratitude to his brother for doing that as they all followed after him and he faced his pokémon. **"I want to say thank you to you as well for everything guys. I couldn't have done this without you or the others,"** he said to them with sincerity and they four pokémon smiled back.

" **You're welcome. I'll leave you to your fun,"** said Mewtwo, getting ready to teleport.

" **Ah come on man, don't go. Let's celebrate!"** requested Ash, making him stop.

The aura canine spoke up as well. **"We have come a long way. We should enjoy ourselves when we can for who knows if we may be able to do so in the future,"** advised Lucario.

" **Pi pikachu!"** agreed Pikachu.

" **C'mon, it'll be fun!"** said Gardevoir.

Letting out a sigh, Mewtwo agreed. **"Alright fine. But I'm not getting involved in everything and if I get annoyed, I'm leaving."**

" **Okay buddy,"** said Ash. He walked inside with Pikachu on his shoulder after relieving Lucario of carrying the large trophy while he and Gardevoir followed after him. When he reached the dining room, he saw that many had glasses filled with champagne in their hands.

One of his oldest friends moved to him and handed him a glass after he set the trophy on the table. Brock faced the group. **"A toast!"** started Brock, raising his glass and the rest followed suit. **"To my best friend who I see as my brother! The winner of the tournament! Congratulations Ash!"** he shouted out.

" **Congratulations Ash!"** copied the group, raising their glasses to the air and Ash did the same. Almost everyone drank their drink except for a few. Bonnie and Max didn't like the taste and so didn't take more than a sip. But one other didn't even drink any because of one simple but important reason…

When Ash finished his drink, he looked at everyone with the largest smile he ever had on his face. But then Chili drew his and everyone else's attention as he stepped forward in the middle of the group. **"I just want to say that this is good grounds for an awesome celebration. So in short, let's get this party started!"** he said and the group let out cheers. Soon enough, Chili had music being played, people were dancing, others were drinking shots that Shauna and Lizabeth made, some were talking and the rest were just enjoying the atmosphere and good vibes. Pictures were taken between them all and with the large gold trophy in the background. After the many photo sessions, Mewtwo teleported the balcony furniture out of the way and had a purple floor appear over the pool once more to give the area more dancing room. Everyone had a good time and many were feeling very happy.

Using the party as a distraction after having separate conversations with the others, the six girls that were hiding feelings for the guardian had unintentionally gathered together to one side. Yet they didn't care about that right now. They were doing their best to not think of what they wanted so badly. They were drinking and talking to one another while glancing at the rest for a bit. Each of them wondered over what they wanted but also of what they should do. That is until they were forcefully made to join the rest who were dancing by Delia. Unable to resist her, they reluctantly joined the others but soon started having some fun since they focused on the music and beat and nothing else.

They weren't the only ones who were keeping to themselves though. Two others were sitting by the balcony rails a little away from the dancing. One was near the balcony entrance and the other was a small distance towards the side. And somebody noticed that when they decided to take a break to rest and went up to one of them. **"Hey, Lucy, how come you're not dancing anymore?"** asked a pink haired girl as she sat beside her.

The Pike Queen turned to her. **"Hey Joy. I'm already tired out and just waiting for Brock to come back with some drinks."**

Joy nodded and sat down beside her. **"I see. And I'm a little tired too. But don't tell Richie that or else he'll…wait, are you drinking?!"** she asked her in surprise as it just hit her what she said. Lucy shook her head and said he was getting her water. **"Oh okay. Good. So, have you decided when you're going to tell him? Because I think this is as good a time as any. Everyone is in a good mood. So why not tell him?"** suggested the nurse.

Lucy looked at her for a moment before thinking about what she said. " **You know what, you're right, I should. Thanks Joy."** She got up and went to look for her boyfriend as her friend smiled.

Joy watched Lucy find Brock who was holding their drinks and a short while later, the two headed inside towards their room. She was about to get up herself when her own boyfriend sat down beside her. **"Ah man, I'm beat,"** said Richie before taking a drink of soda and handed her a soda too.

Joy giggled a bit before she took a sip. **"Really? That tired? We barely danced,"** she told him as she stood up. She placed the soda down on the nearby table and grasped his hand.

" **Please MJ, I'm dead tired,"** he pleaded but then Joy responded with a puppy dog pout. **"Oh alright. I can't say no to you."** Richie got up and Joy had a happy smile appear on her face before she dragged her boyfriend to the dance area.

As those two danced, the other person who was off on her own was just taking in what was happening around her. The red haired girl was leaning against the balcony wall and watching her savior having fun and enjoying his time with his loved ones. _He looks so happy._ She smiled a little, seeing him dancing with May and Dawn at the same time now after dancing with Cynthia and Sabrina. She looked around and saw the others in good spirits. She took in a silent breath and returned her gaze back onto the guardian. _Hope he stays in a good mood afterwards so I can tell him…_

As Natasha kept her eyes on Ash, a purple haired girl was keeping her eyes on her. Iris had noticed the way that the red head was looking at him during his match and it shocked her. At first that is, until she realized the reason why. He had saved her from a horrible fate and experience and she would have most definitely latched onto him. Wondering what she might do, Iris was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that someone had walked up behind her. The person had to tap her shoulder for her to snap out of it. **"Don't do that!"** she shot as she turned around before her eyes narrowed slightly. **"Oh, it's you. What do you want?"** she asked in an annoyed tone.

It was her ex-boyfriend who was the one who did it. **"Iris, we need to talk,"** he told her calmly. She didn't say anything but nodded her head slightly after a moment. The two of them then walked to their room and closed the door behind them. Locking eyes with her, he began speaking. **"Iris, why did we get together?"** asked Cilan bluntly.

She was momentarily startled by his abrupt question. **"What do you mean?"**

" **You remember how we got together. I want to know why,"** he repeated.

Iris gave him a confused look as to why he was asking that before answering. **"Okay. We got together after teaming up to look for Ash because we both became close."**

He nodded at that. **"And why were you looking for Ash?"** he asked her in a rather accusing tone of voice.

His tone agitated her. **"Because he's my best friend!"** shot Iris all of a sudden. **"He's also your best friend too! We were both worried about him! You know that!"** chastised the purple haired girl.

Cilan formed a weak smile on his face. **"We were and he is. No doubt about that. But that wasn't the only reason was it?"** he asked her.

Iris's eyes widened a bit before she looked away towards the wall. She was quiet for a moment before answering him. **"There was no other reason…"**

Cilan moved forward and grasped both her shoulders, making her look him in the face and locked eyes with her. **"Tell me that while looking into my eyes Iris."**

She looked into his eyes and her heart was beginning to beat faster. She opened her mouth to speak. **"There…there was…"** She couldn't finish. She lowered her sight from his.

Cilan had his suspicion confirmed by her reaction. **"That's what I thought Iris. You went looking for him because you too had developed feelings for him because of our travels together with him. Maybe even still do,"** commented Cilan quietly. Iris didn't say anything back but had a million thoughts racing through her mind as many different feelings filled her. **"I had suspicions about that during our adventures together but never really gave it true thought. You kept it hidden very well to the point that it even caused both me and Ash to think that you didn't see him as more than just a friend. That's what I believed to be true until we searched for him. That's when I started thinking that because I heard you pray and wish for him to come back when you thought I was asleep."**

Iris raised her astonished gaze to him. **"You…you knew…about that?!"**

Cilan nodded. **"I did. I'm sorry for eavesdropping. But I never brought it up even when we got together since I pushed it aside."**

Iris looked away with sadness rising within her. **"I'm so sorry Cilan that I never told you about that."**

Cilan shook his head. **"That's nothing for you to apologize about. We weren't together then. But I must also apologize for something too."** Iris faced him again with a confused expression. **"When we were searching for Ash and I had finally noticed how you felt for him and thought about him, I didn't do anything to help you with it. To help you get over it or to hold on. I just ignored it, thinking it would be best if you dealt with it on your own since I had my own problems I was dealing with then."** She nodded, saying she understood and didn't hold it against him. But Cilan shook his head. **"Even so Iris; I was a horrible friend. And even though we found solace in each other's arms to escape our problems and sadness…even though we had some good times together...ever since that first day we got together, I kept feeling that maybe we're not supposed to be together. That perhaps we were just using each other to escape from our problems. To not face our fears. I…I think…I think that we got together for all the wrong reasons. And it looks like I was right."** Saying that out loud was hard for him to do but Cilan knew it was necessary. He had to address what he did wrong so he can move forward.

Iris said nothing but took a few steps away while turning away from him. Cilan watched her go towards the room window and she looked out of it for a little while. She was thinking about what he said and how true it is. She let out a sigh before facing him again. **"Maybe you're right Cilan. Maybe we did get together for all the wrong reasons even though we had some good times. I need to know though; why get with me then if it was all wrong?"** she asked him.

He sat on the bed and let out a long sigh. **"I went through a horrible experience that should have taught me how secrets and lies wouldn't help out a relationship. But I was such a fool. I was ignoring my instincts and what you were so obviously showing. We both deserved so much more than that. With all these secrets between us…unable to express things to each other…"** Iris sat down on her own bed now and the two looked at one another. She then hung her head as he continued to speak. **"I do love you Iris. And I know you love me too."** She raised her gaze back to him but before she could say anything, he continued on. **"But it's not that type of love. Our love for one another is just love between good friends. I've never been able to excite or motivate you Iris. Not like when you heard about Drax and never like Ash did when we traveled together. He's always been able to do that. Even with all the jokes, teasing and annoying things he did to us because he thought we liked each other then."** Iris couldn't help but chuckle at that and so did Cilan. **"But not me. And if you had waited for him, if you had taken his advice to heart about training before he left, you wouldn't have lost against Drax. You would be much stronger."**

" **We don't know that for sure Cilan,"** replied Iris quietly while looking away. She was still feeling a little down from being practically dismissed as a challenge.

Cilan shook his head. **"You're wrong. I know that for a fact."** She glanced at him and saw him being serious before he stared at his feet. **"Not once was I the reason for you to push past your limits. Never did I inspire you or motivate you. I've come to realize that now Iris."** He raised his head and looked at her. **"And funny thing is, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know. Please don't lie to me anymore as I promise I won't lie to you anymore either. Did you have feelings for Ash? And do you still have them for him?"** he asked her. The dragon trainer began thinking about everything that she experienced with the young guardian. From the first time she met him to now. Her heart began beating rapidly and she was being filled with a stirring feeling. After what seemed like a long time, with her finally coming to terms with what she was holding in all this time and what it all meant, Iris slowly nodded. **"If that's the case, why did you get with me and stay with me all this time? Even when he came back?"**

Iris looked away and took in a breath. **"I will answer that. But then you'll have to answer my own questions."** Cilan said he will so she continued on. **"You know I went looking for Ash alone at first. Then with Misty, May, Dawn and Serena. Then again by myself before teaming up with you after crossing paths together."** Cilan nodded to show that he remembered that. **"Remember how I told you that I had suspicions because it looked like the girls were each hiding that they have feelings for Ash? How later on during our search I told you about what happened when I searched with them? How they found out about that and fought each other over Ash?"**

Cilan couldn't help but shudder slightly. **"Who could forget all that? I remember how scary it was just hearing about how they almost killed each other. Wait, but they didn't fight with you?"**

Iris unwillingly chuckled from that. **"Yea. Well, no because I never told them of my feelings. You know how hard it is for me regarding things like that."** Cilan nodded as he understood. **"Anyways, that was when we decided to take our separate paths to look for him. But then afterwards, they soon became friends. Best friends. Very close. Practically sisters."** Iris stood up, went to the window again and stared out of it. **"When we found out about that during our search when they contacted us to see how we were doing, it made me think of some things."**

" **What things?"** asked Cilan.

Iris thought of how to put it into words before explaining. **"I saw how close they had become. I saw how after their fighting, their bonds became practically unbreakable. It was then that I became afraid."** Cilan tilted his head but she didn't see that. **"I became afraid of confessing myself Cilan. The four of them had confessed to each other everything and promised to stick together. They swore to each other that they would help one another cope without Ash until he returned. They kept each other in check and stay focused on what they hoped for, dreamed for and worked for."** The purple haired girl's eyes began letting out tears and she tried so hard to not break down. The green haired man was feeling intense sadness from hearing this from her. **"Why didn't I do the same? I behaved like such an immature kid! But I wondered how could I tell them that I too have feelings for Ash? That I too wanted him to come back? That I too wanted to be a part of the group? How could I when they were almost always by each other and I barely saw them every now and then let alone able to contact them?!"**

Cilan understood her completely and stood up. He went to her and pulled her into a hug. **"Ssh, it's okay Iris. I get it. You felt like an outcast because they were so close and felt that they would reject you. And I know how hard it is to get in contact with someone at your village and the surrounding areas."** She continued crying and he waited a moment before continuing. **"But I must say that was a stupid reason to not go after what you wanted Iris. You wouldn't have known until you tried. But what does that have to do with you getting with me?"** he asked her.

She sobbed a little more before she slowly calmed down and the two separated. **"I'm getting there."** She took in another breath and explained. **"Because of that, I decided to stop and move on because I thought it would be for the best. I didn't want to jeopardize my friendship with them. But I couldn't stop thinking about him. I needed help with moving on and so when you asked if I would like to go out and just grab some dinner as friends, I agreed to it. I believed it would be the best thing to get my mind off things. And then we decided to do more and more things together until we ended up in a relationship together,"** revealed Iris.

" **I see,"** remarked Cilan.

Iris allowed him some time to process and think while she calmed down too before asking her question. **"But now it's my turn. Why did you ask me out like that if you had suspicions about me liking Ash? Why didn't you spend time with Burgundy?"** she asked him, wiping away her tears.

Cilan looked at her before he separated from her and moved his gaze towards his feet before he answered her. **"I was dealing with a bad break up with Roxie and figured searching for Ash and then after we stopped that, spending time with you would be better than thinking about her. I didn't ask Burgundy or hang out with her then because it just didn't occur to me and I was already spending time with you,"** admitted Cilan with a saddened tone.

Iris gasped loudly. **"You and Roxie were together?!"** she asked him quietly.

Cilan nodded. **"Yea. It was good at first before I found out she was cheating on me by sleeping with her band mate."**

Iris clapped her hands against her mouth. **"What a bitch!"** she let out through her hands.

Cilan let out a sigh. **"Though I don't like insulting others, yes she was. She said I was too annoying with my connoisseur stuff and I was too boring for her. And I didn't think I would ever bounce back from that. But look where we are now,"** he commented with a chuckle while gesturing around as he turned to face her.

Iris didn't say anything for a couple minutes as she just realized something until Cilan asked her if she was alright. **"I'm okay. And I just figured out something; we both used the other to escape our pain and to not deal with things."**

Cilan's eyes widened as he realized she was right. **"Wow…looks like we did."**

Iris looked at Cilan for a moment before closing the distance between one another and hugged him. He quickly returned the hug. **"I'm sorry Cilan. For everything. For keeping secrets like Drax. For not being truthful to you or myself about Ash."**

" **It's alright Iris. I'm sorry too for my secrets. For using you to get over Roxie. For not telling you about Burgundy. For not helping you,"** he told her.

Iris withdrew from him and looked at him. **"So, what happens now between us?"** she asked him.

Cilan was quiet for a moment before speaking again. **"Well, we can bury the hatchet and just be friends again if you want. And both of us can go and reach for what we truly want. I've come to realize that I want to be with Burgundy. And you want to be with Ash. Those feelings made you search for him. Pray for him. Wish for him. Become motivated by him. We were never upfront with one another is another thing. This isn't for us. Don't you want a chance with him?"** he asked her. He was trying to support and encourage her, to make up for being a horrible friend to her in the past.

Iris however remained silent for a bit. **"I…I don't know if I want a chance. I don't know if I can go through with it anymore Cilan. Its so crazy with what's happening with him now with the darkness, Ragnarok, his girlfriends and everything else,"** she said with despair in her voice.

Cilan shook his head. **"You don't have to worry about that."** She gave him a confused look. **"Don't do what we did. We forced ourselves to ignore what we were feeling both emotionally and instinctually. Don't do that anymore. Follow your heart. You'll find out what you want and you'll find the right time for everything. And I will help you with that as much as I can. I will not make the same mistake and not help out a friend who needs me."** The purple haired girl was giving him a look of appreciation over his words. He raised his hand towards her and held it in the air for her to grasp. **"Iris Siri, will you be my friend again and allow me to help you if you need it? And do you forgive me for lying to you, for being a horrible friend and boyfriend? Do you forgive me for not pushing you to go after your dreams and goals?"**

Iris looked at him for a moment before grasping his hand and spoke. **"Cilan Dent, I will be your friend again and I forgive you for all of that. But do you forgive me for not telling you about Ash and Drax? Do you forgive me for making fun of your interests and hobbies? Do you forgive me for also being a bad friend and girlfriend?"** she asked him.

Cilan let a small smile form on his face. **"I will be your friend again Iris. And I do forgive you as well. I also want to say this; I wish you the very best in everything that you do and pursue."**

Iris smiled back and she replied back. **"Cilan…thank you and right back at you. If you ever need anything, I will do my best to help you out too. We may not be the one for each other in the loving sense, but we can still be good friends and I hope we can be that. And I guess this is where we end things."**

Cilan nodded and the two shook hands a bit before separating. **"One chapter ends and another begins. Shall we go rejoin the party?"**

Iris nodded. **"Yes, we should."** Both Iris and Cilan left the room together. The two were feeling much better than they have felt in the past few days. Having reached an understanding and now finally on the same page, the two can continue on with their separate paths but with no burdens from their failed relationship. Yet they also knew that they would always remain friends. When they reached the balcony, the two joined the rest in the merry making.

When Lucy and Brock entered their room, the Pike Queen closed the door. She then turned around and looked at her boyfriend who was giving her a wide, devious grin. **"Let me guess,"** he started as he moved closer to her. **"Want to have some fun huh?"** he asked her while placing his hands onto her waist.

She slowly shook her head. **"Not this time. There's something I need to talk to you about."**

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Brock understood that something was up. **"Okay. What is it?"**

She took in a deep breath and looked into her boyfriend's squinty eyes for a bit as a million thoughts went racing through her mind. Wrestling with how to tell him, she decided to just say it before losing her nerve. **"Brock…I'm pregnant,"** revealed Lucy.

It took a moment for her words to register in his mind. **"You're…you're pregnant?"** he asked her quietly. Nodding without a word spoken, she felt her heart start to beat like mad. **"You're pregnant,"** he repeated with a matter of fact tone, nodding to himself as if to help him come to terms with it.

" **Brock?"** asked Lucy worryingly.

" **I'm…I'm okay,"** he replied taking a step back from his girlfriend and she had a slightly sorrow filled expression form on her over his action. **"I just…I'm trying to understand how this happened…"**

Lucy tilted her head. She decided to try and lighten the mood to help make it easier on him. **"Well, when a man and a woman get together…"**

" **I know** _ **that**_ **part,"** interrupted Brock and he continued on before she could say anything more. **"But we used condoms and…so how, how did this happen?"** he asked her again.

Her heart starting to sound like a drum with its loud beating in her ears, she was starting to fill with fear that he might want nothing to do with the pregnancy or baby. Or even her. **"Brock, they're not always effective. I don't know how but it did happen,"** she said in a soft tone of voice so he wouldn't get angry. She slowly moved closer to him as she talked. **"I wasn't expecting this and I checked twice to make sure. It's true; I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father,"** she told him as she placed her hands gently on his shoulders.

Finally, the gears in his head started to turn and he was beginning to understand what was going on and what he was going to become. **"I'm…I'm going…to be…a father?"** he repeated in barely a whisper. Lucy nodded while keeping her eyes on his. **"I'm going to be a father…"** He repeated again and once again, Lucy was starting to feel uneasy. **"I'm gonna be a father!"** shouted out the pokémon doctor happily all of a sudden, catching the Pike Queen off guard. He then wrapped his arms around her, picked her up and spun her around while laughing. Seeing that he was happy about it made her become overfilled with joy and she too began laughing. Slowly, he stopped spinning his girlfriend and the two looked into one another's eyes. **"Lucy, you just made me the happiest man in the world,"** he told her as he raised his right hand and caressed her cheek.

She couldn't help but have tears of happiness leak out of her eyes with a large smile on her face. **"Brock, you just made me so happy that you're so happy about this."** She then punched him in the chest all of a sudden, making him grunt.

" **Ow! What was that for?"** he asked her, rubbing the area she hit.

" **That was for making me feel so worried that you might be angry with me and not want anything to do with the baby!"** she revealed to him. She then hugged him tightly with her cheek against his chest and couldn't help but cry a little.

" **Hey now,"** he told her softly as he gently stroked her hair. **"I'm sorry. It just blindsided me. You should know that I could never be angry with you over something like this. Sure, we didn't plan for it and were trying to be safe about it all. Even with all the crazy things we do."** Lucy couldn't help herself as she chuckled over that while also reddening a bit. **"But this is a good surprise. One that I'm happy about. I will do everything and anything I can for us,"** he told her.

She raised her gaze to his and gave him a loving look. **"I can't put into words what all that means to me. You just made me so happy!"** said Lucy. She leaned in and gave him a kiss that was filled with her love for him and he returned. Their kiss grew into a passionate one. After some time, the two slowed down until they stopped while keeping their eyes on one another. **"I love you Brock,"** she said to him.

Brock had an enormous smile form on his face. **"I love you too Lucy. But I have to tell you this too,"** he said and she waited for him to continue. **"I had thought of the future regarding us. How we could get married one day and have kids together too if everything continued going so well between us."** She smiled greatly while good feelings filled her as her beloved spoke. **"Though it happened earlier than expected, that doesn't change anything between us."**

Sudden knocking drew their attention and cut off his words. **"Hey guys, food's been delivered! You should come eat!"** advised Delia through the doors.

" **We'll be right there,"** replied back Lucy. Afterwards, she hugged Brock tightly again and he returned it. The former gym leader began thinking about something that he remembered. When the two separated, she smiled at him as she wiped away the tear streaks left on her face. **"C'mon. Let's go join the others and tell them our good news!"**

Brock nodded his head while giving her a loving look. **"Sure thing. Let me just use the bathroom and I'll be right there. Okay?"** Lucy agreed to that and said she'll be waiting for him in the hallway. When he was alone in the room, Brock took in a deep breath and thought some more about something. After a moment, he went to his luggage that was in the closet. He rummaged through it and took out a small black box. Looking at it, he began thinking again. _Looks like that impulse buy at the mall came in handy. I can't believe it's come to this. But I'm happy about it all. I know I can't live without her and this is another reason why. She made me a father. And she loves me more than anything else in the world. How did I become so lucky?_ He thought of everything between the two. When, where and how they met. She was the only girl who ever liked his flirting and how the first thing that caught her attention was his squinty eyes. He chuckled a bit as he started rubbing the back of his head. In the middle of his action, he stopped and shook his head as he lowered his hand. **"Damn it Ash, now I'm doing it."** He laughed a bit before standing up. **"I'm going to have to thank him too. If I didn't go traveling with him, I never would have met her."** He placed the small box in his pants pocket and headed out the room with a happy look on his face. Meeting up with his girlfriend in the hallway, the two grasped hands and walked into the dining room together.

When they entered the room, they saw that everyone was there and having a good time. Even Mewtwo was looking like he was enjoying himself, though he was off to one corner with only Lucario for company. Gardevoir and Pikachu were with the rest of the group with the mouse messing around with Max and Bonnie while the fairy was speaking with Sabrina and Anabel. The two locked eyes with the victor of the tournament who smiled at them. **"It's about time guys! Come join us!"** he told them, making some of the others glance at them.

" **Gladly but first we have something to tell all of you,"** replied Brock and Ash nodded. The raven haired guardian caught everyone's attention and told them that the two had something to say. With everyone's attention on them, the two reddened slightly. **"Well, thanks for listening,"** started Brock as he and Lucy took a couple more steps towards the group. **"We wanted to share something with you all."**

Everyone except for one in the group tilted their heads and was giving curious looks at the two. Joy was giving them a happy look and thought that the timing couldn't be better. Lucy glanced at Brock who gave her an encouraging look. She nodded at him and faced them. Taking in a deep breath, she then told them quickly what she wanted to say. **"We're going to have a baby."**

Utter silence for a moment after her words were heard as many had surprised expressions on their faces. But that didn't last long at all. Shrieks of happiness were let out by many of the females in the group and many of the guys roared happily. Before they knew it, Lucy and Brock were taken up in congratulatory hugs and words by almost everyone. Only a few didn't get involved, such as Natasha, Lucario and Mewtwo. Brock was clapped on the back by the guys while given congratulations and was given smirks by a couple, namely Chili and Richie. The girls were hugging and crying with Lucy. When Joy gave her a hug, Lucy quietly thanked the nurse for her support and she was told not to worry about it. After their hug, the purple haired girl gave her fellow Frontier Brain a tight hug. The two best friends were spoke quietly to one another happily and congratulating each on what they have. The other girls soon joined in on that and they welcomed them into it.

While she was going through that, Brock smiled at the sight since he was so happy. A hand grasped his shoulder and he glanced at the owner of it. **"Congratulations Brocko. I'm very happy for you buddy and if there's ever anything you need, I'm here for ya,"** said Ash.

Brock faced his best friend who he also viewed as his brother. **"Thanks man."** The two shared a hug and when they separated, the older of the two gave his friend a big smile. **"I'm going to ask you a very important question soon if all goes well."** Ash tilted his head, becoming confused. But before he could say anything, Brock continued on. **"But first, there's something else I need to do."** He turned to the group of girls who were still in their hug. **"Hey, I need to say something!"** he shouted out over the girls' happy but high pitched talking. Slowly, they stopped and separated from one another. **"Thank you. Now, there's something I need to say,"** he started as he made his way towards Lucy. The girls moved a bit away from the two, giving them some space. Brock grasped Lucy's hands and held them gently between the two. **"I've been thinking a lot lately…"**

" **That's a surprise,"** interrupted Lucy with a grin, making their friends laugh.

He chuckled as he shook his head. **"Hey, come on, I'm trying to be serious here."** She chuckled before she said she was sorry and let him continue. Everyone also quieted down as well. **"Thank you. As I was saying, I've been thinking a lot lately because of everything that's happened at this tournament. Of what's coming in the future. Of how precious our time is. It made me truly see how every minute I spend with you is like I'm living in a fantasy world."** Lucy blushed over his words and her heart rate had increased. Many of the females awed over his words. **"I've come to realize something from all that thinking and made a decision. We may have only been together for about a year, but I can't see myself with no one but you Lucy. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. You are my everything."** Lucy was beginning to feel like she was out of breath with her filling up with emotion. **"You just made me a father. I will do my best for you, our child and I will forever be grateful for this blessing. You've given me so much. But there's something else that I want from you…"** He knelt down onto one knee and Lucy took in a sharp breath, her hands clapping over her mouth. The girls all had the same reaction as the Pike Queen and the guys all had their eyes widen. They watched in stunned silence as Brock took out a small black box from his pants pocket and held it in front of her. **"You made me a father. Now will you make me the happiest man in the world and do me the honors of becoming my wife as well and marry me Lucy Azami?"** he asked her before he opened the box and a diamond ring was revealed to be inside.

Nobody could believe what was happening, not even Lucy. She was frozen silent from shock. Everything felt so surreal to her. Barely a couple weeks ago she was back home, thinking about her boyfriend while working. But now? She had become pregnant and was just asked to get married by the only man she had ever loved and been with. As she processed everything, the kneeling man waited patiently for her response, hoping that she would say what he wanted her to say. The others were not making a single sound, wanting to know what her answer will be. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, she gave him her reply. **"YES!"** she cried out through her hands.

With a huge smile on his face, Brock stood up while taking out the ring as the people around them gave out cheers. He then gently grasped her left hand and placed the diamond onto her ring finger. As this was all happening, both of them were feeling intense feelings within them as their hearts thumped loudly in their ears. When he finished placing the ring on her finger, the two embraced each other tightly. **"I can't believe this is happening,"** said Lucy happily.

" **Me neither but it is,"** replied back Brock. The two locked eyes for a moment before leaning in for another kiss while the rest gave out wolf whistles. Their kiss was filled with everything they wanted their now fiancée to feel. When they finally separated, they smiled at each other while their group kept cheering. The newly engaged couple looked around with large sheepish smiles on their faces. **"Everyone, there's one thing I need to say,"** said Brock and they quieted down to hear him. **"You're all invited to the wedding!"**

" **We better be!"** remarked Ash and the couple laughed with others chuckling too.

After the two promised them that they are invited for sure, they all continued on celebrating but with new vigor since now they had three things to be excited for. Music was blasting, people were playing drinking games and others were chatting with one another. The parents would have been ticked about the drinking but decided that most of them were of age and they had a good reason for it and decided to let it slide for now. But they decided to keep eyes on everyone to make sure they didn't have too much, even though it was kind of hard to do. There were just such a large group and they themselves were also enjoying some drinks themselves. Everything was going so splendidly that Brock even forgot to ask Ash the important question…

As the night went on, some of them began getting tired out. The youngest out of the group, Max and Bonnie, decided to call it a night early. With a final congratulations given out to Ash, Brock and Lucy, the two went to bed after saying goodnight to them and to each other. Clemont was another one who turned in early, deciding to check on the program to see if it was done yet before going to sleep. Caroline and Norman also decided to call it a night and told the rest to have fun but to not stay up too late. After they headed inside their room, Delia, Caroline and Johanna went to the living room to relax a bit. But everyone else was still outside in the balcony and were dancing or sipping on their drinks. him having a good time with his girlfriends as they danced.

Iris took a break and decided to get a drink. On her way to get one, she noticed the looks the six girls were giving Ash. _That's odd. Why are they looking at Ash like that? It's the same look that Natasha was giving him…wait!_ Her eyes widening, Iris realized the reason why. That made many different feelings spring up inside her all of a sudden. From anger and jealousy to shock and sadness. Astounded over what she was feeling, Iris quickly moved away to the other side of the balcony to get some privacy and be able to think about what she saw and felt. But in her haste she bumped into the Sinnoh Champion who was going to rest herself from dancing. **"Oh, sorry Cynthia,"** said Iris.

" **It's okay. Wait, what's wrong Iris?"** she asked after noticing her acting out of the ordinary.

" **It's nothing. I just need to get some air,"** she replied.

Cynthia titled her head at that. **"You do know that we're outside already right?"** she asked her with a chuckle and Iris felt stupid over her lame excuse. **"Seriously, what's up?"** she asked her.

Letting out a sigh, Iris shook her head. **"I don't know. I'm just thinking about a lot of stuff."**

Understanding that something was up, Cynthia decided to let it go for the moment. **"Alright Iris. But if you ever need to talk about something, just remember that you can always talk to me or the others,"** she reminded her and Iris thanked her for that. **"No problem."** She glanced around after the song just ended and saw that many decided to take a break. Thinking that now would be a good time, she faced the purple haired girl. **"Hey Iris, please excuse me as the girls and I need to do something,"** she said.

" **Okay. Do you need help?"** asked Iris.

She thought for a moment. **"No, it's okay. I think we got it. Thanks though,"** said Cynthia and Iris nodded.

The purple haired girl watched the blonde champion go towards her sisters. Iris shook her head and let out a sigh. She made her way inside and went to her room. Seeing Cilan sitting on the bed while talking on the phone, she merely glanced at him before heading into bed. Noticing the look on her face, he told the person on the other line to hang on for a moment. He was about to talk to her when she raised her hand and shook her head. Understanding, Cilan nodded and went back to talking on his phone. But he decided to head into the attached bathroom so they could both get some privacy. As she lay in her bed, Iris wondered about everything that happened to her since Ash's disappearance three years ago to now. From her actions, experiences, feelings, thoughts, fears, regrets, dreams, wishes and everything else. As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she had a final thought enter her head; _what do I truly want?_

When the Sinnoh Champion reached her sisters, she noticed someone wasn't around. **"Hey, where's Ash?"** asked Cynthia, seeing that he wasn't around them.

" **He's with Natasha over there,"** said the Princess of Hoenn as she pointed him out on the other side of the balcony. **"He said he was going to take a break so we told him to see how Natasha was doing. Maybe spend some time with her and dance if she's up for it so she doesn't feel alone and have some fun too,"** answered May for them all and the blonde remarked that it was a good idea.

" **So he's doing that. What's up? What's on your mind?"** asked Dawn.

Cynthia was silent for a moment before giving her sisters a significant look. **"About what we talked about, do you think now is a good time to do what we decided?"** she asked them.

The red head out of the group spoke up. **"Yes, I think now is a good time,"** replied Misty. Understanding dawning on the rest, they became serious and nodded while a few got off their chairs and stood up.

Moving as a group as casually as they could, they soon reached the second group of girls and Dawn spoke up. **"Hey, having fun?"** she asked. The six commented back that they were, hiding their feelings underneath smiles. **"That's good to hear. By the way, we need help with something. Can you help us?"** asked the blunette.

The six glanced at one another at first. **"Okay. What is it?"** asked Lizabeth for everyone.

" **Well, we can't say here. We might be overheard. Follow us please,"** said Sarah. Not thinking much of it at the moment, the six agreed and joined the girls. The now bigger group headed towards one of their shared rooms. With the door closing, the girls gathered around the large room, with some sitting on the beds, others leaning against the walls or dressers and the rest just stood at their spot. **"Thank you for coming with us,"** said Sarah.

" **It's no problem. So what do you need help with?"** asked Giselle.

" **Well, it's something very important that we need to take care of you see,"** started Misty and the six girls gave curious looks over that.

" **Okay, what is it?"** asked Shauna.

" **It's about Ash and us,"** revealed Dawn for her sisters.

The six had their hearts beat a little faster but each of them was able to keep themselves calm for the moment. **"About Ash…and us? What do you mean?"** asked Lizabeth.

" **I think you know what we mean,"** replied Serena, making them extremely nervous now. **"We're going to settle some things right here and now,"** continued on the honey blonde haired girl.

" **So no more surprises come up because frankly, we're tired of them,"** finished up May. Clair and Liza glanced at one another, knowing full well what this was all about while the other four were starting to feel on edge.

The black haired girl took a small step forward. **"What are we going to settle?"** asked Giselle in a forced calm tone of voice.

" **Of the feelings you are hiding for Ash,"** stated Cynthia at once, causing them to take in a sharp breath. Even Clair and Liza were caught off guard. They weren't expecting Cynthia to be so blunt about it. Or to say it so calmly, which scared them even more.

But then the blonde Sensational Sister moved forward, recovering faster than the rest. She locked her eyes with Misty. **"You are mistaken,"** said Daisy as confidently and calmly as she could. She didn't want to admit it so she wouldn't hurt her baby sister. _I have to swallow my feelings for her._ **"I don't like Ash."**

" **You lie,"** stated Sabrina at once, having read her mind.

Daisy glanced at her and unable to help herself, she reddened and everyone had their eyes widen. Even the other five were staring at her. Misty walked up to her oldest sister and looked her in the eye. **"Do you like him?"** she asked her quietly.

 _I can't do it. I can't do that to her._ **"I don't like Ash,"** repeated Daisy.

Misty grasped her hands and held them gently as she raised them between the two. **"Don't lie to me Daisy. That just hurts me more,"** said the youngest Sensational Sister while her eyes never left hers.

Daisy couldn't take it and her eyes immediately filled up with water before she started to cry. She sank to her knees and hid her face in her hands. **"I'm so sorry Misty! I know shouldn't have feelings for him! I'm such a horrible sister!"** cried Daisy, making everyone look at her now with astonished looks over her outburst. **"I'm the oldest in our family and it was my job to look after you, Vi, and Lil after our parents passed away! But I didn't! I should've taken care of you better! I should've been the one who stayed at the gym for years while you traveled the world with Ash! I should've been the responsible one but it was you! I'm so sorry for everything! You were given hand me downs. You were taken advantage by me…by us. We made fun of you and teased you!"** Misty was having flashes of what happened in the past go through her mind as her sister continued to talk. Nobody was moving or making a sound and everyone's attention was on the two in front of them. **"But in the end it was you who brought our gym back into glory! You brought respect back to our family name! You helped us become better battlers! You helped us grow! You did everything for us…for me!"** The girls around them were astounded to learn that it was all because of Misty that their gym was given so much respect and considered to be one of the toughest. That she had done everything for her family while her sisters didn't do much. **"And how do I repay you? By developing feelings for the same guy that you love! An incredible guy that you've loved since the moment you met him! You held onto him, helped him, encouraged him, traveled with him and you even saved him! How can I even dare to say that I have feelings for the same guy when I've done nothing for him? Nothing for you? How can I take your time away from him just so I can spend it with him? I can't Misty! I won't do that to you! I won't! No matter how strong my feelings are that I have for him...even if I love him…I won't do that to you. I won't betray you Misty! I won't! I swear it! And if you hate me, I understand!"** Daisy finished up her emotionally filled confession and continued crying heavily.

Everyone in the room was completely shocked at what she just said and was silent. All eyes were on Misty now, waiting for her reaction as they understood what Daisy said since she was right. Misty was there for Ash from the very beginning of his journey no matter what. Hell, if it wasn't for her, Ash wouldn't even be alive right now, having saved him twice. Even May, Dawn and Serena just realized how much the red head had done for Ash. For their beloved. Yet, they were unable to speak or move at the moment.

Misty's eyes watered and she knelt down in front of her sister. She gently grasped her hands and lowered them. Daisy slowly raised her tear streaked gaze to look at her baby sister. **"I can never hate my sister,"** started Misty softly before she took her up into a tight hug. Daisy was at first shocked that she wasn't angry until she returned the hug and kept crying. **"And I'm not mad. If I can share an incredible guy with my best friends, I can share him with my sister as well."**

The blonde separated from her sister at once. **"Wha-what?"** asked Daisy, dumbfounded over what she just heard. And she wasn't the only one who had a stupefied expression on her face. Liza, Clair, Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle all had the same looks as well.

Misty smiled while letting some tears fall down her cheeks now. **"If you have feelings for him…truly have feelings for him…I'm not mad. And neither are the girls."** The six looked at the eight behind Misty and saw them smiling. Daisy returned her gaze to her little sister who stood up and helped her stand as well. She then moved back to the group of girlfriends. **"We just wanted to know who has feelings for him. We don't want any more surprises. With what's coming in the future…the darkness, Ragnarok, world war…we can't afford to play games at all right now."**

" **This is the least of our problems,"** continued May and they all looked at her now. **"We understand how and why you would develop feelings for him and so we don't blame you. Instead of wasting our time and energy fighting or trying to prevent this, we'd rather embrace it."**

" **But why would you do this?"** asked Lizabeth.

" **Yea, wouldn't you want to be with him as much as you can? Especially with what's coming?"** asked Shauna.

" **That would be the logical choice normally,"** started the Salon Maiden as they fixed their attention onto her. **"But we feel that there is a reason why behind all this. That things were supposed to be this way. We don't know how or why we feel that this is right but we do,"** replied Anabel, revealing the reason behind their embracing of it.

Her answer made Lizabeth and Shauna look at Giselle who glanced at the two since the valedictorian had said basically the same thing before Ash's match. Their attention was then brought onto the honey blonde haired girl who spoke up. **"So if you truly have feelings for him and he does feel something for you as well, even a little bit, we won't try to stop it if you decide to pursue it,"** finished Serena.

The six girls glanced at one another once more until one from the nine moved forward. **"So let's try this again. If you truly like Ash, have feelings for him and want the best for him, whether you're with him or not, whether he returns the feelings or not, stay where you are. If not, then we cannot allow you to move forward with this and we must ask that you kindly leave the room,"** stated the Johto native Sarah.

None of the six girls moved from their spots. They waited a couple minutes longer until the brunette from Pallet spoke. **"Alright then. But you should know that there will be rules in place and those rules must be followed. No matter what for any reason,"** said Leaf. **"There must be trust, loyalty, understanding, fairness, no sneaking around, no treachery and anything else bad. And if Ash doesn't have feelings for you then you must accept that and move on."** The girls didn't protest and didn't make any sound or movement that would indicate otherwise.

" **Are we in agreement?"** asked Cynthia. Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and Daisy voiced their agreement without hesitation and promised to do so.

It was then that Sabrina thought about something before she stepped forward. **"Since there are many of us who have feelings for Ash, care for him, I think we should have some sort of a leader for us. One who understands Ash inside and out. One who could speak for us to him or to others when we're not there and know for a fact that whatever she says will be what we would've wanted to say. One who can make decisions for us without us worrying. With that in mind, I nominate Misty."** The red haired mermaid turned to look at the psychic beauty with an astonished look and got a smile from the dark haired girl.

" **I second that motion."** Misty turned to look at Cynthia who nodded at her with a smile.

" **As do I."** The red head turned to the brunette from Pallet Town who gave her a thumbs up.

" **All in favor?"** asked Serena, making Misty turn to one of her best friends. Each girl who had feelings for Ash raised their hands to show their support for her.

Filling up with such good feelings for what they just did for her, showing how much they respected her that she had her eyes water. **"Thank you all,"** said Misty quietly. **"But you guys suck for making me cry."** The girls chuckled as May, Dawn and Serena hugged their best friend, telling her how much they love and respect her and how they appreciate her as a friend and as a sister. Daisy joined in on the hug and was quickly followed by the other girls. Fifteen girls were in a group hug, each of them feeling great happiness at how everything turned out better than they dreamed.

After a little bit of time, the girls separated and the valedictorian said what was on her mind. **"I can't believe this is happening. But I have to ask…how are we going to tell Ash? And more importantly, how are we going to make this work so its fair?"**

Everyone gave Giselle thoughtful looks for a moment until one of them decided on what to do. **"We'll figure out a way. But for now, let's just let him enjoy his euphoria at winning the tournament. We'll find the perfect time to tell him later,"** advised Misty and the girls agreed.

" **Told you she would be the best leader,"** remarked Sabrina and they chuckled a bit.

Anabel was about to say something when a thought entered her mind suddenly. **"What about Natasha?"** she asked and they looked at her. **"It's pretty obvious that she's only comfortable around Ash. Shouldn't we do something about that?"**

" **What do you mean and what should we do?"** asked Leaf.

" **Well, I'm not sure exactly but we could just have her be part of the group."** The girls gave her confused looks over that and she began explaining what she was trying to get across. **"I don't mean as his girlfriend or lover. She probably won't ever want that because of what she went through…but we could just include her since she** **probably won't ever be truly comfortable with others, especially other men, besides Ash and maybe us, after what she's been through. We can include her just as a very close friend I guess and let her know that."**

The girls thought about what the Salon Maiden just said and soon afterwards, they understood what she was saying. **"Good point. We'll keep an eye on her and see how she acts. If she truly can't function properly or well enough with others, we'll talk to her about that. For now, let's just keep things the way they are,"** replied Sabrina and the group of girls nodded.

" **Holy crap!"** All the girls snapped their attention on to Shauna who just said that all of a sudden. **"It just hit me that if Ash does have or has developed feelings for us, and if Natasha is included too, even as just a close friend, then that it's going to be a total of sixteen girls?!"** she asked with a disbelieving look on her face.

" **Damn,"** commented Lizabeth for many.

" **Ash just keeps racking them up doesn't he?"** joked Liza, making the girls giggle.

" **I swear only he could make this happen,"** remarked Clair.

" **And who better else? I'm happy for us all,"** added Giselle.

" **Can't believe he was able to make all of us fall in love with him,"** remarked Daisy.

" **I just hope Ash can survive us all if he does have feelings for you all too,"** joked Leaf and they laughed.

When they finally calmed down, the Kalos Queen went to the door. **"C'mon. Let's go find him and see what's going on. If anything, he's probably still celebrating his victory. So remember, no word about this yet to him,"** suggested Serena and they agreed. The girls all left the room and headed back out to the balcony to see what their shared love interest was doing now.

However, when they got closer to the balcony entrance, the Kalos gym leader was standing in front of it and looking like he was guarding it. Clemont had the most serious expression on his face that they had ever seen. But before they could ask him what's going on, they all heard their beloved's shouts from outside. Without a second's thought, they along with some others from the group ran outside to see what had happened…

Earlier on when Clemont headed inside to call it a day, he checked on the program he had running since morning to break into what he assumed to be the final barrier in the smart phone's defenses. Seeing the progress bar was at 98%, he let out a sigh. _Damn, how powerful is this encryption?_ Deciding to stay up until it finished, he figured he could at least take care of some other things. While he waited, he used the bathroom, washed his hands and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he went back over to his energy siphoning device. He grabbed it, sat down in front of his laptop and placed his invention next to the laptop. Glancing at the screen and seeing no progress yet, he began tinkering with his device. He was about to get up from his seat to get a tool when a beep was heard and he looked at his Poketch. It was a message from Shauna. His heart skipping a beat as he read her name, he read the message she sent him.

Hey Clemo, saw you in the stands during the finals broadcast with our friends! Hope you had fun. Say hi to everyone for me. Maybe if we can, we'll come join you guys for Ash's battles against the Elites and Champions!

Smiling to himself, he decided to send a message back even though it was getting late since it was late evening now. It took him some time to get some words down since he didn't know how to respond back to her. But in the end, he finally came up with something to message her back with.

Hey Shauna! Will do and we sure did have fun. Say hi to everyone for me and Bonnie too! Hope you're doing well and that you can make it. It'll be good to have you here with us again. Let me know if you guys do decide to come. Take care!

Before sending it to her, Clemont reread it a couple times to make sure it sounded alright. Not finding anything wrong, he sent it. He let out a breath, not knowing he was holding it in. _Man, whoever thought sending a message would be so damn nerve wracking?_ He glanced at the message she sent him again and he smiled a bit. _That was nice of her to send me a message. Maybe she does think about me. Maybe she might...no, I'm getting ahead of myself._ He shook his head and cleared his mind. Putting away his Poketch, he took in a deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling. Exhaling it out, he lowered his gaze back to his laptop's screen. The instant he did, his eyes widened. The progress bar had reached 100% and there was a new window that stated the following; 'Decryption Complete'. Sitting up straight, Clemont moved closer to the laptop. **"Alright, finally. Now let's see what secrets are hiding in this thing."**

The electric type gym leader clicked on the popup and a new window opened up that showed the smart phone's contents. He looked over the folders, documents, files, pictures and videos on it, trying to find something that will give him a clue as to who it belonged to. Focused on the task, his eyes were roaming over everything until they stopped on a folder that was titled 'Device Information'. Thinking it could hold something important, he opened the folder and another new window popped open on his screen. In that folder, there were several documents and he read them out loud as he tried to find something useful. **"Let's see…device model…update version…battery usage…installed applications…nope, nope and nope…hmmm…remaining storage available…I don't need that. Where is that one…ah, here it is!"** He found what he was looking for which was titled 'User Information'. He clicked on that and it opened another document.

He read through the document while he scrolled through it until something made him stop and his eyes widened. **"No way! It can't be! This is one of Team Rocket's smart phones?!"** Clemont was absolutely shocked over what he just found out and he was filling up with worry. **"Aren't they disbanded? Didn't Ash say he took care of them?"** He looked through more of it and found out some more information. It was an updated model that was reserved for the top agents in the team. **"So this model is for the executives of the organization?"** he asked himself. He continued on until he stopped at something that made him take in a sharp breath. **"You have got to be kidding me!"** What he just looked at was a picture of who the device belonged to along with their name.

Standing up from his chair abruptly and knocking it over in the process, Clemont backed away from his laptop. **"It can't be…"** His gaze was locked onto the photo of the owner on his screen. He couldn't believe it yet his mind was racing with what he just found out. **"I gotta warn Ash!"** Grabbing the smart phone and disconnecting it from his laptop, Clemont then hurried out of his room to find his friend. The photo of the device's owner however stayed on his laptop's screen. It was none other than that of the red haired beauty who Ash had saved from the clutches of the Skull Brothers; Natasha Dobrev.

Though most of the group headed inside, several others were still outside in the balcony. Among them, Ash was relaxing with Natasha. After celebrating, having a few drinks, taking pictures, dancing for a long time with his girlfriends, friends, mother and everyone else, he was pretty exhausted. Even Lucario and Gardevoir did their own little dance number, though it wasn't pretty since Lucario was so clumsy when it came to dancing. Poor Gardevoir had to keep him at arm's length while Mewtwo and Pikachu kept snickering away off to the side. Lucario growled at them but they kept laughing even more until Gardevoir launched Shadow Balls at the two that caught them off guard. Apologizing to the green fairy, the two left them alone. Right now, Lucario and Gardevoir were lying down on a lounge chair and fast asleep. Mewtwo had left a little while afterwards, telling Ash that he was proud of him and should enjoy the rest of the party. When he teleported back to New Island, he took Lucario and Gardevoir with him so they could have some privacy. Pikachu went to be with the three mothers and so he could get himself a bowl of ketchup. As a result, only Lucy, Brock, Joy, Richie, Cress, Lily, Chili and Violet were outside dancing in the balcony.

" **What a day,"** remarked Ash out loud to no one in particular as he leaned back against his chair and put his hands behind his head. **"So much has happened and even though I'm kind of pooped out from everything, I'm still wide awake."** Giggling sounds to his side made him turn his gaze towards the source. **"What I say?"** he asked. The red head beside him finished up and just shook her head. _Nothing._ He raised his eyebrow at her. **"Oh really? So why are you laughing at me?"** he asked her with a slight pout. _I wasn't laughing at you. I was just amused over your comment,_ she relayed to him mentally while smiling a bit. **"Right."** She chuckled again and leaned back in her own chair now. It was quiet between them for a moment while the two looked at the others enjoying their time and the beautiful night sky above them.

Turning his gaze back to her, Ash saw the way she was looking at the dancing people in the balcony. **"Hey."** She turned her sight towards him. _Yes?_ **"Would you like to dance?"** he asked her. Her white cheeks instantly turned red and she looked away. _No no, I'm okay. I just…I'm fine. And…and you're girlfriends will be angry._ Ash however just chuckled, making her glance at him from the corner of her eyes. _Are you laughing at me now?_ **"Of course not,"** replied back Ash sincerely as he stood up. He extended out his hand to her. **"Come on, they won't be angry. In fact, they suggested it."** Her eyes widened and gave him a stunned look. _They did?_ **"Yea, they did. I don't lie about things like that. They trust me and they trust you too."** Hearing that made her feel good inside, that they trusted her. But it also made her feel a little ashamed for several reasons. Pushing it aside, she looked her savior in his caring brown eyes that had captivated her from the moment she saw them in person before replying back. _Okay._ She grasped his hand and he assisted her in standing up before leading her to the dance floor.

When they joined the others, they welcomed the two and danced together but were giving the red head a little bit of space. Noticing that, she felt gratitude for it and smiled a bit with the others returning it. The song that was playing soon finished up and they all decided to take a break. With the couples heading inside, Natasha and Ash walked towards the railings. _Thank you for the dance._ **"Hey, no worries. I'm just glad you're having some fun,"** he told her happily.

As he leaned against the rails with his back, she saw the way he was looking at her and she could tell that he was being genuine with his words. That was one of the things that she had come to greatly admire and love about him. He was straight forward with her and everyone else. He had no hidden agenda. He didn't use people. He was kind, helpful and treated everyone fairly and with respect. And the way he looked at her was something that she hoped she would never stop seeing. She blushed heavily once more and looked away to the side. _Hey, you're making me feel embarrassed._

Ash rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a bit. **"Sorry Natasha. Didn't mean to,"** he replied back. She took in a breath and faced him. _It's okay. It's just…I'm not used to…to… someone giving me so much…respect and kindness._ Ash tilted his head at that while going a bit red himself. **"Natasha?"** His tone of voice was one of worry and he started having a million things go through his mind. But before he could say anything else, she continued. _Ash...there's something that I've been wanting…no, that I need to tell you. But before I do, I just want to say this first; thank you for everything!_ Immediately after, the red head hugged Ash tightly with her arms wrapped around his back with her head buried into his chest.

Stunned at first, he quickly relaxed and did the only thing that he could do at that moment; he returned the hug by wrapping one arm around her back and the other he placed gently on top of her head. **"You're welcome,"** he said softly to her. Her heart beat increasing dramatically, she was doing her absolute best to control herself so she can tell him what she needs to tell him. A little bit of time later, the red head raised her gaze and looked into her savior's eyes. _Ash…what I'm going to tell you is something very important. It's about who I used to be._ He stayed quiet but nodded. She separated from him, looked out towards the horizon and went on. _Before meeting you I was a completely different person. I was actually a…a very bad person. I had done so many awful things._ Her eyes began to water but she kept her tears back. Ash was starting to feel a horrible feeling fill him and no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't shake it off. She turned her head to look at him. _If you knew about any of them, you…you would be so disgusted and…and you would hate me for it._ A single tear escaped from her eyes and she took in a stuttering breath. **"Natasha, what are you talking about?"** asked Ash in a low voice.

Right as she was about to answer him, someone ran out into the balcony towards them. **"ASH! SHE'S DANGEROUS!"** yelled out Clemont as he skidded to a halt beside them, making both Ash and Natasha snap their gaze onto him. He was wondering why he would say that while she became worried from the way he was giving her a look of fear and hate.

Before either of them could say anything, Clemont grabbed Ash's upper arm and pulled him a bit away from the red head. **"What the hell man?!"** yelped Ash in surprise.

" **Trust me! You don't want to be near her!"** he replied back. Hearing him say that made her heart skip a beat and she felt extreme sadness fill her. She made to move towards them and extend out her hand a bit to grasp Ash's hand. **"Get back!"** shouted Clemont as he raised a poke ball and she stopped with a scared look appearing on her face.

" **What the fuck has gotten into you?!"** yelled Ash with fury as he wrenched his arm away. **"Natasha is our friend! She's-"**

" **SHE'S PART OF TEAM ROCKET!"** interrupted Clemont, making Ash go silent and Natasha to freeze in her spot.

Giving his friend a look that clearly said he was crazy, Ash straightened out. **"What are you talking about?"** asked Ash.

Without a word spoken, Clemont raised his other hand and handed him the slightly damaged smart phone. Natasha's eyes widened as she recognized her phone instantly. Unable to move, make a sound or even send him a mental message, she watched her hero take the device and look at it. As she kept her gaze on his face, she witnessed the transformation that occurred after he looked at the device's screen. The confused and worried expression faded away only to be replaced with understanding as well as another emotion that she couldn't put her finger on. But she couldn't even begin to figure that out because of what happened next. He slowly raised his gaze to hers and locked eyes with her. **"You're a Team Rocket executive?"**

The way he asked that question was something she never would have even imagined could be possible coming from him. It wasn't with an angry tone. It wasn't with an accusing tone of voice. It had none of the power, strength, respect, kindness, concern or love that she was accustomed to hearing from him whenever he spoke to her, his girlfriends, pokémon, friends or family. Instead, it was filled with…dare she think it…disbelief, disappointment and sadness. It sounded like his belief in her and who she is, shattered and he was beyond astonished to learn that she wasn't this person he had come to know these past few days. It was at that moment that Natasha fully realized just how different her savoir was from everyone else in the whole world. And she also realized that she would give anything to have him look at her like he did before and not with this new look, no matter the cost.

Wanting to fix it and to explain things so she wouldn't lose her savior, she reacted and took a step forward. Clemont was about to toss out his poke ball but Ash prevented him and signaled his friend to wait. The red head took that as a good sign and gathered some confidence. She stopped in front of the raven haired guardian, took in a deep breath and communicated with him. _Ash, it is true that I was part of Team Rocket. But not anymore. That was before I came here. I've been trying to tell you for a long time now. I even got close to doing so a couple times but things kept getting in the way._

Ash remembered the couple times she tried to tell him something but then other events came up that prevented her. Clemont kept alternating his gaze from one to the other, trying to figure out what was being communicated between the two since he was unable to hear Natasha's thoughts. **"Ash, what did she say?"** he asked his friend with worry, seeing the look on his face.

It took a moment for him to respond to the gym leader since he was thinking about what to do regarding what was happening. Making a decision, he turned his head towards the inventor. **"Clemont, I'm sorry for exploding at you. And thank you for looking into this. But give us some privacy please while I try to understand what's going on here. And can you do me another favor? Don't tell anyone yet about this and don't let anyone come out into the balcony until I say so,"** requested Ash.

Clemont heard the seriousness in his friend's voice and glanced at the red head. Having warned him about who she is, he didn't feel too worried about his safety now that his guard was up. Agreeing to his request, he left the two and headed inside to do the favor. Ash faced the red head again and gestured her to continue explaining. And she did. _Thank you Ash for giving me a chance to explain things._ He didn't comment after her words and just kept silent. Swallowing the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, she began mentally speaking again. _I've been trying to come clean to you for a while now. I've been trying to tell you that…I'm…I'm the reason why…why the Skull Brothers were here. They were here because of me…because I had called them here._ Slowly understanding what she was saying with his eyes widening, he took a step back from her. **"Why would you even talk with such horrible people? Even if you are part of Team Rocket?"** he asked her with a disbelieving tone of voice. _Because…because I was on a mission for my boss! I was sent here to gather information and those…monsters were supposed to help me._ Ash shook his head as he looked down at his feet. **"No, this…this doesn't make sense. You…you couldn't have been with them cause they had hurt you and…and…"** He just couldn't believe it. Even with the evidence in his hand. Even with her telling him, he was having a hard time coming to terms with it. His perception of her and who she is was crumbling away and he didn't want that to happen.

Seeing him unable to believe what she was saying, it made Natasha become so angry with herself that she was hurting the one who had given her so much. But she had to do it. Moving forward, she grabbed his free hand with both of hers and waited for him to raise his head. The moment he looked into her eyes, she took in a breath and continued. _It's true Ash. I was sent here by Team Rocket to gather information and they were supposed to help me._ Sensing that she was telling the truth, his mouth suddenly felt dry and his heart was pounding. That was when he remembered something else that Lance had told him. That they had found pictures and videos of him on the smart phone they had discovered in the cabin and he had seen them himself before he deleted the rape video. **"Were you…were you here to gather information…on me?"** he asked her. Her lips quivering and her eyes letting out more tears, she answered him. _Yes. But that was before they turned on me after failing to follow the plan we had made before…_ **"What plan?"** he asked her quietly, interrupting her. She didn't answer him because she suddenly felt afraid of how he would take it. After a moment of waiting, Ash slipped his hand out of hers and grasped both her shoulders firmly but didn't hurt her as the smart phone fell to the floor. **"What plan?"** he repeated in a more demanding tone.

Natasha answered him automatically out of fear over his new tone of voice. _After your defense of the stadium attack, my organization took note of your powers and skill. They viewed you as a threat to their goals and wanted to know how they could stop you if needed. The plan was to kidnap Leaf, since she was the one who you were hugging in the middle of the field that was on the news. We were to hold her for ransom and then I would 'bump' into you during your search and help you find her so I can get close to you. I was to infiltrate your inner circle and learn as much about you as possible and then return back to base with the information I learned to give to my boss. I was supposed to do this all before…_ She stopped explaining however when Ash let go of her shoulders and took a few steps backwards. **"You…you endangered my friends…so you can…get close to me…"** Seeing him become so made the red head become filled with guilt and regret. She took a step closer to him but he in turn took another step away from her.

Seeing him do that made her become filled with sadness and her heart dropped into her stomach. But she wouldn't give up. She had to make him listen to her because she had to tell him what was coming. _Ash, please listen to me. I'm so sorry. But there is something that you should know; Team Rocket is planning something. Something big! You have to…_ **"I helped you,"** started Ash in a whisper, silencing her. **"I did everything I could for you…took you in and made you a part of group…but all this time…you were hiding who you are. You endangered my friends, family and loved ones so you can get to me…"** His tone of voice was a mixture of many emotions he was feeling at that moment that just crushed the red head as she heard it. Those emotions were so strong that his heart was beating loudly like a war drum and his mind was racing. He wanted to rage at her. He wanted to let his emotions take over. But he was controlling them for the time being because he didn't want to go down that path again. He didn't want to do a repeat of his emotional tantrum the night of the club. And he also didn't want to make another mistake because of more rash actions. Turning to face the horizon and leaning against the balcony rails with his hands on them, Ash took in a long deep breath before exhaling it out to try and remain in control. He didn't know what to do at all. He looked up towards the night sky and was quiet for a moment until he spoke. **"How…how am I supposed to react to this? What am I supposed to do with you Natasha?"** he asked her with a heavy tone of voice.

Her heart pounding in her ears and her emotional state becoming more pronounced, she moved towards him. It was as if she was on autopilot and didn't even think about what she was doing. She wrapped her arms around him as she burst into tears the second she buried her face into his side. _Ash, I'm so sorry! I was a completely different person before coming here! I was a horrible person who did so many terrible things all for the organization! I had no one and nothing as I grew up and didn't care about anyone or anything! All I cared about was myself! I didn't know any other way of life! But that all changed when I came here! After suffering because of the Skull Brothers, I just wanted to die! I prayed for Arceus to end my suffering! I wished and hoped for it! But you saved me and showed me a world that I believed didn't exist! You shattered that belief and showed how wrong I was! I'm so sorry Ash! I was telling the truth when I said that nobody has ever done anything for me like you have! And I wasn't lying or just saying things when I complimented you! I meant every word! Please forgive me! Please don't tell me to go away! Please! Give me a chance to fix things, to atone for what I have done! I can't go back to that life! I can't be strong on my own anymore! Please! Not after seeing the good in life! Not after being around someone like you! Being here with you is like a wonderful dream that I never want to wake from! Please don't take make me go back to that nightmare! Please! I'm so sorry! Please don't tell me to go away!_ She said no more with her mind and continued sobbing into his side. The two remained like that for some time, though the red head slide down a bit as she couldn't hold herself up anymore. Ash stared out into the horizon as he thought furiously while Natasha kept her hold on him as her tears fell.

The raven haired guardian thought about everything that had happened regarding the red head. From when he first crossed paths with her back in the cabin to her confession now. Remembering the sorry state she was in and the cruel torture that she had endured through at the hands of the Skull Brothers. The way she was so frightened of everyone and everything because of her horrible ordeal. How she was only comfortable around him and how he sensed that she was doing her best to hold on. Words spoken between the two about her wanting her life to end because she could never again speak or have children. The promises he made to her that he would always be her friend and that he would never tell her to go. How she asked him if she was a bad person, would her tell her to go and if he would hate her. Remembering all of that made the young man realize something. That even if she was part of Team Rocket…even if she was a horrible person in the past…she wasn't that person anymore. Her awful experiences had changed her. Wasn't her acting this way proof enough of that?

He turned his gaze ever so slightly towards her and took in the sight of her crying still with her still attached to him. He sensed that she was not acting or trying to trick him. He could sense her feelings of despair, shame and regret. He faced forward again and thought some more. His mind brought back how he reacted on impulse towards Leaf's confession of how she kissed him when he was in the hospital. How he blew it out of proportion and how he made her become a crying broken shell of herself. And as a result, pushing her into the hands of the very same bastards who had violated Natasha. He shook his head slowly and let out a sigh. _I can't be rash anymore. I can't act on impulse anymore._ Thinking some more, his mind brought up something that the red head had mentioned and was going to explain further on but he had interrupted her. _I need to know what she was going to say. Then I'll make up my mind. I can't be naïve or so trusting anymore either. I can't keep making the same mistakes. Even if she has changed, I can't drop my guard around her right now._ Coming to a decision, he lifted his hands off the rails and straightened out but the red head kept her hold on him. **"Natasha…"**

It took a moment for her to hear him and she slowly stopped her crying. But her face remained buried into his side. _Ash?_ **"Get up."** Feeling a shiver go down her spine over his strangely calm tone of voice, she slowly did as he told her. Letting go of him and her arms falling to her sides, she then slowly stood up but her head was hung. **"Look at me."** She didn't want to because she feared that it was all over, yet she still listened to him. Raising her face with silent tears still pouring down her cheeks, her puffy reddened eyes looked into his brown eyes. **"Natasha…I'm going to ask you a question and what you respond with will determine what's going to happen next,"** he told her. Understanding him, she nodded her head and waited for him to ask the question. **"What is this big thing that Team Rocket is planning and who is behind it all?"** he asked her.

Though she wasn't going to answer by talking, she still took in a deep breath before she communicated with him mentally. _Ash, Team Rocket is planning something very horrible. They've been biding their time for a long time now. They've been doing illegal and immoral tests on both humans and pokémon that they've kidnapped, forced or tricked into volunteering for it. They are the ones behind the stadium attack! And the one behind it all is Giovanni and he wanted to test out how powerful their strength enhancers are!_ Ash's eyes widened and he took in a sharp breath. **"So Giovanni is still in play…I thought he was completely done after the Landorus incident,"** remarked Ash and Natasha shook her head and continued on, not wanting to stop since she was finally getting everything out in the open. _No, he just went into hiding and bided his time while regrouping. Giovanni wants to rule the world and he's made huge technological and biological progress to further his agenda! And he is close to reaching his goals. But first he needs to test out his new secret weapon!_ **"What weapon?"** asked Ash with great worry. _It's a monstrous thing Ash. It has so much power that it's scarier than anything I can imagine. His plan is to test it out by taking out threats with it before he came back into the spotlight._ Becoming suddenly frightened over what he learned, Ash was about to wonder how in the hell Giovanni was able to do all this. But he stopped himself and focused on the red head. **"When is he going to attack? Who is he targeting?"** asked Ash, wanting to know so he could prevent Giovanni from committing such atrocities.

Natasha was about to answer when she suddenly started to feel woozy. Her vision was going in and out of focus as her head started to spin. **"Natasha, tell me!"** he demanded as he grasped both of her shoulders tightly. **"When and who Natasha?! When and who?!"** _He…he's planning…_ She felt her mind was shutting down for some reason and she was losing energy fast. She tried to push on ahead but was having a very hard time in doing so. _Gio…vanni…is going to…to…_ The feeling in her legs went and she would've dropped to the floor if Ash wasn't holding her. Instead however, he gently lowered her to the ground with him kneeling beside her and had her lean against him. Though he was angry with her, he still became filled with concern over what was happening to her and was wondering just what the hell was going on. **"Natasha?"** _He will…at…at…tack…soon..._ Her eyes closed and both her breathing and heart rate slowed down to a crawl. **"Natasha? Natasha?!"** Ash shook her a bit and tried to wake her back up but that didn't help either. **"** **Natasha!** **"** No matter what he tried, no matter how loudly he yelled, the red haired woman did not wake up. Instead, his yelling caused the ones who were still awake inside the penthouse to come running outside with concern. They found him and her on the ground while he futilely tried waking her up. As they hurried to the two, they heard him whispering to her in a sullen tone. **"Please…wake up Natasha…please…"**

In a hidden dimension, a large white centaur like being moved away from the viewing portal he was looking through that was in the middle of the large, stadium like hallway. He passed the three reality dragons who were giving him looks of astonishment over what he just did. The Alpha pokémon however didn't feel any regret over his action. He had much more to worry and think about than to allow a single person to unload their burdens and cause the suffering of many as a result. Arceus made his way to his large golden throne at the end of the hallway and the three followed after him. But one of them couldn't hold it in any longer. **"Why Father?"** asked the dragon ghost.

Turning around, he eyed Giratina for a moment before facing forward and kept moving. **"Because it had to be done."**

" **Putting Natasha into a coma had to be done?!"** asked Giratina with concern. **"Why did you do that? What was so wrong in her telling him what was coming? She practically already did!"** he stated with anger and confusion. Palkia and Dialga were giving their brother shocked looks that he was speaking with their father like that.

Arceus however, didn't let his outburst faze him. **"Because the prophecy won't come true if he knows all the details about the incoming attack,"** explained Arceus calmly as he sat down on his throne.

" **How will him knowing fully about the attack cause the prophecy to not come true?"** asked Giratina as he moved closer to the sitting god. His brothers however remained where they were with both of them wanting answers as well. **"What does it matter if he knows or not? It's not like he will run away or not do anything about it!"** reasoned the anti-matter pokémon.

" **That is true,"** agreed Arceus, nodding his head. **"And that is the point. If he knows about when the attack will happen, where it will happen and who it is targeting, then he will have time to prepare for it and counter it. He must not be allowed to do so. He must face it when it comes."**

Confused over what was just said, Giratina couldn't speak but Palkia was able to find his voice and so he spoke up. **"But why? What big difference would that cause?"**

Arceus didn't answer at once. He thought how he should reveal it before speaking. **"It is because I have seen what will happen if he does know about it,"** admitted the Alpha pokémon sadly. His sons waited for him to continue and he did after a moment. **"If the guardian knows about the impending attack, he will have time to prepare a counter attack and defense. In that time line he will triumph with little loss of life. However, his powers will not grow to their full potential because he won't be pushed to his absolute limit. And when Ragnarok and the darkness emerges, he will lose the war and the world will be covered in darkness,"** explained the white centaur.

Understanding dawned on the dragons and they faced their father. But one of them was filling up with concern. **"But I haven't seen that. Is that the reason why?"** asked Dialga and Arceus nodded.

Giratina understood now why Arceus did what he just did. **"So you're going to push him into a corner and force him to unlock his full potential by making him tap into his full power. And in turn, that will make the prophecy come true. But I thought you're not putting everything on the prophecy?"** asked the black and grey dragon.

Arceus slowly nodded once more before explaining. **"That is correct. I have seen what will happen in either case. The prophecy of an Aura Guardian becoming one with aura, not just a user of it, will come true during this upcoming attack but only if he is not warned of it. He will be pushed into a corner and fear of his loved ones becoming hurt or killed will drive his desire to protect them. And there are other reasons as to why he will be the only guardian to become one with aura instead of just a user of it."** The dragons gave the centaur bewildered looks and Arceus sighed before continuing on a little more. **"I cannot go into all the details of the how, why and other things but it all comes down to the guardian wanting to protect his loved ones. As a result, he will ascend to a new level where no other could have done so. Only with that power, will he have a chance against Ragnarok. And I hate to say this, but the prophecy is all we have,"** revealed the Original One sadly.

The dragons glanced at one another, with each of them thinking the same thing. They faced Arceus and one of them asked the question that was on each of their minds. **"But…but what if it doesn't come true?"** asked Giratina.

Arceus raised his head and closed his eyes. Wrestling within himself if he should let them know, in the end he decided to just say what he hoped wouldn't come to pass. **"If the prophecy does not come true, even with Ash and Mewtwo triumphing over the attack and surviving it, all will be lost for they won't gain more power. If that scenario comes to pass, then I would have to use all of my power to purge everything in the hopes of vanquishing Ragnarok and start anew if successful,"** he revealed to them with great sadness coating his words.

" **No…"** whispered the three reality dragons together as they finally learned what their father had known for a long time now.

* * *

 _ **A/N - So many people coming clean and so much happening. It was hard juggling all that and trying to find the right flow to it all. I hope you all enjoyed it and remember to review, favorite and follow! Thanks again and until next time, Silent is out!**_

 _ **Question 1 -** Which surprised you more; learning Lucy is the pregnant girl or Goodshow's offer and Ash's condition? **  
**_

 _ **Question 2 -** Who's confession scene made you feel more emotion; Daisy's to Misty or Natasha's to Ash?_

 ** _Unrelated Bonus Questions! -_** _I'm just curious; how many of my readers are female and do you like the story and how it's going, especially with the whole harem thing? What are your thoughts on that and everything else? I know a few of my readers are female but I would like to know if I'm handling the girls emotions/feelings/actions/behavior and other things well in your opinion. Yes, I know it's far-fetched, fantasy with one guy getting with many girls but like I've always said, everything I do is for a reason. And no, he won't get with all the girls that are shown to have feelings for him...Anyway, I would just like to know from you. If you feel uncomfortable letting everyone know that you are a female, or you don't want to mention it in a review, you can send me a private message if you'd like. I would appreciate you doing that as I want to become a better writer. Thanks in advance!_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia and Sabrina_

 _ **Not in Harem but have feelings for him -** Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **All of My Stories; Status**_ _ **(Please check out my other stories and leave a review!)**_

 _ **"The Blue Spirit"** \- working on chapter 52_

 _ **"Tale of the Forsaken" -** Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_

 ** _"Agma Sins" -_** _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_


	52. Chapter 52 - Decisions

_**A/N - Hello my readers! Here's the next chapter for you and I have to admit, it was one of my harder ones to get done right. And I have to say, I was a little swamped with many things going on so that's why it took longer than i thought. My bad for the wait but I believe it's finally ready so I hope you enjoy it. And it looks like Pokemon Sun and Moon came out. I hope it's good as I'm thinking about picking it up. Anyways, a few quick things before you read the chapter...**_

 _ **1\. Natasha's situation -** I know what Arceus did was an asshole thing to do but he was looking at the "bigger picture". And she has been through a lot but unfortunately, it had to be done to move the plot where I need it to go. Whether or not Ash decides to keep his promise to her, you'll find out soon enough. _

_**2\. Lucy's pregnancy -** Good guess on those who estimated it was Lucy who was the pregnant one. Some of you were actually relieved it was her. lol. Anyway, this will be important and isn't being explored just to throw it in here. _

_**3\. Misty being the leader of the girls -** I've stated the reasons why she was picked by the other girls in the previous chapter so I won't go into the why again. But, this is going to be important because it's going to explore another aspect of the relationship between Ash and his girlfriends as well as the relationship between the girls themselves. And it will help them come to terms with other things besides the relationship with Ash._

 _ **4\. The harem itself -** I know that many of you were saying that the harem is going out of control. I know it looks that way, but like I keep saying, everything I do is for a reason and not to just have it. Everything is connected and there are a few reasons as to why I've been going down this route and building upon it. And not every girl who shows feelings for him will get with him. This is something that I keep saying. And this chapter will explore a little of the underlying reasons as to why the girls are with him because each girl has a specific reason for her wanting to be with Ash. And there is a bigger reason behind it all as well that will eventually be brought into light. _

_**5\. Replies to some reviews;**_

 _ **Guest 1 -** You'll see what becomes of Iris and her feelings eventually buddy._

 _ **Guest 2 -** No worries dude. I hope your production went well. Thanks and me too! I want to keep writing and finish this story (as well as my other ones!). Take care of yourself too! _

_**Pokemon Fan -** Thank you for the kind words dude. And no worries as I'll keep doing my best. Hope you enjoy this chapter too. :)_

 _ **Super man x -** Glad to hear that you're enjoying it buddy. Thanks for the recommendations but I already know which girls are going to be with Ash and which won't. See above for a little more details. As for Natasha, again check above. _

_**You Sick Pervert -** Ah, okay? Sorry you don't like it because it's a harem story. I can't satisfy everyone's taste. But can I ask you this; have you even read my story at all? Do you understand the reasons behind it? Because it's not some smut story about Ash just getting with a girl or girls and just having "fun" with them. If you really hate it that much, then just don't read it or at least give me a more constructive review that explains why you dislike it instead of just calling me a "pervert" or that the story is "gross". Thank you and have a nice day. _

**_Alright, now with that done, I present to you the next chapter for your enjoyment!_**

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 52 – DECISIONS

" **Just who the fuck does he think he is?!"**

The Sinnoh Elite Four member and fire type trainer Flint was in a rage. He was fuming over what happened earlier on with the Aura Guardian. He had been holding it in all day before finally exploding during a card game with a few of his fellow elites in the evening of that same day. They jumped at his outburst and made the others around them snap their attention onto him. All of the elite members, from each region around the world, were staying on the thirty eighth floor of the Indigo Plateau hotel. It was reserved specifically for them and had the space for them all.

One of his close friends started gesturing him to relax. **"Hey, calm down,"** advised Aaron calmly.

" **No I will not!"** shot Flint as he stood up and slammed his cards against the table. **"Are you telling me that you didn't get pissed that he thinks he can take us on with just one of his pokémon while we use our strongest against him?!"** he asked his team mate and the others angrily.

Letting out a sigh, his teammate shook his head. **"Whether I am or not, you acting like this doesn't help at all,"** remarked Aaron but Flint just let out a growl of frustration and threw his hands up into the air.

" **You know,"** started Drake, making them all look at him now. **"Flint has a point. I have to admit that I am a little insulted that he challenged us like that. No respect."**

Some murmured their agreement with the dragon trainer and Flint crossed his arms. **"See! I'm not the only one!"** snapped Flint at Aaron.

Before Aaron could say something to Flint, another person spoke up. **"How was his condition without respect?"** All eyes landed onto Bruno who was meditating in the corner of the large living room until Flint's outburst. **"He asked for his condition to be considered and even gave his reasons behind it,"** reminded the abnormally large and muscular man.

" **That's right,"** continued on Karen. **"There is no denying that Ash has become strong. And he wishes to see if he has the same level of strength as the current Master who no one has seen for a long time. Though I don't like to admit it, doesn't the Master have the capability to do what Ash wants to do?"** she asked them. Several looked at her with curious expressions over what she said while others just scoffed.

Many from the group glanced at one another. Flint lowered his arms but an agitated look formed on his face. **"So what? Just because the current Master could do that, and we're not even sure on that either, doesn't mean that he can too!"**

" **I have to agree with Flint,"** spoke up Caitlyn, making everyone look at her now. She took a sip of tea from her cup before continuing on. **"To just blatantly declare such a challenge…it's downright insulting and makes us look like pushovers. I did not work so hard all my life for someone like him to just walk up and say he can take me out along with my fellow elites at the same time."** Several of them commented and remarked that they're in agreement with her. The rest just stayed quiet as they were lost in their thoughts. They wondered if the way the guardian challenged them was disrespectful, or if he thought he was better than them. Or if he does just wants to see if he is as strong as the current Master...

After some time passed with multiple conversations going on between them all over this topic, one of them stood up from her seat and let out a loud whistle. The rest of them covered their ears and let out annoyed sounds before glaring at the perpetrator. Seeing that she caught their attention and ignoring their glares, she began speaking. **"I know and understand what you're all thinking and feeling,"** started Malva as she walked a bit forward to be in the middle of them all in the room. **"But I don't believe he challenged us that way to be disrespectful or to make us look like pushovers."**

" **Are you honestly saying that you believe that he just wants to test himself?"** asked Glacia slowly to make sure she understands what she's getting at.

" **I do,"** answered Malva calmly. Flint, Caitlyn and Drake all gave her looks of disbelief as Will, Glacia, Marshal and Siebold crossed their arms and glared at the Kalos Elite. Most of the others however didn't react to her words since they were still thinking but a few agreed by nodding their heads. **"I believe he wants to test himself against us to see if he is at the same level of strength as the Master. And though he could have worded it a little better, it came from his heart. I have fought beside him back in Kalos and have seen the way he is. He didn't mean any offense by it. I'm sure of it."**

Hearing her words some, the ones who felt insulted and that their pride was hurt began to calm down. However, they still wouldn't let go. **"I think I understand what you're saying,"** started Glacia, making everyone look at the ice trainer. **"Let's say he has reached that level of strength. But even so, having us battle against him in a handicap match with the odds stacked in our favor? If we win, people will say that it was unfair. If we lose, people will say that we are weak. No matter what angle you look at it, we are worse off no matter what happens,"** she said, bringing into light what none of them had thought about yet.

" **That's true!"** added Marshal as he started to voice his opinion as well. **"And don't forget the condition that Goodshow placed on the matches as well; that he can only use our own region's respective pokémon against us. No other time has there been a rule like this."** Remembering that condition made almost all of the elites let out groans over that because that also would be a basis for unfair criticism no matter what happens. **"With all these things set, it really looks like we're stacking everything against him. Win or lose, the public will cry foul against us no matter what! And that's just not fair! We all worked hard to be where we are to just allow this sort of thing to happen to any of us,"** he finished saying heatedly.

They all thought about that for a bit with many agreeing and some even starting to come up with plans to stop this from happening. That is until the eldest out of them all decided she heard enough and to say her two cents worth. **"Let them say what they want to say."** All went quiet and every single elite's attention went onto the ghost trainer Agatha. She was one of the few still seated but her cane was in front of her with both hands clasped on top of it. **"You are missing the bigger picture and what we can get from this."**

Confused looks formed on almost all of them. **"What do you mean?"** asked Ethan, the youngest out of all the Elites.

Agatha allowed a smile to form on her face as she began to raise herself to stand. Lorelei moved to assist her but she held up her hand to stop her. **"Thank you, but I think I can still move on my own."** Understanding her and nodding with a smile, Lorelei watched her close friend slowly stand up and the rest waited patiently for her to do so and continue. When she was finally standing upright, she looked around the room at them all. **"Alright, let me ask you all this; when was the last time any of us were challenged?"**

Many glanced at one another while the rest merely stayed quiet and didn't move. Agatha waited for someone to answer her but nobody did until the ninja master spoke from the corner of the large living room. **"Looks like I have to answer for you all. Not since Sarah Wiseman defeated us, the Johto Elites, some months ago were any of the regions even challenged,"** answered Koga in a curt tone of voice.

Remembering that, the other elites murmured that was right. **"Other than her, it's been a while hasn't it?"** Agatha asked them and half of them nodded. **"I for one have been waiting a long time now to have a grand battle. And as fun and challenging as it is to battle with and against my fellow Elites…"** As she said this, she looked at them all with a respectful look that made them all feel proud of themselves. **"…we are all more or less equal to one another in terms of power and strategy. To have someone step forward who can give us a run for our money…one who can cause our blood to pump…one who can make us question our own level of strength…that is someone I will gladly battle against. Not since the last Master, who hasn't been seen for so long, have the Elites and Champions been challenged. I for one, finally feel alive again and cannot wait to have my battle with him. Even if it is in a handicap battle, for if someone has the…"** She trailed off, not finishing and the rest gave her worried looks until she started speaking again. **"How would the kids say it today?"** Now giving her confused looks, the other Elites had no idea where she was going with this. **"Ah, I remember. As I was saying; even if it is in a handicap battle, for if someone has the** _ **balls**_ **…"** The other elites gasped as she said that while some had their eyes widened. They weren't expecting that to come from her at all. But Agatha didn't pay attention to that and kept going. **"…to challenge us like that, even after knowing who we are and what we're capable of, then that means that person must be powerful themselves. And after seeing what our challenger is capable of and who he is, I know he's not all talk. Instead of getting riled up, I advise you all to start preparing for what will most likely be one of the most incredible battles you will take part in."** And with that final statement, everyone was silenced and no one said a word. Seeing that, Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four bade them a goodnight and made her way to her room. Lorelei, who shared that room with her, also decided to call it a night and went with her.

After the two left, half of the Elites decided to go to bed so they can think in peace over what was just said and discussed but some stayed up. Among those who stayed, a few went out into the balcony. Malva, Bruno, Pheobe, Karen, Koga and Bertha enjoyed the cool night air while talking and joking with one another about what they thought could happen in their upcoming matches. Though one from their group would stay quiet mostly who was the ninja. Sudden loud music was heard from above them and they all looked up towards the penthouse suite. **"Looks like the party is still going. I thought they ended it when the music stopped the first time,"** mused Karen.

The karate master nodded with a smile on his face. **"He deserves it. I bet it's going to last a while though,"** remarked Bruno.

The ghost trainer had her eyes lit up. **"Hey, why don't we go join them? I haven't been to a party in a long time and I wanna dance! Who's up for it?"** asked a suddenly energized Pheobe.

They chuckled and shook their heads over that. **"I know how much you love to dance and party, but I don't think that's such a good idea dear,"** said Bertha with a small smile before anyone else could answer.

Pheobe felt a little down but before she could argue her case, the fire trainer beat her to it. **"Why not?"** asked a curious Malva.

" **Because that will be inappropriate,"** answered Koga dryly for Bertha.

" **Why do you have to be such a stiff? Can't ninjas have fun too?"** asked Pheobe quietly with her arms crossed and glaring at him.

He did not falter under her unusual stern gaze. **"He is your opponent. Instead of partying with him, you should be studying his past battles and what you know of him so you can be prepared for your battle with him,"** explained Koga at once.

Understanding him and knowing that he's right, Pheobe hung her head in defeat. **"Party poopers."**

Except for Koga, the others chuckled as Bertha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and massaged her shoulder. **"He's right hun. We need to stay focused. We can always have a party afterwards,"** she said to her soothingly.

Letting out a sigh, she nodded her head. **"Alright, party afterwards then. But I'm holding you all to it!"** she told them. She then pointed at one of them. **"Especially you Koga!"** Koga didn't say or do anything until a moment later. He merely smiled a bit and left the balcony. **"Hey, what was that smile for?"** He didn't answer her and Pheobe was beginning to get annoyed. **"Hey, don't ignore me!"** Still he didn't answer her. **"That's it! Come here you!"**

As she went after the Kanto elite, the other four started laughing out loud. Hearing the commotion from inside, which was mostly from the Hoenn elite, Bruno decided to go and try to calm things down. Malva, Karen and Bertha continued laughing for a bit before finally calming down. **"I might have to make more trips with you guys. I haven't had this much fun in a while,"** remarked Karen with a smile as she brushed away some hair that fell in front of her face from her laughing.

Malva nodded her head as she leaned against the rails with her back with her hands placed on top of the rails at her sides. **"Agreed. It's much more fun being here than back at home. And I have to admit, I can barely contain my excitement for the battle."**

Bertha smiled at the two elites who are younger than her. **"Too true. I can't wait to be pushed to my limits once more. I remember when the Master battled us and the older Elites who some of you replaced. To see such power from a single person. The things that man was capable of. And so handsome too. And chivalrous. And wise. And tall. And..."** The ground type trainer kept going and started reminiscing about the Master.

Karen and Malva glanced at one another with slightly reddened cheeks as they thought about him too. Soon afterwards however, devious smirks formed on their faces. **"Hey Bertha, you want some time alone to yourself?"** teased Malva.

Bertha snapped out of her stupor and her cheeks flushed with color. **"No no, I'm okay."** The two women giggled while shaking their heads. **"Sorry, it's just been a while since I've seen him. He left such an impression that it's hard to forget him. I wonder sometimes what he's been up to and where he's been,"** admitted the older woman. Nodding their heads, the two women couldn't blame her. Even though no one has seen him in over ten years, the Master was a very hard person to forget. He had that uncanny ability to make people remember him easily.

Malva started thinking about what Bertha just said. _That's true. Even though it's been years since anyone has seen him, everyone still remembers him. Kind of like someone else I know. But I wonder, how much does Bertha know about him._ Wanting to know more, Malva tapped Bertha's shoulder and she looked at her. **"Were you close with the Master?"** asked the red haired fire trainer from Kalos.

Bertha shook her head. **"No, I wasn't. I only know his name and his home town; Red and he's from Pallet Town."** Both Malva and Karen simply nodded and didn't react over that because that was what they and the other Elites knew as well. Not much is known about the current Master except for those two details. **"Very few knew him personally. I only know that Goodshow knows him personally as well as wait…there might have been another person too…"**

Raising their eyebrows, both women became intrigued. _Who else knows Red? I haven't heard anything from anyone about that._ **"Is that so? Who is it? Who else knows the Master?"** asked Karen with her curiosity rising.

Bertha began thinking heavily, trying to remember an old memory. **"Hold on…was it one or two…"** Their eyes widening, both Malva and Karen wanted to know more and were telling her to come out with it. **"Be patient!"** she snapped at them and they went silent immediately. Bertha thought for a bit until she let out a sigh. **"I can't remember all the details exactly. But if I'm remembering correctly, there were two. One who was his best friend since birth and the other was an old Kanto gym leader…"**

Before either of the two could say anything, another person showed up in the balcony behind them out of nowhere. **"I think that is enough for tonight."** The three women whirled around at the sudden voice and saw Agatha standing there with her cane in front of her and leaning on it with both hands. She locked her eyes onto two of them. **"You should get your rest,"** she told Malva and Karen in a kind but serious tone of voice. Without protest, even though they were a little annoyed that they were being dismissed like that, both women began heading inside. They knew not to anger Agatha as they had heard rumors of her rage and what she could do with her ghost pokémon. As they passed by her, she said another thing to them. **"Whatever you just learned, as little as it is, keep to yourself. No need to spread it around."** Understanding her, the two didn't argue and just nodded their heads before heading inside.

After they left, Agatha and Bertha locked eyes for a moment until the old woman made her way towards the railings and looked out into the horizon. Bertha turned around and also faced the horizon. **"I thought you were sleeping."**

" **I was just about to fall asleep,"** replied Agatha. A purple floating ball of gas appeared in front of them before a large maniacal grin formed along with two red eyes. It stayed there for a moment before fading away. **"Gengar told me that you were saying some interesting things to others that not many know of. And so that was when I decided to put a stop to it. How do you know this?"**

Bertha glanced at her from the corner of her eyes before moving them towards the horizon again. **"Goodshow. Why do you ask and why shouldn't we talk about it?"**

Agatha stayed quiet for a moment before answering her. **"Should've known. You and Goodshow were close weren't you?"** Bertha didn't say anything but Agatha continued on. **"Because the Master doesn't want certain things to be known,"** she revealed with a sigh.

Her eyes widening, Bertha was unable to prevent herself from turning to face Agatha. **"You're in contact with the Master?!"** she asked her but she wasn't given an answer. Waiting a little, she saw that she wasn't going to let her know if she was. Deciding to move on, she asked another question. **"Fine, don't tell me. But at least answer this; why doesn't he?"**

Agatha took in a long breath before turning to face her friend. **"Because if certain people started asking certain questions, a lot of things will happen. Many truths will be known that the Master doesn't want the public to know at all. And it may cause a particular person unneeded anguish if the truth is learned."**

Understanding now that there were some dark secrets being kept, Bertha wondered who else was in on it. **"Who else knows? Who could it hurt? What is he hiding? Where is he hiding?"** asked Bertha.

Agatha shook her head slowly. **"I cannot answer those questions for I don't know and even if I did, I couldn't. All I can say is that he is trying to keep a promise to a friend from what I understood."**

Tilting her head over that, Bertha became confused. **"What do you mean? And how do you know this?"**

" **I cannot tell you. But you'll find out one day. Maybe. I suggest you go rest."** Bertha said nothing but glared at the older woman for a moment before heading inside. Letting out a long sigh, Agatha looked towards the horizon and thought a bit. _I wish I knew what he was doing and where he is. But the truth is Bertha that I saw him right before he vanished. And what he told me then and made me swear to secrecy, I cannot tell others. Master, when will you come back?_ She shook her head after a while of thinking and decided to head back inside to rest. As she made her way back to her room, she had an odd feeling that something was coming and something was going to happen. But she had no idea what it could be. And she also wondered if the President knew the reason why the Master was gone as well…

Speaking of the President, in the Pokémon League headquarters, an elderly man was sitting at his desk in the middle of the night. He was finishing up preparations for the extended battles for the tournament that were decided on earlier on. After Goodshow completed the last one, he leaned back against his executive chair and let out a sigh to relax. Ever since the small little ceremony where he handed Ash the winner's trophy and took up the offer to battle against the Elites and Champions of the world there, Goodshow was swamped with things to do to get everything ready. From making the necessary broadcast adjustments and deals, to making sure vendors could stay longer, it was just one long business deal after another. But now he was completely finished with it all and he could finally rest.

Enjoying the fact that he was doing nothing, Goodshow just sat in his desk chair while thinking about everything that had happened so far. Ever since he came up with the idea of the Spirit Tournament decades ago, he never had one be as entertaining, as nerve wracking or as dangerous as the one he was still hosting now. _Oh man, never have I been so tired because of a tournament. Not even the current Pokémon Master's match against the previous one had so much happen and I thought that was the match of the century._ He then remembered the battle between Tobias and Ash and how incredible that one was, with legendary pokémon losing against regular pokémon. _Well, we may have a contender to take that spot now._ He shook his head as he started chuckling. _If he knew that his most incredible match would have the title of battle of the century challenged, he would be pissed. I wonder, do I still have the video or pictures for that match?_

Goodshow sat up straight and took out a key from his pocket. He unlocked his bottom right desk drawer and began rummaging through it. **"It's not here?"** he asked himself in shock. He took out everything from the drawer to find the DVD and pictures but found nothing. **"What the heck?! Where is it?!"** The president was about to start worrying that someone might have been going through his private and personal belongings. But then his hand hit the bottom part of the drawer and a hollow sound was heard. He instantly remembered that he had a secret compartment made into his drawer. **"Oh right. Forgot about that. Haven't used it for so long."** He chuckled to himself again before he opened it. He pulled out a box and placed it on his desk. He opened it and took out the DVD and a folder before placing them on his desk. He opened the folder and immediately several photos were seen. He picked one up and looked at it as memories flowed through his mind with him starting to smile.

The photo had four people in it and each had a happy expression on their face. The president was one of them while the rest were his old friends, though they were much younger than him. On the very left was himself, standing shorter than the other three who were around the same height. _I've forgotten how much taller they are than me,_ thought Goodshow. His eyes moved to the very right and found the Saffron gym leader David Natsume before his daughter Sabrina took charge of the gym. He was dressed in his green track suit. _I remember how he would almost always wear that!_ Unable to control himself, he laughed out loud a bit before calming down and looking at the two in the middle of them.

Both of them were slightly taller than David. The one in the middle left had a red long sleeved jacket with black jeans and shirt that had a red poke ball symbol on it with a red cap and red shoes. He had black hair and red eyes that were intimidating yet he had a kind smile on his face. The one next to him, in the middle right, was wearing black dress pants, a white long sleeved button shirt, a blue vest with a black and blue tie along with a black tuxedo jacket. He too had black hair but had blue eyes that seemed to shine with life along with a large grin on his face. _I almost forgot how they looked…it's been over a decade since I last saw Red and Satoshi._ He looked at their images closely, trying to keep the memory of them alive in his mind. _Those two were inseparable…the closest of friends, practically brothers. And they were the strongest trainers I've ever seen…_

As he looked at their images, Goodshow remembered how that was the day that Satoshi told them of his big decision. How he had a different dream to chase now and that he was going to ask the love of his life to marry him. _I can't believe he gave up his dream. He proved himself stronger than Red but gave it up to be with his love. But, it's weird how practically very few, almost no one, remember Satoshi. No information on him at all on the internet, media or even his home town. Why is that? And just where has Red been all this time?_ Starting to fill up with sadness, Charles thought how it had been a very long time since anyone had seen or heard of the two. Not since the day that one of them disappeared and the other followed soon afterwards. No note, no message, no clues, nothing whatsoever was left from either of them. He himself had many people search for them in secret and even Scott of the Battle Frontier was asked to use his expertise but even he had no such luck. **"Where in the world are you two?"** he asked in a whisper. He looked at the one in red. **"If only you were around, then you'd know that a very powerful trainer has emerged and has the spirit to take your crown and become the next Pokémon Master…"** He trailed off as his eyes then moved onto the one in blue. **"…and if you were around, then you'd be proud to know that the challenger is none other than your son."** Quietly looking at the photo for a bit, he then placed it back down onto the desk and turned his gaze out the window. A thought then entered his mind with his eyes on the moon in the sky. _Red…Satoshi…what happened that caused you two to disappear? What could've been so important to pull you away from your family and friends?_ He shook his head slowly and looked at his desk. His eyes found the DVD case and he reached out to it. Realizing that he wasn't tired at all even though it was late night, he decided to watch the recorded match. Taking it out and inserting it into his computer, Goodshow soon watched the amazing battle between the two for the title of Pokémon Master and what happened afterwards…

Two people were wide awake in their hotel room early in the morning. The man of the two was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands while the woman was on the phone speaking with Giovanni. As Domino continued speaking with their boss, John was thinking about everything that he saw the Aura Guardian do earlier that day. He remembered how powerful his pokémon are, going toe to toe with the legendaries of the world. Throwing himself in front of the league official to protect her from the rampaging titan. He just couldn't believe it. And he couldn't believe how Natasha was looking at him throughout the match. After finding where she was sitting with his binoculars, he saw how her eyes were alive as she kept her gaze on him. He also noticed how they had fear fill them when he was in danger.

It maddened him and he wanted nothing more than to kill him with his bare hands. He thought that the titan would end him during his rage and hoped for it, but luck was not on his side. As he thought, his mind formed the images of Natasha's expressions as she kept her eyes locked onto him. How it showed fear on her face for him. How it showed happiness for him when he won the match in the end. How it showed respect and some other emotion. _Why was she looking at him like that? What was she feeling?_ He thought furiously for a bit until he struck him hard and made him widen his eyes. _No! It can't be! She can't have fallen for him!_ His mind formed the image of her expression when he took the trophy. There was no question about it; it was the same look that a girl would give to the man she loves in movies. _Fuck! Damn him! How the fuck did he get Natasha to look at him like that?! I've been trying for years to get her to look at me like that! Damn him! Damn him to hell! I'm gonna…_

" **Hey dumbass!"**

Jerking his head upright from his hands over the sudden shout, he looked at Domino with both an annoyed and slightly scared look since she sounded pissed. **"What?"** he asked her, barely trying to hold back his emotions.

She gave him a blank look, placed the phone onto the dresser and then answered him. **"You're so fucking pathetic."** He glared at her before growling. **"Oh? You disagree? Then prove me wrong. Beat me in a fight."** John continued glaring at her for a moment before he just hung his head. He knew that he couldn't take her on. No one could. She was their most highly trained agent. **"That's what I thought. You'll never get any woman like that."**

" **Just…drop it okay?"** pleaded John sadly while shaking his head. **"What did Giovanni say?"**

" **Don't say his name out loud you idiot! That's boss to you!"** she chastised him angrily and he covered himself up while saying he was sorry. She rolled her eyes as she scoffed at him. **"Fuckin pussy. No wonder that whore never paid attention to you. Or any woman for that matter."** John kept himself covered but also whimpered a bit since he was stung by her words. **"Ugh, why me?"** Domino asked herself as she rubbed her temple with both hands before calming down. She let out a sigh before continuing on. **"Anyway, he said that the guardian is priority number one when we launch our attack. We have to take him out,"** revealed Domino as she went to her pack and started rummaging through it.

John slowly recovered, seeing she wasn't going to do anything to him and nodded his head. **"Okay. But, how are we supposed to do that? Even using our secret weapon, he has pokémon who are stronger than legendaries, the world's most powerful psychic pokémon who is a legendary himself, an army of pokémon, he has many strong friends and he is the strongest Aura Guardian we have ever seen."** He was wondering how in the world they were supposed to kill the most famous and possibly one of, if not the, strongest opponent they had ever faced in the world.

Domino glanced at him with a scary look that made him gulp before she faced her pack again. She took out a couple small metal boxes that were about one square foot in size and placed them on the corner desk. She then took out her laptop, turned it on and connected it to the metal boxes. **"He's sending back up. Oakley and Annie are on their way with some supplies and tools that will even the score when we attack."**

" **I see. But what supplies and tools can help us against him?"** asked a confused John.

She didn't answer him immediately because she was focused on what she was doing. Some mouse clicks and some typing later, a progress bar appeared on her laptop's screen. Smiling to herself, she looked at him and replied back. **"Use your damn brain. Do you honestly think that we won't know how to counter an aura guardian's powers and abilities after capturing one and studying him for over a decade?"**

Understanding dawned on him. **"Oh. Right. So Oakley and Annie are bringing specific equipment for us to use against him."** Domino nodded and glanced at the screen since the progress bar was full. **"But, what about the psychic? This so called brother of Mew?"** he asked her as she worked. **"And all the other things I mentioned?"**

" **That's what these are for,"** she said, pointing at the metal boxes without looking away from her screen and continued working. **"They send out a particular signal wave that affects psychic users, which will prevent them from being able to use one of their greatest abilities; teleportation. That will greatly hamper their fighting ability, especially this Mewtwo since he relies heavily on that from what we've seen. And we have our new batch of pokémon ready to go,"** explained the deadly woman.

" **I see,"** said John, getting up and moving towards her. He was about to grab one of the boxes but then his hand was smacked away by Domino who gave him a warning look. Deciding not to say anything so she wouldn't get angrier, he let it go. **"Okay, so when are we launching the attack?"**

" **Immediately after his match with either the Elites or the Champions, depending on how he does. That way, they'll be tired out. Not only that, but they won't know what's happening until it starts,"** she informed him and he commented that it was a good idea. **"Of course it is. And those two are done."** She unplugged the metal boxes from her laptop, went to her pack and took out two more metal boxes. She connected those now and started working on them. **"We're going to have to set these up in the stadium before the matches begin. And we're also going to…"** Sudden ringing on her phone interrupted her and she looked at it. Seeing the number on the caller ID, she picked it up. **"What is it Oakley?"**

The other executive replied back but it was a little difficult to hear her. She was inside a helicopter and the whirling blades were masking her voice somewhat. **"Domino, we're on the way. But before we left, we got word of something that you might want to know about,"** she said with barely contained glee.

Able to barely hear her since she was speaking loudly, Domino could sense that she was happy about something that made her curious. **"Is that so? What is it?"**

Oakley was about to answer her when the phone was taken from her and Annie began speaking. **"We got word from our mole in the board of directors of the Pokémon League. He was at the Indigo Hospital and just so happened to see the Aura Guardian there in the middle of the night. And guess who else is with him?"** she asked her.

Domino understood immediately and growled her answer. **"Natasha."** John glanced at her and saw her eyes narrowing.

" **That's right. That bitch is with him but here's the kicker…"** Annie quickly explained what they found out to her.

After learning the new information, Domino smiled evilly. **"Perfect. We'll take care of it. You know where we are right? Good."** And with that, she hung up and looked at John. **"Looks like you lucked out John. You may actually get a chance to get your way with that slut."**

Though he didn't like that she insulted the woman he was obsessed with, he said nothing about that. Instead, he tilted his head at her. **"What do you mean? What did they say?"** he asked her.

" **Well, let's just say that Natasha won't be able to say 'no' to your advances anymore."** John became even more confused and seeing him like that, made her laugh out loud. When she calmed down, she explained. **"Somehow that bitch fell into a coma."** John let out a gasp. **"She's at the Indigo Hospital right now. So here's your chance. Go get what you want from her and get over your little obsession. And then, when you're done, you need to kill her."**

John's eyes widened and he took a step back. **"K-Kill her? Isn't that…much?"** he asked her.

She stood up from her seat abruptly and he took a step back in fear. **"That's what he wants. Or are you disobeying an order from our boss?"** she asked him calmly and without emotion yet he winced over her tone as if she struck him. **"He wants her dead. He saw the last match and how she was looking at the guardian. You saw it too didn't you?"** John said nothing but the look on his face answered her question. **"Exactly. She's jumped ship and turned traitor. He wants her dead. And this is the perfect opportunity to get what you wanted from her for so long and to make yourself more than just a pilot in our boss's eyes. So you have two choices; grow some balls, go down there, get what you want and do your job or just be the pathetic pilot you've always been for the rest of your life."** After saying that, Domino sat back down and continued getting their equipment ready.

John just stared at her without really seeing her as he thought about what he was told to do. After some time, he nodded his head. **"Alright. But how will I be able to do that? She'll probably be protected or watched over in some way,"** he told her.

Domino glanced at him and thought about what he said. **"You may actually have a point there. Alright, this is what you're going to do and what you're going to use so you can get past even the guardian. Using this, even he won't be able to sense your intentions."** And with that, Domino went back to her bag, took out a small box and opened it. She started explaining what was inside, how to use them and what they could do for him to get his mission done.

A young man was found sitting on a chair in one of the hospital rooms with the sun's light already shining through the window. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together while supporting his head with them. His eyes were locked onto the red head who was lying unconscious in the hospital bed. He had brought her here late last night after she just mysteriously became comatose. He sought Doctor Lilit Swanson and Nurse Adrine Johansen the instant he arrived since he knew she would be comfortable with them only. Luckily for him, they had the graveyard shift that night. Without a word spoken, the two took one look at the unconscious girl in his arms and they knew something was up. After taking her to an empty room, Swanson and Johansen began working quickly as they attached a heart rate monitor to her, took a blood sample, checked her file and other things. They were surprised to see that all of her bruises, cuts and injuries, except for the carved word on her back were completely healed and gone. Yet they didn't stop to ask questions then.

As the two had worked in the room, Ash waited impatiently in the lounge. But he wasn't the only one there. His mother had come with him as well since she was still awake at the time and was sitting right beside him. His girlfriends had also come in the beginning when he first arrived in the middle of the night but when Ash saw that they were falling asleep, he told them to go back and rest. They didn't want to at first, but were convinced by their beloved in the end. And so, the girls said their goodnights and byes and told him that they would tell the others when they woke up and keep an eye on things. Ash thanked them and told them how much he appreciated what they do for him before they were teleported back to the hotel.

During their agonizing wait, a million things were going through his mind as he kept quiet. He thought about everything that had happened so far while he was at the tournament. And so, he hadn't said a single word besides telling the doctor and nurse that Natasha just fell into her current state out of nowhere. Every now and then, Delia would get up and go check on what was going on or if there was an update. But each time she did, she came back with no news. And so both mother and son waited for hours.

After what seemed like an eternity, Doctor Lilit Swanson told them what they figured out so far while waiting for other test results to come in. She told them that Natasha had fallen into a coma and they had a dozen different theories as to why but couldn't tell for certain the exact cause yet. It could be anything from stress to internal conflicts in her mind, to being emotionally broken to even missing another health problem that their tests didn't pick up. They had absolutely no idea what the cause could be from. And they were even more stumped because she seemed to be in a healthy state from what their tests showed, and that all of her minor injuries had healed so soon. That is until they were informed of how aura took care of those problems except for three of them. Understanding how she recovered so quickly, Lilit told them that all they could do now is just observe and wait while waiting for the other results to come in.

And that's what they did after the doctor left. They waited even more in the lounge until Nurse Adrine Johansen told the night crew that they were allowed to stay with Natasha in her room because of who they are. At that point, it was now slowly becoming morning. Though she was tired, Delia would keep herself awake by making herself stay busy. From adjusting Natasha's blanket for the umpteenth time to reading a large book she found in the lounge area. As she did that, the raven haired guardian just sat on a chair and kept his eyes on the comatose girl. While he did that, his mind was buzzing as he kept thinking about many more things. Each one made him scrutinize everything and anything. Whether or not he missed things, if he should've noticed certain things, what he should've done and what he should do now.

While mother and son were inside the room, the nurse and doctor were taking a much needed break to rest. After doing what they could for the red head and their other patients, as well as speaking with a few visitors and guests, Lilit and Adrine were drained. Needing to relax and get a breather, the two were drinking some coffee in the staff's private quarters as they tried to relax. **"Our shift is about to end. Remind me to thank the new hire for taking over for a bit since she came in early,"** commented Lilit as she leaned back against her chair while Adrine merely nodded her head. **"Hey, who was that person you talked to earlier?"** she asked her nurse.

Adrine finished her coffee and placed it onto the table. **"Oh, that was one of the board members of the league,"** she said nonchalantly.

Lilit cocked her eyebrow. **"Oh? He's been here a lot lately. What kind of health problem does he have? Or is his problem more of the…personal sense?"** she asked her friend with a smirk.

Adrine reddened slightly but did grin a bit. **"Well, if you must know, I'm seeing him."**

A large smile appearing on her face, Lilit felt really happy for her friend. She wasn't able to go out much, and neither did she because of their hectic work schedule. But to have someone giving her closest friend attention and making her happy was a good thing to know. **"That's great!"** exclaimed Lilit without any envy. **"I hope things work out well for you."**

" **Thanks, me too. I hope you find someone great too,"** replied back Adrine and Lilit thanked her for that. Glancing at the clock in the room, the nurse stood up after finishing her coffee. **"Our break's almost done. I think we should head back. Should we go check on the guardian's girl?"** she asked her.

Lilit nodded her head and she too stood up. **"Yea we should. The test results should be in soon too. And how do we know she's his girl? Nothing was said about her in the news. Not like the others,"** remarked the doctor as the two headed out the room after throwing away their trash.

" **You have a point there,"** replied the nurse as she opened the door for both of them. They began walking down the hallway towards a room at the end of it. **"Can you imagine being in a relationship with a guy who is also with several other girls at once? How do they make it work? I mean, it just boggles my mind,"** she said quietly as they walked.

Lilit just shrugged. **"I have no idea either. Maybe the girls are bisexual,"** she mused and Adrine laughed. **"Or maybe he's great in bed,"** she stated calmly afterwards without embarrassment.

Her friend nudged her side a bit **. "Is somebody fantasizing about a one night stand with the Aura Guardian?"** teased Adrine and Lilt just laughed at that. **"Well, I don't blame ya. The girls being that way or not, he must be incredible to keep them all from leaving. Maybe you should give him a personal check up if you know what I mean,"** she suggested to her with a wink while nudging her in the side with her elbow.

Laughing even harder, it caused her to let out a violent snort all of a sudden. Lilit smacked her friend against the back of the shoulder because of it. **"Damn it, you know not to make me laugh so hard!"** Adrine however just laughed harder. **"Bitch…anyway, you know I'm not like that."**

" **Yea, yea, I know. Take a joke why don't ya."** They continued walking and soon were within arm's reach of the door.

Grasping the door handle, the doctor knocked on the door before turning it and entering the room with the nurse right beside her. Delia turned their attention onto them but Ash's sight remained on the red head. **"Hello, just checking in,"** stated Lilt as she and Adrine began observing the monitors and making notes after walking in.

" **Thank you,"** replied Delia quietly but also tiredly and the two nodded in reply. Even though Ash had told her to take a nap at least, she had refused, saying that if he stayed up, so would she. Knowing how stubborn his mother could be, Ash dropped the subject and continued his silent vigil. Delia stood up from her seat and moved to Lilit, who turned around to face her. **"Doctor Swanson, did the results for the tests come in yet? And do they show anything? Is there anything at all that might explain her sudden condition?"** she asked her quietly.

Shaking her head sadly, Lilit let out a sigh. **"No, unfortunately nothing came up at all on the initial tests and we're still waiting on the others. We've had them run it a few times to make sure. Like I said before, it could be one of a dozen reasons as to why this happened to her. We might as well just chalk it up to magic or something as of now,"** she finished saying. Nodding solemnly in understanding, Delia thanked her again and sat down on the bench couch that was up against the wall.

Hearing that final sentence from the doctor made the young man start thinking about other possibilities as to why this could've happened to her. _It can't be health reasons since I healed her with my aura. Well, mostly. She didn't seem like she was ill or anything..._ It was then that he remembered something from what the Skull Brothers' leader mentioned before he was ultimately erased from existence. He then also remembered what Natasha revealed to him before falling into her coma. His eyes widening all of a sudden, he thought up of something. **"Doctor Swanson?"**

Hearing him speak made both the hospital staff and his mother look at him. **"Yes Mr. Ketchum?"** replied back Lilit.

" **Please, just Ash,"** he reminded her and she nodded. **"I just thought of something; did you happen to do X-rays too with the tests?"** he asked her.

She nodded before replying back in words. **"Of course; along with other standard tests we do in these kinds of situations, such as MRI's. The results on those are already in and there is nothing unusual. Why do you ask?"**

Hearing her answer made him feel deflated. _So no microchip...Damn, I thought I was on to something._ Ash thought a bit as to how he should word what he wanted to say. He hadn't told anyone about Natasha yet or about the microchips he found out about from Edmond. And he knew that Clemont wouldn't say anything for now either. After a moment, he figured out what to say to throw them off for now. **"I didn't know what kind of tests you do during these kinds of situations. So I just wanted to ask cause I was curious and wanted to know if there was something that was weird or out of the ordinary that could have caused this to her. Sorry for bothering you with such a stupid question,"** he apologized to her sincerely.

Lilt both nodded and waved her hand to show she wasn't offended. **"No worries Ash. It's alright. You're just worried about your friend and we understand,"** stated the doctor as Adrine smiled and nodded before returning to the clipboard she had picked up. Ash thanked them and went back to his silent watch over Natasha.

Finishing up with their checks, Doctor Swanson and Nurse Johansen were about to speak when the door opened and another nurse walked in. As she walked over to the doctor, she drew all eyes onto her as she handed over the test results. After being thanked for delivering the results, the nurse left the room. The doctor looked through the results and let out a sigh. _It's as I thought,_ she told herself before facing the rest in the room. **"I hate to say this but the results were inconclusive. As far as we can tell, she shouldn't be in this state. The only thing we can do is keep her here and wait to see if and when she'll wake back up,"** she informed them.

Nodding at her, Ash merely said his thanks for all they had done and so did Delia. After the two left the room, Delia turned to her son and saw how he looked stressed out. Making a decision, she stood up, went to her son, sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder when she reached him. **"Ash,"** she started quietly and didn't continue until he looked at her. **"There's nothing more we can do here unfortunately. You should head back to the hotel and rest. You have to get ready for your matches against the Elites and Champions."**

Ash said nothing for a moment as he turned his gaze back onto Natasha. Understanding that she was right, he nodded his head quietly. **"I don't want to leave her like this but you're right Mom. But I know what you're planning, and you're not going to do it."** Delia was taken aback at what he said and was about to reply back when he cut her off. **"No Mom, you should go and rest too. I'll have Greninja and Blissey stay with her again for the time being."** He turned his gaze to his mother's. **"Okay?"** Knowing there was no way to change his mind and feeling tired herself, she agreed to it. **"Thanks for listening Mom. I'm going to have Mewtwo teleport you home. I'll come soon afterwards after letting Greninja and Blissey know the situation,"** he told her and Delia nodded her head with a small smile on her face. A couple seconds later and his mother disappeared in a blue glow.

After she left, Ash faced the comatose Natasha. Getting up from his seat, he moved to stand beside her. Looking at her, though she was in a coma, she looked so peaceful. He thought of what she confessed to him before falling mysteriously into this state. _I'm so sorry! Please don't tell me to go!_ Her words rang out in his mind and it made him let out a sigh as he remembered her crying and saying that to him. _I really don't know what to do at all. I feel as if she wasn't lying and sensed that she was being genuine in her apology. But can I trust her still? Do I risk my family and friends? Do I tell her to go if and when she wakes up? Do I allow her to stay and atone for what she's done? Do I turn her in?_ Running a hand through his hair, he wondered a bit until he was sent a mental message. After responding back to it, a blue glow appeared on the other side of the room and Mewtwo appeared. **"I did ask for a moment."**

" **True,"** responded the psychic feline. **"But I wanted to see how you're doing."**

" **I'm fine,"** answered Ash but was met with a disbelieving look. For some reason, that just made him let go and he burst out what was on his mind. **"Look, what do you want me to say?! That I was an idiot for falling for her lies?! That I was oblivious to everything again?! That I invited and took care of a dangerous criminal as if she was just a child and in the process endangered everyone I care about?! That I was blinded by my need to help others because of their sob stories?! That I endangered my family and friends?!"** he asked his friend with his emotions so close to the edge.

Mewtwo gave him a blank look that he couldn't read and he didn't reply back until a moment later. **"Yes, you have made some mistakes. However, wallowing in them won't change a thing. And I don't think you've made a mistake in doing what you did because that's who you are. But I would be a little more cautious in the future if something like this happens again,"** advised his friend.

Ash calmed down a bit but shook his head. **"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just…I don't know what to do regarding Natasha. What do I tell everyone? Do I turn her in? Do I let her stay? Do I tell her to go? What do I do?"** he asked the legendary.

Mewtwo looked at the comatose girl and thought for a bit. He then faced his friend. **"I cannot read her mind for some reason. It's being shielded."** Ash had a startled look on his face from that revelation. **"This is very peculiar. This shielding could be the cause of her coma or a consequence of it. It could be Team Rocket. It could be her. It could even be the darkness affecting her like it affected the others through Team Rocket's meddling. I don't know the cause yet. However, even though I do know that she hasn't done anything bad since she's been with us, I won't be able to help you on this without more information. We need to know exactly who she is, what she's done and what she was trying to say about…"** His face darkened before he said the next word. **"…Giovanni."**

Ash nodded his head solemnly. **"I see. I guess…I guess you're right. Without more information, we won't be able to make a decision about what to do with her. And there's nobody else who we could ask about h-her…"** He trailed off as he suddenly remembered three particular individuals and his eyes widened. **"Mewtwo! We can ask them!"** Mewtwo gave him a bewildered look at that. **"The trio!"**

Understanding now, Mewtwo had his eyes widen. **"Of course! They might know something. I'll go get them after teleporting you back to the hotel."**

" **Alright. But first I got something to do."** Ash brought out two poke balls with his aura. Next second, Greninja and Blissey appeared. He quickly explained what he wanted them to do and asked them if they were alright with it. Both pokémon agreed to his request without issue and Ash thanked them. He then wrote a quick note for Doctor Swanson that explained the situation and handed it to Greninja. Ash then turned to take a last look at the red head. _Please let them know something that will help me make a decision._ Glancing at Mewtwo, Ash gave a curt nod and both he and the feline vanished from sight.

Ash reappeared in his bedroom of the hotel suite. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't the only one there. His girlfriends were in the room but they were all fast asleep. Turning his surprised gaze around the room, he saw that some were on the bed, a few were on the couch and a couple had even slept on the floor. He was touched by what he saw, thinking that they wanted to be close to him somehow. He quietly went to the two sleeping on the floor who were Sabrina and Cynthia. He knelt down beside them and saw they were resting with their backs up against one another and heads resting on a very long, rectangular couch pillow. Seeing that some hair had covered part of the dark haired girl's face, he gently moved it away from her eyes. Sabrina let out a small hum over his touch but remained sleeping. He turned towards the blonde and Ash saw that Cynthia's blanket had slipped down some. Raising it back up to her shoulders, Cynthia grasped the top of the blanket in her sleep and cuddled with it. Ash just looked at the two for a moment before standing back up.

Walking towards the couch, he saw that the three girls there were sleeping in semi seated positions while leaning against one another. Or more accurately, Sarah and Anabel were curled up while learning their heads against Leaf's shoulders who was in the middle of the two. The brunette from Pallet had her head on top of Sarah's and had her legs extended out onto a chair that was in front of the couch. Noticing that the blanket the three were using was barely covering them, he silently looked for a larger one. Finally finding one in the closet, he took it out and covered up the three with it. Somehow feeling the extra weight and warmth from the extra blanket even through their sleeping states, the girls adjusted their positions a bit before they stopped.

After gazing at the three for a moment, Ash walked towards the four on the bed. May and Dawn were on the left while Misty and Serena were on the right. The four were lying on their sides and facing the middle of the bed where there was a spot left open for their beloved. Looking around them, he saw that they needed nothing and were sleeping comfortably. He glanced back at the three on the couch and then towards the two on the floor at the foot of the bed. Slowly turning his face back towards the four, he took in a silent breath through his nose and let it out the same way. _They're all such wonderful girls. But…do I deserve something so great?_ Standing up, Ash made his way to his room door and grasped the handle but stopped. Glancing back at his girlfriends, he took in the sight of them sleeping peacefully. _I hope you're all seeing good dreams._ Turning the knob, he stepped out and closed the door quietly before heading towards the balcony.

Walking through the silent suite, Ash was glad that no one was awake yet. He really didn't want to talk or deal with anyone at the moment. When he stepped out into the balcony and reached the railings, he leaned against it with his hands placed on top of it. The sun was barely up in the sky so it was still morning. Glancing at his Poketch, he saw it was just 9am. Though he hadn't slept a wink all night, he was not tired at all. But there was much on his mind. Letting out a sigh, he faced the horizon and his mind began bringing up everything that he had thought about during the long restless night once more.

He thought about his girlfriends. What they had done for him and how they loved him beyond anything else. He thought about the six other girls. How they could possibly have feelings for him as well because of what they've been through together and he them. He thought about his family and friends. How they were there for him and helped him stay on the right path. He thought about his pokémon. How they pushed past their limits and trained hard for and with him. He then thought about his life and what he's experienced. All the suffering he's been through. That for some reason, he was in the center of every major catastrophe that had happened throughout the world and how it was almost always up to him to save it. Thinking about that led him to remember his mission and what was on the line. What Arceus had asked of him and Mewtwo to do in order to fight the darkness. The bizarre dreams he would see of the temple and the white light that was giving him cryptic clues of what he needed to do.

Thinking about all that made his mind eventually land onto Natasha and what she revealed to him. How she was sent to gather intelligence on him so an evil organization can exploit his weaknesses because they saw him as a threat to their goals. But then her plans back fired on her and the thugs she had hired turned on her. How they violated and beaten her to within an inch of her life. How he found her, brought her home, took care of her and made promises to her of always being her friend and that he'll never tell her to go. How she practically couldn't function without him by her side at first. The things she told him in private, from her wishing to die or that she wasn't worth anything because she had lost everything precious. How she tried to come clean to him a couple times but wasn't able to. How she pleaded with him to forgive her and to not tell her to go. How she revealed that she was all alone and had nobody and nothing. That he had shown her a world that she believed didn't exist. How she couldn't be strong on her own anymore.

All of his thinking was weighing heavily on the raven haired guardian. The euphoria he had felt from his victory and happiness he felt for Brock's proposal to Lucy had vanished when Natasha had confessed. And as the night dragged on into the morning at the hospital as he waited, as his mind spiraled around and around with all of his thinking right now, his feeling of self-worth that he had gained from winning the biggest tournament ever was gradually fading because he had begun to doubt himself once more.

He began doubting himself again because of everything and he was fully realizing it all now. He wasn't cautious. He didn't think of consequences and just acted. He didn't question as to why the Skull Brothers were here or why Natasha was with them. He pushed his pokémon dangerously past their limits when they shouldn't have. He scared and shocked his family and friends with Edmond's execution. He kept bringing danger to all he cared about, whether because of his actions or not. Half the public turned against him because of finding out about his vengeance. How he had trouble controlling his emotions and caused his childhood friend and crush Leaf to cry and made him fight with many of his friends. This feeling of doubt made him feel unworthy once again. Unworthy of the love his girlfriends consistently show and give him. Unworthy of his pokémons' loyalty and power. Unworthy of Mewtwo's friendship and guidance. Unworthy of having Lucario as his combat and aura instructor. Unworthy of being able to use aura and being called an Aura Guardian…

He was doing all he could to not break down again like he did when the people turned on him. Natasha's confession had opened his eyes to how naïve and ignorant he was being. That he didn't think of the possibilities of what could or couldn't happen because of his actions. Or other people's actions. How people could be playing an act around him to use him, betray him or take advantage of him. How he was causing his family, his friends, his loved ones to constantly get in harm's way. He hung his head and shook it while taking in a staggering breath. _I'm such a fool. I can't do it. I'm not strong enough or smart enough. I keep making mistakes. I don't deserve any of the good in my life!_

Ash couldn't stop thinking about all that until he finally snapped. **"Damn it!"** He slammed his fist against the railings and it bent from his strike. **"Why?! Why is that every damn time I take a step forward, I end up taking two back?! Why am I constantly failing?!"** He took in several deep breaths to try to calm himself down. It was at that moment that he was sent a mental message from Mewtwo; _I found them. We'll be there in a minute._ **"Shit. I can't let anyone see me like this."** Ash composed himself the best he could and turned around in time to see them arrive. Several blue glows appeared around him and four individuals emerged from them. **"Thank you for coming. I wanted to…"** He stopped talking because of what he noticed.

The red haired woman of the group gave him a sly smile. She was sporting a noticeable bump on her stomach. **"That's right. I'm pregnant twerp,"** she said happily as the man next to her also smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist.

 _Are you kidding me?!_ Momentarily stunned, Ash soon got out of it and allowed himself to smile a bit. **"Wow, congratulations you two. I'm happy for you,"** he told them sincerely.

" **Too bad they're all lovey dovey now. It's so annoying,"** remarked the beige cat pokémon.

" **Shut up Meowth!"** snapped the woman before she slammed her fist against the top of his head and he let out yelp of pain.

" **Jessie, you have to stay calm. Think of the baby,"** advised the purple haired man softly.

Jessie took in a breath and nodded. **"Okay. You're right James. I'm sorry."** The two then shared a simple kiss and smiled at one another before facing the young man. **"What?"** they asked him together.

Ash was staring at the two before shaking his head. **"Nothing. I'm just not used to seeing you guys like this,"** he admitted.

" **Yea, I guess you could say that,"** remarked James with some embarrassment.

" **Well, ever since you gave us a chance to do something else with our lives, we've realized some important things since we had the time to do so,"** said Jessie with a happy smile.

" **And one of those things is that we finally realized how much we care for one another and why we've always been together,"** continued James.

Jessie walked forward and smiled at Ash. **"So thank you for that,"** she finished and gave him a thank you peck on the cheek, that made him become embarrassed a bit before taking a couple steps back. **"But don't think I still won't call you twerp."**

Ash rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled. **"Alright."**

" **So,"** began Meowth, getting everyone's attention. **"Not that I'm not enjoying our little reunion. But why did you want to meet with us?"** asked the talking cat.

The raven haired guardian glanced at the purple feline. **"I didn't tell them much,"** revealed Mewtwo as he began speaking. **"Only that you needed their help with something important."**

The trio locked their eyes onto Ash who nodded. **"Right. There's a reason I wanted to see you and talk to you. Though I should've kept in touch with you but I couldn't. I'm sorry for that,"** he told them.

" **It's no problem. You told us you would be busy with your training,"** replied James.

" **So what is it that you need?"** asked Jessie as she looked at the psychic feline for a second before facing Ash again. .

" **Well,"** said Ash as he moved a bit closer to them. **"I need to know anything and everything that you might know about a Team Rocket executive whose name is Natasha Dobrev."**

The three had their eyes widen. Both Ash and Mewtwo instantly realized that their reaction could only mean that they do in fact know her. **"Did you say…Natasha Dobrev?"** asked Jessie and Ash nodded. **"You want to know…about that fucking bitch?!"** she asked him, with her anger rising.

James immediately began trying to calm her down. **"Jessie, remember the baby. You have to stay calm."**

" **Yes I do,"** interrupted Ash, wanting to know. **"What do you know of her?"** he asked the two.

Jessie took in a deep breath to calm herself. Usually she would just explode but she was doing her best for her unborn child. James gave her a worrying look that Jessie caught. She grasped his hand to let him know that she'll be alright and she began explaining. **"Natasha Dobrev…is the biggest bitch you'll ever meet in your life. She would walk around with her nose stuck in the air like she was the queen of the world or something. Always looking down on the rest and flaunting her unbelievable gorgeous looks."** She started shaking a little from her anger rising again and James tried to calm her down once more but wasn't having much luck. **"She was so sought after from everyone in the organization, both men and women and she knew it. Using it to her advantage and having people do things for her with promises of returning the favor but she never did. There were even rumors that Giovanni wanted her. Whether they got together or not, I don't know. But Natasha was an absolutely horrible person. I hated her more than even Cassidy. That's how bad she is,"** revealed Jessie before stopping to take a breather. She didn't continue because she was starting to lose her composure and didn't want to endanger the baby.

James wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. **"It's okay Jessie. We don't deal with her anymore,"** he told her gently and she nodded before hugging him. James locked eyes with Ash, who kept his expression neutral but inside he was feeling horrible over what he was learning about the red head. **"Natasha…had done many bad things. To us and to others, both in and out of the organization. She always made fun of us, gave us shit assignments and didn't care about anyone but herself. She's hurt people, blackmailed, lied, cheated, stole and many other things. We did that too but there were certain lines that we didn't cross. If you thought we were bad for just trying to steal Pikachu…"** He scoffed and shook his head. **"She's much worse because of what she's done."** He stopped talking and checked on Jessie who was trying to calm down. She was remembering the horrible things that they had gone through because of Natasha and it was angering her.

Ash and Mewtwo looked at one another with shocked expressions before facing the trio again. **"How long has she been with Team Rocket? What other things do you know about her?"**

Seeing that Jessie couldn't talk and James was consoling her, Meowth took over for the two and explained further as he answered the guardian's question. **"Natasha was with Team Rocket since she was a teenager, just like us. But nobody knows anything about her other than she doesn't have any family as far as we know. She rose through da ranks quickly with her skill, intelligence, ruthlessness and how she would finish her assignments without trouble. She soon became da boss's personal assistant and da top executive,"** revealed Meowth, making both Mewtwo and Ash glance at one another again before facing the cat pokémon again. **"Well almost da top. Da only person who has a higher position than her is agent double-oh-nine, Domino. And that was because of her being even better than Natasha…or worse, depending on how you look at it. It didn't hurt either that Domino is obsessed with da boss and is with him. But everyone does know that Domino hated Natasha's guts because Giovanni wanted Natasha too. And that there was a bet in the organization to who could get Natasha into bed first,"** elaborated Meowth.

" **A bet?"** repeated Ash with confusion. **"Why?"** he asked them.

Before Meowth or James could answer, Jessie did, having calmed down enough. **"Because everyone was obsessed with her and wanted a piece of her. But she rejected them all, saying she doesn't mix business with pleasure and that just made them want her more. She had wrapped everyone around her finger and did what she pleased. The only people that weren't used by her or she couldn't get to do stuff for her were Domino and Giovanni."** Jessie separated from James and gave him a reassuring look, she then locked eyes with Ash. **"That's all we know of her. But, why did you want to know this?"** she asked him.

Ash looked at Mewtwo who gave him a neutral look. Letting out a sigh, Ash faced the horizon. **"Because she's with me,"** revealed the raven haired guardian.

" **WHAT?!"** yelped out Jessie, James and Meowth together.

" **Why is that horrible bitch with you?!"** asked a stupefied Jessie.

Keeping his head facing the horizon, he explained everything to the trio of how Natasha ended up being in his group. What she went through, what he did for her, how she eventually came clean to him and how she just ended up in a coma when trying to reveal what Giovanni was planning. Turning his gaze back to them, he saw that the three former Team Rocket members were sporting astonished looks along with some sadness, if he wasn't imagining it. **"So you see, that's why I wanted to talk to you about her if you knew her and see if I could learn more about her. I wanted to know if I should forgive her or not. If I should give her a chance to atone for what she's done if and when she wakes back up,"** he told them quietly.

The trio was quiet for a while as they thought about what they just learned. That is until the purple haired man broke the silence. **"Natasha…was raped and beaten? And she's in a coma now?"** whispered James in disbelief.

Jessie started shaking her head. **"As much…as much as I hated her…as much as I wanted to get back at her…I wouldn't want her to go through something like that. No one should,"** commented Jessie whose voice was starting to crack from her emotions. Her pregnancy hormones were really affecting her. James wrapped his arm around her again and she felt some comfort from his action.

" **Yes, what she went through was a horrible ordeal,"** remarked Mewtwo and the guests looked at him. **"But with this information, we can decide what to do with her if and when she wakes back up. Also, we must ask this as well; do you know of what Giovanni is planning or heard of any rumors?"**

The three shook their heads. **"No. We haven't heard anything about Giovanni, Team Rocket or any of our old team members. Honestly, we've been staying away from them all since you gave us da money to open our own business and start new lives,"** revealed Meowth.

" **Very well. Thank you for your time,"** said Mewtwo.

" **I'm sorry for bothering you with this but I had to find out more if possible,"** said Ash.

James however waved his hand a bit. **"It's alright. You gave us a chance to live normal lives after all we've done to you and we are eternally grateful for it. If you ever need anything, please feel free to contact us. Or better yet, stop by our souvenir shop we opened up in Celadon City."**

" **Thank you and wow, so that's what you've been doing,"** said Ash with a small smile.

The trio nodded. **"Yes. After chasing after you all over the world for Pikachu, we knew which vendors to contact around the world to ship us region specific items to our shop in Celadon. Business has been steadily growing, allowing us to stock up on more variety little by little,"** said James with a slightly proud tone of voice.

" **I'll definitely drop by one day after the tournament ends,"** promised Ash and the three said that they were looking forward to it.

" **Hey Twerp,"** started Jessie all of a sudden, making them all look at her now. She took in a breath and continued. **"Look, about Natasha…though I hated her guts more than Cassidy…no one deserves what she went through. And if it's true what you said about her…how she felt so scared and uncomfortable around everyone… how she was asking for you to forgive her and would do anything to fix her mistakes and everything else. I think…I think you should give her a chance,"** she finished saying, making James and Meowth to have dumbfounded looks form on their faces.

But Mewtwo and Ash were also surprised but the legendary kept his expression stoic. **"You do?"** asked Ash and Jessie nodded slowly. **"I see. But…why?"**

Jessie turned to face James with a slight smile. **"If it's also true that she lost her voice and her capability to have children…"** At that point, Jessie looked down towards her abdomen and placed her hands on stomach. **"…I think she's been punished enough. Losing that is worse than anything else I can imagine for a woman. Even though she's done a lot of bad, from what you've told us about her, it looks like she's changing. And it's because of you and giving her a chance."** She looked up at James with a happy smile before facing Ash. **"We never would have changed either if you didn't give us a chance. And we never would have this blessing either. Whatever made you decide that we were worthy of a chance to live a different life…if it leads you to believe that she deserves it too…then you should give it to her."**

Ash was frozen by what Jessie just said. He never thought he would see such a side of her. But then again, with her expecting and living a new life because of him, it looks like she changed for the better too. He recovered soon enough and nodded his head. **"Okay Jessie. Thank you for telling me this,"** he told her. The red haired woman nodded at him with a smile.

" **Are you ready to go back?"** asked Mewtwo.

" **Yea, we are. I have to prepare for da morning rush!"** yelped Meowth, realizing the time.

" **See ya Ash. Good luck with facing the Elites and Champions. We'll be watching the match as usual on the TV,"** said James, raising his hand.

" **Thanks,"** said Ash as he shook it. After their handshake, Jessie gave him a hug and he returned it. Mewtwo's eyes then glowed blue and the three were teleported back to their souvenir shop in Celadon. Seeing the look on his friend's face made him let out a sigh. **"Don't tell me; you read their minds just now didn't you?"** he asked the purple legendary who didn't deny it. **"What did I tell you?"** he asked the feline who just shrugged in response. **"Well, what did you find out?"**

" **They weren't lying about what they said about Natasha or that they don't know what Giovanni is planning,"** revealed Mewtwo before he gave his friend a concerned look. **"And that was a pretty good act you did just then, hiding what you're really feeling now."**

Ash turned away from him. **"I see. So nothing new on that and that shows we can trust them at least,"** said Ash as he went towards the railings again.

Mewtwo followed beside him. **"You are right about that. But don't ignore me. Tell me what are your thoughts? Are you alright? And what do you want to do?"** asked the legendary.

Taking in a deep breath, Ash let it out slowly. **"I'm sorry Mewtwo. It's just…I really don't know what to do. I…I know I have to do something. I know I can't keep this a secret. They should know about it. I…I have to protect everyone I love and care about…"** He raised his gaze and looked his friend in the eye. **"…but how do I do that when I can't even notice a threat when it's right under my nose? If and when the time comes, do I sacrifice others in order to do so? Can I live with myself if I do that? Would it be better if I tell them to stay away from me so that they're safer?"** he asked with a heavy heart.

Mewtwo had a sad look appear on his face. He raised his three digit hand and placed it on Ash's shoulder. **"If I was my old monster self, I wouldn't hesitate to answer some of your questions. But now? I understand what you're coming from. But we also knew that we would eventually have to face something like this and if what we do is enough. Do we put the needs of many above that of an individual? Or do we risk it all for the sake of one? Or do we push everyone away for their own safety?"** Ash didn't know how to respond to that and hung his head. Mewtwo removed his hand from his shoulder before facing the horizon. **"The only thing I can say for certain is this; we can only make the best decision we can with the information we have and make decisions that involve those kinds of hard choices on a case by case basis."** Ash looked up at the psychic and started thinking about what Mewtwo just said. **"That is the only way we can do what needs to be done. And whatever choice we make, we must deal with the consequences of our actions."** The purple feline turned to face his best friend. **"Whatever you decide, I am with you. I do suggest however that you tell the others of what is going on. Both about Natasha and what you're going through. I also suggest preparing for your matches against the Elites tomorrow before resting as we still need to follow our plans,"** advised Mewtwo.

Ash heard what his friend was saying and slowly nodded in understanding. **"You're right. Thank you Mewtwo."** After giving a curt nod, the legendary teleported back to their island home, leaving Ash to his thoughts. Spending some time there alone in the balcony, his mind was racing again. He wondered about everything that he was thinking about before along with all the new information he had learned just now. After some time, he finally came to a few decisions about several things and decided he had no other reasonable choices. _I have to do what is right…for everyone. Not just for me._ With that, Ash headed back inside towards his bedroom.

Entering his room, Ash saw that the girls were still asleep. _They must have slept late._ He walked quietly towards the two on the floor and knelt down beside the blonde girl. He leaned down closer to her face. **"Cynthia…wake up please,"** he whispered. She let out a low grumble but didn't wake up. Placing his hand onto her shoulder, he gently shook her a bit. **"Cynthia, I need you,"** he said in a whisper.

Finally hearing him, the Sinnoh Champion began waking up. She groggily opened her eyes and raised her head a little off the pillow. **"Whozzair?"** she mumbled. Her vision blurry at first, she had to blink a few times to clear her sight. But when it finally sharpened, she saw who was waking her up and had a smile form on her face. **"Ash,"** she said softly. Sitting up, she hugged him tightly and he returned the hug. She felt something was wrong however and so separated from him and gave him a worried look. **"Ash? Is everything alright? Is it Natasha?"** she asked him quietly.

Hearing the concern in her voice and the way she was looking at him made Ash feel bad for worrying her. **"I'm okay Cynthia and I'll tell you but I'll tell everyone at once,"** he told her and she understood. **"But I do need your help with something."**

Sensing the seriousness in his voice, Cynthia sat up straight. **"What is it?"** she asked him. After explaining what he needed from her, she understood and nodded. **"Alright. Leave it to me."**

" **Thank you Cynthia,"** he told her. After helping her stand up, she gave him a reassuring look before she left the room. Ash watched her leave before he turned to face the girls who were still asleep. _I hope they don't hate me for waking them up._ After waking them up, with some protests let out from the girls, he told them why he woke them up and what he wanted to do. Understanding him, the girls agreed to his requests and got out of bed and left the room. After they left, Ash went into the bathroom to take a shower and to try to relax and organize his thoughts.

A couple hours later, everyone in the penthouse suite was up and gathered round in the dining room along with some guests. They were all waiting with concerned expressions on their faces. From his family and friends, to the Champions and President who Cynthia had contacted for Ash. They were all there with their attention on the raven haired guardian who was standing in front of them all with Pikachu on his shoulder. **"Thank you for coming. There is something that you should all know that I just recently found out about thanks to Clement…"** All eyes snapped onto the gym leader from Kalos, who reddened from their stares. **"…who broke through the encryption on this…"** Everyone's eyes moved back onto Ash in time to see him pull out a small black device from his pocket.

" **Impressive,"** remarked Lance as he faced Clemont once more. **"None of my top guys were able to."** Clemont went even redder but nodded his thanks over the compliment. **"So who does it belong to?"** asked champion after facing the guardian again.

Ash placed the smart phone onto the dining table and let out a sigh. _Here goes…_ **"This phone belongs to a high ranking Team Rocket executive whose name is…Natasha Dobrev."** As Ash expected, the entire room was filled with shocked yelps and surprised gasps. Nobody could believe that the red head who was with them these past several days was part of the sinister Team Rocket. Taking advantage of their silent states, Ash continued on. **"Not only that, she came clean to me herself about why she was even here in the first place right before she mysteriously fell into a coma..."**

" **What do you mean? What did she confess?"** asked Cynthia for everyone.

Ash glanced at her before facing everyone. **"She told me that…"** The raven haired guardian began explaining everything he learned about the red head. What the former Team Rocket members had told him about her. What she had confessed to him about herself.

When he finished explaining, everyone was at a loss of words. Several people were lost in their thoughts over what they just heard. Even the champions didn't know what to say at first until Lance snapped out of it. **"So Team Rocket was behind the stadium attack and those mutated pokémon. And from what you're saying that this girl told you is that they even have another trick up their sleeves? A secret monstrous weapon?"** Ash confirmed it and Lance shook his head. **"This isn't good. And she didn't tell you when the attack will be other than that it will be soon?"** he asked and Ash shook his head, making Lance slam his fist against the table in frustration, startling many from the group. **"Damn. Then that means we must be prepared for the worst. We should even cancel the extended battles for the tournament and send people home."**

" **That's a good idea,"** agreed Diantha and so did several others.

" **It may not be,"** started Steven, drawing everyone's attention. **"Canceling the battles may make things worse. It will lead to questions being asked by the people and if someone lets something slip, it may cause a panic. It may even make Team Rocket launch their attack in the middle of people leaving. And it will be much harder to contain the situation if that happens,"** reasoned the elegantly dressed champion and some voiced their agreement on that as well.

But one of the parents decided to say what was on his mind who, along with the other parents, was feeling extremely worried. **"Well, what if they attack after or during the battles like they did before? How can we fight back if we're all trapped in the stadium like before?"** asked Norman before glancing at his children. Ash looked at the concerned man and inside he felt some guilt and shame.

But then one of the champions spoke up. **"Our security measures are much stricter than before. And this time we know that someone wants to attack sometime soon,"** replied the Unovan champion to try and quell their fear. **"And if they do attack during the match, the stadium will be much easier to defend, especially with all of our pokémon at our disposal. And with our Elites here, they won't stand a chance,"** said Alder confidently.

" **Even so, I don't want to risk my daughter's safety,"** said Johanna, voicing her concern. Ash looked at the frightened mother and then at Dawn, who was trying to console her.

" **No one will be put in harm's way,"** stated Steven and those words made Ash glance at him.

" **How can you be sure?"** asked Grace, who hugged Serena as if she was in danger at the moment. **"There's no way you can guarantee that!"** Ash looked at her now, seeing the way she was holding Serena, who was trying to tell her mother to relax.

Soon, everyone in the large group began voicing their own thoughts and opinions on the matter of what they should do. Some thought it would be better to stay and defend the place if they did attack. Others thought it would be better to quit while they were ahead. Ash didn't know what to do or say. He could sense the feelings and emotions of everyone and he too wondered what the best course of action was. Until he thought that it would be better to cancel the battles and have everyone go home. He was about to say something when a sudden voice was heard. **"That is enough."** Everyone went quiet at once and looked around to find the speaker.

" **Who said that?"** asked Caroline, looking around frighteningly while half the group clutched a poke ball in their hands.

" **I did."** And with that, a large image of the face of Arceus, the Original One, appeared before them all in the air.

" **Arceus!"** yelped many from the group.

" **Ar-Arceus?"** stuttered Ash, surprised like the rest. **"What are you doing here?"**

Arceus moved his eyes around the room as he spoke. **"I have come to tell you this. I have seen what is coming and Team Rocket is not targeting the tournament and they will not be attacking any time soon. You can relax and continue the tournament,"** he informed them.

Several relieved breaths were let out from most of them before glancing at one another. **"Thank you Lord Arceus for the good news,"** said Goodshow with a bow and the others followed his example and did the same.

" **But…I thought you said you can't tell me what's coming and what's not?"** asked Ash as he took a step closer. **"I thought I had to face the unknown."**

Everyone looked at Ash before moving their gaze onto the floating head of Arceus. **"That is true but I wanted to make it up to you after our last conversation in the stadium."** Understanding him, Ash nodded as Arceus locked his eyes onto the Champions. **"Tell your Elites to not go easy at all against the Guardian tomorrow. And do the same yourselves if he does defeat them. This is another test for my Knight."** The Champions understood what he was saying and nodded at the Alpha Pokémon. Arceus then faced the young man. **"Good luck Guardian,"** he said as the image of his head began to fade away.

" **Wait!"** shouted Ash as he extended out his hand, startling the rest. **"What about what Natasha was saying?! What is Giovanni up to?! And do you know why she just fell into a coma?! Why can't Mewtwo read her mind?! What's going on?! What should I do?!"** he shouted out to the disappearing god.

Arceus answered him as he disappeared from sight with his final spoken words. **"All I can say is that all of this is because of the darkness and Ragnarok. But you're doing well. Just stay on the path you're on and do not lose focus."** And with that, the room was silent once more.

The president stood up from his seat, catching everyone's attention. **"Looks like there is nothing to worry about right now. We will continue the tournament and relax since Lord Arceus told us so. But, we will have our agents be on the alert still. Ash, thank you for letting us know what is going on."** Ash gave a curt nod in response. Goodshow then faced the five champions. **"I suggest you go to your Elites as soon as you can and get them prepared for tomorrow."** Agreeing to that, Goodshow began to leave but stopped when he reached Ash on the way. **"It will be nice to crown another Pokémon Master in my life time. Good luck and do your best."**

" **Thank you Goodshow,"** replied back Ash. The two shook hands before the president left.

Lance stood up next and everyone looked at him now. **"Ash, before I leave, I wanted to ask you; what do you intend to do with Natasha?"** he asked him.

Everyone wanted to know the answer to that as well and Ash let out a sigh. **"I…I don't know. I was going to ask you,"** he admitted to them.

" **I see."** Wondering what he was going to say, nobody made a sound and soon enough, he formed words. **"I won't be making the decision on this. You will."**

That shocked everyone and most of all, it stunned Ash. **"W-What? B-But I don't know…"**

" **And that is why you will decide,"** interrupted Lance and Ash stared at him. **"Usually I wouldn't hesitate to make a decision regarding someone like her. However, this is a special case. Though you don't know what to do, you know her better than us all here. Whatever you decide, you have my support."** Ash didn't know what to say to that and so remained quiet. Giving him a nod, the dragon champion began walking out of the dining room. **"Alright. With that settled, I must leave to get my Elites ready. Be prepared Ash for they've been hungry for a great battle for a long time,"** he stated. **"I suggest you guys do so as well,"** he called out to the other champions who got out of their seats.

" **Hold up, I'm coming with you!"** called out Diantha as she hurried after him. Alder and Steven glanced at one another and just shrugged before saying their byes.

After those two left, the Sinnoh Champion walked up to the Aura Guardian. **"Ash, I'm gonna go get my Elites ready as well. Don't go easy on them as they won't go easy on you either. I expect the best out of you for they will be ruthless. And so will I if we battle,"** said Cynthia as her grey eyes looked into his brown ones.

Ash could sense both seriousness and excitement from her. Usually, that would've made him feel the same way. But it didn't. **"I promise Cynthia."** The two nodded at one another before the blonde woman left, saying she'll come back later. Ash then faced the others in the dining room. **"I'm gonna go get prepared myself. I will return in the evening. Hopefully by then I'll know what to do about everything else."** His gaze turned to his girlfriends who gave him supporting looks. **"I'll see you later,"** he told them before he and Pikachu vanished from sight. After he disappeared, the rest of them separated into smaller groups and began doing their own things.

One of those groups headed into Ash's bedroom and just sat around on the king sized bed. **"What do you think should happen regarding Natasha?"** asked one of the blunettes.

" **I don't know Lizabeth,"** replied Shauna. **"To think that she was from Team Rocket and had done many horrible things…"** She trailed off, unable to finish what was on her mind.

" **I know,"** remarked Misty. **"I can't believe it. How could she have been such a cold hearted person?"** she asked them and the girls shook their heads in sadness.

" **But is she still the same?"** asked the brunette from Hoenn and the girls gave her their attention. **"We've all seen how she is now."** Realizing that she could have a point, the rest started thinking about that. May faced the brunette from Pallet Town. **"Didn't you see her condition back at the cabin?"** she asked her.

Leaf visibly shook from that. **"I don't like to think about it or remember it but yea, she looked like she had gone through hell,"** she replied in a low voice.

Nodding their heads in understanding, the girls went quiet for a moment. **"Hey,"** started the dark haired girl and they faced her. **"How do you think Ash is taking this?"** asked Sabrina. **"I thought I could sense that he was conflicted inside while he was explaining things to everyone. Kind of like when he was about to vaporize the three idiots at his eight match,"** remarked the gym leader.

" **There's much more to it than that,"** stated Anabel before anyone else could say something, drawing their attention. **"I may not be as powerful as you Sabrina with my psychic abilities but I can sense emotions far better,"** she revealed and some of the girls had impressed looks form on their faces.

" **What did you sense?"** asked Shauna in concern.

Anabel let out a sigh before answering. **"It is true that he's conflicted like Sabrina said. He's angry and sullen. But I even felt some shame and despair…"**

" **Shame and despair?"** repeated Daisy quietly.

Anabel nodded. **"Yes. More than likely it's because he thinks that he messed up again. Taking in someone with no questions asked. He must be thinking that he made a mistake in doing that."**

" **But why?"** asked Giselle, unable to control herself. **"Why would he feel that it was wrong to help someone out?"** she asked them but no one could answer that.

" **He never did think that way until now,"** answered Serena sadly as she stood up and leaned against the wall since she didn't feel like sitting anymore.

" **And that's probably why he's conflicted now,"** continued Dawn as she drew her legs in close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. **"Imagine you helped someone out, did everything you could for them and you're getting closer to one another. But then you find out that person was originally bad and was even sent after you to learn your secrets and then leave with that information to give to the bad guys."** Unable to control herself, Dawn started trembling from that and Sarah gave her hug to help her calm down. **"Thanks,"** she said quietly.

" **No problem. We're here for each other remember?"** replied the Johto native before giving her a slight smile. After a moment, Dawn too nodded while giving a smile.

" **And we're also here for you and Ash,"** stated Giselle with a kind look.

" **That's right. Don't forget about us. We're in this too,"** chimed in Shauna as she wrapped an arm around Lizabeth and both blunettes smiled.

But one of the girls was feeling a little uneasy. **"Hey, I don't mean to bring us down…"** started Clair.

" **But you always do,"** interrupted Liza with a smirk.

" **Shut up,"** said Clair as she elbowed Liza who grunted and a few chuckled from their actions. **"Moving on, I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't let Natasha be with us…"**

" **Jealous are we of her looks?"** cut in Liza again with her teasing, trying to hide her own insecurities with jokes.

Once again, Clair elbowed her friend. **"I know you are and are you ever serious?!"** she asked her friend though she did blush slightly. And she wasn't the only one; a few of the newer girls in the group also had their cheeks redden. They were jealous of the red head's looks, knowing that she was very beautiful. Though they were accepted by the girls, they were still not accepted by the man they had feelings for. Ash's girlfriends however, didn't feel anything like that towards Natasha for they knew with absolute certainty that their beloved didn't go for just looks alone and would never cheat on them. And neither would they. **"Anyways,"** said Clair, continuing on afterwards. **"What I'm trying to say is that perhaps it won't be a good idea to let Natasha stay with us. I mean, I know we talked about this and that she's been through a lot. And even though Ash told us that she apologized to him and said she'll do anything to make it up, how do we know that also wasn't an act?"** she asked them.

The girls became worried at that point. They hadn't thought of the possibility that perhaps Natasha could still be playing an act and hiding her true intentions. Each of them began thinking if it's possible based on what they knew and what they've seen of the red head. Sudden knocking on the door startled them and made them jump before it opened. A purple haired girl stood in the door way, leaning against one side with her shoulder. **"Hey, so that's where you all are. Just letting you know that lunch is made. Come eat,"** she told them.

" **Okay, thanks Iris,"** replied Shauna as she and Lizabeth stood up.

" **C'mon. We'll talk about that later,"** suggested Misty as she started moving towards the door.

The rest of the girls began heading out as well and after Daisy, who was the last to leave the room left, Iris closed the door and followed from behind. She took her time, walking slowly for she was lost in thought. She was at first in her own room, thinking about what Ash had revealed to them all and wondered what she could do to help him. Until Delia had come to her room and told her that lunch was ready and if she could tell the others for her. She agreed to it without delay, wanting to help her out. She told some of the others that their meal was ready, but when she went to the girls' room, she found no one there. She searched until she found them in Ash's bedroom. She wasn't surprised to see his girlfriends there but was a little shocked to see the six other girls with them.

That caught her off guard but didn't show it. Noticing their facial expressions, Iris had a feeling that they were talking about something serious. Making her way into the dining room, she kept thinking in silence as she sat down among her friends and began eating. Little by little, everyone else joined in too and soon many conversations were happening at once. They were talking about Natasha or Ash's upcoming matches against the Elites tomorrow. Though she didn't have much of an appetite all of a sudden, she didn't want anyone to think that something was wrong with her so she still ate. _Why were they all there together? Don't they know that the six might be hiding feelings for Ash?_ She looked up from her plate and found the girls talking with one another. But there was a difference. Iris couldn't place her finger on it but there was something else between them all now. She jabbed a piece of pancake with her fork before eating it. _Why do I get the feeling that something happened between them all?_ She thought some more before suddenly her eyes widened. _Could it be?! Could they have confessed to them?! And…could they have accepted them?!_ Her sudden thoughts made her swallow her food without chewing properly and it became stuck in her throat. She coughed out loud, drawing everyone's attention to her. She coughed even more loudly but couldn't get the stuck object out from her throat. _Shit! It's stuck! I'm choking!_ She looked around the group with wide eyes as she started making choking sounds and pointed at her throat.

Someone lifted her up from her seat all of a sudden. Two hands wrapped around her abdomen, clasped together and then slammed into her upper stomach. Pressure shot out the stuck food piece from her throat and landed onto her plate. Iris let out relieved heavy breaths as she tried to calm down while leaning against her chair. **"T-thank you,"** she gasped out to her savior.

" **You're welcome and are you okay?"** asked Delia with concern.

Iris nodded and straightened out after catching her breath. **"Yea, I'm fine now. Thank you again."**

Delia smiled at her. **"No problem, I'm glad I was able to help. Don't rush eating your food anymore okay?"** she advised the young girl.

Blushing from embarrassment, Iris just nodded. She couldn't tell the real reason why she started choking and figured this was better for her. Sitting back in her chair, the group went back to their talks seeing that Iris was alright and nothing happened. A short while later, the purple haired girl excused herself and went to the bathroom. She washed up and looked herself in the mirror. _That was close. But what I was thinking before…could it be true?_ Before she could dwell on it, a knock was heard on her bathroom door. Iris pushed it to the back of her mind and opened the door. **"Yea?"** asked Iris as she opened it and was surprised to see who was there.

Misty, Dawn, Serena and May had come to check on her. **"Hey, are you really okay?"** asked the honey blonde haired girl with concern.

" **Y-Yea, I'm fine,"** replied Iris.

" **Are you sure? Because we have a feeling that something's up,"** admitted Dawn.

Iris couldn't believe it. _I thought I kept it hidden_. **"What do you mean?"** she asked them as calmly as she could.

" **Hey, don't be like that. We're friends aren't we?"** asked Misty and Iris nodded.

" **Good. Because as friends, we should know when one of us is down and one of our jobs is to help each other. So what's wrong?"** asked May. Iris was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say or do. But she was filling up with emotion. Though she was good friends with the four girls, she didn't believe or think that she was as important to them as each other. That they would notice that something was off with her because of what she's going through. Not knowing what to do and being overwhelmed from what she was feeling, she just let go. Iris began letting out tears before crying heavily and that startled the four girls. **"Hey, what's wrong?!"** repeated May as she immediately took the crying girl into her arms. Misty, Dawn and Serena also joined in quickly after.

Not wanting to spill all of her secrets now but not knowing if she could keep it all in, she didn't know what to say or do. Until she just burst something out. **"We broke up!"**

The four girls gasped in shock. **"What?! Why?! What happened?!"** asked Serena.

Revealing that made Iris feel a little better, that she didn't have to hide it anymore. But she still couldn't stop her crying and was unable to form coherent sentences. **"Cilan…I…using…not real…lost…gave up so I…scared…I-I…mistake!"** sobbed Iris into the girls' embrace.

" **Don't worry Iris. I'm gonna go kick his ass,"** said Misty as she turned to leave. But then Iris grabbed her arm and kept her from leaving. **"Iris?"**

Shaking her head, she slowly raised her tear streaked gaze to her friend's after forcing herself to calm down. **"It's not his fault. We both decided this,"** she informed them as tears continued falling from her eyes that just made the four become sullen. **"For many reasons…that we just came to realize…"** She couldn't continue anymore, lowering her head and sobbed away.

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena became so concerned over what they heard. Misty returned to the group and hugged her once more and the girls began rubbing her back and arms to try to help her calm down. **"Sshh, it's okay, we're here for you,"** said May soothingly.

" **We'll help you no matter what okay?"** added Dawn softly.

" **Cause that's what friends do,"** finished Serena gently.

" **We promise,"** said the four girls together before going quiet to allow their friend to just cry it out. Iris hugged the four tightly while crying and thinking a million things.

A raven haired young man was walking through the arena of a large stadium with a yellow mouse and purple feline. Dozens of pokémon were around him. Some were in the field, some were up in the stands and still others were perched at the top edges of the large oval structure. Many were resting and just enjoying the good weather. Some were having mock battles between each other. Several others were having different competitions between them such as who could lift heavier items or who could jump higher or run faster and many other things. As he walked among them large group of pokémon, Ash wondered who he was going to choose to battle against the elites in the handicap battles. **"Man, this is gonna be harder than I thought,"** he commented.

" **Pika,"** agreed Pikachu.

" **You're the one who suggested the battles be this way. You could've just faced them the way the president first said,"** commented Mewtwo with a smirk.

" **I know,"** said Ash as he rubbed the back of his head. **"But I didn't want to waste time and thought this would be a good way to further test our strength."**

" **True,"** agreed the psychic as he nodded his head. **"Any ideas so far?"** he asked. **"Or is something preventing you from thinking clearly?"**

Ash saw the look he was given. **"Are you talking about Natasha?"**

" **Yes but that isn't the only thing that's keeping you from focusing is it?"** Ash gave a surprised look and Mewtwo chuckled. **"I don't have to read your mind Ash to know something is up. We have become very close these past three years. I know when something is wrong and it doesn't take my vast powers to notice that,"** commented the purple feline.

Ash smiled a bit. **"We really have become good friends."** He shook his head as his smile faded away and he let out a sigh. **"You're right buddy. I don't know what to do. Lance told me to make the decision. I've never made a choice like this before…"**

" **You're mistaken. Have you forgotten about giving Jessie, James and Meowth a chance already?"** interrupted Mewtwo.

Ash shook his head however. **"They're different. As bad as they've been, they weren't the level as Natasha. And after she confessed everything, it made me realize how naïve I've been. How can I protect everyone when I can't see a threat? When I can't see someone for who they really are? How Mewtwo?"** he asked him. His questions made the electric pokémon droop his ears as he had a sullen expression form on his face.

Mewtwo didn't reply at once, as he thought about what Ash said and asked him. **"You want to know how?"** asked the legendary after a short while and the guardian nodded. **"By doing your best, learning from your mistakes and never giving up. That's how,"** answered the psychic before he stopped walking and Ash stopped next to him. The two faced one another and the legendary went on. **"And you should come to terms with whatever you're dealing with. I know you've been thinking about what to do and what's right. But don't let it consume you. Come clean to yourself about what you want to do. Come clean to your girlfriends about what you're going through. Come clean to your girlfriends about the other girls."** Ash had his eyes widened as he froze in his spot. Mewtwo gave his best friend a kind look. **"Like I said, I don't need to read your mind to know what you're going through. I've noticed it and sensed what you're feeling. Don't keep making the same mistake over and over. Either go for it or end it before it starts otherwise you'll go crazy. You cannot do what's needed if you're attention is all over the place. And you cannot move forward with part of you still in the past,"** warned his friend. He then levitated up to the top of the stadium so he can speak with Lucario who was meditating there.

Ash stayed rooted to his spot as he thought about what he was just told by the legendary. _Mewtwo is right. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep acting like I don't know what's going on. I can't keep expecting to have others make my decisions for me. I can't keep letting myself wallow in despair. I need to take control. Just like I do whenever I battle. I cannot let things happen when I can change it, even if it is a little bit._ His mind then landed onto the red head and he thought about her situation. That made him remember what he promised to May and his mother when he took Natasha to the hospital the first time. _Didn't I swear that from now on I will only give second chances to those who deserve it?_

That thought lead him to think about what Natasha went through, how she acted and what she told him, how he thought that she was punished enough and that helped him come to a decision. _Even if she has done awful things in the past, she's willing to atone for them and do anything to make it up. If someone is genuine about that, then I can give them that chance. But I won't be naïve about it. I'll keep my eye on her when I tell her if and when she wakes up._ Ash took in a deep breath through his nose before exhaling it out of his mouth. He looked up towards the sky. _And I have to tell the girls about what I've been feeling for the others. And I have to tell them what I'm feeling because of this revelation and to let them know that this won't work. If they get angry…then I guess I deserved it._ With his head still raised, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. _I just hope that they don't hate me in the end…_

A pokémon suddenly slammed into his side that made him stumble awkwardly to the side a few steps and Pikachu let out an annoyed sound. He looked down to see Lopunny hugging him. He was about to say it wasn't a good time but then stopped himself. Seeing the look in her eyes, he could tell that she wanted to spar with him. **"Okay, Lopunny, let's go. But it'll be a short one okay? I still have to decide for tomorrow's matches,"** he told the bunny pokémon and she nodded in agreement. Separating from him and getting into a fighting stance, she then taunted him. Unable to help himself, he chuckled while getting into a fighting stance himself as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and eyed his pokémon. **"Ready?"** he asked and Lopunny nodded. **"Alright then. Begin!"** The two shot forward and began their practice fight.

Later on in the day, after the sun had set and the night sky had taken over, the people inside the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel were feeling very tired. Having slept late the night before for several reasons and then waking up earlier than they liked in the morning, they wanted to just to sleep. But they were forcing themselves to stay up at least until Ash returned. They wanted to know what he decided about Natasha if he did come to a decision and if he was ready for tomorrow.

One of them was in a smaller group with her closest friends. Cynthia had returned earlier and was wondering what was taking him so long. The Sinnoh Champion was speaking with the Saffron gym leader, the caretaker of the valley and the Blackthorn gym leader. Three of them were trying to get the fourth to spill the beans on what her Elites have planned for tomorrow. **"Look, I already told you, I can't tell you because then that'll ruin the surprise,"** she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

" **Ah come on! You know we won't tell Ash so tell us!"** demanded Liza but Cynthia shook her head.

" **Let it go Liza,"** suggested Clair after the green haired girl let out a whine.

" **Ugh! Fine!"** snapped Liza while crossing her arms over her chest. She then thought of something and looked at the psychic. **"Say, Sabrina…"**

" **I'm not reading her mind,"** cut across the Saffron gym leader, making Liza huff. **"Ash was right. You are as moody as a Charizard,"** stated Sabrina, making both Cynthia and Clair howl with laughter while Liza had her jaw drop.

Lizabeth, Shauna and Giselle turned to face the four. **"What's so funny?"** asked the black haired girl.

" **Don't worry about it!"** snapped Liza heatedly.

Lizabeth rolled her eyes as Shauna gave a glare. But Giselle knew how the caretaker of the valley could be, so she just shrugged it off. **"Okaayyy…So, Cynthia, are your Elites ready for tomorrow?"** she asked the champion.

Cynthia nodded and had a prideful smile appear on her face. **"Yes they are. Ash better be ready."**

A hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere that grasped the blonde girl's shoulder before a voice was heard. **"They better be Cynthia."**

Cynthia jumped in her spot from his sudden appearance and so did everyone else. **"ASH! Don't do that! That's the second time you startled me!"** she chastised him, panting while trying to calm down.

Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"Sorry, didn't mean to."**

Catching her breath, she then shook her head. **"It's alright. I'm just glad you're back."**

Ash gave a small smile before he looked around the room. That was when he noticed that though they looked tired, everyone was still awake and had their attention on him. **"I guess you were waiting for me huh?"** he asked them.

" **We were,"** said Brock as he stood up from his seat. **"We wanted to know if and what you decided to do about Natasha and tomorrow."**

" **I see."** Ash walked towards the middle of the area and everyone gathered around. **"Well, I've decided a few things while I was with my pokémon. About tomorrow's matches, I know who I'm going to have battle."** Max was about to open his mouth to ask who but Ash silenced him with his hand. **"Sorry buddy but you'll find out tomorrow. Don't want to spoil the surprise now do we?"** he asked rhetorically with a smile and Max let out a sigh. Bonnie patted his back while telling him to stop being such a downer while a few chuckled. **"About Natasha…"** started Ash, catching their attention. He took in a breath before continuing on. **"After a lot of thinking and considering the facts, if and when she wakes back up, I'm going to give her a chance to atone for what she's done."**

Most of the group stayed quiet while some voiced their agreement. They too thought that she deserved a chance to change. Some others however, just weren't sure if that was the right call. **"Do you really think that she deserves a chance?"** asked Chili.

" **What about all the things you said she's done?"** asked Cress in addition.

Ash nodded before he elaborated his reasoning. **"If anyone does, it's her. I think what she's been through at the hands of the Skull Brothers is punishment enough. Also, the fact that she wanted to come clean and was about to until Clemont got involved shows that she wanted to tell the truth herself. That show's that she's changing or is trying to at least. That's what I think."** Several commented that he made sense and he nodded. **"But that doesn't mean that she'll just be allowed to do as she wishes. If and when she wakes up, she'll be carefully watched to see if she tries any funny business until we know for sure if we can trust her or not,"** finished Ash.

Unable to find anything wrong with what was said, nobody argued on his decision anymore regarding the red head. **"Alright Ash. We trust you and your judgment,"** revealed Violet.

Ash rubbed the back of his head again in embarrassment. **"Thank you for that. I just hope this is the right call."**

" **Hey, even if it doesn't work out the way we want it to, we won't hold it against you since you gave us your reasons why,"** stated Lily seriously.

Looking at her and then everyone else, he saw that they were on the same page as him. **"Thank you for that."** He felt a little better, glad that they understood him and were not holding it against him for what he had decided.

" **Anything else you need to say sweetie?"** asked Delia.

Ash glanced at his mom before facing everyone else. Though there was something else he needed to say, he couldn't say it now in front of the whole group. Not until he spoke with a particular group of girls first. **"No. I don't have anything else to say right now,"** he informed them.

" **Alright then. If that's the case, you should go rest for tomorrow,"** replied Delia and Ash didn't argue. Saying his goodnight to everyone, he turned to head towards his room but not before he sent a mental message to his girlfriends. The group dissolved as they headed towards their own rooms to sleep since they were so tired.

When Ash entered his room, he walked into the attached bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up. He looked into the mirror as he readied himself for what he had to do. _It's now or never. I have to tell them_. He exited the bathroom and saw his girlfriends sitting on the bed waiting for him. Not surprised to seeing them there since he asked for them to come, his heart still began beating faster and he was doing his best to stay calm. **"Thanks for coming. There's something I need to tell you all,"** he said as he moved towards them.

" **Okay. Well, we're here so what's up?"** asked Leaf.

Ash walked towards them until he was standing in front of his nine girlfriends at the foot of the king sized bed. He took in a deep breath before he spoke. **"What I need to tell you is something that I've been thinking and feeling about for the past few days. It also regards what's happened recently. And that all made me come to a few decisions about a few things,"** he told them, making the girls glance at one another before facing their beloved again. The way that they were looking at him was making him feel many different emotions. He never wanted to hurt them in any way and feared how they would take it. But he promised them that he would never play games and would always be honest with them. And that was one promise, among several, that he could never break. **"What I'm trying to say is this…I've been feeling something strongly…for other girls besides you. Six others to be exact,"** he revealed to them finally. He braced himself for their reactions.

He was expecting them to yell at him, to get up and hit him, to throw things at him, threaten him and other things. But what he didn't expect was for them to not even make a sound. Instead, the girls didn't react at all and even stayed still in their spots. Becoming filled with fear, Ash had absolutely no idea what to do. He wanted to say something, anything really, to get rid of the eerie silence of the room. But he couldn't. Fear of what the girls were going through inside had rooted him to his spot, unable to do or say anything.

After what seemed like an eternity to him, signs of life were seen. Getting off the bed, his girlfriends slowly made their way to him with their eyes locked onto him. Ash had a feeling of foreboding fill him and wondered if tonight would be his last walking the earth. His mind was telling him to run for it, to escape while he still had a chance. But his heart was telling him to stay and to take whatever they dish out like a man. When the girls finally reached Ash, they stood next to one another in a half circle in front of him. Wondering what they were going to do was driving him insane but he kept quiet. He knew that he had to be patient.

And his patience paid off when one of the girls began speaking. **"Why do you have feelings for them? Who are the six that you speak of and have you told them this yet?"** asked a strangely calm Serena.

That too calm tone of voice coming from her frightened him and made Ash immediately answer her. **"I haven't told them anything yet. The six who I've also developed feelings for are Clair, Liza, Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle and…"** He locked his sight with the red haired mermaid before he finished. **"…Daisy Waterflower."** None of the girls visibly reacted to his words and that scared him even more but he kept going. **"And the why behind having feelings for them is because…"** He began explaining the reasons why behind it; from their interactions, their behavior, their personality, what he heard them mentally say accidently, what they did for him and them during his eight match, what he thought of them during his travels around the world and everything else. As he explained everything, the girls patiently listened to him. When he finally finished, he couldn't bear looking any of them in the face anymore because of his shame for developing feelings for them too and so he hung his head as he took in a breath. **"I'm so sorry for having these feelings for them like I do for you. But I had to tell you because I can never keep secrets from you. If you want to rage at me, hit me or even leave, I understand."**

It was quiet for a while as each girl thought about what he revealed to them. Though they knew that the girls had feelings for their beloved, and also had suspicions that Ash may have feelings for them too, they wanted him to realize things first. They wanted to see if he would take the initiative and tell them about it or if they had to. And they already had decided amongst themselves how they would react if this situation ever came to be. After some time, eight out of the nine girls faced the ninth and nodded at her. Knowing what she was supposed to do, Cynthia moved forward and stopped in front of Ash. **"Hey,"** she said calmly. Ash raised his gaze to face the champion and she continued. **"What did I tell you before?"** she asked him and he tilted his head. **"I told you before that you are the Champion of my heart didn't I?"** As he slowly nodded his head, Ash kept his eyes locked onto hers. **"So do you think you telling me this is going to push me away and make me leave? Push any of us away? Do you think we're going to not help you with this?"** she asked him kindly with a small smile on her face.

Ash had a dumbfounded expression form on his face. He wasn't expecting this at all. He moved his eyes onto the rest and found they were sporting the same looks as Cynthia. **"Wait…what?"**

Letting out a small chuckle, Cynthia turned towards her sisters. **"Looks like we need some help too in making him understand. What do you think?"** Without a word said back, the other eight girls headed out of the room. Ash was absolutely confused over what was happening. He was about to ask what was going on when Cynthia placed a finger on his mouth, signaling him to stay quiet. **"Just wait here,"** she told him before she too left.

Ash waited in his room, taking a seat on the bed with his heart beating madly and his body shaking from anxiety. He was lost in a flurry of thoughts, wondering why his girlfriends were so calm about this and what in the world was going to happen. Sometime later, the door opened as his girlfriends came back. But they weren't alone. Coming inside with them were the six girls. Having been told by the nine that Ash was revealing his feelings, they knew what this was about. Yet they too were feeling nervous with their hearts beating a little faster. Ash stood up from the bed but couldn't move or say anything. Seeing them now made his heart thump loudly. Not knowing what to expect, he felt that he would rather face Regigigas again while he's on a rampage than this. But he forced himself to stay focused and to pay attention to what was occurring. But he had no clue what to do and so asked a question. **"Um, what's going on?"**

May stepped forward and looked in his brown eyes with her sapphire blue ones. **"We want you to tell them what you just told us."**

Ash had his heart skip a beat before it started beating even faster. He couldn't believe what she was saying. **"May?"** His Passionate Princess however said nothing, keeping quiet. Moving his gaze onto his girlfriends, they all were sporting the same look. Having no other choice, he moved his gaze towards the six. He swallowed the salvia that had collected in his mouth first though. **"I told my girlfriends just now that I had developed feelings for other girls because of what happened between us…"** Each of the six had their hearts skip a beat over his words and began filling up with hope. **"…and those girls are you; Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Clair, Liza and Daisy."** As he said each of their names, he moved his gaze onto them. Seeing him say those words directly to them made each of the six have their hearts beat faster and fill up with such happy emotions that they couldn't explain it. They gave big smiles at him that made him fully realize that his suspicions of them having feelings for him as well were true. But that wasn't good because how could he say the rest now? _You must make hard choices and this is one of them. You know this is the right call,_ he told himself to force him to say the rest. **"But I'm sorry because I must also say that I will not and cannot pursue it, even if you want it."** Each of the newer girls felt horrible over what he just said, with their expressions turning sullen. It was as if somebody had just punched them in the stomach since they suddenly felt like they couldn't breathe. The nine were also surprised, not expecting that to come from him at all. But before any of them could say anything, he went on. **"I'm so sorry to you all but there are many reasons behind that and among them is that I will not betray my girlfriends and there is no way I would be able to take care of all of you properly."** Understanding him a little, the girls had concern show on their faces. He couldn't bear looking at them and so hung his head again and stared at the floor. **"I'm so sorry for my feelings. For being unable to control them and for telling you this but I had to tell you the truth,"** he said, apologizing to them all.

The six girls were filling up with sadness because of what he was saying. They wanted to tell him that it could work out if they gave it a shot. But before any of them could say something, one of the nine spoke up. **"Ash,"** started Misty in a fierce tone, making him look up at her. She walked up to him while talking. **"Don't ever be sorry for how you feel since I will never feel sorry for loving you,"** the mermaid finished saying, having stopped in between Cynthia and May.

Ash was about to open his mouth when the mischievous blunette moved forward. **"Don't even think for a second that you're betraying me or the others because you're not,"** said Dawn with an unusual stern tone of voice and she took up a spot next to May.

" **You are a gentleman, a pure hearted person and the love of our lives. No matter what, we will always love you. Understand?"** said Serena softly yet with force behind it as she maneuvered to the area besides Cynthia.

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing them say. This may not have been the first time they had a talk like this but he thought it would be crazy now if it wasn't before. He just didn't get it and didn't know why things were becoming like this. But that wasn't important right now because he had something far more important to tell them. He had to tell them what was on his mind that gave him great worry otherwise he would never forgive himself if he didn't. **"I understand what you're saying. I really do. But…"** he looked at the five in front of him before looking at the four behind them and then at the six girls on the side. **"In all honesty, I don't know what to do. Though I have great feelings for each of you, I don't know if that's enough. How can I take care of all of you? How can I make sure each of you is happy? Safe? Content? Satisfied? Feel that you're loved? Respected? I don't know how to do all that where it will be fair,"** he told them truthfully from his heart.

Now knowing the reasoning behind his words, the girls understood him and his worries. **"Hey, we'll think of something,"** answered Leaf, moving closer to him.

" **We always do,"** added Anabel, stepping forward.

" **Don't you remember what we told you before?"** asked Sarah as she followed after the two.

" **We will never leave you no matter what,"** finished Sabrina for them all as she joined her sisters in standing near him.

Ash felt the stirring feeling inside of him suddenly from their words and the looks he was given. But he fought his emotions to stay logical. He had to tell them what he thought about all day. **"Maybe we're able to make it work somehow with just us ten right now. But even so, I still think and worry that I'm not doing a good enough job and that I don't deserve any of you. How could I after everything that's happened? All the crap we went through? And how will it be if somehow you all agree to this?"** he asked them. He didn't let them answer and faced the six girls. **"And I don't want you to be with me, in the group, just to say you're mine, just because I have feelings for you. And I don't want you to do that if that's not what you want or not comfortable with it. I don't want you to give up a chance in finding the right guy just because you're with me, waiting for your turn or time or whatever,"** he finished telling them. He hated himself for sounding so pathetic by saying all of his doubts and fears out loud but he had to make them understand what he was saying.

He was about to say more to explain his reasons but then one of the blunettes cut him off. **"Hey…"** Ash moved his sight onto Lizabeth who closed the distance between the two and stood beside his girlfriends. **"We understand how you're feeling and what you're saying. I won't say that you're not saying some valid points. But you should know that each of us have strong feelings for you too. And do you want to know what you're missing?"** she asked softly. He stayed quiet, not knowing what she was trying to say.

Instead of Lizabeth saying more, her friend took over. **"You're forgetting that we can make our own decisions,"** said Shauna, stepping forward and Ash looked at her. **"We've been thinking about you and this for a long time and this is what we want."**

The valedictorian gained some courage from her friends' words and followed their example. **"I've never stopped thinking about you Ash,"** admitted Giselle, coming closer to him and he faced her. **"Ever since you opened my eyes when I was a conceited brat at the Pokémon Academy, I changed for the better and my heart belonged to you."**

Ash was about to say something when the caretaker of the valley chimed in. **"You say how can you take care of us all?"** asked Liza, moving to him as well with his sight turned to her. **"You forget that we can take care of ourselves. Like we did when we faced those three retards during your eighth match."**

Ash remembered how he saw them all come to his aid when he was unconscious and they took them out while working together. He felt the stirring feeling grow even stronger inside of him and it was becoming much harder to control but he was able to for now. He wanted to say something to make them not be so rash about this but before he could, the Blackthorn gym leader decided to say her two cents worth. **"You say you don't want us to give up a chance to find the right guy?"** repeated Clair, moving to them now and Ash locked his eyes on her. **"Well, I'm happy to say that I've already found my prince charming. We all have. He's caring, handsome, unique, chivalrous and everything else that's good. And that person is you Ash."**

Ash was having his resolve waver and his control was fading. Why wouldn't they just let him speak and listen to him? **"But I'm…"** he started.

But Daisy interrupted him, preventing him from saying anymore. **"Please listen to me Ash,"** requested Daisy and he went quiet, unable to say a word back. **"All the things you just said…"** she started as he turned to her direction since she was the last to move to him. **"…prove that you are the right guy for each of us. You want the best for each of us. You don't want us to be with you just because and you don't want us to miss out on other chances or to feel like we're left out. But I have to tell you this that will hopefully open your eyes."** She organized her thoughts, took in a breath and looked him in the eyes. **"I've been through too many dates to even count and every single one of those guys tried to just use me, to get me into bed. I've never felt anything for any one of them. But you…you're completely different. Ever since you gave me the Squirtle doll as a gift…"** She raised her hands and placed them against her chest as she remembered that and smiled a little. **"…it made me realize the type of man you are. You care more for another's happiness than your own. You can have dozens of girls in the palm of your hands, use them, string them along, but you don't. You want true feelings, true love. To have it mean something more. This is one reason among many to why each of us want you, need you, have feelings for you and you alone. And if it was any other guy in the world, it wouldn't work out. But with you, it will because we feel and believe that it was always supposed to be this way. And you are a pure hearted gentleman, which is the type of man each of us has wanted to be with. We know that you will do all you can for us and that's all we truly want from the man of our dreams. And you should know that we will do the same for you Ash,"** finished Daisy. She and the rest of the girls in the room were all smiling over what she said because she pretty much hit the nail on the head about how they truly felt.

When Daisy finished up, Ash was trying to process everything that he just heard. _Is this truly happening? Are they all really okay with this?_ He slowly turned his gaze, looking at each girl who was smiling at him. The feeling inside of him was right at the breaking point. Ash was feeling very conflicted over what he wanted to do and what he should do. _I want to be with them all for the rest of my life. But it's not fair and I'll be putting them in danger. You must make them see reason!_ **"What you told me means a lot to me. It really does,"** he began, making the girls feel happier. **"But this won't work…"** The girls became startled over his words but he wasn't finished. **"…because after Natasha's confession, it opened my eyes to how naïve, oblivious and ignorant I've been. I've made many mistakes, both big and small. I'm like a magnet that attracts trouble everywhere I go and because of me, you've all been in harm's way. I don't realize things sometimes. I overlook things. I act rashly and impulsively. I don't think about the possible consequences to my actions."** He let out a sigh and the girls felt themselves filling up with despair over his words, their smiles and happiness long gone. **"I cannot do that to any of you anymore. I'm just no good for any of you. I'm not worthy enough for any of you and don't deserve such incredible girls to be with me. I realize that now. You're all better off without me,"** he admitted to them, making the girls feel great sadness.

But it wasn't just sadness that they were feeling. Anger was also filling them up. And one of them couldn't hold it in anymore. Moving swiftly forward, she didn't hesitate in delivering the hardest slap she had ever sent. The sound of the strike shot through the room like a crack from a whip. Ash's head turned from the force and he stumbled back a couple steps without a sound made from him. He slowly straightened out and faced his attacker with an astonished expression along with a red hand print on the right side of his face. **"Don't you dare…"** started Misty, fuming over his words. She was so angry that she was shaking and her eyes were filling up with water from her rage. **"…don't you dare say that you're not worthy, that you're not good enough or that you don't deserve our love! My love!"** she yelled at him with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. **"You are the only who is everything that we want and need! The one who did so much for us! No one else can compare! You are the love of our lives! Of my life! So how do you think it makes us feel when you talk like this about yourself?! Why don't you think about us for once before you sprout this crap huh?!"** she yelled at him.

" **Mist, I…"** Ash was at a loss of words over what just happened. His heart rate had shot through the roof and he was trembling so much that the girls noticed. But it did not calm them. He took in a staggering breath and tried to say something. **"I am…I am thinking about you. I just…I just want the best…for each of you,"** he replied back quietly.

Misty shook her head violently as angry tears dropped to the floor but was unable to move from her a spot. The brunette from Pallet Town then moved, unable to control herself anymore either. Within a second she was in between the two and hit his chest with the side of her fists while shouting at him through her crying. **"And that's why you are worthy Ash! Why can't you see that?! You just need to stop doing this! You keep thinking that you're not good enough when you are! You mean everything to us! To me!"** yelled Leaf as she continued hitting him against his chest and he kept letting her. After a final strike and leaving her fists against his chest, she raised her gaze to his before she sobbed out a few more words. **"Isn't that enough?"** she asked him.

Ash looked into her teary green eyes for a moment before raising his hands. He cupped one side of her face with his right hand and wiped away her tears from her cheek. With his left, he wrapped it around her waist and made her come closer to him. Leaf tilted her head against his hand and leaned into his one arm hug, enjoying it greatly. He held that position for a moment before letting go and lowering his hands, making her miss his touch. **"Now was that enough?"** he asked the brunette sadly.

Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, Leaf shook her head as more tears escaped from her eyes. **"No, it wasn't,"** she admitted in a whisper but everyone heard her.

" **I thought so,"** replied Ash, before taking a step back. **"Now, imagine if that moment was cut into a much smaller time. How would you feel then? Would you still wait? Would you still love me then?"** he asked her. Leaf didn't say anything. He moved his gaze back to Misty's. **"What about you Mist?"** The red head said nothing but kept her watery cerulean blue eyes on his. Though her hands were no longer clenched into fists. Ash turned to look at the rest of the girls. **"What about you?"** he asked them. None of the girls said a word. **"Do you see now?"** he asked them quietly as his eyes began to water. He slowly turned around to not face any of them anymore. He hung his head and started shaking in his spot. They could hear him trying to keep his breath steady. **"What we were doing before between just me and you four…Misty, May, Dawn and Serena…was like a fantasy dream yet it worked somehow. And then, more joined in little by little until there was nine; Leaf, Anabel, Sarah, Sabrina and Cynthia. That was a stretch and it seemed crazy but yet again, we somehow made it work. And now, I'm telling you that I had developed feelings for six more girls…Clair, Liza, Daisy, Lizabeth, Shauna and Giselle…and it's clear to all of us that they also have feelings for me too."** Every single one of the girls in the room with him was filling up with a whirlwind of emotions that was causing them to let out silent tears. They were slowly beginning to understand what their beloved was trying to say. Ash was not done yet though and kept going with his speech. **"Normally, something like this would never happen. It's rare for someone to be with several others like Bruno and his three girlfriends. But we've passed that and gone into something far above. It's already borderline crazy but with them too, it'll be almost impossible to keep everyone on the same page. For everyone to stay happy, content, safe, feel loved and everything else."** He couldn't help it anymore and allowed tears to fall from his eyes now as well since his emotions were so on edge. **"And what would your families think? Your friends think? You're lives will become even more complicated and people will talk behind your backs about this. And I know that each of you want to get married one day and have kids one day. How could that work between us all?"** None of the girls were able to say a word back since they didn't know how to respond to what he was saying. **"I can't do that to you, no matter what. I can't stop my feelings for any of you. But it won't be fair for any of you and I cannot be the cause for any sort of pain or suffering that you might go through because of that. I have no idea on how to make it work out and have us all live happily ever after. Especially with what's coming in the future. I have to be the one leading the charge against Ragnarok and the darkness and there's no way in hell that I'm going to risk any of you for any reason. And that's going to limit my time even more with you all."** The girls took in staggered breaths over his words and their hearts hammered strongly. He slowly turned around and faced them with a crestfallen look that was marred by many tear streaks. **"Do you get it now?"** he asked them with a heavy tone of voice. **"I've come to realize this after Natasha's confession that made me open my eyes and think. I've thought about this throughout last night and all day today. Almost all of you were in harm's way because of me or went through some crap because of me. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, in the end it'll never be enough. Because even though I love each of you with all my heart, want the best for you and will do anything for you all, I cannot ask or let you do this to yourselves anymore. That's why…that's why I'm not worthy for any of you. I don't deserve any of your love."** He turned around again, unable to look at them anymore because if he had, then he wouldn't be able to finish what he was trying to say. What he had to say so they can be safe and…dare he think it…possibly find happiness with someone else. **"So please just…just..."** But he couldn't finish for some reason. After everything he said, he just couldn't say that one final word; 'go'. He hung his head and just shivered from his crying.

Having listened to him quietly and allowing the words to wash over them, it was then that the girls finally understood what he was trying to say. That he was doing this because he loved them so much, cared for them so much, wanted the absolute best for them and for their lives to be filled with happiness. He didn't want them to suffer or feel any negative feeling because of this, not even for a second. That he didn't want them to wait for him just for a turn, to feel anything other than love, happiness and all the other good feelings. That he believed it would be better for them if they stayed away from him since he didn't want them to get hurt because of him for any reason. And it was because of those words, these actions that he was taking for them, that their love for him not only didn't waver, but somehow intensified greatly even more while making any doubt or fear, if they had any at all before, to completely vanish.

With their hearts guiding them, each girl moved quickly towards him. Before he knew it, the raven haired guardian was wrapped up into a large group hug by the fifteen girls. Somehow, in some way, each of the girls was able to grab a hold of him. Absolutely astonished over their actions, he didn't know what was going on with them or what they were trying to do. **"Wha-What are you d-doing?!"** he asked them in surprise.

" **Just shut up Ash. Please for the love of Mew, just shut up,"** requested Misty with a kind yet fierce tone, silencing him at once. **"Whether you're done or not, it's our turn to talk now. You must know that we can never find somebody as wonderful as you. So even if my time with you is split up, I will gladly wait for my time with you over and over. For you are the one who showed me how to become stronger, to believe that I can become a water pokémon master and view the world with wonder."**

As soon as the Mystic Mermaid finished speaking, the Princess of Hoenn continued on. **"We get it. We understand what you're saying and what you're feeling,"** remarked May softly. **"But you need to understand this; our feelings for you will never die. You helped me find my calling in life to be a coordinator and just that alone is worth more to me than anything and everything else that anyone could possibly offer."**

" **And we appreciate the fact that you're placing all of us above your own needs and happiness,"** stated his Lucky Star. **"But don't you see that we'll do that for you as well? Because you are the one who encouraged me to never give up on my dream of being a top coordinator,"** remined Dawn.

" **The fact that you don't want us to feel any bad things is admirable,"** started his Divine Angel. **"But you have to realize that the only bad thing is if we're not with you. I've thought about you for years ever since you helped me out when we were kids,"** finished Serena.

After Serena's words, it became quiet in the room once more. Astounded over their words, Ash was momentarily frozen in the middle of the embrace. His heart was beating rapidly and his mind was racing. The stirring feeling inside of him was becoming stronger by the second. His emotions getting the better of him, he opened his mouth. **"Could…could this really work? Do I…Do I really mean that much to you?"** he asked them in barely a whisper.

" **That's something that you don't even have to ask. But yes Ash,"** replied his Frontier Beauty Anabel as she and all the girls tightened their hold on him. **"It will and we do. We will do anything for you. Because you are the one who made me not feel alone anymore."**

" **But the one thing we can never do is leave you or forget about you,"** admitted his Psychic Wonder Sabrina. **"For you are the one who saved me from a horrible future as a monster."**

" **Not once did you ever treat us inferiorly like objects,"** stated Cynthia. **"You treated me like another person the first time we met and never stopped doing that instead of something for you to have like everyone else."**

" **Because you are what kept us going through everything,"** explained his Faithful Fighter Sarah. **"For you inspired me to never give up and to keep marching forward through all the crap in life."**

" **And you never stopped helping us whenever we needed it,"** said his Exotic Flower Leaf. **"You were always there for me no matter what."**

Leaf's words brought an end to those statements and the only things that were coming out from them were the sounds of their emotional breathing. The stirring feeling inside of Ash had become so great that it felt like something was trying to break free from inside of him. But he still had doubt in his mind. **"But what about…everything else that I…that I mentioned?"** he asked them in the same low tone of voice as before.

" **Ash,"** started the blunette Lizabeth, speaking into the embrace. **"It is true that the world is a cruel place and we've all experienced it in some shape and form. But you helped us to see the good in life. It was because of witnessing you sacrificing yourself for May, Manaphy and everyone else that allowed me to realize that there are good people in the world with pure hearts and that gave me hope for the future."**

" **She's right,"** agreed the fighter Shauna immediately afterwards. **"But not only that, you helped us see that we don't have to lie or boast about things in order to achieve our goals. You helped me get back onto the right path and that is something that I could never forget."**

" **People will always talk and look down on others because of pride, ego, their abilities or whatever else. But you taught us to not be like that and to not let others who are like that affect us,"** said the gym leader Clair in a serious tone. **"You taught me that when you humbled me after you challenged and beat me for the Rising Badge and then helped me get over what I went through in the past."**

" **Many give up when the going gets tough,"** started the caretaker Liza as she began speaking. **"But you showed us that when life tries to put you down, that's when you should stand tall and face it head on. I learned that when we first crossed paths years ago, when you beat me at my own drinking game and how I found out that it was your Charizard who completed the gauntlet."**

" **There will always be people who treat others badly because they don't like them or because they made a mistake or that they believe them to be wrong,"** spoke up the valedictorian Giselle. **"You however don't do that to anybody and showed how everyone should be respected. You taught me that and helped me open my eyes to how horrible I was in the past and that made me change."**

" **Everyone in the world goes through something. And sooner or later, they eventually come to terms with it, find the reason why or become crushed by it. That's how it normally works,"** commented the eldest Sensational Sister, wanting to say what she just realized after the other girls' words. **"But not with us. We weren't able to break through or get back on track until we crossed paths with you. Until you were able to help us 'see' what we were looking for, we were lost. Nothing else matters. Not what our families or friends would say. Not what others would say. Not what trouble or hardships we may face or come across. Not the bad stuff that we experienced or the darkness that is coming. Nothing matters but this. Because what we have is something special and unique. Every single one of us was helped by you, connected with you, felt that feeling that we've wanted to feel with you and know that you will do anything and everything for us. And that is why we want you, need you, cannot be without you, will do the same for you and love you with all our hearts,"** finished Daisy and none of the girls said another word because once again she had said what they were all feeling.

Ash felt such emotion fill him that he never felt before. It was then that the raven haired guardian finally, absolutely and completely understood. Each girl truly cared for him, truly had feelings for him. Each of them was willing to sacrifice something for him. Each of them understood him, respected him and wanted him to be happy as well. They would never leave him no matter what. That they would wait for him until the end of time. None of them had any doubt that this can and will work. That they would do anything for him and always be there for him. His feeling of unworthiness that had returned after Natasha's confession didn't just fade; it was completely wiped clean. Just like when he won the tournament, he felt worthy of everything. Worthy of them and their love. But there was something different this time. For the first time in his life, ever since his father had left him, he not only _felt_ worthy, but he also _believed_ it. And having that belief in himself finally after so many years, it caused the stirring feeling inside of him to become so powerful that it caused something to break inside of him…

Ash's eyes glowed blue suddenly, catching the attention of the girls hugging him. Before they could ask him what was wrong, his body was outline in a blue glow before his aura began to move out from him. Like a wave traveling, his aura washed over the girls around him and it caused them to glow as well. The girls felt such warmth, such comfort, such emotion fill them that they were lost in it, loving every second of it. For his aura was allowing them to feel his feelings for them as it connected his heart with theirs. Their sadness, anger and any other bad emotion that they were feeling was fully gone. The aura around them all began to glow so brightly that it would've blinded someone if they were to walk in then. A short time later, the glow dimmed down until they were visible again once more. The aura around them all faded away until the girls and their beloved remained with glowing blue outlines around them. But then that faded away too but it left behind something peculiar. A glowing blue circle was visible on each of the girls' abdomen on the left side with a glowing blue circle on the guardian's chest on his left. Those glows too faded away and they were all left with confusion on their faces.

" **What just happened?"** wondered Anabel out loud.

" **That's what I'd like to know too,"** chimed in Sarah, looking at everyone to see if anyone went through a change.

" **Ash? What was that?"** asked Sabrina after facing him.

He wondered about what just happened until he shook his head, trying to clear it. **"I have no idea. But for some reason I feel so much better now."** The girls commented that they too feel better as well. He touched his chest on the left side, looking down at it as he did so. He didn't feel anything wrong and there was no pain. But he did feel completely content and the area where the glow was felt very warm. He pulled his shirt a bit from the neckline and his eyes widened when he looked down. **"What the hell…"** Taking off his shirt suddenly, it made the girls go crimson red at once at the sight of his chiseled body. However, they all gasped after noticing something else. Right below his diagonal chest scar, covering his entire left pectoral, was a blue circle. There were also seven dark blue lightning bolts in the middle of it. Inside the blue circle and on top of the dark blue lightning bolts, was each girl's name written with pure white lettering and spaced out evenly within the circle. **"What is this?"** asked a confused Ash. He glanced at the girls who were just as stunned as him.

" **You're asking us?"** asked Giselle and Ash gave her a 'c'mon' look. She chuckled and so did a few others too.

" **Well, I don't know either, but I've never felt as good as I do now,"** stated Leaf with several of the girls voicing the same.

" **But why did we glow as well? Did we get something too?"** asked Dawn, raising her top a bit to look at the area it glowed. **"HOLY CRAP!"** They looked at her to see almost the same tattoo as Ash; a blue circle with seven dark blue lightning bolts. The only difference was that only her beloved's name was written in pure white lettering in the middle of it. The rest of the girls quickly checked their own bodies and each of them found the same thing on their bodies on the left side as well. Their jaws dropped and looked at one another's mark before looking at Ash who was rubbing the back of his head.

" **Hey, I'm as clueless about this as you are,"** admitted Ash.

" **When aren't you clueless?"** quipped Leaf, making them chuckle a bit.

" **Haha very funny,"** replied Ash sarcastically. **"Maybe Lucario knows what this is all about."** He summoned the aura canine's poke ball.

The next second Lucario appeared. He glanced at his master and friend, immediately noticing the aura tattoo on him. His eyes widened and stepped closer to look at it. He turned to the girls. **"Did you get one as well?"** he asked them and they nodded, each of them showing their aura tattoo as well to the pokémon. He was a little surprised at first to see the other girls besides his Master's mates involved in this with aura tattoos too. But then remembered what his Master had revealed earlier that day to him and Mewtwo back at the island. _Looks like he's finally overcome some of his inner conflicts. This is great news._ Lucario was silent for a moment before he took a few steps away from them. He turned to look at the guardian and his girlfriends again and had a happy expression form on his face. **"Master, this is no cause for alarm. In fact, I should say this is a cause for congratulations and celebrations."** Ash titled his head and so did the girls.

Ash and the girls had confused expressions on their faces. **"What do you mean?"** asked the raven haired guardian.

Lucario began explaining in detail what they meant. **"Only an Aura Guardian from the ancient bloodlines can have that aura tattoo appear on them. And even then, only a handful ever experience this for it will only appear on an Aura Guardian when they have no more doubts inside, truly understands their feelings, their emotions and believes in themselves fully. The seven lightning bolts represent the seven major beliefs of a true Aura Guardian; Love, Will, Loyalty, Faith, Confidence, Respect and Compassion."**

Ash and the girls glanced at their tattoos again as they thought about what the aura canine just said. **"But why did we get them? We're not Aura Guardians,"** asked Serena.

" **I'm getting there,"** replied Lucario and the honey blonde haired girl nodded. **"Those aura symbols, or tattoos if you will, will only appear on you as well if you and the guardian are truly meant for one another. They represent that you have those same seven beliefs that are so important to an Aura Guardian, that there is a connection between you two, you have no doubts about it either and that your love for one another is true and pure. For an Aura Guardian's mates, only the Guardian's name will appear on yours. But on the Aura Guardian, every single true mate's name will appear on theirs,"** elaborated the pokémon and they all had understanding dawn on them. Ash and the girls looked at one another and smiled happily until Lucario continued explaining and they faced the pokémon. **"But it also means much more. For you Master, it means that your power will no longer be restricted because of your previous insecurities. As a result, you'll continue to grow even stronger now,"** explained Lucario to Ash who nodded before the pokémon turned to the girls. **"For all of you, besides showing that you and Master are together, that mark will also benefit you in many ways. It will allow you to communicate together mentally with no issues, across any distance. Both to him and to each of your sisters. Not only that, but your own physical limits have been raised slightly because of Master's aura being connected with you fully now."**

" **A tattoo with benefits huh?"** asked Lizabeth with a small smile, though her heart was beating rapidly since she was scared of what her mother would think of the tattoo. Looking at her own tattoo she then touched it. It glowed at her touch, making her name on Ash's chest glow as well. **"Whoa."**

Something then happened to Ash; he didn't sense Lizabeth's fear but felt it and knew it was coming from her. **"Why are you sacred Lizabeth?"** asked Ash in concern immediately after.

The girls looked at her and the blunette had her eyes widen as she gasped. **"How'd you know I was feeling scared?!"** she asked him.

Ash just shrugged and Lucario chuckled over that, making them all face him again. **"That's another benefit of the tattoo. That will happen whenever your emotions are high and you touch the symbol. Doing that will cause both yours and Master's to glow and it will allow him to know what you are feeling. It is a way for Master to know if you need aid when he is away. It will act as a beacon, drawing him to you,"** explained the blue and black pokémon and the girls understand. He then faced Ash once more. **"It works with you as well Master. If you want to check on them, when you touch your tattoo, it will make each of theirs glow as well and they will feel what you're feeling. And if any of them are in trouble, their name will glow red and you will know who needs help."**

" **So many perks,"** remarked Leaf with grin. She looked at her childhood friend. **"Ashy…when did you become more useful than a Poketch?"** she teased him.

He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head and so did the rest. **"Okay, that one was funny."** He looked at the girls in the room. **"I hope you're not mad about the tattoo,"** he said while rubbing the back of his head.

" **Mad? Are you kidding?"** asked Sarah with a grin. **"I've always wanted one that meant something. And this did just that, it looks badass and it actually does something for you and me! How can I complain?"** she asked rhetorically. The girls all voiced the same thing.

" **Cool,"** said Ash with a grin before he looked at Lucario. **"Thank you buddy for taking the time to explain things to us."**

" **It is my pleasure Master,"** replied Lucario with a bow. **"If that is all, I wish to return home to be with my mate."**

Ash nodded. **"No problem buddy. Tell Gardevoir we say hello."** Lucario promised to do so and Ash returned him. Facing the girls now, he then formed his trademark goofy smile that made the girls smile back at him. He was taken up into a group hug with Misty, May, Dawn, Serena and Leaf who each shared a passionate kiss with him. After they separated, Cynthia, Liza, Clair, Sabrina and Daisy walked up and did the same with him, hugging and kissing him too. When those five finished, the last five, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna, Sarah and Anabel took their turn to do that as well. After that last group had their turn with their beloved, Ash and his girlfriends couldn't help but smile at one another. **"I want to say that I'm sorry for what I said before,"** apologized Ash from his heart.

Cynthia however waved her hand. **"Hey, don't worry about it. It's no good to bottle things up inside. Besides, if we hadn't gone through that, then this wouldn't have happened,"** she replied back and her sisters said the same thing in their own words.

Ash nodded with a smile on his face and he felt such happiness and love for them. **"Thank you. But before we call it a night, I just want to say…wait…better yet, let me show you."** He touched his tattoo on his chest. Instantly both his and the girls had their tattoos glow blue and they could feel what he was feeling right then. It made them smile happily, feel incredible and that made them react to it. Once again, Ash was taken up into a large group hug by his loves and they just stood like that for a while as they thought about how everything turned so much better than they even dared to dream.

Far away from that wonderful event going on in the Indigo Plateau penthouse suite master bedroom, Arceus was in the middle of an argument with his three sons, the reality dragons. After taking care of their duties to keep the world spinning, the reality dragons had gathered there recently to discuss with their father what they were going to do when the second attack started and why he lied to the guardian. Arceus had told them that they would not get involved at all, no matter what happened for it was Ash and Mewtwo's ultimate test and the prophecy must come true. The dragons didn't agree fully and countered back with their reasons why. Midway through, Arceus sensed something. **"Wait!"** Going silent immediately, the dragons wondered what happened because of what their father's expression changed into after a moment; it went from annoyance to happiness. **"You want to know why we won't help and why I did what I did?"** he asked them and they nodded. **"This is why,"** he replied back and opened up a viewing portal in front of them all.

It showed Ash in a hug with many girls but what caused the dragons to become wide eyed was what they noticed on him and the girls; the aura tattoo. **"No way! He's ascended?!"** asked a shocked Palkia who was unable to believe it.

" **Then that means he's getting closer to making the prophecy come true,"** remarked Dialga with an impressed tone of voice.

Arceus nodded with a happy look on his face. **"Exactly. As I said, the prophecy coming true is the only thing what will save the world. And that is why I had to intervene twice now to make sure it does."**

Giratina however shook his head. **"I still don't believe that was the right call. Lying to him so blatantly! He's done everything you asked and done so much for the world in the past. And this is how you treat him?! The last true Aura Guardian…your warrior of light and you manipulate him like a puppet. I don't want to be a part of this and I will help him during the attack!"** declared the anti matter pokémon angrily.

Arceus's red eyes glowed as he too began to become angry. **"You don't understand the magnitude of the horror that Ragnarok will unleash upon the world!"** roared out the Alpha pokémon, his voice booming like thunder as his power radiated out from within him. Dialga and Palkia took a few steps back but Giratina stood his ground. **"It took an incredible amount of power to just seal Ragnarok away in the beginning! To defeat him once and for all will demand even more power! And this is the only way!"**

Giratina growled at his father, not caring anymore. Both Palkia and Dialga grew worried over what was happening but couldn't move from their spots. **"So that's what you're going to do then? Our father, who was the one to shape the universe and everything in it, is a big coward and has to use petty schemes to manipulate his last remaining Knight to defeat an enemy that he himself should be facing,"** insulted the dragon.

Arceus snapped over that and launched a Dragon Pulse at Giratina. It came so quickly that there was no time for any kind of reaction. It struck the anti matter pokémon squarely on the chest and sent him sailing through the air before he crashed against the wall of the hall. He slid down the wall and landed against the floor in a heap. He was gravely hurt and barely conscious from that single attack. Though they were deities in their own right, both Palkia and Dialga shook in their spots from what they just witnessed. It was such a long time since they saw their father strike someone with his power that they forgot that he was on an entirely other level than them. They didn't even move or make a sound as Arceus made his way towards his defeated son. **"That was only a fraction of my power,"** stated Arceus when he reached Giratina on the floor, whose eyes widened as did the other two's. **"Ragnarok is the same way. I told you before that his power rivals my own."** His eyes glowed again and Giratina was outlined in a white glow for a moment before it went away with him fully restored. Giratina slowly stood back up and locked his gaze with Arceus. **"Only by becoming one with Aura can the Guardian stand a chance against Ragnarok and his darkness. And he has come one step closer to making that a reality."**

Having been beaten so effortlessly by his father, Giratina had his rage die down now. Yet he was still not happy with what was going on and wanted to know why. **"But even so…even if he does, he still won't have power rivaling either of you. How will that help?"** asked Giratina in a calmer tone of voice.

Arceus moved away from Giratina and went towards his throne, passing Dialga and Palkia. **"When the prophecy comes true, not only will the Guardian reach his full potential, he will become even more than just a guardian. Though he may not reach the same level as myself, it will be sufficient enough to combat Ragnarok."** Arceus thought for a moment and wondered if he should let them know more but then decided against it. **"That is why I must make sure the prophecy comes true. No matter what. Even if it requires sacrifices to be made,"** he said as he reached his throne. He turned around and faced his sons. **"I don't do this because I want to be cruel or that I don't care. I do it because it must be done. There is no other choice if what is present now to survive in the future."**

Seeing the seriousness on his face, Palkia and Dialga bowed their heads in agreement. Giratina looked into Arceus's eyes for a bit. **"I…understand,"** he said before he too bowed his head.

* * *

 ** _A/N - I bet you guys weren't expecting things to go that way did ya? lol Hope you liked it and that you're ready for the next chapter, which will involve Ash versing the Elites! Until my next post, take care of yourselves, wish you guys and gals the best and remember to review, fav and follow! Silent is out!_**

 ** _Question 1 -_** _Which pokemon do you think Ash will use against each region's Elites? (Remember; pokemon must be native in that region)_

 ** _Question 2 -_** _What were you feeling during the scenes with Ash and the girls near the end of the chapter?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -** Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia, Sabrina, __Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **My Other Stories**_ _ **(** Please check out my other stories and leave a review! **)**_

 _ **"Tale of the Forsaken" -** Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_

 ** _"Agma Sins" -_** _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_


	53. Chapter 53 - Getting Closer

_**A/N - Happy New Year everyone! Yea, I know, it's been a while since my last post but I just had no time to write at all. I had to write like crazy to get this chapter done and go over it before posting but it still took about 2-3 weeks. Anyways, just wanted to say hope you all are doing well and that the new year is treating you alright at least! A quick few things before allowing you to read the chapter;**_

 _ **1\. Replies to Reviews;**_

 _ **allandonaldsohstengmail -**_ _Sorry for the wait but here you go!_

 _ **Bloo Doo -**_ _I appreciate the compliments my friend and see below about my future updates._

 ** _DreadedSoul64 -_** _Either I'm blind or I'm not getting it; which part of chapter 42 was it a "batman backstory" or similar to it?_

 _ **Guest 1 -**_ _lol; yea, it was a bit of an 'aw' chapter_

 _ **Guest 2 -**_ _Good to hear that you're all caught up and that you're enjoying it!_

 _ **Guest 3 -**_ _I don't know about it being the best fanfiction but thank you for the praise!_

 _ **Guest 4 -**_ _The girls will "advance" their relationship with Ash at their own individual pace._

 _ **I am fan of silentplayer's fanfic blue spirit -**_ _Thanks for being one and here you go!_

 _ **Pokemon Fan -**_ _Glad you liked the chapter. As far as what you said about adding those girls into the harem, my answer is below. And here is the next chapter for you and everyone else!_

 _ **SpeedyLazerDude -**_ _Buddy, let's be real here; I will update, and I just did. As much as I want to finish this story and enjoy writing, I have other things in my life to take care of and do. See below_

 _ **Super Elite -**_ _About Natasha, whether she ultimately stays with Ash or not, you'll see soon enough_

 _ **Zamasu -**_ _Happy to hear you're loving the story buddy! As for adding Miette and the other girls, see below._

 _ **2\. Updating the Story -**_ _I know that you want to read the next chapter of the story as soon as possible but you must understand that I, like yourselves, have other responsibilities and things to take care of and my life doesn't revolve around only writing. I also know that I mentioned how things are getting back into the groove for me and that's true. However, because of the holidays, work, visiting family and friends because of the holidays and everything else, I just had no time to write. But things will start becoming a little better soon. But no matter how long it takes for me to update, just remember that I will update and finish the story._

 _ **3\. Harem Situation -**_ _Yes, I know it's gotten crazy big and all that. But I've been constantly saying that there is a reason behind it all and it will be revealed soon. And no, it's not just so Ash can get with and have some fun with them. I want my readers to want them to get together and not look at the "number" but more at the "reasons" why they should or shouldn't. As stated in the previous chapter, the girls I have picked out to be with him are ones who he has made a connection with, helped them overcome their problems/issues that changed their lives in the process and they have done the same for him, teaching him and helping him grow. There's that bond between them and it will make sense. Along with the central reason that will be revealed later on, it will all make sense and you will understand and accept it because of that (I hope). No one has done what I have planned as far as I know so it will be interesting to see your reactions when it's finally shown._

 _ **4\. Suggestions for Adding Girls into the Harem -**_ _Thank you for your suggestions in adding some other girls into the harem. But I'm sorry, I can't add them because I already have made up my mind in who ultimately joins and doesn't based on what I said just above. This isn't a fan service story to add the ones you want to be with him, as cool as some of those shippings might be. I'm trying to make the harem as realistic as possible even with the far-fetched thing it has become. There must be a connection, a bond, that is unique between them, which all of the girls that are with him now have that makes sense for them to be together. That's what I'm going for and the reasons stated by the girls are just a small part of the why. Hope you understand that._

 _ **5\. Okiro Benihime's Review -**_ _His review made me think a bit as well and buddy, I would like to say thank you for your constructive criticism and being upfront with me about what you feel and believe about the story so far. And because of what you said, it made me wonder if any other readers were feeling the same way and I've come to realize that some of you are based on your reviews and private messages. So, I'm going to tell you what I have told Okiro in my reply back, as I'm just going to copy and paste my response to his review here_ _ **(Hope you don't mind Okiro but I don't feel like typing it all out again; And to my other readers, he's response back was very respectful and civil, even taking back many things he said. So with that, I must request that no one bother him about this. Thank you).**_ _Hopefully my explanations to his comments and questions will help ease most, if not everyone's, doubts/fears/etc of what I'm writing and going for;_

 _ **(MY REPLY TO HIS REVIEW BEGINS NOW)**_

Hey dude, thanks for reading and the review. I appreciate the constructive criticism. About what you said about the harem/romance, I get it. I really do.

HOWEVER, I believe you're being a little too cynical/harsh on it as well as forgetting/missing some things. The romance stuff, the pet names, the girls talking about Ash instead of other things, Ash unable to make mistakes, constantly reminded that Ash is buff/handsome, etc., which you say doesn't make them unique, makes them look like they worship Ash, they all have mental issues and that makes it all be unrealistic? Well, first off, I do agree it's unrealistic, but then again it's just a FanFiction story. Honestly, the harem, that's the only "far-fetched" thing in this story. I try to make everything else realistic in some sense. And about the other things? Well, a few things about that...

1) I haven't read any trashy dollar store erotica novels so I can't say anything about that if it's similar or not. But people in relationships do give nick names and pet names to their beloved and I've seen that with my own eyes in real life, along with movies and series and all that other stuff. So just because it has that, doesn't make it "trashy" or anything like you said. They're in their late teens and early twenties so it makes sense to have pet names like that and each one means something. And the girls have their own individual comments to say because they are INDIVIDUALS. Just because they're in the harem, doesn't mean they all think the exact same thing. Of course I'm going to show their point of view on things because they have their own take on things. And I'm sorry to say that's what you think people in relationships do, especially when they're older, calling each other names like bitch and dickhead because I rarely see that. Maybe I'm naive or something but I just haven't seen that myself. And I wouldn't say things like that to my girlfriend so I'm not going to have my main character do that to his.

2) Also, the girls don't "worship" Ash. Sure, they're head over heels for him and love him unconditionally, will do anything for him but that doesn't mean that they worship him. People in love do stuff for one another all the time and that doesn't make them worship each other. Looks like you've forgotten that they have taught him stuff, got angry at him, hit him (the slaps remember?) and even pushed him to change, adapt and grow. People who "worship" others don't really do that. They just "obey" and do as they're told only. I think you may need to reevaluate what you think those words mean.

3) You mention that they're aren't any scenes with the girls that don't revolve around Ash? Well, you're wrong because there are. The original four going to help Leaf, Anabel and Sarah to fight against the Skull Brothers. The girls swimming in the lake during Dawn's date. Playing at the arcade. Shopping at the mall twice. Battling against one another during the triple date day. Watching movies. Playing games like cards, pictionary and other things with their friends. Just because I don't put many scenes with them without Ash or don't go into detail with what their doing, doesn't mean that they can't do anything or function without Ash.

4) And they don't have an "unhealthy" relationship and don't stick to him like "flies on shit". Sure, they hang out together and do stuff together. And they do talk and think about one another a lot. But they also do other things as well and I'm not going to list those this time for the reasons stated already above on number 3. And they are "living" in the same hotel room/suite. So them hanging out and talking all the time with one another makes sense. Honestly. And if you think about it, it also makes sense that they don't talk about other things because of what's going on. After all, Ash came back after 3 years and is crazy strong. The initial dates between the original girls. The harem is unbelievable and unique even among other rare harems (Bruno with the 3 Joys). They have to constantly deal with family, friends and unknown people finding out about their relationship. The darkness and Ragnarok that is coming and the war for the world that will start soon. What Ash has gone through his whole life and is still dealing with (Gary's betrayal, Natasha being with TR, Arceus placing a heavy burden on him, etc). What each of the girls have gone through with and without him and how that helped each other change or grow. The new things they are learning about one another, themselves, their family, friends and what's coming in the future... So after all that and everything else that is going on that pretty much is revolving around Ash, I ask this; why would they talk about other things during this time?

5) You say he doesn't make mistakes that matter or hurt? Ash had made big mistakes and still does too. Like you brought up, Ash made mistakes in the past by not admitting what he felt. He kept secrets from them about the darkness, didn't notice the other girls' feelings, raged at Leaf for something small, took in a dangerous criminal without question at first and many other things. He's been oblivious to what's going on around him and didn't think of the consequences to his actions or decisions. But because he made those mistakes, he was able to come to terms with what he's done and what he should do. Example, the whole Leaf thing with Skull Brothers. Just because it didn't take long to resolve it, doesn't mean it didn't matter. Not everything takes forever to take care of.

6) I do mention how Ash is "ripped" and handsome and all that. But it's not like every other sentence. I've done it as far as I can remember a handful of times, in scenes or situations that would make sense. Like the first time any of the girls, original or newer, see him shirtless/bare or during other events like when he's in the club going to the bathroom or when he showed up to his match in his pajama sweats only. I only have it stated if it makes sense in the situation.

Okay, I've said enough. I hope my points above help you remember and understand what I'm going for and that it allows you to think/view differently of my story. I do agree with that it is hard to get a harem portrayed right/correctly. I didn't think that I've fallen into the "pit" like you stated and I still believe that I haven't. Though I will be a little more careful in what I do but that doesn't mean that I will change my plans for what I have in store. I may altar some things to accommodate your advice and all that if it makes sense or needed so thanks for that. And this tournament is where everything is happening because of reasons that will be revealed later. Afterwards is when there's going to be more "independence" so to speak with everyone because of the war.

I do what to say that the harem in this story isn't just thrown in there for the hell of it. This isn't some "fan service" story that has Ash be with many girls. There is a purpose to all of this and it will be revealed soon enough. Again, I hope you "see" what I'm going for now and understand what I'm trying to do and portray. If you don't, or still stick to your opinion that it is completely unhealthy, worship like relationship, I'm sorry you see that way because it's not. But hey, you're entitled to your own opinion and I can't force you to change it. I can only state my reasoning behind what I'm doing and going for and hope it changes your views/thoughts.

Anyways, thanks again for the review and reading. If I hear from you again, cool. If not, take care!

 **(END OF REPLY TO REVIEW)**

 _ **And that's all I have to say for now. Thank you to everyone for reading my story, leaving reviews, sending me messages, asking how I'm doing and catching up with me other than the story, giving me favorites and follows and just being all around kick ass supportive readers! I wouldn't have come this far without that and like I said before, I promise to complete the story and will do my best to keep the quality high! Remember to review, favorite and follow! Enjoy!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 53 – GETTING CLOSER

It was the dead of night and the Indigo Plateau stadium was mostly silent and empty except for the night guards. And one other person. At the very top of the stadium were several large light fixtures that were connected via thick metal poles and are spaced around evenly around the perimeter of the stadium. At the base of one of these light fixtures, a blonde woman was working on attaching a small metal box to it's under panel. Having snuck in without any of the security personnel noticing her presence thanks to her cunning and swiftness, she was able to conduct her mission. As of now, she was working on getting the psychic disrupters installed and ready to go.

She had already attached one on the base of the light fixture in the south side of the stadium and was now working on the east side. Afterwards, she'd do the north and finally the west side before she was finished. After securing the disrupter to the panel, she took out some wiring from her pack. While connecting the wire to supply power to the device, a little bit of static was heard in her ear. **"Domino, state your progress,"** said a voice that spoke to her from the ear piece.

Agent double-oh-nine swiftly answered. **"South side has been installed and finishing up on the east. The north and west will soon be done. Estimated time until completion is twenty minutes if no complications occur,"** replied back the blonde in a low voice as she secured the connection and turned on the disrupter. **"What is the status update on your end Oakley?"** she asked while adjusting the settings on the device before she could test it.

" **Aura limiters are fully assembled. But we need to calibrate them to the right level. One of the sensors we brought exploded soon after you left the motel,"** answered the younger of the two sisters with silver colored hair.

Domino's eyes widened as she stopped what she was doing for the moment. **"Exploded? How?"** she asked them in a surprised tone.

Oakley was about to answer her when Annie called for her assistance on the limiter since she was better with electronics. Switching roles, the elder sibling spoke while the younger continued the adjustments. **"We have no idea how,"** answered Annie for her sister. **"It just started picking up a reading and kept going up. It was almost to the maximum and it stayed there for almost a full minute before it overloaded and blew up,"** explained the Rocket member.

Domino was stunned over the news she was just told. _What the hell?! There's no way! How can that be possible?!_ She thought for a bit about what she found out and what she saw the guardian do first hand. It was then that she realized something, making her let out a small gasp. _He's stronger than we thought. More so than the last one. We can't afford to make any mistakes._ Snapping out of her stupor when Annie asked what they should do, she replied back. **"Alright. I'll calibrate the extra sensor when I get back. Don't turn it on until then. We're going to need it to make sure the limiters are adjusted to the right level so we can take on the guardian,"** explained Domino.

Annie nodded her head on the other end of the line. **"Roger that. We'll leave that to you then. Since we're finished here at the moment, we'll go check out the police station. Over and out,"** she replied back. Some static and then nothing but silence surrounded the Rocket executive once more.

Domino let out a sigh before she continued on the disrupter by running a test on the device with the calculations she had made. When it finished, the results were displayed on the small LCD screen. Seeing that they were satisfactory, she dismissed them and then placed the disrupter into standby mode. Cleaning up the area and placing her tools back into her pack, she stood up and turned towards the north side. Raising herself to a crouching position, she quickly moved towards her next destination. Without a sound made, she was like the still night air, unnoticed and unseen as she made her way around the top of the stadium.

Reaching the third area, she quickly took out the third disrupter and her tools from her pack. While working on her objective, she thought about how they were so close to achieving their goals. How close her lover Giovanni was to having everything within his grasp. But there was one who could stand in their way. One who could prevent them from reaching their goals. Anger engulfed her all of a sudden. **"Damn the guardian!"** she burst out saying without thinking. But she quickly composed herself. She took in a breath and let it out so she can focus.

Continuing her work, the deadly woman was just about to attach the power wire when sudden footsteps were heard by her. Domino quickly hid behind the light fixture's pole, leaving her equipment at the base of the pole. A moment later, two security officers came into view about ten feet below her in the stands. She eyed them from above as they looked around the area. The one on the right turned to the left. **"Dude, I told you, there's nothing here. You're hearing things again,"** stated the guard.

The one on the left shook his head. **"I'm telling you I heard a woman's voice and she said 'guardian',"** said his partner. His words made Domino's heart beat a little faster and she cursed at herself mentally for allowing herself to lose her composure momentarily. Looking around some more, the guard maneuvered his flashlight all over the place to shine its light to help him see. **"Just help me look will ya?"** he asked the other. The two continued their search while Domino stayed in her position, still as a statue yet she was ready to react if needed. Finally, after a few minutes, the one who heard the sound lowered his flashlight and sighed while running a hand through his hair. **"I guess there's nothing here."**

His shift partner scoffed and crossed his arms. **"I freakin told you man. Now let's get back to our patrol and you're buying me a soda from the vending machines,"** he said while walking back into the tunnel. **"Or I'm telling your girlfriend that you've been imagining random girl voices at work,"** threatened the second guard as he began laughing, moving away from the area.

" **Hey man, that's blackmail! And I was just trying to do my job!"** whined the first as he went after him.

After the two guards left, the sounds of their footsteps faded away as the distance between them greatened and Domino let out a relieved breath. _That was too close. If I was caught, it would've been bad. I could've taken them out. But we can't afford any attention or suspicion right now._ Picking up her tools, she continued her mission. As she worked on the disrupter, she thought about how much power the guardian has and what he was capable of. How rare it was for her to lose her cool. She kept thinking until she shook her head. _Doesn't matter how much power he has. We have the equipment and the numbers._ Raising her gaze to the night sky, she allowed a smirk to form on her face. _And if somehow that's not enough, we have our secret weapon; a merging of the power of nature and Team Rocket's ingenuity. There is no chance he'll win._ Lowering her gaze back down, she continued on her current task.

When she finished with that, she quickly cleaned up and made for the fourth and final area. On her way there, she then remembered something else. _John better get the job done. Or else I'll have to._ Thinking that however didn't upset her; instead it made an evil grin spread on her face. _I hope he does mess up. Then we can get rid of his stupid ass for failing and then I'll have the pleasure of ending that slut once and for all!_ Domino let out a quiet laugh as she reached the final area.

In another part of the Indigo Plateau area, two women were on the roof of a tall building, having just arrived a short while ago. One of the two, with silver hair, was looking through a pair of binoculars. Her job was to recon the police station that held their recruited allies. She was to report anything that may be important or vital in the near future so they could be as prepared as possible for when they made their move. The other one with blonde hair was writing down the notes while keeping watch of their surroundings. Both had a full team of six powerful pokémon with them, currently inside their poke balls, that were clipped onto their belts. Not only that, each also had a handgun that was inside its holster and was strapped to their legs. They were prepared in case things went south during their reconnaissance but luckily for them, everything was going smoothly so far.

Seeing something move into view, the one who was looking through the binoculars adjusted the magnification on it. **"I see another guard,"** mentioned the silver haired girl, seeing the security personnel come around the far corner.

Jotting it down quickly, her partner counted the total number they have at the moment. **"That makes five so far. Do you see any others Oakley?"** asked the blonde.

Oakley shook her head. **"Negative Annie. From our position and height, I can see most of the police station's perimeter and those are the only ones at the moment,"** she informed her sister.

Annie nodded before she glanced at her younger sister. Her eyes roamed up and down her body. **"And from my position, I can see a lot as well,"** she remarked offhandedly. For her sister had propped her elbows on top of the roof's walls to hold her binoculars steady while crouched behind them. Her position had allowed her rear to show some since her pants had slipped down a bit from her crouching.

Oakley however didn't even turn her gaze to Annie as she responded. **"Why complain about something when you actually enjoy it?"** she asked rhetorically.

Annie however still answered it. **"Who said I was complaining? You know I admire how you don't care about showing it off. And I do like seeing it,"** she said sincerely.

" **I know,"** replied Oakley softly, moving her gaze to her sister's before letting a smirk form on her face. **"I just wanted to tease you and hear you say that."** Her smirk grew wider over her sister's sudden glare.

There was something very personal between the two blood related sisters that shouldn't be. Having no one but each other since they were children and having gone through many trials and hardships together, those experiences brought them extremely close. Though they had found where they belonged in Team Rocket, and were close with Giovanni and Domino, who they also trusted, respected and loved, what they had with each other was something else entirely. They always placed their bond together first against everything else. And they did nothing without the other, no matter what as the two sisters were inseparable. And because of all that, their sibling bond had morphed into something else and birthed a twisted version of love that was wrong and immoral to most everyone else. Yet they didn't care at all over what others thought of it.

Oakley moved her sight back to look at the police station again to search for more information that could benefit them in the near future. **"Alright, so still only five patrols. I see each have two poke balls, a baton, a radio and probably the standard issue police handgun equipped on them only."**

Annie jotted down those details and it was quiet for a minute between the two sisters. **"Hey Oakley,"** she started and continued when her sister made a sound to indicate she was listening. **"What do you think of the mission that Giovanni gave us?"** she asked her.

Without stopping her current task, the silver haired woman answered her. **"It's a pretty well made one in my opinion. And we haven't done something this big in a long time. It's the perfect way to announce our return into the spotlight."** She turned her face away from the binoculars and looked at her sister. **"Why do you ask?"** Oakley was curious over the sudden question. It wasn't like her sister to question their mission.

Annie let out a sigh before facing forward, away from her sister's gaze. **"It's just this is a very big thing we're trying to pull off here. It requires many pieces to fall into place at the right time and…"** She stopped, not knowing if she should say what was on her mind. If she should say what was bothering her.

Knowing that something was up, Oakley wanted to exactly what it was. **"And? What is so different this time around than all the other jobs we did that's making you nervous?"**

Annie looked at Oakley for a moment before she answered her. **"Domino and Giovanni."** Tilting her head, the younger of the two was confused. Seeing her not get it, the blonde let out a sigh and explained. **"Giovanni is completely on edge and he's planning on using everything in his arsenal as if he's going to war. And that small chance of the mission failing, there's no telling what he'll do. And when Domino was told of the sensor exploding, that was the first time I've ever heard shock in her voice."** Shaking her head before looking up towards the night sky, she took in a breath. **"I'm worried…"**

Oakley's eyes widened over what her sister just admitted. **"Worried?"** she repeated but Annie kept quiet, her gaze locked onto the night sky. The younger woman had her heart beat faster, never before seeing her sister so unsure of things. But then she thought of something. **"Is it because of this guardian? This Ash Ketchum?"** she asked her sister. Annie slowly shifted her gaze onto Oakley. The look on her face was all that she needed for an answer. **"Why? I know we failed our mission in Alto Mare all those years ago because of him but that doesn't mean…"**

" **That's not it,"** interrupted Annie, shaking her head and making her sister go quiet. **"It's because he's the only one to ever make Domino and Giovanni lose their composure,"** clarified Annie, making her sister have understanding dawn on her. **"He's the biggest obstacle in the way of Team Rocket reaching their goals. Even with all the advancements we've reached."**

" **I see."** Oakley thought about what her sister just revealed to her. How she wasn't fully confident this time and how she was worried that they would taste the agony of defeat once more. _Annie, I've never seen you be filled with doubt. This isn't like you. I gotta snap you out of this!_ It didn't take long for her to come up with something to do just that. **"Even so, we've come this far and we've achieved many things,"** she started, making her sister look at her again. **"The strength enhancers we developed for our organization that also makes its users completely obedient. The secret weapon we constructed that can even destroy entire cities at maximum power. The grand vision our leader has for the world and it's within his grasp after so long."** Each statement that she said was making Annie's doubt and fears fade away and believe that they can succeed and achieve their goals. **"So what if this Aura Guardian is in our way? He may have an army of strong pokémon along with legendaries. He may have powerful aura abilities. He may be an expert hand to hand fighter. But that doesn't matter. For we have the numbers, the equipment and the element of surprise. And we are smarter than him. We cannot and will not lose,"** finished Oakley with conviction, giving her sister a blazing look.

Annie was surprised over her sister's little speech. She never would have anticipated her to say something like that. Then again, she herself never lost confidence in what they were doing. _Looks like we're still learning new things about each other._ She let a smile form on her face. **"You're right. Thanks for helping me get back on track,"** remarked Annie and Oakley nodded her head while returning a smile. **"But where did complimenting the guardian come from?"** she asked her little sister with a hint of jealousy.

Oakley shrugged as she responded. **"Hey, I'm just stating the facts. And stating that doesn't mean I'm complimenting him. Don't be so insecure,"** stated the younger sibling before laughing.

Glaring at her, Annie crossed her arms over her taunting. **"Right. I'm not insecure. You just don't normally give respect or credit where it's due, even if they deserve it. And then you say all that out of nowhere. Of course I'm going to be surprised,"** she remarked but again Oakley just replied back saying she should relax and not take everything so seriously in between her laughing. Deciding to let it go for the moment, she moved on. **"Fine, whatever. Let's get back on track. The jail cells should be in the southeast corner. How is the defense around that area?"**

Oakley agreed to that and after calming down from her laughing, looked through her binoculars again. Moving her sight towards the area her sister stated, she took in the surroundings. **"Minimal. The closest stationed guard is at least fifty feet away and his sight is obscured by bushes and trees. Idiots. They should've gotten rid of all that,"** criticized the silver haired girl.

Though she wrote down what her sister said, Annie still wanted to get back at her sister for her taunting. Getting an idea, she smiled to herself before putting it into action. **"But it'll make it easier for us to sneak in close to plant the explosives using that as cover,"** remarked the blonde haired girl as she moved closer to her sister and wrapped her arm around her body.

" **And where are you trying to sneak into right now?"** asked Oakley calmly as she felt her sister's hand travel over her attire on her stomach, though she did tremble slightly from anticipation.

Grinning lecherously to herself, Annie answered her. **"Oh you know, just want to thank you for helping me focus,"** she said as her hand stopped traveling downwards. Slowly, she began massaging her lower abdomen but never really going further down.

Oakley felt her body temperature rising while still looking through the binoculars. **"Hey, didn't we agree not to do stuff like this anymore when on the field?"** she reminded her sister, yet did nothing to actually stop her.

Annie continued her action a little longer before stopping and removing her hand. **"Yea, you're right. This is unprofessional,"** she replied back with a smirk, knowing what her actions would do to her sister.

" **You bitch,"** growled Oakley, giving her sister an angry expression over her teasing. **"You know how much I hate it when you tease me so."**

" **Call it pay back for earlier,"** she replied back and Oakley growled at her. **"Don't worry, we'll continue this later,"** advised Annie, knowing how much more fun they had when her sister was teased and made to wait before they were able to have their taboo intimacy with one another. It was the best and worst punishment she could give her. **"But right now, we got a job to do."**

" **Fine. But when we get back to the motel, you're in for it,"** promised Oakley before returning to accomplish her mission objectives. Annie moved back to her spot to watch their surroundings and take down notes with a large grin on her face. And with that, both sisters continued their reconnaissance for a while longer, gathering intel.

At the Indigo Hospital, some time past midnight, Nurse Johansen was going about her rounds as she checked each patient's condition on her floor. The one she was in now belonged to a red haired woman who was being watched over by two pokémon. Normally, they wouldn't allow pokémon to stay overnight in the hospital but Doctor Swanson had okayed it after reading a note that was given to her by the frog pokémon. She didn't mind either as both pokémon just stayed in the corners of the room, were respectful and didn't get in her way. It was kind of like when the Aura Guardian was being taken cared off after defending the stadium from the invaders and had his pokémon watch over him. Writing down a few notes on her clipboard from the sensors and scanners attached to her patient, she finished up and then left the room to continue her rounds.

After checking on a few other patients, she made her way to the counter in the lobby. Reaching her destination, she took a seat on one of the chairs behind the counter and placed her clipboard with each patient's notes on the desk. Letting out a sigh, she stretched out her arms as well as her back and looked up towards the ceiling. _Man, I'm beat. Can't wait for this shift to end and then I'm off tomorrow and so is Lilit. Lucky her got to go home already. Hmm, should I hang out with her or should I spend it with him?_ Becoming lost in thought, she didn't notice that someone had appeared in front of the counter. That is until that someone cleared their throat loudly. Adrine jumped a little from that, startled from the sound. She looked up at the person with an annoyed expression, thinking it was one of her coworkers. But then immediately changed it to a more welcoming one when she saw it was someone else. **"Apologies. I'm Nurse Adrine Johansen. This is a pretty late visit. How may I help you?"** she asked sincerely as she stood up from her seat with a smile.

A man that looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in black pants and white button down short sleeved shirt was standing in front of her. He was holding a bouquet of red flowers in his hands and had a concerned expression on his face. **"Good evening. I'm sorry for bothering you at such a late hour but I just got into town. I'm looking for my girlfriend. I heard she was hurt and was brought here. Can you please tell me which room she's in?"** he asked the nurse in a sullen tone of voice.

Feeling bad for the man, Adrine wanted to help him. But she didn't know who he was or who he was talking about. **"I'm really sorry, but I don't know who your girlfriend is and if she's here or not. May I have her name? And excuse me, but who are you?"** asked the nurse.

The man was quiet for a moment before replying back. **"How rude of me, I should've introduced myself. My name is John Walters. And I'm sure that my girlfriend is here because I was told she was here by my friend. Her name is Natasha Dobrev,"** answered the man.

Adrine became surprised from his answer but kept her expression neutral. She had a lot of practice keeping her reactions in check as a nurse. _Huh, I was just in that girl's room. So he's looking for her? Should I let him see her? And who told him? Maybe the guardian told him...but that can't be right…_ Ash hadn't mentioned anyone else coming to visit Natasha in the note. And she remembered what he had told them of the girl when he brought her the first time. Becoming slightly suspicious over this random man just showing up out of nowhere in the middle of the night for the red head, Adrine decided to try to find out more about this man as discreetly as she could. **"Oh, so you're here to see Ms. Dobrev?"** she asked him, keeping her tone casual and professional. He confirmed it by nodding his head. **"Okay. Well, we have rules here that must be followed. And so, you must sign in this guest sheet and we must check your ID as well to make sure you are who you say you are. But also, we have to double check that you are allowed to see her since there are extra measures set for her because of her condition. Do you have anyone who can vouch for you?"** she asked him while taking out the sign in sheet and placing it on top of the counter.

John started feeling very nervous and was about to start panicking because he was trying to remember what he had planned and prepared with Domino before. Until he forced himself to calm down and remember why he was there. _Get a grip! You're here for Natasha! You're close! Don't fuck this up now!_ Composing himself and remembering what Domino had made for him and told him what to say and do if this type of situation arose, he replied back to the nurse. **"I have no problem with that and understand what needs to be done. It is important to be cautious with your patients,"** replied back the man as calmly as he could while he placed the flowers onto the counter. Taking out his wallet, he then took out two things from it and placed it on the counter for the nurse to see. One was his ID card and the other was a photo. He took the pen from the nurse and signed in.

As he wrote on the paper, Adrine took both items and looked at the top one first. The ID had the same name as he said; John Walters. And the picture on it matched the man in front of her. _It doesn't look or feel fake. Well, that's in order I guess._ She then looked at the photo and her eyes widened slightly. In the picture were a man and woman hugging one another. The man was John and the woman was Natasha. _Huh. Looks like he is her boyfriend. But, why hadn't he shown up until now? And why didn't she or Ash mention him at all? This all feels weird…_

" **Here you go,"** said John after signing in.

Adrine snapped out of her thoughts. **"Thank you,"** she replied back, taking the sign in sheet and handing him back his belongings. **"And thank you for showing proof but just out of curiosity, how did you find out she was here?"**

Though becoming annoyed over her intrusive questions, John was able to mask it. **"Like I said, my friend told me that she was here,"** he repeated.

" **Do you mean the Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum?"** she asked him offhandedly.

John had a split second twitch in his eye that wasn't noticed by the nurse. His blood began boiling after hearing his name but kept himself in check. He couldn't afford any mistakes right now when he was so close to getting what he wanted and what he had to do. Suppressing his anger for the moment, he answered her as calmly as he could. **"No, it wasn't him who told me. My friend is Jason Masters and he's from…"**

" **The board of directors of the pokémon league,"** interrupted Adrine all of sudden. John gave a slightly curious look and she reddened a bit. **"Um, we're seeing each other."**

Having a look of understanding dawn on him, John nodded while a thought went through his head. _What luck! I can use this to my advantage!_ He decided to use this new information to butter up the nurse and get what he wanted. **"Ah, so you're who he keeps talking about."** Her cheeks reddened even more over his words and he noticed that, making him smile a little for several reasons. **"Don't worry it's only good things. So, does this mean I'm in the clear now?"** he asked her. _That's it John,_ he told himself. _Just keep doing what you're doing!_

Adrine nodded, becoming embarrassed over what was going on. **"Yes and I'm sorry. We just have to make sure, especially with critical care patients,"** explained the nurse.

" **I understand and…wait…"** He tilted his head at that and gave her a concerned expression. **"Critical care?"** She nodded once more and his expression turned grave. **"Please, can you show me the way? And what state is she in?"** he asked her in a pleading like tone. She agreed to show him the way while explaining what happened to his girlfriend. John followed after her while staying silent but was barely listening to her. _So far so good. You're almost there man. Just keep acting like the caring boyfriend and don't fuck up now!_ The two soon reached the red head's room and Adrine opened the door before walking in with John following after her.

The first thing that happened as soon as he stepped inside the room was John's heart began beating much faster. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman he was obsessed with was lying down on the hospital bed unconscious. Many sensors were on her with their long wires attached to several monitors and equipment in the room. His mission forgotten for the time being as his feelings took over, he quickly moved to her while letting the flowers drop from his hands. Right before he was about to reach her, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path and he bumped into it. **"Ah!"** he grunted out, stumbling back a couple steps. He straightened out while filling up with anger over being prevented from reaching his goal. His eyes widened as he looked at the intimidating blue ninja frog standing in front of him with his arms crossed and his narrowed red eyes locked onto him. His heart thumping loudly in his ears, his anger was quickly replaced with fear that was clearly shown on his face.

Immediately afterwards, Adrine spoke up. **"I'm sorry, but I should've mentioned that Ms. Dobrev is being protected by the Aura Guardian. He has left instructions that no one be allowed to see her without his pokémon being inside the room as well,"** explained the nurse.

Unable to look away from the powerful pokémon at first when she started speaking, John was able to snap out of it and glanced back at Adrine when she mentioned the guardian. Once again, his eye twitched a bit and his blood boiled. Using his cover as boyfriend, he let out a worried and angry tone to hide his rage. **"The Aura Guardian?! Protected? From what and who? And I'm her boyfriend! How dare he think that he can control others like this! I should be allowed to be with her properly with no restrictions!"** he shot at her angrily.

Adrine raised her hands in front of her and gestured for him to relax. **"I'm sorry Mr. Walters, but you should calm down. The hospital has agreed to allow his pokémon to stay and watch over Ms. Dobrev because of what happened to her in the past and who he is. Mr. Ketchum is only trying to help her and…"**

John's eyes bulged after hearing his name. Unable to control himself anymore, he exploded. **"I don't care!"** snapped John angrily, scaring the nurse and making her take a couple steps back. A low growl was heard that made both the nurse and the man turn to look at the pokémon. Greninja was glaring at John. He took a step back from the frog but his anger didn't subside. _Damn it! This has turned into a cluster fuck! Damn the Guardian! Damn this annoying bitch! And damn this fucking pokémon!_ His rage clouding his judgment, he went off on the pokémon. **"Listen here you!"** commanded John, speaking directly to Greninja. He pointed at him with his right hand and continued talking. **"I am Natasha's boyfriend! The only person she has in her life! How dare you try to stop me from being with her! Do you think I care who you are or who your trainer is? Get out of my way or I will make you and him regret messing with me!"** threatened John angrily.

After John's words, the room became deathly silent. Adrine was frozen in her spot, with her hands clapped over her mouth and a shocked expression on her face. She couldn't believe what just happened in front of her. John kept his position, pointing at the pokémon with his heart pounding in his chest. Greninja kept his glare on the man for a long time and no one made a sound or moved during that time. Right when John started to wonder if he had taken a step too far, Greninja reacted.

He uncrossed his arms and had his arms hang loosely by his side. John had a smirk appear on his face over what he saw, believing the pokémon was going to leave. But then it faded away as quickly as it appeared because of what the pokémon did next. A water shuriken appeared in Greninja's right webbed hand. John and Adrine had their eyes widen over what the pokémon was doing and stood still from fear. Moving towards the man, Greninja stopped right in front of him and raised the water ninja star to be level with his face. The Kalos starter then slowly moved it back and forth in front of John's face, who nodded once as he understood the message. Knowing he got it, Greninja had the shuriken disappear. Afterwards, the ninja frog casually went back to his corner and took up his guarding position once more, with his sight locked onto the red head. Blissey, who had remained in her corner and remained quiet the entire time, went back to polishing her egg with a towel.

Seeing that nothing happened, Adrine let out a sigh of relief. She then walked to stand beside John and began speaking. **"So everything okay now? They're only trying to help and protect her. You see that now right? And they understand you too. Everything good right?"** asked the nurse timidly.

John was quiet for a moment as he processed everything. Realizing he was losing his cool and had to fix things fast before it became more complicated, he turned to face the nurse. **"I'm sorry Nurse Johansen. I just haven't seen my girlfriend in a long time and was searching for her. I feared about what might have happened to her. But when I found out she was here just recently, I just lost myself since I had to see her,"** he told her with a very convincing sorrow filled tone of voice.

Believing him, Adrine smiled a little and patted his shoulder. **"It's alright. It's good that you care so much about her. But I don't think she would want you to be like this over her. You found her and she's right here. Hopefully she'll wake back up soon so you two can be together again,"** remarked the nurse kindly.

John let out a sigh and turned around to face Natasha. He moved to her again and this time was able to reach her since Greninja didn't stop him. However, the pokémon kept his attention on what was going on, ready to jump in and prevent anything bad from happening. John glanced at the water starter before he quickly looked away after seeing the glare on Greninja's face. A couple seconds later, he grasped the comatose girl's hand with his right hand. He looked at her for a moment. **"Natasha…"** he whispered but it was heard by everyone in the room since it was so quiet. Staring at her for a moment, his feelings took hold of him. _You're mine Natasha._ He leaned in close to her face and then set his lips onto hers. He kissed her for a short while, making Greninja narrow his eyes over the action. He then stood up and right when he did, he got a call. Taking out his phone, he saw who it was and glanced at the others in the room. **"May I have some privacy?"** he asked them.

" **Of course,"** replied Adrine as she headed towards the door. **"I can show you a room where you can take the call in private,"** she told him.

John's blood boiled again over the fact that he would have to leave and not the pokémon. But he didn't react further to that because his attention was on the phone. _Shit, I need to take this. Damn it, I have no choice._ **"Alright. Where is this empty room?"** he asked her while stepping out and she escorted him to it.

After the two left, Greninja glanced at Blissey who was sporting a saddened look. He frowned and shook his head before looking at the girl. He didn't like the new person at all. Though he couldn't sense anything from him, which was weird in itself, he had a bad feeling fill him. Yet, he did nothing to stop that man's action of kissing her because he said he was her boyfriend, the nurse's words supported his statement and he wasn't hurting Natasha. But if he had tried to do anything more than that, he would've been thrown right through the wall. And that would be the kindest thing he would do to him. But until he did something bad, he would have to keep things civil. He couldn't do anything to jeopardize his trainer's name and reputation. Letting out a sigh, Greninja just leaned against the wall and continued his silent vigil over Natasha.

When he was finally alone in an empty room, John answered the call. The instant he answered the call, an annoyed tone of voice was heard. **"Who the hell do you think you are, making me wait for you to pick up?!"** came Domino's voice. John winced from that and even covered up his face out of instinct even though he wasn't in danger of being physically hit at that moment. He opened his mouth but wasn't allowed to answer her since she kept going. **"Don't you dare do that again to me! I've already finished up with my tasks. Oakley and Annie are almost finished as well. What's taking you so long? What's your status?"** she demanded from him.

John nervously swallowed his saliva and began speaking. **"Hey, this is my first field assignment alright?"** A scoff was heard from the woman and he quickly continued. **"Anyway, I was able to find her with not much issue. But there's a problem,"** revealed John. He then began explaining what it was.

After listening to him, Domino let out a disgruntled sound. **"Damn it. Alright fine. Come back to the motel and we'll adjust the plan accordingly. Then you'll go back and get it done,"** she ordered him before hanging up.

John took in a breath as he inserted his phone into his pants pocket. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long slow breath. _Damn it. Things are so freakin complicated! But I will get what I want in the end!_ Composing himself, he then left the room.

Hours later, the sun had risen into the sky, with its rays of light and warmth brightening the new day. As the light shined through her bedroom window's curtains, a purple haired girl was curled up in her new single bed in a new room with her new roommates. Iris had moved in with Misty, May, Dawn and Serena yesterday after revealing to them that she and Cilan had broken up. That was when the four told her that they are here for her and convinced her to stay with them in their room from now on. Unable to resist or even say anything for that matter, Iris allowed them to do just that. They helped her pack her belongings in silence at first before trying to help the Unovan native feel better with cheerful talks and encouragement that all will be well soon.

Though Cilan did enter the room when they were packing Iris's stuff and even offered to help, they declined the offer. It wasn't out of anger or hate or anything else bad that they refused it. They just felt that they'd handle it themselves and he understood. There was no trouble between any of them since Iris had explained to her friends that it was mutual and they had decided to go on separate paths on good terms. And so, the four harbored no ill will or feelings against him and kept their friendship with the connoisseur intact. When they finally finished and left the room, Cilan stared at the door for a moment, thinking about what he saw between them until he just smiled. _There you go Iris._ Wishing her luck, he then took out his phone to call Burgundy before going to sleep.

Right now however, Iris was seeing a dream while still asleep in bed. She mumbled a little before turning to her other side. Letting out some more sounds of distress, she rolled onto her back. Moving her head to the right, she let out a whimper. **"No,"** she pleaded in her sleep and then moved to face the left. **"I…I…"** Her body shook and she began to alternate her gaze from left to right nonstop, her distress getting more severe. Her voice was gradually getting louder as well. **"No…not fair…"** She went quiet for a short while until she began whimpering in her sleep once more. **"Please don't…don't leave…DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!"** she shouted suddenly as she woke up and sat upright all of a sudden. She was breathing heavily, with some sweat pouring down her body. It took a couple minutes for her to calm down. She had a seen a dream about her past. Of what happened during her search for the raven haired guardian and what she learned about the four girls. Of how she felt it was unfair that the girls were so close to each other, both in distance and in friendship. How she was alone most of the time. How it was hard for her to keep contact with them and vice versa. She took in a long slow breath and shook her head slowly before checking to see if she had woken up anyone.

That was when Iris saw that she was alone in the room. The girls' beds were empty and already made. _Did they wake up earlier and let me sleep in?_ Iris glanced at the room clock and saw it was barely 840am. Remembering her past and dream, she drew her legs in to her body and wrapped her arms around her knees. _Did they…did they leave me behind again?_ Her thoughts swirled around in her head for a bit and were starting to drift towards darker ones before she forced herself to stop. _NO! That's not how they are. I need to stop!_ She shook her head again, trying to clear it. _They're not like that and I know that. They probably just got up early. Yea, that's it since they probably want to help Ash prepare for his match._ She took in another deep breath before exhaling it out. She then glanced at the curtains, seeing the sun's rays shining through it. _I should get up and get ready myself._ She got out of bed and headed into the attached bathroom to wash up. Exiting it, she changed her clothes and while putting on her shoes, she thought about what her friends did for her the previous day. How they knew something was wrong with her and how they came to help her out _._ She felt a little better remembering that they cared about her. Finishing up, Iris stood up, left the bedroom and headed to the living room.

Seeing that no one was up yet and the penthouse suite was very quiet, she assumed that everyone was still asleep, still being relatively early in the morning. _They'll probably wake up soon to have breakfast and get ready for Ash's match. Hmm, I wonder if he's up…_ Iris decided to check if Ash was still asleep as well. Heading to his bedroom, she was starting to feel anxious with a little bit of dread in the pit of her stomach. As she drew closer to her destination, those feelings were intensifying and she couldn't shake it off. She reached the room and knocked on it twice but not too loudly. Not getting an answer, she grasped the handle, turned it and opened the door. Peeking inside the room, she then stepped inside immediately after with a surprised expression because of what she saw.

Or rather, what she didn't see. For there was no one in the room. Not Ash or even any of his girlfriends were there. Iris tilted her head in confusion. _What the...Where did he go? And where did the girls go?_ Maneuvering her gaze around the room, she looked for any note or clue as to where he or the others could have gone. But there was nothing to be found that could have let her know what was going on. Becoming slightly worried, Iris left the master bedroom and headed into the living room. _Is everything alright? Why would they just leave like that with no note or anything?_ Iris let her mind wonder until she stopped herself after a little bit of time. Planning to turn on the TV to distract herself from her thoughts, Iris believed it to be the best course of action until the others woke up and asked them if they knew what was going on. She didn't want to make this into a big deal if it was nothing.

But right when she grasped the TV remote from the coffee table, she noticed a sudden blue glow coming from the balcony. Turning her gaze towards it in time, she saw the raven haired guardian appear with Pikachu on his shoulder. She calmed down instantly and let out a relieved breath. _There he is. But…I wonder where he went?_ And with that, Iris walked towards him while keeping her emotions and thoughts in check. **"Hey, morning Ash. Where'd you go?"**

Turning to face his greeter, Ash gave his friend a smile along with a wave. **"Hey, good morning Iris. Though I got them ready yesterday, I just went to check on my pokémon when I woke up earlier to make sure they're all set for their battles today. How come you're up already?"** he asked her.

 _Oh, so that's where he went. Should've guessed that._ **"Oh, okay. Well, I just couldn't sleep anymore,"** remarked Iris, finally knowing what had happened and Ash nodded over her answer. **"So, looks like the kid is finally ready to take on the world's Elites, huh?"** she asked him with a smirk and Ash replied back with a grin and so did Pikachu. She chuckled at that and shook her head. **"Figures. You'll never change,"** she said afterwards while crossing her arms. _And I hope you never do._

Ash didn't hear her thoughts since he wasn't focusing on her. He only did that in certain situations. He merely shrugged while giving an innocent look. **"Hey, better a kid than something bad."**

" **True,"** remarked Iris, before remembering something. **"So, you went to your pokémon. Do you know where the girls went? Cause they're not here at the moment."**

Ash was quiet for a moment before responding back. **"Oh right, we woke up at the same time. They decided to go to the nearby grocery store together to get some fresh food for breakfast,"** revealed Ash and Iris let out an 'oh' in understanding. He didn't say anything else about that matter because he didn't know how he would be able to explain things yet. In addition, he and his girlfriends had decided that they wouldn't say anything about their new status until after the tournament concluded. Raising his left wrist, Ash checked his Poketch and saw that it was a little past 9am. **"They should be back soon. Probably within ten or twenty minutes. Hmm, by the time they prepare the meal, that should give me enough time…"** He trailed off, not finishing his statement.

Iris tilted her head. **"Enough time for what?"**

Ash looked at her before answering back. **"To go check on Natasha and see if anything changed."**

" **Oh that's right. Natasha's at the hospital."**

" **Yea,"** said Ash with a heavy tone, making Iris feel saddened by it and he noticed it. **"Sorry, didn't mean to make you sad,"** apologized the guardian while rubbing the back of his head.

She shook her head. **"No, it's alright. How long are you going for?"**

Lowering his hand, Ash shrugged in response. **"Not long. I'm just gonna go check on her and stay by her side for a bit. No more than half an hour or so."**

" **Okay. Well, I'll see you later then,"** said Iris, as she turned around and started heading back inside. **"I'll just go do something on my own till the girls return or someone eventually wakes up."** _I just hope that I don't over think things in the meanwhile._

Seeing her walk inside and noticing the slight change in her tone, Ash wondered if everything was okay with his friend. It was then that he remembered how he sensed her and Cilan's auras being all weird. He wanted to know what was wrong. Getting an idea that may allow her to open up to him, he called out to her suddenly. **"Hey, Iris…"** She stopped and glanced back at him. **"If you're not busy and if you want to, why don't you come with me?"**

For some reason, Iris had her heart beat just slightly faster. But it wasn't enough to cause her to lose control. **"What, you can't handle it on your own?"** she asked him with a teasing tone, preventing her actual state from being shown.

Ash chuckled in response. **"Well, you did say I'm a kid,"** he remarked and Iris rolled her eyes. **"I just figured it would be nice to not go alone. And it's been a while since you and I have done something together. I mean, we did travel throughout Unova together. I know you and Cilan are together but we're still friends aren't we?"** he asked her sincerely.

After his question, Iris had flashes of a few of their adventures together in her mind during their travels through her home region. Remembering those made her smile. **"Yea, we did…"** She started to say but then she realized what he said afterwards; about her and Cilan being together and how she and Ash are just friends. **"And you're right,"** she said, keeping her smile to keep the truth hidden, yet her emotions were starting to overwhelm her.

This allowed Ash to sense that her feelings were not what she was trying to portray. But he didn't force her to spill it. He respected the people he cares about too much to do that. He would either wait for them to say it on their own when they're ready, or when the right moment came up. **"So, do you want to come? This kid could use an adult's help,"** joked Ash, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

Iris thought for a moment before replying back. **"Alright. I'll go with you. Just don't cry,"** she teased him. Knowing she was just playing, Ash merely smiled and nodded. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and made his way inside. **"Pikachu's not coming?"** asked Iris, surprised that the mouse wasn't going with them.

Ash let out a chuckle. **"Nah, he wants to take a nap again cause I woke him up early. I swear he's turning into Snorlax."** Iris shook her head while giggling. **"Anyway, we'll go now if you're ready?"** Iris nodded and the two disappeared in blue glows.

After those two left, sometime later one from the group emerged from her room. Delia had woken up and after getting ready, she decided to get started on breakfast. She wanted to make a grand meal for her son because he was going to face the Elites of the world. _I can't believe my little Ashy has grown so strong. I knew he would become so, but not like this._ She then thought about his lovely girlfriends who will always be by his side and be there for him. _But what's more amazing is that he's found not one, but several incredible girls who are with him and love him. I can't believe it. Oh how I can't wait for grandchildren!_ Smiling to herself and feeling all giddy about helping to raise their children, she continued thinking about all of that as she made her way to the kitchen.

On her way, the suite door opened and she looked to see who it was. A group of people walked in that surprised Delia. It was Ash's girlfriends and the other girls with them. Seeing them holding plastic bags, Delia assumed that they had gone shopping. Seeing their beloved's mother there, they all greeted her with happy looks on their faces while saying good morning to her. **"Good morning to you all too,"** remarked Delia as she walked over to them. **"Isn't it a little early to go to the mall?"** she asked them with a chuckle and smile.

The girls laughed a bit before shaking their heads. Walking towards the kitchen, the blunette from Sinnoh explained. **"Well, it is early but we went to the super market. We decided to get some food to prepare a grand breakfast for everyone and get them ready for Ash's battles,"** revealed Dawn with a cheerful look on her face.

Delia felt her heart warmed by Dawn's words. But as she looked around the large group of girls, she wondered why they all went together. **"And you all went?"** asked Delia, as they entered the kitchen and placed their purchases onto the large counter table in the middle of the area. She looked at the fifteen girls standing around her, who glanced at one another. **"I mean, I understand the buddy system and all, especially after what's happened here. But isn't this a bit much?"** she asked them with a chuckle.

The girls glanced nervously at one another. They didn't know how to explain what had happened the night before. And why they had left together to do this very simple errand. Until the brunette from Hoenn thought up of something. **"True, it may be overkill but hey, why not? Its fun going on group outings,"** answered May for them all.

" **And we're all excited so we all kind of just woke up early. It's not often that the Elites are challenged. Plus, more hands means less bags for each person to carry,"** added Serena in the end. Some of the girls voiced the same while the rest nodded.

It was still true, what the Kalos native had said. She just left out some details. Some very _big_ details that they weren't quite ready to share just yet because they just didn't know how to. And they had agreed to wait till after the tournament. Plus, they wanted to not immediately share some of their personal things right off the bat. Each of the girls wanted to keep what happened last night within them only. Not their discussion with Ash but what happened afterwards. How thanks to Mewtwo, they had all slept in the same room, sharing one gigantic bed between themselves and their beloved. They wanted to keep them between themselves for it was something they shared for the first time between them all.

Delia smiled sweetly at the girls, though she had a feeling that something was up. But as she had taught her son so long ago, it wouldn't be nice to try to force things. Deciding to come back to it later at a better time, she decided to move on. **"So, what did you buy and what are we preparing?"** she asked them, taking one of the bags and peeking inside it before taking its contents out.

While they started on making breakfast for everyone, a certain couple had just woken up and was talking to one another. Brock was just keeping his gaze on his fiancée while still lying down on his back on the bed. Lucy however had sat up on the bed and kept talking about how lucky they are, how happy they are, reminisced about what they went through together and what they should do to plan their wedding. She kept going for a few more minutes until she realized she's been talking nonstop. She stopped all of a sudden and looked at him. **"I was talking too much again wasn't I?"** she asked him with an embarrassed look.

Brock just chuckled and sat up as well before moving a piece of hair behind her ear. **"I'll never get tired of it so don't worry,"** he told her.

" **Yeah you will,"** replied Lucy but she still smiled. Hugging him tightly for a moment, she raised her head and looked at him. **"Brock, I love you."**

" **I love you too Lucy,"** he told her with a smile. The two shared a simple kiss before the Pike Queen took up a sitting position on his lap. **"So, what were you talking about again?"** asked Brock sarcastically.

" **I knew it, you weren't listening."** She hit him playfully against his chest while he just chuckled. **"I was saying we should start planning our wedding soon after the tournament."** Brock agreed with that, saying they should get that done before focusing on their future child and what was coming in two years time. **"Yeah, you have a point. So, have you asked him yet?"** asked Lucy.

Brock shook his head before letting out a sigh. **"No, not yet. I was going to but then there was just too much going on that I couldn't. I'll ask him the first chance I get. What about you? Have you asked Anabel yet?"**

" **No, not yet. I think I'll do that as well,"** revealed Lucy and Brock nodded. **"Hey, do you smell that?"** she asked him suddenly.

Brock tilted his head. **"Smell what?"** His squinty eyes widened suddenly as he thought of something. **"Don't tell me you're getting your pregnancy cravings already?!"**

Lucy punched him in the chest, making him grunt. **"What if I was?!"** she asked him angrily.

" **Hey, I was just joking,"** said Brock while rubbing the area he was hit.

She crossed her arms and turned her gaze to the side. **"Hmph. Idiot. Anyways, no it's not a craving. You seriously don't smell it?"** asked Lucy rather calmly now. She may not have her cravings yet, but it looks like her hormones were already swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Brock sniffed the air and shook his head. **"No, I don't smell anything."** He glanced at the clock and saw that it read 940am. **"Maybe someone's making breakfast. Might as well get up and help them out. Or start if no one is there and you're imagining things,"** he teased her, earning himself another punch in the chest.

" **Do you like pissing me off or do you like getting hurt?"** asked Lucy and he just laughed before saying only because it's her. **"You're such an idiot. But that's right; only me."** She hit him again, but this time playfully before the two shared a kiss again. Afterwards, the two got up, changed out of their pajamas and headed out of their room together. They were surprised to find many people in the kitchen, dressed in aprons and getting breakfast ready. **"Hey, what's going on?"** asked Lucy.

" **Oh we just decided to make breakfast for everyone,"** answered Anabel as she took out the toasted bagels from the toaster and placed them on a plate. She then inserted a new batch into the toaster before facing her fellow Frontier Brain. **"We got this so if you want you can just go relax until it's ready,"** she suggested.

Lucy and Brock glanced at one another and just shrugged. **"Alright, if you say so. It's good to not worry about cooking for once,"** admitted Brock, seeing them all getting their own tasks done, such as Dawn cutting up some fruits and Shauna slicing bread loafs into smaller pieces.

" **Hey, no worries,"** piped in Sarah as she watched over the pancakes on the stove. **"But can you two go wake everyone up? Breakfast should be ready by the time they're here."**

" **Sure, no problem. I'll go wake everyone up,"** agreed Brock. Before he left, he gave Lucy a look and then nodded at Anabel.

Getting the hint, Lucy smiled, agreeing to it. After he left to wake the others, the Pike Queen made her way to her closest friend while the others were in their own conversations and jobs. **"Hey Anabel, can I ask you something?"**

" **Sure, what is it?"** answered the Salon Maiden while taking out the next round of toasted bagels and inserting another batch.

Not feeling embarrassed in asking the question in front of so many people, Lucy still felt a little hesitant in asking the question. She was feeling nervous over what her best friend's answer would be all of a sudden. Normally she wouldn't be, but maybe it was because of so many things happening roughly at the same time, that no one can expect what could happen next. Gathering her will, Lucy took in a quick breath. **"Anabel Lila, will you be my Maid of Honor?"**

The kitchen went suddenly quiet after she asked her question. All eyes were on her and her best friend. Anabel snapped her gaze onto Lucy with an astonished expression, her heart beating a little faster. It took a moment for her to recover enough to respond. **"Me? Are you sure?"** she asked in a low voice, but everyone there still heard her.

Lucy gave a small smile over her question. **"Do I really have to say why? You're my closest and best friend. You know everything about me. Who else would I ask?"**

Anabel's eyes filled with water some before she hugged Lucy suddenly. **"Of course I will! I'll happily be your Maid of Honor!"** The women around them smiled happily for the two and even let out happy shouts of their own to celebrate it.

Lucy couldn't help herself and started letting out happy tears. **"Thank you but did you really have to make me nervous?"**

Anabel let out chuckle. **"I'm sorry, didn't mean to. I was just surprised."** The two separated and smiled at each other. **"So, do we need to guess who Brock's going to ask to be his Best Man?"** Lucy grinned at that and so did the rest in the kitchen. They all knew that there was only person he could ask…

On the thirty eight floor of the Indigo Plateau hotel, the Elites of the world were finishing up breakfast in the large dining room. The twenty three powerful trainers were seated along one very large and long table, having woken up earlier due to their alarms. For they wanted to be as prepared as possible for their upcoming battles against their challenger. It had been a while since any of them had been in the spotlight to show off their abilities and strength. Even with Sarah Wiseman defeating the Johto Elite, that had been quite some time ago. And yet, even with all of their jobs, responsibilities and tasks that they had to do as their region's elites and to help their champions, they still enjoyed a good battle as the next trainer. Yet their hunger for battle was more than a typical trainer's. It had to be or they would never have reached their current status in the first place.

Finishing up his meal, Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite picked up his tea and took a long sip. **"Ah,"** he sighed after, lowering his cup. **"Nothing better than tea after a good breakfast."** A few of the others agreed while the rest merely continued their eating. **"So, are we all prepared for today?"** he asked them.

A collective of confirmations came from the group, having prepared their pokémon yesterday and making a plan with their champions and fellow elites. **"I can't wait till noon. Which region gets to battle first?"** exclaimed Pheobe, practically bouncing in her seat.

" **The challenger gets to pick that and will you relax? You're not a child!"** scolded Glacia, annoyed over her behavior.

Before Pheobe could respond, another did for her. **"Let her be Glacia,"** requested Drake. **"It's only natural to be excited for a grand battle and you know how she is,"** he said, which made Pheobe give Glacia a triumphant smirk who glared back at her. Drake let out a sigh as he shook his head while the others chuckled over their antics. **"This better be worth it. That Ketchum better bring his A game."**

" **That's one thing you don't have to worry about Drake,"** said a red haired woman.

Drake faced the woman. **"I know that Malva. After what our most knowledgeable and experienced Elite…"** He glanced at the ghost master Agatha and gave her a respectful nod who returned it before facing the fire trainer again. **"…and remembering what he's done in just this tournament alone, I have realized that Ash will be a worthy opponent. I just don't want to get my hopes too high in having a great battle and then being disappointed."**

Several murmured their agreement over his words. **"We're all feeling the same way Drake,"** added Bertha, drawing attention to her now. **"We can sit here for hours and discuss this topic again. But that would be a waste of our time. We all know that we'll have a grand challenge and have some fun again."** She glanced at the clock in the dining room. **"You know, we should start getting ready."**

" **Agreed,"** said a voice, making them all turn their gazes towards the dining room entrance and saw their Champions there, except for one. **"You have more important things to get ready for,"** continued Lance as he, Steven, Alder and Diantha walked over to them.

" **Yes, you're right boss!"** replied Ethan instantly, standing up. **"I'm sorry for not being more serious about this! I promise that I'll do my best! That I'll make you proud to have me as one of your Johto Elites! I will do whatever it takes to…"**

" **Okay, alright, calm down Ethan,"** interrupted Lance, making the youngest member out of all the elites to go quiet at once. Several chuckled over his behavior, causing Ethan to go red in embarrassment and sat down. Lance knew that he was strong and had great potential. Yet, because he was a relatively fresh addition to the Elites, he was still adjusting and getting over the fact that he was one of them. And though there must be respect shown between them all, Ethan was being a little overboard and taking things way too seriously. **"Thank you for your commitment but remember to keep your head on straight Ethan,"** advised Lance and the young man merely nodded back, too embarrassed to say anything. The dragon champion faced the rest of the elites. **"Alright. We've come to tell you this before today's matches against Ash Ketchum."** Giving their utmost attention to him, they all went silent. **"Remember to not hold anything back. Go all out."**

Many of the elites nodded but one spoke up. **"Why is it that we're supposed to go all out?"** asked Marshal, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms. **"I mean, we're already planning on doing that. Isn't that why you helped us prepare all day yesterday? But why did you do that? None of you assisted us in getting ready before. So why this time?"** asked the Unovan elite, suspicious about their motives for doing that.

Several of them murmured their wonderings on that as well. Glancing at one another, the champions were each thinking the same thing, debating if they should tell them. A moment later and then Alder stepped forward. **"We'll tell you the reasons behind that but not yet. After the tournament is done,"** he said and they agreed to it, knowing they'll tell them.

" **Good luck with your battles today,"** said Diantha with a smile. **"And do your region proud. We'll see you at the stadium."** She and Lance glanced at one another before saying their farewells.

" **What about you boss? Aren't you going to say anything?"** asked Sidney for his team.

Steven smiled at his elites. **"Don't have to. I know you guys will do your best. That's all I want. And don't forget to have some fun,"** he told them before turning around to leave with Alder.

" **And that's why our champion is the best!"** exclaimed Pheobe happily as he left and several chuckled over it, while Steven became slightly embarrassed over her words as he left.

Some however took that as a declaration and one even decided to speak on behalf of his own. **"Please, our champion can wipe the floor with yours,"** boasted Flint while playing with a spoon in his hand, making Pheobe scowl at him, though the other Hoenn elites just ignored it.

But one from the other regions spoke his mind then. **"At least their champion was here. Where's yours? What's more important than seeing you off before you face your challenger?"** asked one of the Kalos Elites.

" **There's been no need before. This is just a special case I assume. Even so, our Champion already knows we won't hold back and believes in our abilities. She doesn't need to babysit us unlike yours do,"** he remarked, making some of the elites around the table narrow their eyes onto him, but he wasn't done. **"But what are you trying to say Siebold?"** asked Flint, his temper rising. Aaron nudged him gently on the side to remind him to stop but it was ignored. Bertha looked around at the other elites who didn't say anything.

" **Why ask a question when you already know the answer to it?"** countered Will instead with an insinuating tone. Flint and the rest of his fellow elites from Hoenn glared at the psychic trainer because of his tone but he wasn't fazed by it. **"Your champion was barely here yesterday and she didn't show up today. You want to know why? It's not because she believes in you or whatever. It's because she's too busy sleeping with the challenger."** Most of the elites had their eyes widen over what he said, with several of the females letting out gasps. Though they had suspicions of that because of the news and rumors, they didn't bring it into the open. But it looks like Will didn't care about being mindful. The Sinnoh Elites had their eyes growled at the Johto elite. **"What? Why get angry over something that's true? Haven't you heard the rumors? Or seen the news? And isn't she with him right now? Shouldn't she be here with you or with the champions instead?"**

They didn't answer him as someone else did. **"And what does that matter?"** asked Karen, his own fellow Elite. Will glanced over at her, surprised that she spoke up. **"Even if she is with him, do you think she'll just drop her responsibilities as a Champion and leave her Elites behind?"** she asked him in a rather fierce tone, making Will recoil a bit in his chair. The dark type trainer never liked it when people would speak about others in such a way behind their backs. And she definitely didn't like it when others spoke about what a woman does in her own personal time. She believed that it was nobody's business but hers and whoever is involved with her. **"And when was it important to even talk about other people's personal business?"**

Will was quiet for a moment before replying back. **"It's not like I spoke about her life. I merely stated the facts. She's not here and it's been implied that she's one of his girlfriends. Ergo, she's with him instead of being here to do her job. That's all."**

The water and ice type trainer had heard enough and spoke up then, abruptly cutting off Karen before she could reply back. **"And even if they are facts, where is it said that a woman's confidential and personal things should be shared with others? Especially without her consent?"** asked Lorelei angrily while glaring at Will.

The male elites noticed the furious expressions on the female elites and glanced at one another. They knew that Will was in some deep shit for crossing the line. He never did know when to draw the line, his arrogance of believing himself to be smarter than most getting him into trouble with those of the opposite sex many times. Will began defending his actions. But then the women would bring up other things. And some of those statements brought the other men into the mix. Soon, the elites, with only a handful staying out of it, were arguing with one another, even bringing up other issues that didn't even relate to what they were talking about originally. This went on for a few more minutes until one of them decided to end it.

A cane was banged against the floor a few times, its echoes silencing them. Agatha had heard enough of their squabble. **"Is this what we've become?"** she asked them angrily, glaring at them all. No one dared to say a word. She stood up from her chair and eyed them all angrily, making them freeze in their seats. **"You're acting like children when you should be setting the example. Who gives a damn who Cynthia is with or what she does? As long as she upholds her duties and responsibilities as a champion, everything else she does is of no concern to us. Same goes to each of you! Understood?!"** The ones who were arguing with one another slowly nodded their heads, too scared to speak. **"Good. Now, you must focus. We will have our battles soon enough and you must be ready. Show the world the power of an Elite. And if you should lose, do so with dignity."** No one said a word after Agatha once again set them straight. She turned around and began walking to her room. **"And one more thing,"** she called out to them while walking. **"Some of you were implying that Cynthia wasn't here to help her elites. Well, those preparations we did and the plans we made, she was there yesterday was she not to help out?"** She stopped to glance back to see several ashamed faces that they had forgotten that. **"She may be with him and love him. But she's also a champion and will uphold her duties as one. Just like she's always done."** With those final statements, Agatha left the dining area, leaving behind many stunned elites over what they just learned.

A moment later, the ones who were arguing, gave their apologies to one another over their foolish argument. Afterwards, they cleaned up the table and headed to their rooms to get ready. As they changed into their signature attire for whenever they officially battled, every single one of the elites thought about their upcoming battle with the aura guardian, feeling both excitement and anxiousness. For it was a long time since they all had official battles against a challenger and it was the first time they were doing things this way. Finally ready, they stepped into the living room of the suite and waited for the fellow elites. Glancing at the large clock hanging in the living room, they saw they had time but decided to make their way to the stadium. Going to their balcony, they brought out their flying pokémon to travel to the stadium.

At the Indigo Hospital, two people appeared out of thin air right in the middle of the room of one of its patients. The second that the raven haired guardian showed up, his water starter immediately moved towards him. Ash turned to face his pokémon, sensing that he wanted to say something. **"Hey, what's going on Greninja?"** he asked the blue frog in a slightly worried tone, causing Iris to also give a concerned expression. Greninja communicated to Ash through their aura bond, giving him information about what had occurred. After fully explaining, it took a moment for his trainer to give a reply. **"Okay. Thank you for telling me that and for doing as I requested. I hate to ask, but would you mind continuing to stay to watch over her?"** Greninja didn't say anything, either with sound or mentally. Instead, he gave his answer by moving back to his corner and took up a guarding position once more. Ash smiled at his pokémon and nodded his head. **"Thank you buddy,"** he said and the ninja frog nodded in return.

Iris wondered what they had talked about, having only heard Ash speaking. She wanted to know what would cause Greninja to just act like that. Seeing that Ash was now being silent, she wondered if he was alright. Moving closer to him, she was about to touch his shoulder to snap him out of it. But then she stopped herself from doing so an inch away from him. She didn't know what made her stop. What kept her from doing such a simple action? A second later, she lowered her hand and took in a silent breath, hoping he didn't notice what just happened. He didn't', but a certain round pink pokémon did. **"Ash?"**

Ash snapped out of it over Iris's worried tone and turned his gaze to look at her. **"Sorry Iris. Nothing to worry about. I was only thinking,"** he told her with a soft smile.

Unable to help herself, Iris smiled a little in return. **"Okay."** She allowed herself to look at him for a moment before turning to look at the comatose girl. Ash moved to stand beside the bed Natasha was lying on and that made the purple haired girl look at him again. She saw the concern written all over his face, how he was looking at her as if he lost something precious to him. That made her heart skip a beat as a thought entered her mind. _If I was lying there, would he look at me the same way?_ Immediately after thinking that thought, Iris felt ashamed of herself and couldn't believe she thought that. Forcing it out of her mind, Iris wanted to say something to distract herself and to get rid of the silence in the room. She walked closer to him, stood by his side and looked at the red head again. **"Did the doctors find anything?"** she asked in a low voice.

Ash shook his head. **"No. They couldn't find anything. For all they know, she shouldn't be like this at all. Even if she was a bad person before, she's not that person anymore. And this just happened out of nowhere. That's why I'm so worried."** He let out a sigh and shook his head slightly, making Iris look at him now. **"I'm worried that she'll never get a chance to pursue a new life and fix things. And I'm also worried that this might have something to do with the…the darkness that's coming,"** revealed the raven haired guardian in a heavy tone.

Iris understood him perfectly and she could practically feel how distraught he was. She had momentarily forgotten about the coming darkness. How he had trained and prepared for three years to face it night and day while suffering through so much. Compared to her own problems and issues, Iris felt as if it was nothing compared to what he had dealt with and what he had to face in the future. Once again, Iris felt ashamed but for many more reasons now. She turned her sight back towards Natasha while thinking.

Ash turned his gaze towards his friend and saw her staring at the red head sullenly. **"I'm sorry Iris."** His apology made the purple haired girl look at him. She was about to say something when he continued. **"I'm sorry for making you saddened because of my worries."**

Iris could feel the sincerity of his words and she felt that he was being ridiculous for saying that. She shook her head. **"No, it's alright. There's no need to apologize. I understand fully."** She faced Natasha again. **"It's hard when things don't go the way you thought they'd go,"** remarked the purple haired girl quietly.

Sensing Iris's aura being filled with negativity as well as hearing her say those words, made Ash remember what he noticed before. How she and Cilan were acting strange lately and how their auras were all messed up. Realizing that he should've acted on this earlier, Ash decided to find out just what had happened. **"Iris?"** She glanced at him. **"Is everything okay?"** he asked her quietly.

Feeling her heart beat a little faster, especially over the concern for her in his voice, Iris didn't know how to respond. She looked away from him, having her gaze towards the door. **"Everything's alright Ash,"** she said after a moment.

He wasn't buying it though. **"Hey…"** Ash waited for her to look at him again before he continued. **"I know when something's wrong Iris. I sensed it. I'm your friend and I'm here for you. So please, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"** He wanted to know why two of his closest friends were like this. And he also wanted to try to help them out. He knew that it wasn't his fault for not giving as much attention to his friends lately because of everything that has happened. But he still strived to be there for them as much as he could. And this is one opportunity to help someone he cares about that he couldn't let pass.

Hearing him say those words was not what she was expecting at all. Though she shouldn't have been surprised over how much he cares about his family, friends and pokémon. But after everything that had happened in the past between them and here at the tournament, she just didn't think that he would place her so high on his priorities and notice that something was off with her. Not when he had so many other things on his mind and how his heart belonged to several girls. Her eyes began to water but kept her tears at bay. However, she couldn't stop her body from shaking slightly. Not ready at all to let her deepest secret be known, especially to the one who it concerns, yet knowing that she had to say something, she told him something else instead. **"Cilan and I…are no more."**

" **No more?"** repeated Ash, slightly confused. Until it hit him a little later. **"Wait… you two…broke up?"** he asked her and Iris nodded. **"But…why?"** Iris didn't reply back. Instead, she just shook her head. **"Iris, what happened?"** he asked her, turning his body to fully face her. He was becoming filled with sadness and he felt a little guilty for not noticing how one of his friends was going through something so bad.

With her heart starting to beat faster, Iris tried to stay in control. To keep herself from losing it. **"We just realized that…that we aren't for one another. Even though we had good times together and were as happy as we could be, it just wasn't enough and wasn't what we really wanted,"** explained Iris, making Ash become incredibly astonished over what he was finding out. **"After the incident with Drax, we had argued many times about him and other things until we came to realize all that,"** she revealed to him.

Ash felt so horrible for Iris. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. **"Iris…I'm so sorry that happened. I don't know what I could do to change things for you or to make things better. Maybe I can talk to Cilan, make him see sense,"** offered Ash, wanting both of them to be happy. More so for Iris because he knew her well and that she was alone for the most part. Cilan still had his brothers and connoisseur buddies at least.

To hear him offer to do something like that for her made Iris become filled with emotion. That she was that important to him. **"Thank you Ash, but no. We both wanted this,"** she told him, turning to face him fully now as well. She couldn't hold back anymore, allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks. **"Like I said, it wasn't what we originally wanted. And we ended it on good terms. There's just nothing left."** Ash felt awful over how she said that there's just nothing left between them. During their travels through Unova together, he thought he saw something between the two and did his best to help them realize it and get together. And when he found out that they did in fact get together, he thought they were happy. But it looks like he was wrong once again. He was about to say something when Iris cut him off. **"It's okay Ash. Really. And now I can…I can finally focus on what's truly important to me. And I can see if…if I can…make my dream…come true,"** she told him while looking into his eyes before starting to let out some more tears.

Ash couldn't bear seeing her become so and as a result, he pulled her into a tight hug. Iris was stunned at first over his action but soon reciprocated the hug. Wrapping her arms around his back tightly, she allowed herself to let go and cried into his chest. Ash rubbed her back tenderly with one hand while the other stroked her long purple hair gently. " **Iris…I'm so sorry that you had to go through something like this. I know I haven't been a good friend lately but I swear I will do all I can to help you achieve your dream. Whatever it is, anything you need, anything at all, I'm here for you. I promise,"** he told her.

Iris continued crying in the embrace, wetting Ash's shirt with her tears. She was letting it all out now that she allowed herself to. And it was for everything that she hadn't done, that she had done and everything else in between. It took a few minutes for her crying to slowly stop and she started breathing heavily over it. A little bit later, she was able to calm down enough to raise her tear streaked gaze and looked into his brown eyes. **"Ash…I…"**

It was at that moment that the door to Natasha's room was opened, making her stop. Both Iris and Ash, while still in the embrace, turned to face who was coming into the room. Two people walked into the room and stopped after taking a couple of steps when they saw Ash and Iris. One was an unfamiliar nurse and the other was an unfamiliar man. Both were surprised to see that the red head had other visitors with one of the two started having his blood boil at the sight of the raven haired man. The nurse moved forward and began speaking. **"Hello there. I didn't know that Ms. Dobrev had other guests. When did you…hold on, is everything alright?"** she asked them after noticing the purple haired girl had been crying.

Iris separated from Ash and hurriedly wiped away her tears, feeling as if she had become hollow after leaving the embrace. Yet she quickly said something to not cause any awkwardness. **"We just arrived a few minutes ago and yes, everything is fine. We're just saddened over what our friend is going through,"** she said convincingly.

Ash went along with her story by nodding his head as he looked at the two. But when he looked at the man, he couldn't sense anything coming from him. No feelings, no intentions, no thoughts, nothing at all. _That's odd. I can't sense anything from him. Just like that Tanya person..._ Deciding to be a little more cautious around this new person, Ash kept calm as he spoke. **"That's right. My name is Ash and this is Iris. I was the one who brought Natasha here after she somehow fell into her coma,"** he informed them. **"And may I ask who you are?"** asked Ash, directing his question to the male.

The nurse understood, having been updated of the situation from Adrine and stayed in the room for the moment. She wanted to make sure that everything went alright before doing her checks and leaving the room. John was angry that the guardian was here. He had gone and spoke with Domino back at the motel, rested, prepared himself and came back. He was supposed to stay and wait for her signal to complete his task. But now, his mission may become compromised if the guardian realized his intentions. And he was angry for another reason. He despised him for being able to capture Natasha's affection so easily and quickly while he had been trying for years with no success. Controlling himself so he wouldn't fail when he was so close, the pilot kept things civil. **"My name is John Walters and I'm here visiting my girlfriend."** He made his point known by looking at Natasha.

Iris had her eyes widen a little while Ash didn't react visibly, keeping a neutral expression on his face. _That's odd. Natasha never mentioned that she had a boyfriend. She said that she was always alone. Who is this person? Something doesn't add up._ Walking towards John, Ash had locked his sight onto him. **"Is that so? Because Natasha never mentioned you to any of us and she's been with us for a while now,"** he stated seriously with a slight accusing tone of voice. He stopped in front of the man.

Both girls in the room became suspicious of John, understanding what the guardian was saying. John felt a little nervous but kept himself in check. Just like before, he remembered what Domino had told him to do and what she prepared for him to use in case of these scenarios popping up. He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. Opening it, he then took out a photo from it and held it for them to see. It was a picture of himself and Natasha in an embrace. **"Is this proof enough?"** he asked them, making Ash and Iris become surprised at the photo. **"She didn't tell you because she doesn't tell anyone. She keeps her personal life to herself most of the time,"** he told them. Nodding in understanding, the two girls relaxed a little and the nurse went to work, checking on the red head's vitals.

Ash however, still felt that something was off. He remembered what Natasha had revealed to him of who she was, how she had nothing and no one and had a hard life. He knew she was telling the truth because he sensed it from her with his aura. However, he couldn't do so with this John, just like back with Tanya. He couldn't verify his words with his aura and so he wanted to ask some more questions to see if he could find the whole truth. Even though John had a picture of the two together, it could mean nothing. But above all, he wanted to know one thing at least if this man truly was Natasha's boyfriend. Because if he was, then he should know about who she really was and who she worked for. But he had to be cautious of what he said and around whom. Deciding on what to say for now, Ash spoke again. **"Where were you?"** he asked John. His question made the nurse and Iris to glance at him over his question while John gave him a confused look. **"Where were you and how could you?"** repeated Ash with a little more force behind his voice and they all noticed it.

John felt anger rise within him over his tone. **"Excuse me? What the hell are you even saying?"** spat the pilot.

His anger rising, Ash's hand clenched into a fist. But then a gentle hand was felt over his enclosed hand. He glanced towards the hand and followed it to its source. He found that Iris was the one. Seeing the concern on her face, he calmed down and sent her a mental message. _Thank you Iris._ Her eyes widened at hearing his voice in her head, being surprised over it. Yet she quickly overcame it, remembering that he could do that and let go of his hand. Ash faced John again, having calmed down now and continued on with his questioning. **"If you truly are her boyfriend, how could you not be there for Natasha to prevent what happened to her? Where were you when she was beaten and violated?!"** asked Ash with a serious tone of voice coated with anger. The nurse had her eyes widen, moving her gaze onto John. Iris let out a silent gasp, now knowing what Ash was doing. He wanted to know why John wasn't there for Natasha in her hour of need.

John could tell that Ash was angry but so was he. He didn't like how he was being spoken to like that. _How dare he say that! Who the fuck does this piece of shit think he is?!_ He started yelling at Ash, his anger controlling him. **"It's none of your business where I was and what I was doing! I rushed to her side as soon as I heard about what happened to her!"** John was losing it, lost in his anger with his blood boiling. Something about the guardian just makes him lose his cool. And that reason involved the red haired woman. He kept going, saying whatever came to mind without hesitation. **"How dare you insinuate that I don't care about her! I tried my best to keep her safe as she's the most important thing in the world to me! But it was her fault for…"**

Ash swiftly moved forward and grabbed John by the neck with his right hand before pushing him against the room wall, slamming him against it, cutting him off. His action made both the nurse and Iris let out shocked yelps. Greninja and Blissey went on guard but stayed in their corners. Ash was absolutely furious over what he just heard. **"Natasha is not a** _ **thing**_ **,"** snarled the raven haired guardian, his grip tightening on John's throat but made sure he could still breathe. **"She's not an object for you to have and think about when it's convenient."** John was feeling intense fear fill him over what was happening, unable to react at all from that and from the pain he was feeling. The two other girls in the room were frozen in their spots over what they were witnessing. **"And for you to say that it was** _ **her**_ **fault for what happened to her…how dare you say something like that. A true man should always be there for his loved ones. He should drop anything and everything to be with them and help them when they need it. And he should never leave them alone if they aren't protected."** His grip tightening even more on his throat, John was starting to choke, having difficulty breathing. Seeing him suffer a bit, Ash leaned in closer before asking him a question. **"Do you understand?"** he asked, his blazing brown eyes narrowed onto him.

John's eyes were bulging and his breathing was ragged. But he answered the guardian out of fear. **"Yes,"** he barely wheezed out.

Ash let him go and John dropped to the floor immediately. The nurse snapped out of her trance and moved to check on the man. Iris was looking at the back of Ash with widened eyes, her heart pounding quickly. The way he just acted astounded her even though she always knew how Ash was. She's seen him do many incredible, crazy and heroic things. She's seen him care for others when no one else would, going out of his way to help those in need. She's seen him stand up against others, stand against overwhelming odds and against those with terrible views of others or the world. She's seen it so many times that she should be used to it by now. But every single time he did so, she would feel the same thing; stunned over his actions, that there was such a caring person in the world and feel something inside of her. A thought entered her head again during this time; _Ash sure does care about Natasha. But I wonder…does he care the same amount for me too?_ She brought herself out of her thoughts when Ash moved back to Natasha's side. She was about to say something when someone else spoke.

" **You're going to pay for this!"** shot John angrily as he stood back up on his feet with the help of the nurse and caught his breath. **"Do you know who I am and who I know?!"** he asked rhetorically. Iris glanced at Ash but he didn't move his gaze away from the comatose girl. John let out a growl but again he was ignored by Ash.

The nurse took a step away from John. This was getting way too intense and she needed help to contain it. She left the room to get some more staff involved to prevent more from happening. The second she left the room, Ash spoke freely now since there were no others. **"John,"** started Ash calmly, surprising both him and Iris. **"Did you know that Natasha was in Team Rocket?"** John froze in his spot and Iris gave Ash a bewildered look, astonished that he let that out. **"That she was here on a mission and the same people that had violated her were the ones she hired to get a job done?"** John kept quiet, even after Ash turned around and faced him. **"Did you? Answer me."**

John didn't say anything at first, since what the guardian just said made his anger vanish and become worried instantly. He didn't think that Natasha would come clean to the guardian about that. He thought about what he should say. He knew he was walking on a fine line. He wondered how Domino would handle this situation and that gave him an idea. **"You want to know the truth?"** he asked but Ash remained silent. **"The truth is I didn't know who betrayed her but I did know that she's with Team Rocket."** Iris let out a gasp but Ash didn't react, keeping a stoic expression on his face as he continued listening to him. The pilot continued on, expanding his story to make it sound more convincing. **"I knew she was one of them but I didn't care. Because I love her and would do anything for her. Even keep that secret for her. Even being alright with her not telling anyone about us. Because she was doing it for me, to keep me protected from them. And I said what I said before because I've been trying to convince her to leave them, to start fresh and not do what she did anymore. And that's the truth. And I won't allow you to keep me from her,"** finished John, surprised at himself for what he said. And he said so seriously and rather calmly. Maybe it was because since the guardian knew who Natasha really was, he had to be extra cautious now and keep his emotions in check. He couldn't lose control over himself anymore. Not when he was so close to what he wanted and the guardian was in the know.

Neither Ash nor Iris said anything for a bit since both were thinking about what he told them just now. After a few moments, Ash walked towards John, who went on guard. He stopped and raised his hand, causing him to become confused until the guardian spoke. **"I apologize for my behavior. I am merely concerned about Natasha since she's been through enough and trying to change now after what she went through. Will you agree to a truce?"** he asked John, who didn't react. **"For Natasha,"** added Ash after a moment, seeing him not take his offer.

John wanted none of that, wanting the guardian to go away or better yet, to perish while in agony. But he knew that this was an opportunity that he couldn't and shouldn't pass on. It would help him in his goal and mission. And perhaps he could even find out something and inform Giovanni about it. That would help him gain favor and position immensely. **"Alright, for Natasha,"** said John, agreeing to it and shook Ash's hand. Yet he felt disgusted with himself for doing so. _Can't believe that chip is working. I'm going to have thank Domino for that._ As they let go, he got a sudden idea. **"But I would like to have some privacy with my girlfriend. Not with your pokémon here,"** requested John.

Ash thought for a moment and Iris looked at him, wondering if he'll do that. **"I see. I understand what you want…"** he started, looking at Natasha for a few seconds before facing John again and continued. **"…but I want to make sure that she's protected. Especially from Team Rocket. If they find out that she failed her mission and come after her…"** Ash trailed off after emphasizing his last few words, letting what he said sink in.

John had his eyes widened. _Shit, he's right. If I disagree with this, it'll make him suspicious again._ John nodded slowly a moment later. **"You have a point. Alright, and I appreciate that."** Saying just those few words made him hate himself for it but kept up the act. It was then that the nurse retuned with several staff members. When they entered the room and asked what was going on, John answered them. **"Nothing's wrong. We just had a little bit of a communication problem but all is well now."** The staff looked around at the room's occupants and no one challenged his words. Seeing that nothing is happening, John spoke again. **"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom."** And with that, he left the room with the intention of using the bathroom as cover to make a call. The staff personnel glanced at one another before shrugging and leaving the room.

The moment the door closed and they were the only ones left in the room, Ash turned to face Greninja. **"Keep an eye on John and don't leave Natasha alone. I don't trust what he said but I can't prove anything yet."** Greninja nodded his head, agreeing with his trainer. Ash thanked his pokémon again before facing Iris. He found her in a trance. Iris was lost in thought, thinking about what just happened and how Ash was being crafty. It impressed her and yet also made her wonder if he was hiding other things as well. Things that could've been regarding the future war against the darkness. Or even her. And that made her emotions go all over the place. Ash sensed her feelings going haywire so he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her snap out of it and look at him. **"Hey, sorry about all that. Are you alright?"** he asked her.

Iris felt great comfort from his touch and calmed down because of it. She let herself smile a little before nodding. **"Yea. I'm okay. Thank you."** Ash returned the smile as he removed his hand and asked her if she wanted to tell him what she was going to say from before. Thinking at first about that, she then shook her head. **"No. It's not the right time. But I do feel a little better now."** Ash remarked that he was glad to hear that. **"And that was pretty sneaky what you just did there. I'm impressed,"** she revealed with a smirk.

Ash let out a sigh. **"Well, it's because I don't really trust him, even after what he said. Something's just off about him…"** When Iris asked what he meant by that, he explained. **"When I focused on him, I couldn't hear his thoughts or sense his feelings,"** revealed Ash, making Iris become shocked, having forgotten he could do that too, worried that he may have been listening to her thoughts as well at first. Until she heard his other words, that he had to focus on someone. She asked him if he's been listening in on her or anyone else's thoughts. **"No, not really Iris. I respect people's privacy. But sometimes I hear things without meaning to as I'm still trying to learn how to control it."** She understood what he said and nodded. **"And I understand. Whenever you're ready, I'm here for you. Okay?"** Hearing the sincerity in his words, Iris had her lips form into a soft smile and gave him a hug who returned it. Feeling comforted by it, Iris relaxed into the embrace for a moment before the two separated. Ash moved back towards the comatose girl and looked at her.

Iris didn't act for a moment until she moved to stand beside him once again, trying to be there for him like he's been there for her and so many others before. **"She'll be okay Ash. Especially with you watching over her. She's lucky to have someone care about her so much,"** admitted the purpled haired girl.

Ash turned his gaze to Iris and saw that she was looking at Natasha. He thought of how she's been alone most of the time, even though he and their other friends would catch up every now and then on the phone. Something hit him then that made him realize something. _Has Iris ever wondered if we care about her? Could she be thinking that we don't care because we haven't spent much time with her?_ Feeling immense guilt over that, Ash swore in his mind that he would make it up to her somehow. And he had to let her know what the truth is. **"She's not the only one I care about,"** he said and she moved her face to look at him. He smiled softly at her and she felt warm inside. She nodded at him, to show she got what he was saying. Ash felt a little better that she knew that and looked at Natasha for a final time before they left. _I hope you wake up soon. That nothing else happens to you. That you change for the better. And help us know what the truth is._ Letting out a sigh, Ash then said his next words out loud. **"You ready to go?"** he asked and Iris replied back that she was. Ash faced his pokémon. **"If anything bad happens, send word to me or Mewtwo immediately."** Greninja and Blissey agreed to it and the next second, both of them vanished in blue glows.

Ash and Iris reappeared in the living room of their hotel suite. The instant they appeared, they heard their family and friends talking, laughing and eating from the dining room. **"They started without us?!"** whined Ash, while making his way to join them. Iris followed after him with a big smile on her face, amused over his still childish ways when it comes to food.

The second they entered the dining room, the two caught the attention of the rest of the group who gave them greetings. Ash went to sit between Cynthia and his mother while Iris sat near the end of the table next to Serena. Nobody found it odd that Iris and Ash arrived together because they knew and trusted the two. And they knew that Ash had gone to check on his pokémon before the battles started, having been told by the girls. However, some wondered why Ash had Iris go with him to check on his pokémon. But one of them felt happy for the purple haired girl. Cilan gave Iris a split second look that almost nobody caught except for his brothers Chili and Cress. That made them become confused and both brothers decided to speak with him after their meal to find out what that look was for.

After Ash sat down and piled food onto his plate, one of the mothers spoke up as he began to eat. **"So Ash, are you ready for your battles today?"** asked Grace after sipping some tea.

Nodding his head to answer for the moment because his mouth was full, Ash quickly chewed and swallowed his food before speaking. **"Yup. My pokémon are ready to go. They're actually so excited it was a little hard to get them to calm down and pay attention when going over the plans,"** he revealed as he started cutting up his pancakes. Several from the group chuckled over his words, knowing how his pokémon were just like him; too excited sometimes to just settle down and be patient. **"But I finished up pretty early and came back around nine. I saw that almost everyone was still asleep except for Iris. I figured since I have some time left, I should check on Natasha and see if there were any changes. I asked Iris if she wanted to go too so she wouldn't be bored waiting for all of you to wake up,"** he joked and a few chuckled while Iris merely rolled her eyes.

The ones who were wondering why Iris was with him now understood and let out 'ohs' in understanding before moving on. **"So is there an update?"** asked Caroline in concern, with Norman glancing at the raven haired trainer.

Ash stopped chuckling and his expression turned serious. **"No, there wasn't. She's still in a coma."** His answer made many frown and several even felt saddened by the news. **"But something else happened that is just making me even more worried,"** said Ash before quieting down and stared at his half filled plate. He was thinking about John and what happened in the hospital room. He wondered if he was truly being honest with him…

His words made everyone become both worried and anxious, making them desire to know what occurred. **"What happened?"** asked Johanna for them all.

Seeing that Ash was lost in thought, Iris decided to answer for him. **"Well, when we arrived there, Natasha was still in a coma and nothing had changed,"** started Iris, drawing everyone's attention onto her now. **"But then someone entered the room with one of the nurses and…"** Iris explained everything that transpired during their hospital visit. To John saying he was Natasha's boyfriend, to the reasons why him and Ash argued, what Ash asked him, how John revealed he knew but didn't care about her past, how Ash didn't trust him because of his reasons and how he had his pokémon be extra careful because of all that.

When she finally finished, everyone now knew why it had taken them a while to come back home and were now thinking about it. Finally after a short silence, Anabel spoke up. **"That is weird that you couldn't hear his thoughts or sense his emotions, even though you were focusing on him."** Ash remarked that he had only ever experienced that once before. How back at the mall when they had their trip, he and Natasha bumped into one of her friends, Tanya and how she was odd like that too. **"Hmm, that is worrying. What do you think Sabrina?"** asked the Frontier Brain.

The psychic prodigy thought for a moment before answering. **"I don't know what the cause could be. Usually only another psychic or aura user would be able to shield their minds and/or their emotions from being read or sensed. And that's usually only if they are more powerful or skilled than the one attempting to do so,"** clarified Sabrina, making everyone think about what she just said.

" **But I don't think its something like that though,"** stated Ash after a moment to the group. **"After all of my training with Mewtwo and Lucario, it felt…different than another psychic or aura user trying to keep you from sensing their present state. I feel like I'm missing something too. Something that I've experienced before…"** he revealed and several exchanged surprised looks.

" **Well, the important thing is Natasha is being looked after by your pokémon and we're on our guard. Let's just be more cautious from now on and we'll come back to this later. You have some pretty important matches to get prepared for,"** advised Delia and many voiced their agreement. Ash nodded and said no more. The group continued their meals and conversations. Yet many were still thinking about what they just learned then. When everyone finished with their meals, Delia stood up and caught everyone's attention as she clapped her hands a few times. **"Alright people, time to clean this up and get ready to go. Chop chop!"**

As the group got up to do as she said, Cynthia turned to Ash. **"Hey, I have to go be with my fellow Champions since our Elites are battling against you today. I hope you're ready,"** said Cynthia as she helped clean up the table, ending her words with slight taunting.

Ash let a grin form on his face as the two headed into the kitchen with the others while carrying their dirty plates and utensils. **"Alright Cynthia and I think you should be worried about your Elites instead,"** he shot back with respectful competitiveness.

Cynthia gave a playful glare after they both placed their items into the sink. **"Is that so? Well, even if you do get lucky, and beat them all, you'll still have to verse me and the Champions at the same time. You think you got what it takes?"** She was enjoying this little teasing banter between the two. Though she loved Ash and he loved her, the two were also competitive by nature. Both were glad that they could be so with one another.

Ash's grin grew wider and he gave her a cocky look as the two and everyone else made their way into the living room. The dishes would be taken care of later. **"Oh Cynthia, what I have in store for your Elites, it's going to be something you've never seen before. You're going to be so surprised. Why, I bet in the end, when I beat your elites, you'll be left with your mouth open before begging me to teach you myself,"** he boasted.

That bold statement of his made Cynthia and the others who heard him laugh out loud before most of the group split off and went into their own rooms to get ready. Cynthia stopped in the middle of the living room and crossed her arms, making Ash stop as well. She was giving him a disbelieving look over his words. **"Really? After everything we've seen you do and knowing what kind of pokémon you have, how could you surprise me? And as strong as you are, you really think you can take on each region's elites at once? And not only that, but us champions all at once too?"** she asked him seriously. Ash didn't reply back with words but with his actions. He crossed his arms and gave a respectful challenging look that made Cynthia take in a sharp breath at once. It was the exact same look he first gave her when they first met all those years ago. The look that caught her eye, intrigued her and made her think about him from that day on. She felt her heart beat faster all of a sudden. However, the powerful champion maintained her composure and kept up the act while also getting an idea. **"I see. Well then, we'll see what you got. And if you are able to do that, if you can beat my elites and the rest…if you can beat us champions all at once…"** She walked closer to him before leaning in to whisper the rest in his ear. **"…then I guess I would have to reward you."** Using her hair has cover, Cynthia nibbled against his ear lobe, causing him to have a shiver go through his body before pulling away from him. Giving him a devious grin but also blushing like mad over what she just did, having never done something of the sort before, Cynthia then quickly yet gracefully walked towards the balcony, while leaving her beloved frozen in his spot.

Ash watched her take out a poke ball and tossed it into the air. Her Garchomp appeared with a loud roar before she took off to meet up with her Elites. He didn't move from his spot since he was watching her fade into the distance. _A reward huh? Well, I'll hold you to it Cynthia._ Ash smiled to himself and when she was no longer visible, he went to his room to change and get ready.

Two blunettes were changing their clothes with large smiles on their faces. Both Lizabeth and Shauna were feeling incredibly happy over last night's events. It was hard containing their newfound states during breakfast. But now that they were in the privacy of their room, they allowed themselves to smile like crazy. Glancing at one another, they knew what the other was thinking and feeling. And they didn't need their newly formed aura bond to know that. **"So, on a scale of one to ten, how happy are you right now?"** asked Shauna jokingly. She took off her top and looked through her clothes to find another.

Lizabeth placed her right index finger to her mouth as she had a mock thinking expression on her face. **"Hmm, I would have to say…eleven,"** she answered in a serious tone before giggling.

" **Idiot,"** responded Shauna without even looking back but then she giggled a bit too. Finding a top she liked, she took it out and looked at herself in the mirror with it over her body. **"Perfect."** She was about to put it on when she noticed her aura tattoo in the mirror. **"You know, I never thought that I would like having a tattoo."**

Lizabeth looked at her while in the middle of putting on new pants after taking off her clothes. She saw her friend looking at her tattoo in the mirror with a smile. She buttoned her pants and then looked at her own tattoo. The perfect blue circle with the seven dark blue lightning bolts in it on her stomach's left side. The pure white lettering of her beloved's name that was centered in the middle of it all. **"It's funny, neither did I,"** she remarked, which made Shauna glance back at her. **"But I wonder if my parents would get angry at me over this and everything else,"** she said, letting her fears out again.

Knowing how traditional her family is, Shauna knew the reasons why Lizabeth was worried. She spoke to her through the mirror. **"Hey, don't worry about it too much,"** she began, making her friend look up at her. **"Especially now since they're not here. We'll cross that bridge together when we reach it. And you know that Ash won't let you go through that alone either. None of us will,"** promised the Hoenn fighter.

Unable to help herself, Lizabeth smiled and nodded at her, feeling a little better. Yet she was still slightly worried. Without thinking, she placed her hand gently onto her tattoo. Instantly she felt a wave of comfort wash over her that seemed to come from the symbol itself. **"Whoa,"** gasped Lizabeth, making Shauna tilt her head at her from the mirror. **"Oh my…when I touched it, I felt this relaxing energy just spread through my body. And I felt like…like…"**

" **Like you were floating on a cloud?"**

" **Yea. How'd you know?"**

Shauna giggled a bit before answering her. **"I touched mine accidently last night when I was trying to sleep while on that big bed with everyone but couldn't because I was thinking too much about everything."**

" **Oh."** They both went silent for a moment, with their faces reddening since they remembered how they slept last night. The first time they all shared an experience together, even if it was something as normal as sleeping. Until Lizabeth spoke again. **"Hey, remember when Lucario said that it will let Ash know what we're feeling when we touch them? Do you think he sensed it?"**

Shauna wondered about that for a moment. She then shrugged before continuing to get dress. **"I don't know. Maybe. He sensed that you were sacred last night right? Was anything different from then and now?"**

Thinking carefully about that, Lizabeth put on her new blouse and buttoned it up. **"Well, last night when we first got them and I saw that I had a tattoo on my body, I was terrified. Like really scared because I feared what my parents would say about it."** Silence filled the room until she had an idea as to what the difference could be. **"I think…I think Ash only feels it when it's extreme. Because I was very scared last night but right now when I touched it, I wasn't as scared as last night."**

Shauna considered what she heard and nodded after a moment. **"That makes sense. I mean, if Ash sensed or felt every little thing from us, he'd go crazy."** Giving each other a knowing look, both blunettes burst out laughing and continued for a bit before finally calming down. They finished getting dressed and once ready, left their room and headed towards the living room to wait for everyone else.

When everyone had split up to go into their rooms to change, Cress and Chili told Lily and Violet that they'll meet up with them in the living room before they split up. Both brothers went to their room, quickly changed and then left it to follow up on what they saw earlier. Reaching his room, Chili didn't bother in knocking on the door as he just let himself in and Cress followed in from behind. **"Cilan?"** called out the blue haired brother as he stepped inside.

" **What is it?"** answered Cilan's voice from the attached bathroom.

" **Hey bro, we gotta talk to you about something,"** informed Chili.

" **Alright. Give me a minute."** While waiting for their brother, the two siblings sat on the two twin beds and looked around the room. Noticing that Iris's belongings were gone, the brothers shared a concerned look. Right then, the bathroom door opened and Cilan stepped out, making his brothers look at him. **"Alright. I'm dressed and ready to go. What's going on?"** he asked his brothers.

Chili stood up and crossed his arms. **"Bro, we should be asking you that question."** Cilan gave a confused look and glanced at Cress who said nothing since he knew their rash brother would just spit it out sooner or later. **"What's going on with you and Iris?"** And there it was.

Their green haired brother said nothing for a moment before letting out a sigh. **"Nothing."**

Both Cress and Chili exchanged looks once more before the blue haired brother spoke this time. **"What do you mean nothing?"** asked Cress as he stood up now as well. **"Iris's belongings aren't here. You left her alone during Ash's match against Tobias and never came back. Iris has been hanging with the others more often and you haven't been around lately, always taking off in the morning and coming back in the evening."** Each piece of evidence that he mentioned was making Cilan become more and more flustered. But before he could even think of something to say, Cress kept going until he finished it up with a question. **"And so I will repeat what our brother just asked you; what's going on with you and Iris?"**

Frozen in his position, Cilan didn't move or say anything for a moment as he thought about what to say, how to answer their questions. How to give them the truth without causing more trouble and issues for Iris or himself. Taking in a deep breath, Cilan then exhaled it out before he began speaking. **"And I will repeat what I said before; nothing."** His brothers gave confused and alarmed expressions before he clarified what he meant. **"Nothing because there is nothing. Iris and I are no more."**

Finally understanding their brother, both Cress and Chili had their eyes widen, shocked over hearing that. **"What? Why?"** asked both brothers at the same time.

" **It's a long story but I'll try to not make it too long."** Cilan began explaining everything. About his past failed relationship with Roxie. About him spending time and using Iris in a way to get over that. How he noticed that she was trying to reach her goals but he did nothing to help her, thinking it would be best that she did them on her own. Ignoring the signs that depicted how they weren't for one another. The incident with Drax and how he started questioning their relationship and wondered if it was right. He even included how after that, they were arguing nonstop, even over trivial matters and couldn't come to common ground. That lead to their agreement in calling it quits and took some time away from one another. How that allowed them to figure out what both of them truly wanted. That he wanted to be with Burgundy and how she wanted to pursue her dream of being a great dragon trainer and another dream that he couldn't tell them. And how they had one final talk and apologized to each other before burying the hatchet and moving on from one another in a mutual and friendly manner.

During the entire time that he explained things, Cilan never once mentioned Iris having feelings for Ash. He mentioned their searching for him, but nothing else. He didn't believe that it was necessary for his brothers to know and he had promised her that he would do all he can to help her. And this was the least he could do for her as a friend since he had done wrong by her. He would never again be a shitty friend and that was one vow he couldn't break again. And so, withholding only those bits of information, he wanted them to understand that this was not Iris's fault whatsoever and not to hold a grudge or anything against her. In fact, he'd much rather they think he was at fault for it all.

"… **and that's everything,"** finished up Cilan and he took in a breath. He had talked for a while nonstop, with his brothers listening to every word with rapt attention. Even Chili, who normally couldn't sit still for too long, managed to stay quiet and listen. **"I want to be with Burgundy and I have been spending time with her lately. And I'm happy with how everything turned out,"** he told them with a small smile on his face.

Cress thought about everything that his brother just revealed to them before asking something that came to mind. **"You are? Are you happy for Iris too? Is that why you gave her a happy look when she arrived with Ash?"** he asked his brother, making Chili glance at him before facing Cilan again.

" **Yes and it's because she's pursuing her dream."** His brothers asked him what he meant by that and he tried to explain it in a way where it wouldn't be too suspicious. **"Ash is one of the few who can help her become a great dragon trainer. And you know how he is. He has this uncanny ability to make people do their best. He'll support her, encourage her, be a much better friend to her than I ever was or could even be and that will help her accomplish her dreams,"** he admitted to his brothers and they finally understood. _And perhaps, in the process, things may blossom from there,_ thought Cilan in his head. **"You know, I would like to thank you for-AH!"**

Chili had just punched Cilan in the chest. **"That was for acting like an ass with Iris."** Cilan said he was sorry about that and even apologized to her too. Giving him sympathetic looks, the two brothers felt bad for their sibling. Yet Chili hit him again, with this time smacking him upside the head, making Cilan yelp in pain once more. **"And that was for keeping this secret from us. You dodo brain, why keep something like this a secret? And why not tell everyone so we don't think that something's wrong and worry over nothing?"**

" **I'm sorry,"** apologized Cilan while massaging his head. **"Were you really worried?"**

" **It's alright and yes we were,"** admitted Cress as he placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. **"But now that we're on the same page, we can move forward and not worry about it anymore."** Cilan smiled slightly and nodded.

Overcome with emotion all of a sudden and glad that everything was alright, the red haired brother just wanted to say something at that moment. **"Good! Now the three musketeers are on the same page again! Oh I love you guys!"** cried Chili as he hugged both of his brothers tightly.

" **Chili…you're breaking my back! Let me go!"** requested Cilan while Cress just endured it but his brother didn't heed his plea. He kept hugging them for a little while longer before finally letting go. Cilan rubbed his back and let out a groan. **"Thank Arceus…"**

Chili grinned at his brother and Cress merely chuckled. **"C'mon Chili, let's go. Violet and Lily are probably waiting for us already."**

" **Oh damn, that's right! C'mon bro! Our gals await!"** stated Chili. He was about to leave when he was held back by Cilan grabbing the back of his shirt. **"What the hell man?!"**

" **Listen,"** started his green haired brother seriously, catching his and Cress's attention. **"Don't tell anyone what I told you. They don't need to know. Iris and I will tell them soon that we're not together and it was mutual and that's it. Okay?"** His brothers nodded in reply. **"Good. And thanks."**

" **No problemo bro. We got your back. Alright, let's go!"** exclaimed Chili as he threw open the door and made a beeline to the living room with Cress following after him calmly. After his brothers left, Cilan thought of when he and Iris could tell everyone at once so these kinds of situations wouldn't come up anymore. Not getting an idea, he decided to think about that later. Instead, he called a certain girl to set up a rendezvous point at the stadium.

When their boyfriends told them that they'll see them back in the living room, Lilly and Violet when to change and get ready themselves. But the second they stepped inside their room, they noticed that their eldest sister was in the room. Daisy was sitting on her bed, hugging her Squirtle doll while having the largest smile they had ever seen on her face. **"What are you so happy about?"** asked the blue haired girl as she opened the dresser and looked for a different blouse to wear.

Daisy faced her sisters when they entered the bedroom but didn't say anything until Violet asked the question. **"Oh, you know, it's just a great day. And a lot of good things have and is happening after all the bad stuff,"** she told them while still having the crazy large smile on her face.

Lily raised one of her eyebrows and stopped tying her shoes. **"Like?"**

" **You know what I mean,"** remarked Daisy but her two sisters gave her 'just explain' looks. **"Well, you two are in good relationships with Chili and Cress."** Violet and Lily smiled and felt happy feelings fill them from her words. **"Misty is with Ash and he's about to face the Elites of the world in awesome battles."** Nodding their heads in agreement with that, the two continued getting dressed. **"And there's no attack coming anytime soon from what Arceus told us so we don't have to think about that right now and just enjoy our time here."**

" **Good points,"** commented Violet, putting on her skirt and buttoning it. **"But that still doesn't explain why you're so freakin happy all of a sudden. I mean, I'm glad that you're happy. But you're a little too happy and that's freaking me out,"** admitted the blue haired girl.

Daisy laughed at that. Though what she said was the truth, she wanted to tell them the biggest reason behind it too. But she couldn't. Not yet. She and her new 'sisters' had agreed to keep what happened last night a secret for the time being. That they would only reveal it after the tournament. And would set up new rules in a way to make sure everything was fair. But until then, they just had to keep it to themselves while Cynthia finally had her turn and that was fine by them. For they had several to speak about it all with and if they were being honest with themselves, they were having a lot of fun keeping this secret between just them. While laughing a bit, Daisy came up with an idea to mess with her sisters for the time being. **"Well, if you must know, I found someone,"** revealed the eldest Waterflower. She grinned at her sisters shocked faces, who were frozen by the news. _Okay, it's gonna take a few seconds for them to react to this news. And I bet it's gonna be in 3…2…1..._ Lily and Violet both let out surprised yet thrilled shrieks right when Daisy counted to zero and both sisters shot to the blonde. They gave her tight hugs while saying things nonstop.

" **I'm so happy for you!"**

" **Who is he?!"**

" **Do we know him?!"**

" **We can have triple dates!"**

" **Where'd you meet?"**

" **Is he tall?"**

" **He better not be hotter than our boyfriends!"**

" **Where's he from?"**

" **It is a 'he' right?"**

Daisy was enjoying herself over keeping quiet from their questions and statements. Though she did reply that of course it was a guy that she met with a peeved look. But both sisters merely shrugged and just commented back that they wouldn't have cared if it was a girl. They just cared if she was happy and the one she picked was a good person, especially to her. Daisy filled with emotion over what her sisters said. **"Aw, thanks you guys!"** She hugged her sisters and they reciprocated the hug. **"But it is a guy and I'm still not saying anything to you."**

" **Aw, come on!"** whined Lily, separating from the hug while Violet gave a disappointed look.

" **I'll tell you but not yet. After the tournament. Okay?"** she reasoned with them and both sisters glared at her before they reluctantly agreed. Continuing on with their wardrobe change, the two got ready and the third joined them in leaving the room.

In one of the other rooms, two girls were waiting for their friend to finish getting ready. Liza and Clair were ready to go before breakfast, having changed into their attire already. But Giselle wanted to change what she was wearing. For the matches started at noon and would probably take a long time to finish so she wanted to dress for the more than likely warm weather.

After watching the black haired girl look through her clothes for a bit, the blunette turned to her green haired friend. **"So, when are you going to tell Ash about the gauntlet?"**

Giselle glanced back at the two before continuing on yet kept listening. Liza let out a sigh before shaking her head. **"I'm not sure Clair. I don't think now is the right time but I'll probably tell him when this tournament is finally over."**

Agreeing with her, Giselle decided to give her two cents worth. **"That's probably the best course,"** she started, causing the two women to look in her direction as she put on her attire. **"I mean, you're already with him and so are we. No need to try to do everything at once,"** advised the younger girl.

" **You make a fair point there valedictorian,"** commented Liza with respect.

Giselle smiled though she reddened slightly over being called that. She never could handle praise all that well anymore. Not since when Ash opened her eyes to how conceited she was being in the past. **"Thank you."**

" **You're welcome,"** replied Liza before getting up and stretching, arching her back. **"Well, that's the only thing I have to do and with what happened between him, me, you, us, it's practically the same thing."** She sat back down and grinned at her sisters. **"I just have to let him know about the fine print later on I guess,"** she remarked and her two friends shook their heads in amusement. **"What about you two?"**

" **Do you mean about our families and things like that?"** asked Clair and Liza nodded. **"Well, you already know what I decided. And Lance is on board so they won't make much of a fuss."**

Giselle's eyes widened and she glanced back at the gym leader while in the middle of putting on her clothes. **"Lance knows about you loving Ash?!"** she asked her new sister with surprise.

Clair chuckled a bit and so did Liza. **"Yea, he does and he's supporting me. But even if he wasn't, and my family says I have to get with a powerful dragon trainer, Ash is already one. So either way, I don't have anything to worry about,"** she revealed with a happy and confident look.

Giselle nodded her head and turned away from the two. **"That's good. I wish I could say the same about my family though."** When Liza and Clair asked her what's wrong, she finished getting dressed, sat down on her bed and explained while putting on her shoes and tied the laces. **"My parents are very old fashioned. They believe in proper backgrounds, arranged marriages, upholding traditions and all that."** Giving the black haired girl sympathetic looks, both Clair and Liza understood what she was saying. That she was going to have to go against her family. Giselle finished tying her laces and leaned against her knees with her elbows. **"I know that you two had to deal with that too but you were able to find a way out or got lucky. I don't know what I'm going to do honestly when I have to tell my Mom and Dad about all this and how they're going to take it."** Burying her head in her hands, Giselle closed her eyes and thought about all that.

Clair and Liza got up at once and sat down on opposite sides of their sister and each placed a hand on her back to show that they were there for her. **"Hey, we'll be right there with ya when you do so don't worry about it just yet,"** suggested caretaker and the gym leader voiced the same.

The valedictorian felt better from their actions and words and raised her gaze to face the two. **Thanks you two. You're right, I shouldn't worry about this right now."** Smiling at them and receiving one in return, Giselle stood up. **"I'm ready. Let's go,"** she told them and the three left the room together.

Four girls had gone to their room when the large group split up to get ready to watch their beloved battle against the Elites. While changing their attires, they talked happily, joked and even made a few predictions over who Ash might use and how the battles might go. They were just about ready when the door was knocked on. **"Who is it?"** asked May.

" **It's me,"** replied a young woman's voice.

" **Come on in Daisy,"** said Dawn and the eldest sensational sister walked in and closed the door. **"You know you don't have to knock anymore right?"** teased the Sinnoh native.

" **Yea, I know. Old habits die hard,"** replied back Daisy and they chuckled. **"So, you ready yet?"**

" **Almost,"** answered Misty as she brushed her hair.

" **Hey Daisy, Misty…"** started Serena, making the two blood sisters look at her. **"Have you told Violet and Lily yet?"**

That question made May and Dawn to look at them as well. Misty and Daisy looked at each other. **"Not yet. We'll tell them after the tournament. But I did have some fun with them just now,"** revealed the eldest sensational sister before she explained what happened and the five of them laughed.

Before any of them could say anything else, their bedroom door opened and a group of girls walked in. Sarah, Anabel, Leaf and Sabrina were ready to go and wanted to see what was taking their sisters so long. **"Hurry up slowpokes! I want to get good seats,"** stated Leaf as the four of them sat down on the beds.

" **Oh relax will ya? We still have half an hour and we somehow always manage to find seats together,"** countered May. Leaf crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air while the rest chuckled.

At that moment, the door opened once more and several more girls walked in who were Shauna, Lizabeth, Giselle, Clair and Liza. **"We were wondering what's taking so long but now we know. Having a meeting without us?"** asked Liza as she gave a fake pout.

The girls in the room merely rolled their eyes. **"Not really,"** replied Sabrina. **"We just randomly grouped up here wanting to see if they were ready to go,"** revealed the psychic prodigy.

" **That makes sense since that's what we did as well,"** replied Giselle as she took a seat on one of the beds.

The other girls also took up positions around the room. One of the new arrivals then asked a question. **"Hey, by the way, I know we said after the tournament we'll tell everyone, but when exactly? And how are we going to do it?"** asked Lizabeth after a moment.

The girls went silent for a bit before they all turned their gazes onto one from their group. All eyes had locked onto the red haired mermaid who tilted her head. **"Why are you all looking at me?"** she asked them in confusion.

" **Ah, we voted for you to be the 'leader', remember?"** reminded Sarah kindly.

" **Oh. Right."** Misty looked down at her feet. **"I'm sorry but I completely forgot about that because of what happened last night."** The girls smiled softly as a couple of them had their left hands placed gently over their clothes where their aura tattoos were. Misty thought for a bit before saying something. **"Well, when the tournament is done, I guess we could set up some sort of get together where we could invite our families and close friends and let them all know at once. About our very hard to believe situation as well as about what's coming in the future. What do you think?"** she asked them.

Each of her sisters thought about what she suggested. Then, glancing at one another, they all nodded and voiced their agreement. **"Good work leader!"** praised May, slightly joking and the others laughed.

Misty allowed herself to chuckle too before continuing to get dressed. As she did so, she let out a relieved breath and began thinking about her 'position'. She was in no ways the eldest out of the group or even the most experienced. She merely traveled with Ash the longest. No one could deny what she's done with and for him of course and vice versa. But she wondered if it was fair to her sisters for her to have this kind of 'power' so to speak. If she would be able to be a good leader for them. If she truly could speak on their behalf to Ash or to others regarding their situation with him.

Looking at the other girls through the corner of her eyes, she remembered all the things the other girls have done with and for Ash. Especially May, Dawn and Serena who had traveled with him as well. What he did for and with them as well. And the three, along with the other girls, each of them had the qualities and even the right to be the 'leader' as well. And they did have their own set of rules in place that they all had to follow. So, was it necessary for there to even be a leader?

As Misty thought about all that, she finished getting dressed and once her sisters were ready as well, they all headed out of the room towards the living room. Deciding to think about the 'leader' role more heavily later on, whether it was necessary or if it should be changed a bit if not gotten rid of, the red head focused on what was happening right now. Joining the others already there, they waited for the last few people to show up. And one of those people was coincidently the person they were going to go watch battle…

Earlier on when Ash went to his room so he could change into his guardian's uniform, he felt a rush of excitement going through his body. He knew he had more important things to get ready for that was coming in the future. But he just couldn't help it. He was about to challenge the Elites of the world. Something he had dreamed about since he was a little kid. Slipping his belt around his pants through the belt holes, the door was knocked on before it opened. He glanced back to see that it was his mother who walked in. **"Hey Mom,"** he greeted her before turning his attention back to his belt, facing away from her. He fastened it and moved towards the rest of his guardian's attire that was hanging on the door.

Delia smiled at her son, extremely proud and happy over what he's reached. Even the scars on his back couldn't make her become sullen. If anything, they made her feel even more good things over who her son grew to be. A courageous, selfless, caring and handsome young man. **"Hey sweetie. You almost ready? Everyone is waiting for you,"** informed Delia.

" **Sorry, I'm almost done,"** he said as he put on the long sleeved tight black shirt. He turned around afterwards and was about to put on his blue vest when he saw his mother in a trance. **"Mom? Are you okay?"** he asked her.

Delia snapped out of her stupor when she heard her son speak. She shook her head and formed a small smile on her face. **"Yes, I'm fine sweetie. I'm just so proud of you and excited to see you get closer to your dream. I'll wait with the others so hurry up okay? And good luck!"** she said as she left the room.

" **Thanks Mom,"** he said as he watched her leave. Continuing to get dressed after she left, it took a few more minutes for him to get ready. Now tying his black boots, he finished up and glanced at his Pikachu who woke up earlier from his nap and was waiting for him while sitting on the bed. **"You ready buddy?"** he asked him. Pikachu nodded and jumped to his shoulder. He stepped out of his room and went into the living room. Seeing everyone there, he smiled at them and they returned it. **"Well, this is it. Time for me to face the Elites. You guys ready to go?"**

" **Hell yea! This is gonna be awesome!"** stated Max, pumping his fist into the air, making several chuckle over his excitement. Bonnie shook her head over her now boyfriend's behavior but was smiling.

" **Good luck buddy,"** said Brock while standing next to Lucy who voiced the same.

" **Thanks you two."** Ash turned his gaze towards his girlfriends. The eight that the group knew about and the six others that no one knew about yet were standing near each other. He smiled at them before saying something. **"If I win, I have a surprise for you all."**

That made them become curious. **"Ouh, what is it?!"** asked Anabel with excitement.

" **Like I said, if I win, you'll see,"** he told them, making his girlfriends give him playful glares that made him smirk before he vanished from sight.

Next second, the group was teleported to be in front of the stadium. **"That Ketchum! Always making us wait,"** whined Sarah, making her friends chuckle.

" **Come on, let's go get our seats,"** advised Sabrina and they agreed.

The group made their way inside the stadium and once again, they found a good area for them all to sit together. As they sat down together and got comfortable they looked around the stadium at the other spectators while they waited for the battles to begin. As they waited, many conversations began occurring between them while some were just staying quiet. Among those, Cilan was waiting for a call from Burgundy so he could go and meet up with her at their rendezvous point. Another was Iris, who was lost in thought over what she went through with Ash that morning. Violet and Lily, who normally would've been speaking with their boyfriends Chili and Cress, were whispering to one another as they tried to figure out who this guy was that their sister had met. The two brothers didn't mind and just spoke with each other as they did that. Or more accurately, Chili talked while Cress listened.

There was one from the group who was chatting away with the other parents to keep herself distracted. She didn't want to dwell on what she had decided to do after what happened earlier on when she had seen something in her son's room. When he was putting on his clothes, before he could cover it up, Delia had seen a blue symbol on his chest because of the mirror on the dresser. The second she saw it, she had become stuck in a trance until her son speaking brought her out of it. After quickly coming up with something and wishing her son luck, she left his room and made her way to one of the nearby bathrooms.

While in the privacy of the bathroom, Delia looked at herself in the mirror and began thinking. _What was that?_ Trying to remember what she saw exactly, the image in her mind sharpened a little and she let out a gasp. _It couldn't be…could it?_ Placing her hands on the counter, she hung her head and looked at the floor. _If it is…what does this mean?_ Her sight moving to her stomach, she wondered if it was the same thing that she had gone through in the past…with him. Maneuvering her left hand to the left side of her body, she grasped her blouse and raised it. Looking at it for a moment, she then raised her gaze back to the mirror on the wall. A reflection of a perfect blue circle with seven dark blue lightning bolts spaced evenly in it along with pure white lettering that spelled out her husband's name was clearly seen. Seeing its reflection, Delia's eyes filled with water. _It is the same…but what he told me in the past about it…about what it represented…is it true?_ She let go of her blouse and it covered her body once more. Leaning against the counter again, Delia took in a slow breath. _And if it's not…does that mean that…that there is a chance…that my Ashy...could make the same mistakes? That there is a chance, however small it may be, that what he has with the girls, could fade or isn't real?_

She looked herself in the mirror and thought some more. Memories of the past flowed through her mind for a while. Then she thought about her son's memories and what the girls had done for him in front of everyone. She closed her eyes and shook her head. _No…that can't happen because this is different. And I'll make sure that my Ashy knows. I I'll tell him after his matches so he can stay focused right now. I will do everything I can to make sure that they don't go through what I did! I swear it!_ After making that promise, Delia washed up and left to join the others before they left for the stadium.

By speaking with the girls' parents, Delia kept herself distracted and was able to stay in a somewhat cheery mood until the matches began. And luckily for her, she didn't have to wait long at all. Because only a couple minutes later, the announcer's voice boomed out through the speakers and the crowd quieted down to listen to him. **"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE! IT'S NOW TIME TO START THE BATTLES THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN EAGERLY WAITING FOR! THE EXTENDED MATCHES OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT BETWEEN THE ELITES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR CHALLENGER WILL NOW BEGIN!"** At that moment, the trainer entrances on both sides of the field had their large steel doors open. Many people exited out of the tunnels with excited yet determined gazes as they walked onto the field to the welcoming roar of the crowd…

* * *

 _ **A/N - How'd you like that cliffhanger? lol I know, I'm sorry but it had to be done that way. I had to explain some things after what happened with Ash, the girls, Team Rocket, the Elites and everything else. But some good news! I've already started working on the next chapter and hopefully it'll be out sometime next month. Check out my profile for more details on the stories that I'm working on. Thanks for reading, and take care! Remember to review, favorite and follow!**_

 _ **Question 1 -**_ _What did you think of Oakley and Annie's portrayal?_

 _ **Question 2 -**_ _Which scene was your favorite part?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -**_ _Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **My Other Stories**_ _ **(**_ _Please check out my other stories and leave a review!_ _ **)**_

 _ **"Tale of the Forsaken" -**_ _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_

 ** _"Agma Sins" -_** _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_


	54. Chapter 54 - The Elites' Challenges

_**A/N - Hey, what's up Fanfiction? Hope you're all doing well. I know it's been a while since my last post but for this chapter, many things happened. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get the flow right in it and nothing was coming out right. And since there was a lot that needed to be talked about, I had to make sure everything went smoothly.**_ ** _This is hands down the MOST difficult chapter I've ever written._**

 ** _Plus, I had no more time than maybe half an hour or so writing sessions for the most part as I started working 2_ j** _ **obs on and off to be able to stay afloat. I wish I was well off or making good money with just 1 job to just focus on writing or make a living on writing but as of now, it's not possible so I have to juggle my time accordingly to do this, work, social stuff, etc. And sometimes I just can't write even though I have some free time.**_

 _ **But I was able to finally get this chapter done and so here it is finally! Thanks for waiting and hope you enjoy it. To those few people who answered my poll on my profile, thanks! As a result of their answers and the fact that I haven't posted in a long time, I'm just going to leave the elite battles as 1 whole chapter instead of split into 2, even though I have a good area to split it. This chapter is much longer than any of my previous ones (it's exactly 60,000 words on 98 pages on Word without any of my author notes, replies to reviews and the other stuff I write that's not part of the chapter). So, for those who love long chapters, here you go. And to those that like smaller ones, good luck. I suggest picking a spot to end and using CRTL + F to find it quickly when you come back. lol**_

 _ **Alright, before you read, some quick replies to reviews;**_

 _ **a fan of silentsplayer fanfic blue spirit -** Glad you're liking the story. I don't want to make things complicated either but sometimes its necessary to move the plot along and get things where I want it to go. Brock's kid may or may not be a pervert like him. Haven't decided yet..._

 _ **allandonaldsohsteng -** Sorry buddy but here you go!_

 _ **Ganondorf -** Thank you man for that. I'm humbled that you keep coming back to the story. Glad that you're liking it and about Iris, you'll see what happens._

 _ **Guest 1 -** I have no idea what you were trying to say. If it was good, thanks. If it was bad, ah okay..._

 _ **Guest 2 -** Wow, thanks dude! Or dudette, not sure if male or female. lol Sorry that my story brought you to tears many times but hopefully this new (really long chapter) is a good way to forgive me! lol_

 _ **Guest 3 -** Can't update faster when can't write or nothing's coming out well, as I said above. But here you go!_

 _ **I am a fan of silentplayer's fanfic blue spirit -** Thanks dude! Not angry at all. I'm from the USA but wasn't born here. My family and I immigrated here when I was about 3._

 _ **Megalon 61 -** The other girls will have their "time" together with Ash but later. As for the other stuff, can't promise anything._

 _ **Pokemon Fan 1 -** Thanks for the compliments dude! Happy to hear you're enjoying the story. As for what you requested, all I can say is maybe._

 _ **Pokemon Fan 2 -** Not sure if same person or not as above but thank you for the praise. For the other stuff you mentioned, I can't give any info on that._

 _ **Rey1992 -** Update is now! Hope this long chapter satisfies your itch! haha_

 _ **update it -** I know it's been a while but here it is._

 _ **I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for continuing to read the story, leave reviews, keep in touch and everything else. You guys and gals rock! And I'm surprised to say that it's now 2 YEARS I've been writing this story...fuckin damn! I seriously need to get back to writing more often as I can't believe I only wrote 4 chapters in a year. (Though, they are pretty long chapters and this one is super crazy long so it evens out I guess. Good thing is that this one was in time for my 2nd anniversary. hahaha)** **Alright, with those replies and my opening comments done, here is the next chapter of my story!**_ _ **Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review, fav and follow!**_

\- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -

\- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -

* * *

 **THE BLUE SPIRIT**

CHAPTER 54 – THE ELITES' CHALLENGES

Seated on his executive chair with his elbows resting on top of the chair's arm rests, a man had his fingers interlocked together and held up in front of his face. Beside the man, a large beige and white mountain lion like cat with a jewel in the center of its forehead was lying down. Deep in his thoughts, Giovanni's eyes were closed yet his mind was racing. He was thinking about everything that was done in order for him to make his official debut and take what should have been his a long time ago. Every step that he took was for this and this alone. From the experiments and studies his organization conducted for years to create the strength enhancers, to the negotiations and deals that were struck between potential allies to bolster their ranks. Everything that was done was calculated down to the smallest detail.

Yet, even then, his plans never accounted for the biggest surprise and obstacle that the leader of Team Rocket would have to overcome in order to achieve his vision of world domination. And that wall that he would have to break through was not the G-Men. It wasn't the Pokémon Master. It wasn't the champions or elites of the world. Or any other large or powerful entity. No, it was but a single young man by the name of Ash Ketchum. And he was none other than the same person who had thwarted his attempts to control the Unovan legendary pokémon Landorus to begin his conquest of the world. Worse now is that same man has reached new levels of strength. He is the most powerful Aura Guardian his organization had ever come across and had an army of very strong pokémon, not even including the several legendaries he has with him, at his command.

It was because of that man, of what he is capable of, that Giovanni had decided to speed up his plans and to go all out when he next strikes. The obstacles and challenges he had faced in the past, overcoming them all to be at this position to make his presence known to the whole world. The times when his dream and organization were on the brink of being lost to him forever after numerous failures, whether by his incompetent staff or by being defeated by an outside force such as the champions, G-Men or the Pokémon Master. Still he persevered and kept going, not allowing anything to stop him or to even make him rethink his choices. His innate desire to rule the world was like a fire inside of him that could not be fully extinguished. Nothing in the past would make him second guess his choices.

Until now. Because of what he's seen of this Ketchum, what he keeps on seeing as he viewed the Spirit Tournament and what he remembers from a past altercation with another guardian that took almost everything that he had to defeat and capture, Giovanni had come to a realization. His final test would be if he can take out the guardian once and for all, for he posed an even greater threat than the G-Men, champions and elites of the world combined. He could take no chance, pull no punches and give no mercy. His attack will be swift, unrelenting and it will occur immediately after his battles with either the elites of the world or the champions. It all depended on how well the guardian performs. For the boss of Team Rocket was not going to let anything to chance again. He would strike the moment the battle concluded, the moment he was off guard and the fewer capable strong trainers to counter his attack, the better his odds will be. Especially if the elites or champions of the world have their strongest pokémon out for the count because of their battles with the challenger. It was these constant thoughts that allowed the leader of Team Rocket to be comforted some while he patiently waited to strike at the right moment.

As Giovanni continued thinking about everything he had done to get ready for his return to the world at large, his desk phone began to ring all of a sudden. Without even opening his eyes or moving, he spoke. **"Answer."**

The phone automatically was answered due to his voice command and a female's voice was heard. **"Agent double-oh-nine reporting. We have completed our preliminary preparations last night and are now in position. We are waiting to make our move depending on the outcome of the next matches of the Spirit Tournament,"** she said with pride behind her voice.

Giovanni, still maintaining his statuesque position, replied back. **"Good. I've been informed by Freeman that the weapon is in position. Our forces as well as J are already there and awaiting your signal."** Domino replied back that she understood and will make sure everything goes their way. **"Good. But change of plans; J will take care of releasing the recruits from the station while you lead the operation with Oakley and Annie giving you support on the front lines. Our primary target is this Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum. Then the champions, elites and any other trainer who tries to stand against us,"** he ordered without hesitation but with a slight change in his tone of voice.

On the other end of the line, the blonde woman noticed the change and she knew he was on edge over everything. However, she said nothing about it, knowing that he would only fuel his frustrations over it all. **"Consider it done. I won't fail you Giovanni."**

Opening his eyes finally, he replied back. **"I know you won't Domino."** She replied back that she loves him before ending the call. Giovanni stayed quiet and didn't move from his seat for a moment until he checked his watch on his left wrist. Moving his gaze towards a large screen that was hanging on the wall opposite him, he said a voice command of 'TV on'. A few seconds later, Giovanni was now watching the initial commentary between a few battling analysts before the matches began. After listening to their discussion for a short while, Giovanni closed his eyes once more. _Fools,_ he thought. _They know nothing. Even when everything is right under their nose, they still don't notice anything._ Opening his eyes, he looked at the screen in time to see the images of the elites and their challenger. **"Every single one of you will perish soon. Still, it would be a shame to not view your final battles."** He turned his attention to his Persian beside him, who had just woken up from its nap and the pokémon looked up at him. **"Don't you think so?"** he asked his loyal pokémon while scratching her behind the ears. Persian let out a low purr over that and nodded. After scratching his favorite pokémon for a bit, Giovanni returned his attention back to the screen. There was only fifteen minutes left until the start. _It's only a matter of time,_ he thought as an evil smile spread on his face.

A little earlier on, when the champion of Sinnoh left the hotel suite, she made her way to the stadium where her elites would most likely be now. Cynthia wanted to see them off before their battles and to see if they needed anything as well. On her way there, she kept thinking about what she did right before leaving. How she nibbled her beloved's ear lobe and remarked that she would reward him if he did defeat both the elites and the champions in the handicap matches. Never had she ever done anything of the sort. It surprised her so much that she did something that was completely out of character for her. The more she thought about it, the more she thought about the man she loves, the redder her face became.

Lost in her thoughts and daydreams, Cynthia didn't realize she had reached her destination until her Garchomp landed. Coming back into focus, she slid off her dragon's back and landed onto the floor beside the blue land shark. **"Thank you Garchomp,"** she told her pokémon who nodded before being returned to her poke ball. After returning her pokémon, Cynthia composed herself and then made her way inside the pokémon stadium. Heading towards the reserved trainer's room where her elites would be waiting, she thought about a few other things. It wasn't long before she was inside the very room with her elites, as well as the other elites and their champions. **"Hello everyone,"** greeted Cynthia.

Multiple greetings were said back to her as Cynthia went to her elites. As she did so, many from the large group of trainers had their eyes on the blonde champion. Even though Agatha had told them off for their gossiping about Cynthia earlier on that morning, they still couldn't stop thinking about it. Each of them wanted to know the exact reason why she was with the challenger if it was true. For they knew that it couldn't just be because Ash was a famous and powerful Aura Guardian. Because if that was the case, then she would've been with someone before or had multiple suitors. No, there was another reason why and many wanted to know, especially several of the females among the group. And one male wanted to know why his champion would allow someone to throw off her focus.

When Cynthia reached her elites, she smiled at them and nodded. **"So, you all ready?"** she asked them.

Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian nodded back with them having grins on their faces. **"Of course,"** answered Bertha for them all. **"We'll give Ash a good thrashing he'll never forget."**

" **Good because I'm counting on it,"** stated Cynthia, causing some to raise their eyebrows in surprise. She then faced the other regions' champions and elites. **"What about you guys?"** she asked before she noticed some the looks she was given. **"Ah, is everything alright?"**

Hurriedly changing their expressions to be more neutral and stoic, several of the elites shook their heads and remarked that they were alright as their champions too glanced at them. Returning their gaze to their fellow champion, the others smiled in response as Alder answered her. **"You bet we are."**

" **And it's time for us to go,"** stated Steven after looking at his watch. **"We have a little bit of time left before the matches begin."**

Phoebe began jumping up and down in her spot as she finally allowed the excitement she was holding in to break free. **"Yea, let's go, let's go!"** Glacia groaned and hid her face in her hands while the rest chuckled.

Diantha began moving towards the door and her elites immediately followed after her. **"Agreed. It's time to show the world how powerful our elites truly are. And to show how enthusiastic they are too."** Her statement was met with cheers and roars from many in the group, with a few chuckling at the now blushing Phoebe.

As they all began heading out to be ready for the announcer's words, Cynthia didn't move immediately. She was thinking about why she was given such looks from the others. A hand grasping her shoulder snapped her out of her trance and she looked at the person next to her as she spoke. She saw it was Bertha and her other elites were standing behind her with their sight locked onto her. **"You alright Cynthia?"** asked the woman who she viewed as a mother.

Seeing Bertha with a concerned expression on her face, she realized that she noticed something. She let out a sigh and answered her. **"Yea but I was just wondering why some of the elites were giving me those strange looks. Do you know why?"** asked Cynthia.

Before Bertha could answer her, her other elite did. **"It's because they were all gossiping about you and Ash earlier on so I stepped in to tell them to shut up about it,"** revealed Flint with a slightly annoyed tone without tact. The other three gave him a look as if to ask why he just blurted it out like that.

What he said made Cynthia became incredibly embarrassed as her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. **"W-What? Why?"** she asked.

Aaron decided to do some damage control before things got out of hand and took over. **"It's nothing serious Cynthia. It's just with what's been happening at this tournament and what's been rumored between you and him, they are just curious about it, especially since it's you two. So don't give it too much thought, especially if it's not true,"** he told her kindly, hoping his words would help his champion.

Cynthia heard his words and realized that that nobody really knew besides a handful of people. She decided to at least let her elites know as it would be better. Calming down, she took in a breath before speaking. **"I see. Well, to keep it simple for now, the truth is that it is true. I'm with Ash and I'm happy about it."**

Her elites, though they were expecting that to be true, still became surprised some over her revelation. After getting over their initial shock, the four of them smiled at her. **"Congratulations dearie!"** said Bertha as she hugged the younger woman who she viewed as her own daughter.

" **Thank you,"** replied Cynthia as she returned the hug.

Soon, the other three also congratulated her and afterwards, one of them spoke up. **"So, Cynthia, when are we going to be formally introduced to your boyfriend?"** asked Flint with a teasing tone, making her go red over his words. They laughed a bit as they started heading towards the door. **"But don't forget, he needs to pass our tests too,"** reminded Flint as they headed out the room and went through the trainer's tunnel.

Cynthia didn't respond to that because she didn't hear him since she was lost in thought. She was thinking about what she found out just then. How the other elites were talking about her and Ash, gossiping about them. She wondered why they cared so much to talk about them so. Her thinking about that led her to think about what happened during this tournament and what he, Ash, had done and that in turn made her think about the upcoming matches. Excited and anxious feelings began filling her. Not caring about the others anymore, she wanted to see what her beloved had up his sleeve to be able to combat each region's elites on their own. Though she didn't want her elites to lose, she didn't want Ash to lose either. And that was when she felt conflicted in a sense over her pride of her elites' power and her love for her boyfriend who was their challenger. She didn't want either to lose but knew that was wishful thinking.

As Cynthia continued thinking about all of that as they made their way to the field, Bertha noticed her in a trance, lost in her thoughts. Smiling a bit, she slowed down her pace, began walking next to her and gently nudged her side, snapping her out of her thoughts. **"It's alright dearie,"** said the ground type trainer when the champion looked at her. **"I know what you're feeling and its okay."** Her eyes widening, Bertha continued speaking, not letting her talk. **"Go ahead and root for him. We understand and hold nothing against you. But we won't be holding back, just like you requested. Alright?"** Bertha's words were heard by the other Sinnoh Elites and that caused them to smile a bit.

Cynthia felt gratitude over their support and smiled back. **"Thank you. But I'll root for him mentally for now. I don't want the extra attention."**

" **You know, it's a little too late for that,"** remarked Flint, chuckling and the others did as well while Cynthia reddened again. Hurrying along, Sinnoh's champion and elites caught up with the large group of trainers near the tunnel's entrance towards the field and waited there for the announcement for them.

As the stadium filled up with battle hungry spectators, it was becoming very packed. Many were even sitting on the edges of the stairs since there was no room. Among the crowd, many trainers who were in the tournament were once again there to see the elites in action. Jack Thompson and David Blake were with their friends and making predictions about what they believe will happen. Having witnessed the spectacular battle Ash had against Tobias, they wanted to see what else he was capable of and how he could possibly win in handicap matches and against the elites no less.

They weren't the only ones however who were wondering that. Two other trainers, in different parts of the stadium, were thinking the same thing as well as a few other things. One was wearing his black cloak with its hood hiding his face. Still tasting the bitterness of defeat, yet also beginning to understand his shortcomings and mistakes, Drax wanted to see these next battles. After watching Ash's battle against Tobias, how his regular pokémon took on and defeated the legendaries of the world, Drax was beyond astounded. He was taught that the legendaries of the world were the pinnacle of power and would take many pokémon to go up against them. That they were very difficult to beat, if not impossible. That only those worthy of their immense abilities could be partnered with them if they were lucky. Yet it was proven incorrect not once, but six times. It was because of that battle that Drax had his entire view of the world shatter. The past couple of days he was in deep thought in his mountain cave that he made earlier on while he let out his pokémon from their poke balls to have some free time. He felt as if he was close to finding some secret, something important that he had missed, that would help him find the right path. The path that would lead him to his goals of being the greatest dragon trainer in the world as well as finally being with the one that was promised to him all those years ago…

The second trainer who was waiting for the matches to begin was seated at the very top of the stadium, so he could get a good view of everything. Some may like or even think the front is the best, but he'd rather see everything at once than having to move his gaze all over the place and miss things. As he waited, Tobias wondered what he was going to do about the promises he made after thinking about why he lost control with Regigigas as he still hadn't figured it out. It's been eating away at him for the past couple of days as he stayed up late into the night, unable to sleep because of his thoughts. _Why did he go berserk? And how can I go back when I haven't fulfilled my promises? Is there no other way to help the ones I love and care about? No other way for…her? Maybe I can have the champions still help me, even though I haven't earned their ranks. No, that won't work._ Burying his face into his hands, he let out a long breath to try to calm himself down. Composing himself once more, Tobias raised his head and set his gaze onto the field. _I will find out why and I will find another way. I promise Anastasia. And I bet I'll find a clue by sticking around here, around Ash, for the time being._ After making that promise in his head, Tobias took out a photo from inside his jacket's pocket and looked at Anastasia's picture until the announcer spoke a few minutes later.

Before the announcements began to signal the start of the battles, three women were seated next to one another and patiently waited for their time. After speaking with Giovanni, Domino had informed John, Oakley and Annie of the new updates and what they were supposed to do. Having given the new plan updates, they readied themselves and moved into position. Though they were waiting for the right time to strike, Oakley and Annie were eating some snacks they had gotten while Domino remained steadfast. Glancing at the two sisters, Domino gave a look of disgust at them for they were eating their food without care. Shaking her head, the blonde woman looked at the field in front of them. Normally, she would've prevented them from doing so or chastised them. But she didn't because she had more important things on her mind now. So she just pushed it aside and focused on the mission at hand. _It's almost time to get started,_ she thought after checking her watch on her left wrist.

Not even a minute later after Domino had that thought, the announcer's voice boomed out through the speakers and the crowd quieted down to listen to him. **"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE! IT'S NOW TIME TO START THE BATTLES THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN EAGERLY WAITING FOR! THE EXTENDED MATCHES OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT BETWEEN THE ELITES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR CHALLENGER WILL NOW BEGIN! LET US WELCOME THE ELITES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD!"** At the end of his speech, the trainer entrances on both sides of the field had their large steel doors open. Many people exited out of the tunnels from the red side with excited yet determined gazes as they walked onto the field to the welcoming roar of the crowd. The elites were being led by their champions onto the field. Many of the guys from the stands were whistling at the beautiful and elegant female elites while many girls were screaming out to the cool and handsome male elites. **"NOW FOR SOME INTRODUCTIONS IN CASE YOU'VE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK AND DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES! FIRST UP, THE KANTO ELITES! WE HAVE LORELEI, BRUNO AND ELDEST ELITE, AGATHA!"** The three moved past Lance, walking forward and waved at the roaring crowd. **"NEXT UP, THE JOHTO ELITES! WILL, KOGA, KAREN AND THE YOUNGEST ELITE OUT THERE, ETHAN!"** The four of them now moved forward and stood together some feet away from the Kanto group. **"FOR HOENN WE HAVE SIDNEY, PHEOBE, GLACIA AND DRAKE!"** Three of them moved forward calmly while waving though the ghost trainer was bouncing up and down, causing laughter among the stands and the elites. **"TALK ABOUT SPUNK! MOVING ON, WE HAVE THE SINNOH ELITES WHO ARE AARON, BERTHA, FLINT AND LUCIAN!"** Those four walked a few steps and then stopped in a group a little away from the rest with Flint gesturing to a few females in the crowd. **"LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S ENJOYING HIMSELF! FOR UNOVA WE HAVE SHAUNTAL, MARSHAL, GRIMSLEY AND CAITLYN!"** They too greeted the crowd as they took up their position. **"AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, KALOS! MALVA, SIEBOLD, WIKSTROM AND DRASNA!"** After the four of them moved forward and waved at the crowd, the six groups of trainers were standing a little away from each other and waited for their opponent to appear. **"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! THE ELITES OF THE WORLD HAVE GATHERED HERE TO TAKE ON A CHALLENGER WHO HAS EARNED THE RIGHT TO FACE THEM! AND WITHOUT FURHTER ADO, LET'S BRING HIM OUT! FROM PALLET TOWN OF KANTO, POKÉMON TRAINER AND AURA GUARDIAN, ASH KETCHUM!"** A large, light blue glowing sphere of aura energy appeared on the other side of the field that expanded rapidly. While growing larger, white streaks of electricity began to cackle around it, causing many to have goose bumps from the sounds they were making and caused some to let out frightened sounds. For the electricity around the blue sphere seemed to radiate off more power than usual, with the arcing bolts much thicker and moving much faster as well. Dark blue eyes appeared inside the sphere before it burst open with a flash of blue light that traveled over the people in the stands, comforting and energizing them at the same time but also made them close their eyes since it was too bright. When they were able to see again, they saw the young man with glowing blue flames dancing around him with Pikachu on his shoulder. Many noticed that the aura flames were much larger than usual before they died down and the glow went away from his eyes. The crowd roared and cheered for him, with his group of family and friends being among the loudest.

The champions on the field glanced at one another after being able to see again. **"Is it just me, or did that entrance show off more power than usual?"** asked Diantha, her question heard by both her equals and their elites.

A large smile formed on the blonde champion's face. **"No, it's not just you since Ash has grown stronger with his aura, reaching a new level yesterday that very few Aura Guardians can reach,"** answered Cynthia happily, making them all become surprised.

" **How?!"** asked an astonished Steven loudly for them all.

Cynthia chuckled a bit in response before answering him. **"Let's just say it's an aura thing."** The group around her all gave her annoyed expressions over her vague answer before facing the young man across the field that was waving at the spectators. Some of them began observing him more carefully as a result. **"So, should we take our leave now?"** she asked the four beside her.

Alder shook his head and answered for them all. **"No, we can't. Goodshow wants us to stay here with our elites. He said it'll show more unity between us all. Plus he said it'll be good for ratings."** Cynthia chuckled at that as she nodded in understanding.

As the crowd continued their noise making, the screens in the stadium changed from showing the field to showing President Goodshow inside the VIP room. **"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN…"** Quieting down, the people in the stands turned their attention onto the many screens in the stadium to listen to his words. **"I WISH TO THANK YOU FOR COMING TO WATCH THE EXTENDED BATTLES OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT. WE HAVE NEVER DONE THINGS THIS WAY BEFORE BUT I BELIEVE THAT IF ALL GOES WELL, WE MAY START DOING THINGS THIS WAY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE BATTLES! REFEREE, IF YOU WILL PLEASE GET THINGS ROLLIN!"** After his speech, the crowd roared and cheered as the screens returned to show the field in time to watch the referee walk towards the raven haired trainer and handed him a microphone. They could see him speaking to Ash but no sound was heard since their microphones were off. A moment later however, Ash was seen nodding. The referee then moved towards the elites who still had their champions there, standing behind them. Handing each of them a microphone, he gave them some instructions and they nodded in agreement.

Moving back to his spot, the referee then faced the middle of the field, turned on his mic and raised both red and green flags. **"These are the extended matches of the Spirit Tournament with the challenger, Ash Ketchum, facing the elites of the world in several against one handicap battles. The challenger is allowed to choose the order of his opponents. The other elites and the champions are prohibited from interfering with the matches no matter what. There are no mega evolutions or substitutions allowed. The moves Destiny Bond and Perish Song are also prohibited. But there is no time limit. The battlefield for these matches will be the official Indigo Plateau stadium's balance field. After three battles, we will have a thirty minute intermission before the final three are performed. If the challenger can win against all of the elites of the world, he will have earned the right to face the champions tomorrow in the same kind of matches. If he loses any one of them, the tournament will end right there."** Finishing his instructions, the referee raised his green flag and pointed at Ash. **"Challenger, are you ready?"** Ash nodded and the referee turned to the elites while lowering the green flag and raising the red flag. **"Elites, are you ready?"** they also nodded and the referee turned to look at Ash again. **"Who is your first opponent?"**

Ash looked at the group of elites in front of him for a moment until he began speaking. **"Before I state my choice, I would like to say something."** The referee agreed to that and allowed him to do so. The crowd quieted down to hear what he was going to say. **"I want to say this to the elites of the world; thank you for agreeing to these special battles and conditions. When I made my challenge, the reasons behind it were as I said before; I want to test where my pokémon and I stand against the best in the world. I have crossed paths with several of you during my travels and we shared both good and bad experiences together."** The elites who shared those experiences with him smiled and nodded curtly in response while many in the stadium murmured over this new found information, surprised that he had met some of them before this tournament. **"All of you are powerful trainers and among the best in the world. It's been my dream to become a Pokémon Master one day and to get there, I'm going to have to battle and win against the strongest in the world."** Their expressions turning serious and getting pumped for battle, the elites were waiting for his choice on which he would battle first. Sensing that, Ash smiled a bit. **"So thank you in advance for our great battles. I think I've talked enough. Now for my choice of order if I can beat you all; I'll start with Kalos, then Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto and finally I'll end it with Kanto. My journey began in Kanto and it will end with the Kanto Elite."**

The crowd roared and cheered, becoming psyched to see the match. The referee nodded his head and looked towards the large group of trainers. **"Kalos Elite, step forward!"** Malva, Siebold, Wikstrom and Drasna moved together towards the red trainer's box while their champion Diantha wished them good luck as she stood beside Lance. The referee pointed both flags down the middle of the field. **"And now, the regular field will be changed to the balance field!"** As soon as he stopped speaking, loud mechanical noises were heard that were coming from underneath the stadium. The ground began shaking before the field was lowered into the ground. Many people were surprised to see the field being changed now, after the original tournament ended. But no one was complaining about it. Soon enough, a new field was raised into view and loud locking sounds were heard before the stadium stopped shaking. The new arena was similar to the old except instead of a dirt rectangular field, it was a cemented ground with a large circular pool of water in the middle of it. The referee raised both flags above his head. **"The field is ready and both sides are ready to battle! The extended matches of the tournament will now begin!"** shouted the referee before dropping both flags at once to signal the start.

Immediately after he finished speaking, the four Kalos trainers tossed out a poke ball each as the crowd made noise. **"AND THEY'RE OFF! MALVA HAS SENT OUT HER PYROAR, SIEBOLD HAS CLAWITZER, WIKSTROM HAS AEGISLASH AND DRASNA HAS DRAGALGE! ALL FOUR POKÉMON ARE IN BATTLE READY POSITIONS AND READY TO KICK BUTT! WHAT SINGLE POKÉMON WILL THE GUARDIAN USE AGAINST ALL FOUR?"** The announcer's question made everyone mutter and gossip, waiting to see what pokémon Ash will send out to face the four strong pokémon at once. Ash's group of family and friends were no different. They each wondered who he would use and several of them were amazed over the sight of the Kalos exclusive pokémon, having never seen them before.

Ash however still hadn't sent out a pokémon. He was looking at the strong pokémon his opponents had sent out to battle him. One of the Kalos elite was starting to get a little impatient, her fiery side coming out. **"C'mon then Ash! Let's get this battle going! I wanna see firsthand how much you've improved since last we crossed paths!"** stated Malva, making the people in the stands buzz about the fact that she was one of the elites that had crossed paths with him at some point before all this, for she was one who usually was known to travel and do things by herself.

Smiling a little, Ash rubbed the back of his head. **"Sorry, I was just too busy admiring your pokémon. I've heard some stories about them and they look pretty strong,"** he replied, complimenting them.

Malva and Drasna smiled a bit in return but then Siebold spoke up. **"Yes, we know that they are strong. Flattery won't get you anywhere. So let's start the battle or did you finally realize that you have gone in over your head with this challenge of yours?"** mocked the water trainer, earning himself some boos from the crowd, especially from Ash's group.

Ash's smile never left his face though as a blue orb appeared in his hand. **"Naw, I enjoy challenges. And these battles with you will help me figure out where I stand against the best."** He closed his eyes and took in a breath before exhaling it out, trying to control his excitement. Opening his eyes, he then had a serious look form on his face. **"It took me a long time to figure out who I will have battle each region's elites. I thought about it carefully. Which pokémon are among my strongest? Which can handle a variety of situations?"** The crowd was going crazy in anticipation over what he was saying and then Ash looked towards the area where his family and friends were. **"I had some help in making my decisions thanks to my experiences in my life with my family and friends, my loved ones."** His group smiled, feeling good over his words and his girlfriends felt the love he has for them thanks to their aura bond. Ash faced forward and he tightened his grip on the poke ball. **"And now, I'm finally ready. Let's go! It's time for your official debut buddy!"** And with that, Ash tossed out the poke ball high into the air. A flash of bright white light escaped from it and the next second, a ball of flames appeared out of nowhere on his side of the field, causing most everyone in the stadium to gasp and let out startled sounds. The flames died down to reveal the pokémon within. The tall yellow and red bipedal fox was standing in a battle position with his right arm extended out, holding a wooden wand in his right paw. Ash crossed his arms and stood up straight as Pikachu cheered on his comrade. **"Delphox! It's time to show your skill!"** The psychic and fire fox had his eyes glow blue in response to indicate that he was ready.

The honey blonde haired girl let out a gasp over his choice. **"He's using Delphox, just like me?!"** asked Serena in surprise.

" **I thought he would use Greninja?"** wondered Bonnie out loud.

" **Greninja's watching over Natasha remember?"** reminded Clemont and his sister had an understanding look from on her face as did several others.

" **But of all of his choices for Kalos, why would he pick Delphox? Surely he doesn't have as much experience as his other Kalos pokémon right?"** asked May in confusion.

" **Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling,"** stated Norman and they, along with the rest, looked at him. **"Apparently Ash has decided that using Delphox only against the Kalos elite would be enough. It's not just battling experience that's important. The drive or will to win, the natural strength, potential and abilities of a pokémon, the bond between trainer and pokémon and many other things are important in battling."** Many in the group nodded in understanding while a few agreed with the Petalburg gym leader's words, knowing that beforehand. Ash's girlfriends glanced at one another before returning their gaze back to the field, waiting impatiently for the match to begin. Each of them knew that the Petalburg gym leader was right but they also had a feeling that there was another reason behind his choice. Yet they decided to think about that later for the time being.

The four elite pokémon and their trainers eyed the lone pokémon and his trainer on the other side of the arena. Going eerily silent, the stadium was holding its breath to see who would make the first move. Waiting for the right moment, Ash and Delphox were eyeing their opponents closely. Pyroar was low to ground, ready to quickly move into action. Clawitzer was levitating slightly in the air yet was barely moving. Only his eyes shifted towards the water a few times for a split second each time, revealing its intent. Aegislash was in attack mode, its sword drawn out with its body tilted slightly forward, ready to strike or serve as a decoy. And the fourth, Dragalge was as still as a statue with only its long appendages floating in the wind, no visible clues available to betray its intention. A long tense minute passed, with neither side taking the first action. **"IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH SIDES ARE WAITING FOR THE OTHER TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE! WHO WILL SNAP FIRST?!"** The people in the stands started making some noise here and there around the stadium but it never became too loud. The elites wanted him to make the first action for then they would know what kind of a battle this would be.

Seeing them waiting for him, it was then that Ash remembered some things about Diantha he had heard from his travels in Kalos. That she was patient and almost never made rash first moves without thinking. And that she believed in a good defensive strategy that worked against all types of pokémon was necessary. Remembering that made Ash realize that Diantha was an expert strategist when it came to defensive strategy and counter attacking. Also realizing that her elites were following those principles and what they were trying to do, Ash wondered if this would be a battle that would involve overcoming their defenses. _Delphox, we're going to have to make the first move. They'll wait no matter how long we don't act. Let's see what they have planned._ His pokémon responded back mentally that he agreed. **"Shadow Balls!"** Multiple dark purple energy balls were fired from the fox's wand at incredible speed, shooting towards their targets.

" **Defensive plan A!"** shouted the four elites together at once. Aegislash switched into his defensive form and used his unique move, King's Shield. The shield the ghost was using was brought in front of him and expanded rapidly while the other three pokémon maneuvered behind him. The multiple spheres of ghostly energy smashed against the shield yet none were able to penetrate through it nor did any cause a noticeable mark. Dragalge then let out a smoke screen that hid the four in a cloud of dark smoke that expanded all over their half of the field, hiding them from view.

Ash and Delphox kept calm in their spots however. **"Get ready for a counter attack!"** Delphox's eyes glowed blue and he was outlined in a white light before it faded away as he took up a defensive stance.

" **Alright Ash! I hope you're ready for a beating!"** called out Malva from behind the smoke in a teasing tone. **"Headbutt!"** Pyroar shot through the cloud of smoke with incredible speed, causing the smoke to vanish. She smashed into Delphox who cried out in pain as he was pushed back.

But he was saved from most of the damage because of using Reflect and Light Screen simultaneously earlier and recovered at once. **"Psychic!"** Delphox had his eyes glow blue once more and Pyroar was outlined with a purple glow and was lifted up into the air.

" **Water Pulse!"** A blast of water was shot with incredible force behind it suddenly out of the pool of water.

" **Get outta there!"** shouted Ash. His pokémon was able to quickly dodge out of the way while simultaneously tossing Pyroar to the other side of the field. Yet the fire type did not crash against the ground for she was caught in the air by Dragalge, who used his long branch like appendages to catch her. But they didn't have any time to rest for Delphox appeared near them the next second and launched many dark purple psychic bullets at the two who didn't have time to react, having surprised expressions on their faces. However they were saved by their comrade at the last second. Aegislash once again appeared in front of them in his King's Shield stance and blocked the Psyshock while another blast of water from the pool targeted the fire starter. Delphox had to once again dodge out of the way and went back to his side of the field.

Dragalge set Pyroar down gently and the lioness took up a battle position at once near her allies while the fourth remained in the water. **"WHAT TEAM WORK! DURING THE COVER OF THE SMOKE, CLAWITZER MOVED TO THE WATER AND AEGISLASH IS PREVENTING THEM FROM GETTING ANY SORT OF DAMAGE! THE KALOS ELITES AREN'T LETTING THE GUARDIAN GET ANY LEAD ON THEM! LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS GOT HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM!"** Ash thought furiously to come up with a plan that would work, his previous plan being useless, while Delphox took up a defensive position, seeing their opponents waiting for him to make a move again. While he was doing that, the Kalos elites were giving broad grins but maintained their focus, telling their pokémon to keep it up.

" **Wow, they're really good,"** remarked Johanna in a surprised tone of voice.

" **What'd you expect? They're Elites for a reason,"** stated Grace with pride coating her words.

" **Mom, are you happy that Ash is having a hard time against them?!"** asked a stunned Serena, making their group look at her mother, some having angered looks on their faces.

Grace hurriedly waved her hands in front of her while explaining. **"No! It's just that we're from Kalos and it's good to see that our Elites are strong! They represent our home Serena and how tough we are,"** she explained and they started calming down, understanding her. **"Of course I'm rooting for Ash, honey, but it's also good to know that our representatives aren't pushovers,"** she finished up saying.

Serena let out a breath and nodded. **"Okay, I get it Mom. Sorry."** Grace smiled back and said that it was okay and that she understood before they and the others paid attention to the field again.

One of the Kalos elite shook his head after a moment of nothing happening. **"Is that the best you can do?"** asked Wikstrom in a disappointed tone of voice. **"After what you've done, we were hoping for a challenge. Especially when you so boldly requested to battle like this."**

Immediately after he spoke, the eldest of the four added her own comments as well. **"Are you thinking you can test out our defenses to find a weak point?"** asked Drasna calmly as her dragon moved behind Pyroar and Aegislash while Clawitzer dove under the water. **"I'll tell you this; there is none for it's an adaptable defense. You can't penetrate our defenses for we can counter anything you do,"** she revealed, causing the people in the stands to start talking about that remark.

Ash didn't respond back to that. He didn't want to show that he was slightly on edge, busy thinking about how to overcome their seemingly impenetrable wall that was Aegislash. He had a few ideas of course that could help him in discovering a flaw or weakness but wondered which to try out first…

The red haired elite tilted her head, thinking for a bit before she decided to have some fun with her challenger. **"What's wrong Ashy?"** teased Malva, seeing him not taking action. Her use of 'Ashy' caused his girlfriends to become annoyed with several of them glaring at her, since that was their nickname for him. Though of course she didn't see that, since most were in the stands and one was behind her. **"I thought you wanted to test your strength? Why aren't you coming after us huh? Too much for you to handle? Scared that you can't live up to expectations, to perform under stress?"** Drasna, Siebold and Wikstrom chuckled over that little innuendo and so did many others in the stadium, including the other elites. The champions however kept stoic, not allowing themselves to show that it was funny, even though a couple of them were amused by it, who were Lance and Alder. But one wasn't at all. Ash narrowed his eyes in response over the taunting and Delphox growled. **"Oh my, is someone getting angry?"** Raising her left hand towards her sunglasses, Malva lowered them a bit and gave Ash a curious look. **"You gonna go serious now? Are you going to show us what you're capable of? Are you going to impress us? Excite us? Or are you going to be a disappointment like every other challenger out there?"**

Taking in a breath, Ash kept his cool even though he was annoyed with her at the moment. **"You know Malva,"** started Ash calmly, locking his gaze onto hers. **"I know what you're trying to do but it won't work. And don't you worry for we're barely warming up,"** he stated with confidence.

The fire elite had her lips spread into a smirk. **"Good."** She raised her sunglasses back up and crossed her arms as her fellow elites also refocused on the battle. **"After battling with you against Team Flare…"** Three woman glanced at one another over that in the stands, while many others were shocked that he faced them. **"…and getting a glimpse of your battling spirit in person, I'd hate for this to be it, for this to end so early before having some fun. Otherwise I'd be disappointed for getting my hopes too high for a grand battle,"** revealed Malva with a cocky tone.

" **Oh, we'd hate for you to be disappointed,"** replied back Ash sarcastically, making Malva narrow her eyes behind her shades. **"We'll persevere and find a way to break through!"**

" **There's no way!"** spoke up Wikstrom, feeling insulted over that bold claim that he can overcome his pokémon's barrier. **"None can pass through the King's Shield!"**

" **Enough talk! Clawitzer, Dark Pulse!"** ordered Siebold. Popping out of the water, the howitzer pokémon launched a super charged dark colored energy towards the fox.

" **Double Team!"** Splitting into a dozen copies, Delphox was able to avoid the attack as it went through an imposter. But the force behind the attack was enough to blow away the fakes, leaving only the real fox behind who was sporting the same stunned look as his trainer. _Shit, that little guy packs a punch,_ thought Ash. _It's almost like…ah damn that's right; its special ability is Mega Launcher!_ **"Delphox, no matter what, don't get hit by Clawitzer! That's their cannon!"** Nodding in understanding, the psychic fox readied himself to continue the battle.

" **Oh, so you figured that out?"** mused Siebold before laughing a bit. **"Let me tell you this though; he's not our only cannon."**

Glancing at the dragon trainer, Drasna took it as her cue. **"Dragon Pulse!"** Dragalge shot a powerful beam of multicolored energy at once.

" **Protect!"** A barrier appeared around Delphox in time to receive the beam yet the force of the attack was strong enough to cause several cracks to appear on the shield. Pokémon and trainer had their eyes widen in surprise over that.

" **Flare Blitz!"** commanded Malva, not giving Ash time to react. Pyroar shot forward as she engulfed herself in flames. The sphere of fire collided against the shield and broke it open, stunning Delphox in the process.

" **Fury Cutter!"** ordered Wikstrom to capitalize on their opportunity. Aegislash went into attack mode, drawing out his blade as he faded away before reappearing in front of Delphox while Pyroar got out of the way. Ash told his pokémon to evade but it was no use. Having his shield destroyed had caused the fox to become disoriented. A flurry of rapid slashes connected against the fox who cried out in pain from each strike.

" **Counter back!"** shouted Ash but it was no use as Delphox wasn't given any time to react with Aegislash's cuts being so swift.

Malva, Siebold and Drasna looked at one another and nodded before they said their next command together; **"Attack plan C!"** Dragalge, Pyroar and Clawitzer each fired their attacks, a Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Water Pulse respectively, at once. Aegislash stopped his assault and vanished from his spot right before the three elemental attacks struck the psychic fox at the same time. Delphox let out an agonized scream from them before the mixture of the elements caused an explosion and a cloud of smoke to cover the field.

As the elite pokémon moved back to their side of the field, the noise from the crowd died down quickly so they could see what happened to the fox. A little while later, the dust settled and revealed the fire type. Delphox was still standing with an angry expression on his face, though he was covered in bleeding cuts and blackened bruises. **"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! DELPOHOX IS STILL IN THE FIGHT, SURVIVING THROUGH THAT COMBINATION!"** The crowd began roaring, impressed over what they were seeing and trying to encourage the fox to continue. Yet many had worried looks from on their faces over the condition of the pokémon.

" **Delphox, you okay buddy?"** asked Ash with concern. The fox glanced back at the man and nodded. Facing forward, he took up an offensive stance, panting all the while he did so. Though he received massive damage just now, he was saved from most of it because of using his defensive moves earlier. **"Alright, good job. Now, let's take back control!"** Delphox took in a long breath through his snout and exhaled slowly. Sensing him ready, Ash ordered his next attack. **"Flamethrower!"** A large torrent of fire shot out from the fox's wand and soared through the air.

" **Defensive Plan A!"** Once again, the four elite pokémon took up their defensive positions from before and the stream of flames was blocked with the shield before they hid in the smokescreen. **"Dragon Pulse! / Water Pulse!"** shouted Drasna and Siebold together all of a sudden.

Two powerful attacks shot out from within the smoke towards their opponent but Delphox was able to dodge them both by rolling to the side. _Damn it, they keep using that to prevent any damage to them!_ The smoke cleared and he saw the elites and their pokémon smirking at him and his pokémon. Ash grit his teeth as he thought furiously on how to overcome them. _There has to be a way to punch through. Nobody can rely on just blocking and counterattacking forever. But if we can't punch through, then we'll have to overwhelm them with speedy attacks. I just hope Delphox can pull it off with his special ability in his current state. But first, we need to test out how adaptable their defense is._ **"Delphox, once more! Flamethrower!"** Another burst of flames towards the right side but again his opponents used their tactic flawlessly. **"Again!"** Delphox launched his attack to the left this time but again it was the same result.

" **What is he trying to do?"** asked Serena with worry, seeing her beloved continue attacking without stopping.

" **I'm not sure but it looks like he's trying find a weak point in that shield,"** replied Sarah thoughtfully, though her tone was also filled with concern. Her thought made the ones around her wonder if that was his plan as they continued to watch.

The crowd began making some more noise, wanting the action to become greater. The water elite on the field took in a breath. **"This is very disappointing,"** sighed Siebold, shaking his head at the continuous assault that wasn't getting any results from the raven haired trainer. All he would do is target different areas of the shield but it was all the same result. He glanced at his fellow elites who had the same expression on their faces. Each of them was expecting a grand battle yet weren't even breaking a sweat. He glanced back at their champion, thinking that she'll be in the same state. However, she was sporting a serious face with her eyes focused on the battle. Looking at the others, he saw that Drasna, Wikstrom and Malva were also confused over their champion's behavior. _Whatever, time to finish this._ **"Let's just end this,"** he told the three and they agreed.

But it was at that moment when Ash said something that made them snap their gazes back onto the battle. **"It's time!"** His pokémon charged up a ball of flames in front of him, making it grow larger with each passing second.

" **You still haven't learned?!"** asked an agitated Drasna.

" **You can't possibly think that will work?!"** added Siebold, wondering why Ash would keep going.

" **No matter how powerful an attack, it won't penetrate through our shield!"** yelled Wikstrom and his Aegislash kept up his King's Shield in front of the four.

Ash smirked in response, making them become astonished over his reaction. **"You may be right but who said that's what I was trying to do?"** he called out to them, making the Kalos elite narrow their eyes. **"It's time for us to show our true strength. Now Delphox!"** Splitting into a dozen copies, each one kept charging the attack.

The Kalos Elite however didn't hesitate to say their next order. **"Attack Plan A!"** A Dragon Pulse, Water Pulse, Dark Pulse and Flamethrower were launched from the four elite pokémon at once with tremendous power behind them.

They were just about to make contact with several of the copies before they disappeared from sight. **"WHAT'S THIS? THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE!"** The four elites refocused on the match and told their pokémon to go on guard. Delphox appeared to their right and was about to launch his attack when a Shadow Ball was blasted through him, causing the copy to vanish. Another appeared behind them, about to the same thing and a Dragon Pulse erased that imposter. Four fire foxes appeared around them, about to fire yet all of them were wiped out. Though they would get rid of each one effortlessly, more and more copies kept coming. **"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?! WHERE IS THE REAL DELPHOX?!"** The announcer's words made the people in the stands to roar and cheer but also comment about what they thought the guardian could be doing, especially among his group.

 _That's it buddy, keep it up,_ thought Ash as his pokémon continued on, observing the reaction time of the four pokémon and their capabilities. After some more tries, he figured it out. _That's it, I got it now. Time to turn things up a notch and get some damage in with his special ability._ **"Good job Delphox! Now, you know what to do! Faster and fire away!"** he called out to his pokémon, causing everyone to become surprised. Delphox appeared behind the four and launched a Fire Blast without delay.

" **Defensive Maneuver A!"** yelled out the elites and their pokémon took up their same potions as always. Aegislash blocked it successfully with his King's Shield and his comrades received no damage at all. Yet Delphox appeared again, this time to the right of them and launched another Fire Blast before Dragalge could put up a smokescreen. **"Again!"** shouted the four and their pokémon changed their spots to shield against that attack as well. But as soon as Aegislash's King's Shield was set up to block the fire attack, another Delphox appeared behind them and shot another Fire Blast. Aegislash was able to move to block the second one just in time after preventing the first from hitting his comrades. But he had no time to rest as this time two appeared on opposite sides of him and two Fire Blasts were launched together. Not knowing which was the fake attack, the elites ordered their pokémon to block one while intercepting the other, thinking that one of the attacks would just vanish. However, both attacks were real as one of them was blocked with the shield and the other was neutralized with an attack of their own.

That caused everyone in the stadium to become shocked, with many left in disbelief. **"How?!"** gasped Drasna afterwards.

" **Inconceivable! A pokémon's copy can't attack for real! How is this possible?!"** asked a bewildered Siebold. Malva and Wikstrom were eyeing the fox and his trainer with stupefied looks.

Ash smiled a bit as his pokémon appeared in front of him, panting some but for the most part alright. **"That is true. Normally. I can't tell you our secrets but I'll tell you this; you see, Delphox isn't a Magician for nothing you know and he's extremely fast,"** he remarked, making his opponents become annoyed. **"And I finally figured out how to get through your defense,"** he admitted, making both his opponents and everyone else become surprised.

The self proclaimed warrior of the group however shot back. **"Nothing can go through Aegislash's King's Shield!"** remarked Wikstrom in an annoyed tone. **"Don't try to lie about such things to try and get the upper hand in a battle you can't win instead of facing your defeat with honor!"**

Ash's smile left his face and his expression went serious with both Pikachu and Delphox becoming angry. **"I don't lie,"** he replied back in a calm tone of voice, yet it was coated with his anger and many caught that, causing them to have a shiver go through their bodies. **"I found out how to beat you and I'll prove it now."** Delphox's eyes glowed red as a red outline appeared around him. Sensing his pokémon ready, Ash threw out his right hand in front of him while saying his command. **"Delphox, go!"** Vanishing from sight, the psychic fox was gone from the field but then reappeared in front of the four pokémon to launch his attack.

The elite's pokémon moved to defend at once. **"No matter what you say or how talented your pokémon is, you can't win! A frontal assault won't work!"** shouted Drasna.

" **Who said anything about a frontal assault?"** asked Ash calmly and Delphox disappeared again before reappearing behind them. Aegislash moved to block the attack but as soon as he got into position, Delphox again disappeared from sight. He reappeared instantly to his right. Aegislash barely moved towards him when again he changed his spot, showing up behind them to the left. Seeing their shield unable to keep up with the impossibly quick fox, the Kalos Elites were beginning to become a little worried, with their hearts thumping a little louder in their ears. But one of them was starting to feel something else as well with it growing stronger with each passing moment.

When the ghost type tried to move towards him, he vanished again and reappeared somewhere else around the four. This kept going, with the fox increasing his speed each time, making it harder and harder for the ghost to get into a position to protect its allies. Seeing their shield being unable to keep up now, the other elites had their pokémon launch attacks to intercept the fire and psychic type. But Delphox was moving way too fast to be pinned down. Sensing it was time, Ash yelled out; **"You placed too much faith into that King's Shield! Now, reap your rewards! Mystical Fire!"** A dozen Delphoxs appeared around the four pokémon and let out a special hot breath attack from each one at once.

Now seeing themselves in a tough spot because of not knowing if the attacks are fake or not and how many are real if they were, the four of them had to change up their tactics to adapt. **"Defensive Maneuver B!"** commanded the Kalos Elite together. Instead of grouping up as usual, three of the four pokémon took up a defensive stance and brought out an individual shield to protect against the attacks while the fourth dove down into the water.

The twelve fire starter's had their attacks collide against their three pokémons' shields. All twelve of them were real and that caused everyone to let out startled sounds over it yet kept their attention on the battle. Though the attacks weren't powerful individually, together they made up for it.

The three elite pokémon began struggling to keep it up, the pressure of the constant flames taking their toll on them. **"Clawitzor, help them out! Get rid of them all!"** ordered Siebold. Clawitzer appeared above the water and was just about to launch a supercharged Water Pulse.

But another copy of Delphox, the thirteenth one, appeared in front of the water type and used Psychic on him, lifting him into the air, preventing him from using his attack. Siebold yelled for his pokémon to break free and it struggled relentlessly against the telekinetic force holding it. **"Now's our chance to take him out! Delphox, Psyshock!"** The fire fox launched many psychic bullets at the howitzer pokemon. Clawitzer was bombarded from the Psyshock and let out agonizing screams. Siebold called out for his pokémon, seeing him get pummeled. Though he was powerful, Clawitzer was very fragile. Soon enough, he fainted and the copy set him on the ground gently before vanishing from sight. Siebold let out a frustrated yell mixed with a growl over being taken out of the battle while his partners told their pokémon to hang on. **"Good job Delphox! Now, end this!"** called out Ash. The thirteenth Delphox appeared high up in the air above the rest, charging up a red and purple energy ball in front of his wand. Each of the twelve copies surrounding their opponents kept up their attacks and the three pokémon had their shields crack from the onslaught.

" **No way!"** remarked Wikstrom in disbelief.

" **What is trying to do?!"** wondered Drasna in shock.

" **How and why?! Where is this power coming from?!"** asked a bewildered Malva before the shields had more cracks on them. Seeing the cracks, they tried yelling out encouragement to their pokémon to not give up while trying to come up with a counter attack.

Ash however never gave them a chance to do so. **"It's over! Psybeam and Over Heat combo!"** With a loud howl let out, the Delphox in the sky fired the powerful red and purple beam consisting of fire and psychic energy from above. Many in the stadium let out surprised screams and shouts as the beam traveled downwards and finally connected against the targeted three.

A large explosion occurred that rocked the area and covered the field in smoke, forcing the ones in the middle of the stadium to cover their eyes. **"GOOD LORD, WHAT AN ATTACK! WAS THE CHALLENGER ABLE TO OVERCOME THEIR IMPENETRABLE DEFENSES?"** The crowd held its breath and waited impatiently for the smoke to clear. After some time, the smoke cleared and revealed what it was hiding. Delphox was on one knee in his side of the field, panting heavily with one eye closed. He had used up a tremendous amount of energy during the past several minutes and the damage he received earlier on didn't help his condition either. On the other side, Dragalge and Aegislash were out cold on the destroyed field near Clawitzer. Pyroar was still conscious though it looked like she was barely hanging on, wincing with every breath she took in as she struggled to stay on her feet. Delphox slowly raised himself and held his wand in front of the lioness while still panting. Pyroar growled at the fox and took a step forward but then collapsed onto the ground.

A moment passed by with none of the pokémon moving from their spots. Seeing this, the referee raised the green flag and lowered the red flag. **"Pyroar, Dragalge, Aegislash and Clawitzer are no longer able to battle. Victory goes to Delphox! Ash has defeated the Kalos Elite! He can advance and face the Unovan Elite next!"** The crowd was silent at first before erupting with cheers over the amazing victory. Almost all of Ash's girlfriends were among the loudest as they screamed out as happily as they could while Ash  & Pikachu ran up to the fire fox, who had dropped back to one knee and congratulated the starter pokémon on the incredible battle.

Returning their pokémon, the Kalos Elite thanked them quietly before glancing back at their Champion. Diantha gave them a small smile along with a curt nod. Returning her nod with one of their own, the four didn't feel any sort of negative emotion over the outcome. Instead, they were going to use this loss to push them to become stronger. Each of the four pressed the button on their microphones and turned them off. **"Hey…"** Turning back around, the four of them saw Ash standing in front of them, holding his hand out to them. He had returned his pokémon and walked towards them without them noticing while turning off his microphone. **"That was an amazing battle. Thank you for that,"** he told them sincerely with a smile.

Caught off guard once again, the Kalos Elite took a moment to recover before they responded back with chuckles. **"Yes, indeed it was. We are surprised that you found a way to counter our King's Shield. None were able to before,"** remarked Wikstrom as he was the first to shake his hand.

Ash rubbed the back of his head after they stopped. **"Yea, it took me a while to figure out a way. If it wasn't for my Delphox's speed and Magician ability, I would've lost for sure."**

" **And why is that?"** asked Siebold for them all. Ash smiled before explaining that Delphox can make his copies have their attacks actually be real, though at lower power, after finding a way to evolve his Magician ability. The elites and champions were dumbfounded to hear that but recovered quickly. **"I see. That is an impressive ability for any pokémon. And forgive us for our taunting,"** requested Siebold when he next shook his hand.

Ash merely shook his head, saying not to worry about it. **"Oh ho, what a sport,"** stated Drasna, shaking his hand now before she then hugged the young man, surprising him. **"Thank you for that glorious battle,"** she said before the two separated.

" **Right back at ya,"** replied Ash with a smile before turning to face the fire trainer. **"So, Malva, were you finding it hard to perform under stress?"** he asked her in a teasing tone.

Malva laughed in response, though her face turned red as her heart, which was already beating quickly, began thumping even faster. **"Very funny Ash. But I have to admit that was a one of a kind battle. Thank you for that."** Smiling at him as they shook hands, Malva then leaned in closer to him to whisper in his ear having decided on something on impulse. Her action caused Ash's girlfriends to have their eyes widen and several of them, including Cynthia, let out growls, startling the ones around them. They didn't like that the fire elite was being so close to him, having intense anger fill them all of sudden over her actions. **"That was the first time in a long time I had my heart beating like mad. I'd like to see what kind of performance a unique man like yourself will have in some other** _ **intimate**_ **areas as well, if you catch my drift,"** she said, with those last words coming out very softly.

Ash felt his own heart beat a little faster over her words but it was because of something else. Or more accurately, because of several things he felt and sensed. **"I appreciate the compliments and you're one of a kind yourself. But I'm sorry Malva, I don't see you in that way, I can't do that and you should know why,"** he told her quietly.

Malva felt something inside her over the rejection but kept it in check, unsure of what it was. **"Oh, I see."** Taking a step back, she composed herself quickly and nodded at him. **"Congrats Ash. Good luck with the rest of your battles,"** she told him calmly with a small smile before letting go of his hand. The Kalos Elites turned away from him and moved back to where the other elites and champions were waiting as Ash turned around and made his way back to his side of the field. Malva glanced at Cynthia who had her eyes on her, as if piercing through her. However, the red head merely kept her expression neutral while remaining quiet as she took a position next to her elites beside their champion.

The Sinnoh Champion kept glaring at the Kalos Elite for a little longer. Cynthia was filled with anger over Malva's actions. It was just like she said before to Clair and Liza when she told them that she didn't mind if they or her other sisters got with and did things with Ash but if someone else even tried to get close to him, she wouldn't stand for it. And it was the same with her sisters as they felt the same thing as well. Seeing that nothing happened, she took in a breath and exhaled it out, trying to calm down. She knew that no matter what Malva tried to do, Ash wouldn't fall for it, trusting him. Yet she didn't trust others. She was having a little trouble calming down. But then a moment later, she felt something from her aura bond with her beloved that made her feel instantly better. She moved her gaze to his and smiled, seeing him smiling back and instantly knew it was for her.

And it was also true for her sisters. For they too became angry with their friends and family knowing why and so didn't bother them about it. But then, when they became chipper all of a sudden, as if nothing happened, it confused them. All in the group, except for one, was surprised over that and asked them if they were alright, with the girls responding back that they are. Only Delia realized what just occurred because of what she witnessed. For she saw the aura tattoo on her son's body earlier and also saw him place his hand on his left pectoral just now in the field as he reached his trainer's box. Smiling, Delia realized that their bond was very strong to be able to comfort them so quickly and that made her worrying about what she thought before to fade some.

The referee lowered the walkie-talkie he was speaking into and clipped it back onto his belt. The announcer was then heard over the stadium's speakers. **"ALRIGHT FOLKS, WITH ASH DEFEATING THE KALOS ELITES, HE IS NOW ABLE TO FACE THE UNOVAN ELITES! BUT FIRST, WE WILL HAVE A QUICK FIELD CHANGE SO THAT EACH MATCH WILL BE ON NEW FIELDS TO PREVENT ANY UNFAIR FIELD ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES!"** Loud mechanical sounds were heard as the partially destroyed field was lowered into the ground to be switched with an identical new one. Ash waited on his side of the field with Pikachu and on the other side Alder's elites were waiting impatiently.

While that was happening, in the stands Ash's group of family and friends were talking to one another about the match they just saw. They were amazed over the fire fox's ability and wondered just how in the world they were able to develop that. Especially Serena, since she never gave her pokémon's ability a second thought.

It was then that Cilan got a phone call and after speaking a bit into it, he hung up and faced his brothers who he was sitting next to. **"Hey, I'm going to go. I'll see you guys later,"** he explained very quietly and his two brothers nodded. After he left, Chili and Cress both let out a quiet sigh but it was noticed by their girlfriends who became concerned.

" **Hey, what's wrong?"** asked Lily.

Chili and Cress had their eyes widen and glanced at one another. **"Ah, nothing. Everything is fine so nothing to worry about,"** answered Cress a little too quickly.

Picking up on that, the blunette locked eyes with his brother. **"So where is Cilan going?"** asked Violet.

" **Oh, a-ah, I'm sure he just went to use the bathroom or something,"** replied Chili nervously. Violet and Lily gave both of their boyfriends a hard look with narrowed eyes that clearly stated that they weren't buying it. Both brothers became very flustered at that point. **"Ah, well, you s-see…"**

" **Cilan went to be with his new girlfriend."** Not only did the two couples turn to face the purple haired girl, but so did everyone else in their group. The ones who didn't know about the break up were staring at the Unovan native with shocked expressions while the rest were surprised that she just let it be known like that. Iris had decided that she was done keeping trivial secrets. After what she went through with Ash in the morning, she had realized that there are more important things to worry about. And she also noticed how Cilan's brothers were flustered over their girlfriends' questioning. Seeing their concerned looks, Iris still felt a little embarrassed though. **"Don't worry about it. After the incident with Drax, Cilan and I had come to see that we want different things and that we decided to end things on good terms. So I'm good and so is he,"** she told them.

It took a moment before one of them said something. **"Well, as long as everything is alright. And if you need anything sweetie, don't hesitate to let us know,"** offered Delia kindly. Iris smiled in response and thanked her before facing forward in time to see the new field come into view. Chili and Cress looked at Violet and Lily. About to say something, the two sisters shushed them and gave them a look that let them know that they understood that they were just trying to help out their brother. Smiling, the two couples drew closer to each other and faced the field in time for the announcer to speak.

When Cilan left the group, he hurried to find Burgundy before the next battle started. Luckily for him, she was pretty close by and found her sitting next to Georgia. He went up to them and tapped on her shoulder to get her attention as he spoke. **"Burgundy! I was beginning to get worried,"** he said.

Burgundy jumped a little in surprise before facing him, blushing over his concern and her startled state. **"Sorry Cilan but we arrived late and decided to watch the match before calling you,"** she explained.

Cilan nodded as he replied back. **"Oh okay, that makes sense."** He sat down next to her and faced the red head. **"Hi Georgia. How are you doing?"**

" **Hey Cilan, doing well,"** she replied back with a wave. **"You came over pretty quick. Couldn't wait to see your girlfriend huh?"** she teased the two, causing both of them to go red.

" **Shut up Georgia!"** hissed Burgundy with embarrassment and anger but her friend just laughed.

Cilan smiled a bit over their actions and when they calmed down, he explained. **"Well, I was sitting with my friends and family just a little bit away. You two are actually pretty close by."** Nodding their heads, Georgia then suggested that they should go see them too since she hasn't seen Iris for a while. Cilan merely nodded to hide the fact that he was worried about that a bit but didn't mention anything. He wondered if it would be alright for him to go back with them, especially with Burgundy.

But his thoughts were interrupted when the announcer's words began blaring out from the speakers after the field was ready. **"ALRIGHT, WITH THE NEW FIELD IN PLACE, IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE! AFTER DEFEATING THE KALOS ELITES, ASH KETCHUM WILL NOW BE FACING THE UNOVAN ELITES!"** At that moment, Ash stepped into his trainer's box as his opponents stepped into theirs on the opposite side. Both sides turned on their microphones. **"FOR UNOVA, WE HAVE SHAUNTAL, MARSHAL, GRIMSLEY AND CAITLYN!"** Roaring with excitement, the crowd became louder as the four tossed out their poke balls. Chandelure, Mienshao, Bisharp and Gothitelle appeared on their side of the field and took up battle positions at once. Examining who his pokémon would be battling against, Ash grinned a bit and nodded at the Unovan Elite. A blue orb appeared in Ash's hand before the glow faded away to reveal an ultra ball. He tossed it into the air and then Haxorus appeared with a loud roar.

Seeing the dragon type as his choice, two from the stadium were very surprised. Drax wondered how come he didn't use the dragon in the match against him. Iris thought he would have had Emboar take part in the fight, having completely forgotten that he has the same type of pokémon as hers. However, they were snapped out of their thinking when the referee announced the battle had begun.

Smiling at one another, the Unovan Elite and Ash sized each other up. **"You did pretty well against Kalos. But this is a whole different fight and we've seen what you're capable of. We won't be surprised. You ready for this?"** asked Marshall as he hit his left hand's palm with his right fist.

Ash crossed his arms and Haxorus took up an offensive stance. **"I guess we'll find out soon enough."** Chuckling a bit, the Unovan elite told their pokémon to get ready. Immediately after, Ash's expression went serious as he sent out his command. **"Earthquake!"** Stomping his clawed foot against the ground, the ground shook tremendously, causing the water in the middle of the field to splash around.

His opponent's pokémon however each took up a defensive stance at once, limiting the amount of the damage they received. Once the shaking stopped, the four returned to their offensive stances. Crossing her arms now, Caitlyn glared at Ash. **"Being a little hasty aren't we?"** she asked him.

Ash just shrugged, not affected by her slightly scary look. **"Well, I thought I might be able to take you guys by surprise."**

" **Hmph. Well, that's the only move you'll be making in this battle. Trap him!"** Caitlyn's Gothitelle had her eyes glow blue and Haxorus was outlined in a pink glow, preventing him from moving.

Grimlsey and Marshall took advantage of the opportunity and ordered their commands. **"Night Slash!" / "Jump Kick!"** Bisharp and Mienshao shot forward while readying their strikes. Right when they were about to land their hits onto the dragon, Haxorus broke free from the psychic force and blocked both attacks with his claws. His actions surprised many in the stadium, both in the field and out.

However, before he could retaliate, Chandelure appeared behind the dragon and fired a point blank Shadow Ball at his back. Unable to dodge or block it, Haxorus was struck in the back, letting out an angry cry from it but he held on to the two pokemon. In his anger, he lifted both pokémon with his immense strength and tossed them towards the psychic on the opposite side of the field. Gothitelle used her psychic powers to catch both of her comrades and lowered them gently onto the field as Chandelure vanished and reappeared next to his allies as well.

" **Not bad Ash,"** complimented Grimsley. **"Your Haxorus is pretty strong."**

" **Most would have failed with that little test of ours. Looks like things are just starting to heat up,"** revealed Shauntal with excitement, making Marshall glance at her for a split second.

Ash nodded his head over their words and allowed a smirk to form on his face. _Looks like I'll have to adjust my plans a bit, just like I did with Kalos._ **"Thanks. But it'll take more than that to take down my pokémon. Let's continue shall we?"** he asked them and they agreed. **"Alright Haxorus, you know what to do! Advance!"** Haxorus split into a dozen copies and then began charging forward while having their right claw glow as they readied an attack.

Seeing that, the Unovan Elites told their pokémon to attack from a distance and they began firing long range attacks. Most of the copies vanished but a few had gotten in dangerously close. **"Protect!"** Each of the four pokémon brought out a protective shield around themselves to block the attack, not knowing which is the real one. The remaining copies reached their targets but instead of stopping at the shield, they just went through the shield before disappearing from sight. Left in astonished states, the Unovan elite and their pokémon were wondering what just happened until they noticed another Haxorus on the other side of the field. Moving about as if in a trance, the dragon was performing a mystical dance. Their eyes widening, they realized what Ash had done. **"Stop him!"** shouted out the four elites. Bisharp and Mienshao shot forward to hit the dragon while Candelure and Gothitelle tried to quickly power up a Shadow Ball and Psybeam respectively to launch.

" **Too late,"** remarked Ash as Haxorus finished his dance and glowed a bright white color, blinding their opponents and stopping them in their tracks. Dying down until only a white glow outlined him, Haxorus let out a loud battle cry that sent shivers down many spectators' spines before shooting forward. He struck Bisharp in the head with his closed claw, sending him sailing through the air and crashed against the ground before immediately going after Mienshao. Barely able to dodge his main attack, the fighting type moved away yet was pelted with small rocks and debris as the dragon caused the ground to blow apart from his strike. The four elite pokémon grouped back together after recovering and recomposing themselves.

" **INCREDIBLE! THE GUARDIAN FOOLED THE UNOVAN ELITE WITH HIS TACTICS, ALLOWING HIS DRAGON TO POWER UP USING DRAGON DANCE!"** Unable to believe what they were seeing at first, the crowd was silenced until the announcer's words brought them back into reality. Loud roars and cheers were heard among them all with Iris yelling out loud cheers herself with her family and friends. She felt many good things in seeing a Haxorus, a dragon pokémon that she has as well, going toe to toe with the four elite pokémon at once.

On the elites' side, the four Unovans were feeling many different things. **"Incredible,"** whispered Caitlyn, seeing the dragon's strength.

Marshall had a large grin appear on his face. **"Now this is more like it."**

" **Don't get too excited that you can't think straight,"** advised Grimsley but Marshall just chuckled.

Shauntal adjusted her glasses on her face. **"After watching the tournament battles, especially after witnessing his battle against Kalos, we should've been prepared for a tactic like this."** The four of them glanced at one another before looking back at their champion. Alder gave them a nod of his head and the four returned it before facing Ash. **"Time to get serious like whenever I write,"** stated the ghost type trainer.

" **Alright Ash, no more mister nice guy!"** called out Marshall.

" **How rude! There are two ladies here with you!"** remarked Caitlyn with annoyance.

" **Now's not the time!"** chastised Grimsley and Caitlyn scowled at that but said nothing. **"Attack together at once! Metal Claw!"** Bisharp shot forward once more with his claws glowing.

" **Back him up with Dual Chops!"** commanded Marshall and Mienshao followed after the blade pokémon. Gothitelle and Chandelure however remained behind and began charging up attacks.

Wondering what the other two pokémon were up to, Ash decided to keep an eye on them while dealing with the two advancing ones. **"Intercept them with Dragon Claws!"** Haxorus moved forward with outstanding speed and matched his opponents blow for blow. Even with his speed boost though, he was barely able to keep up against both pokémon's relentless attacks. Ash noticed this and his eyes narrowed a bit. _Damn, they're faster than I thought. But Haxorus should be able to handle this with his speed boost and keep up. Looks like there's much more training to be done._ Moving his gaze towards the ghost and psychic pokémon, Ash saw that they were almost ready to fire their attacks. _That's not good. Need to take at least one of those two out quick!_ Sending his dragon some encouragement and new plans through their aura bond, Haxorus agreed and waited for the right moment.

On the other side of the field, Shauntal and Caitlyn were waiting for their pokémon to finish charging their attacks. A short while later, Chandelure vanished from sight and Gothitelle was outlined in a pink glow, signaling that they were done. **"We're ready!"** called out the two female elites.

Marshall and Grimsley understood and yelled together their next command. **"Distract him!"** Both Mienshao and Bisharp quickly backed away from Haxorus while launching an Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse at once.

Unable to put up a shield in time, the dragon went into a protective stance with his arms covering his head. Right before he was going to be struck, the ghost type appeared behind him and fired his Overheat and at the same time while Gothitelle had the pink glow vanish from around her. **"Haxorus!"** called out Ash as the three simultaneous attacks made contact at the same time, causing a large explosion that drew up a cloud of smoke and dust.

The crowd went quiet, waiting to see the outcome. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal Haxorus charging up a large meteor looking ball in front of him. Smirking at their shocked faces, Ash threw out his arm as he said his next command; **"Draco Meteor!"** His dragon fired it towards his opponents. The Unovan Elite had their pokémon take up defensive positions and use Protect to have shielding barriers around them. Once the meteor reached their side, it exploded into dozens of large pieces. Bombarded with the shards, the four pokémon kept up their shield. **"Rock Slide!"** ordered Ash, not wanting to let up the pressure. Summoning large rocks and boulders out of thin air, Haxorus had them drop down onto the four and around them, colliding against their shields and breaking into smaller pieces that caused cracks to form on them.

Astonished over the dragon's stamina to repeatedly attack after using such a powerful technique, the Unovan Elite had no choice but to focus on defense. **"Stand firm!"** encouraged Caitlyn to her pokémon.

" **He can't keep attacking! Hold on!"** stated Marshall after seeing his pokémon struggle a bit.

Yet Haxorus wasn't stopping his relentless Rock Slide. Dozens and dozens of rocks and boulders was dropped without any slowing down. It didn't take much longer until all four pokémon had their shields shatter because of the area attack. Absolutely shocked over what they were seeing, the Unovan elites screamed for their pokémon to get out of there but it was no use. No matter which direction they turned, they kept getting bombarded by them. **"DEAR LORD, AT THIS RATE, IT LOOKS LIKE ASH WILL DEFEAT THE UNOVAN ELITE WITHOUT TOO MUCH TROUBLE! IT'LL TAKE A MIRACLE FOR THEM TO TAKE BACK CONTROL!"**

It happened right when the announcer's words stopped being blared out from the stadium speakers. A huge pillar of pink psychic energy dropped down from above and slammed onto the brownish dragon. Haxorus was flattened onto the ground by the incredible energy, causing the concrete floor to cave in from the overwhelming force behind it. The relentless attack finally stopped as the last couple of boulders fell from the sky and broke apart as they smashed into the ground. **"WHAT IN THE WORLD JUST HAPPENED?! WHERE DID THAT PINK ENERGY COME FROM?!"** He wasn't the only one at a loss over what transpired as most everyone in the stands was in the same confused states. However, the ones battling right now and the rest that were watching from within the field, knew exactly what happened.

Seeing that all five pokémon were lying down on the ground, the referee waited for a little bit to see who would get up. Almost as if on cue, each of the five stirred before raising themselves back up to continue the battle. Seeing them not giving up, the crowd cheered loudly, happy to see the battle continue. Ash's posse yelled out words of encouragement to him and his pokémon. **"I can't believe how Haxorus can keep going,"** whispered Iris in surprise, catching her friends attention. Clair asked her what she meant for them all. **"My Haxorus was taken out by a single attack by Drax's Salamence but Ash's Haxorus is taking a beating like it's nothing."** Understanding her, they thought about that a bit before facing the field again.

Ash grit his teeth while looking at his dragon, noticing the bruises on him and sensing his strength and energy had dwindled. Ash cursed at himself mentally for forgetting about Caitlyn's Gothitelle charging up an attack. _Damn it, that Future Sight really did a number on Haxorus._ He looked at the other pokémon and saw that they too were in bad shape. _Well, good news is that they're in the same rough shape as well. Bad news is I can't make any more mistakes._ Taking in a breath, Ash called out to his dragon. **"Haxorus, can you still go on? Do you want to go on?"** he asked and his dragon glanced back at him and locked eyes with his trainer for a moment. Turning his gaze forward, Haxorus let out a loud roar to show he was still in the fight.

After seeing that their pokémon were alright and able to continue and so was their opponent, the four Unovan Elites looked at one another. **"So, do we go with plan A or plan B?"** asked Marshall sarcastically.

Grimsley scoffed as he shook his head. **"You know we don't really have plans. We just wing it."**

" **Which is probably why we're getting our asses kicked,"** remarked Caitlyn in annoyance.

Shauntal took off her glasses to wipe them clean. **"If you haven't noticed, we're pretty even right now. Our champion's advice to not be rigid in our tactics is what allows us to persevere and win,"** she reminded the others. Finishing up, she placed her glasses back on. **"What we do now is what we always do; adapt, modify and use our individual battling ways to work together."**

Agreeing with that, her fellow elites faced their challenger. **"Shauntal, remind me to kiss you all over after this,"** stated Marshall.

" **Not required,"** she replied back, though she blushed heavily over his words.

" **Oh get a room you two!"** shot an annoyed Caitlyn.

" **Someone's jealous at not getting any attention,"** chuckled Grimsley.

Caitlyn had the urge to smack him upside the head but controlled herself. **"Shut up and focus!"**

" **Hey, you guys do know that we can all hear you right?"** called out Ash from the other side of the field.

Their eyes widening and having embarrassed expressions on their faces, the Unovan elites remembered that what they said was heard by everyone. They could hear the laughter from the stands and they turned beet red. Glancing back at their champion, they saw that he was laughing too. **"Alder!"** Glaring at him, Alder kept laughing and even the other champions and elites were chuckling a bit. Becoming angry and irritated, they faced Ash and narrowed their eyes on him. **"Advance!"** called out the four at once. Bisharp, Mienshao, Chandelure and Gothitelle moved together towards the dragon.

Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. **"Get ready to intercept!"** Taking up a neutral stance, Haxorus waited for them to make a move and adjust accordingly. Taking that as their cue, the four pokémon moved quicker and engaged the dragon at once while their trainers ordered attacks. Mienshao and Bisharp attempted to hit him with physical strikes but Haxorus prevented them by rolling out of the way. A Psybeam was fired at him the second the dragon stood back up. Again he was barely able to dodge out of the way by the skin of his teeth. Chandelure appeared behind him and was about to fire a Shadow Ball again. But Haxorus was ready for that this time and swung his glowing tail at the ghost type. Smashing into Chandelure hard, a loud cry of pain was let out before the ghost was sent flying towards the stadium wall and collided into it before sliding down the wall onto the ground. Ash thought that it was out but then the ghost slowly floated back up but with difficulty. _Damn it, but at least that'll buy us some time but we can't keep doing this,_ thought Ash, seeing Haxorus able to keep things level with the elite pokémon. _Wait, where is…_ Ash then noticed Gothitelle charging up another psychic blast. _Oh no you don't!_ **"Haxorus! Earthquake!"** Stomping his foot on the ground after dodging another strike, the stadium shook once more, causing his opponents to stumble about and Gothitelle was forced to stop her charging. **"Now's our chance! Take out the psychic! Dragon Claw!"** Haxorus charged forward and readied his claw to take out the stumbling Gothitelle.

" **Get out of there!"** screamed Caitlyn, not wanting her pokémon to get taken out.

Haxorus reached the psychic and swung his glowing claw at her. But then Bisharp appeared between them and intercepted the attack with his own bladed hand. Haxorus however didn't let that faze him and had his other claw shoot forward. Yet that too was prevented from reaching its target by Mienshao who had to use both of his hands to catch the dragon's claw.

Caitlyn let out a relieved breath. **"Thanks. I thought she was done for. I didn't want to be taken out like that."** Her fellow elites replied back that it was nothing and that they got each other's backs. Smiling a bit, Caitlyn refocused on the battle. **"Let's show him what we elites can do!"**

" **Time to finish this,"** stated Marshall, seeing the dragon immobilized by the two pokémon. **"Ash, it was a good battle but all good things must come to an end!"** he said to him, expecting the challenger to be worried or show fear.

Ash however was calm and was even grinning a bit. That threw them off. **"Why aren't you worried?"** asked a confused Shauntal.

His grin growing larger, the elites started to become annoyed. It was then that Haxorus began glowing with his muscles bulging. **"What's going on?!"** asked a startled Grimsely.

Ash answered him as he yelled out a single word. **"Outrage!"**

The Unovan elites had their eyes widen in response as they figured it out. Ash had his pokémon target Gothitelle because she was only a long range hitter and made the two close quarters combatants come near her as well to take them all out at once. **"Stop him!"** shouted the elites together but it was no use.

Haxorus muscled through the two physical hitters holds on him and tackled the psychic with his brute strength, making her go flying into the wall while screaming. Gothitelle collided agasint the wall before she dropped down onto the ground unconscious. Turning back around to face the others, he was hit with several strikes from the two pokémon that made him grunt with pain. But then he caught Bisharp's strike and then used him as a tool to hit the ghost pokémon who had appeared near them and was about to spew out flames. Immediately after, he slammed his tail against them, smashing them into the ground and those two pokémon were taken out, leaving only Mienshao. The fighter was panting heavily, having taken quite a bit of damage when Haxorus literally plowed through him and Bisharp. But the dragon's rampage was over, leaving him panting while starting to see double from his exhaustion.

Seeing that he was the only one left, Marshall clenched his hands into fists. **"Damn it! You may have the upper hand now but it's not over yet Ash!"**

" **I didn't think it was,"** replied back Ash but he knew that Haxorus was on his last legs and was now suffering from confusion. It was a heavy gamble what he just did but he had faith in his pokémon. _Looks like I have a lot more training to do. But I came to win and that's what we're going to do!_ It was right then when Marshall had his Mienshao attack and the fighting type unleashed a flurry of devastating strikes onto the defenseless dragon. Seeing this, Ash shouted out some encouragement. **"Haxorus, I know you're tired buddy but let's win this one for the person who made me realize how much potential and power your kind has so long ago!"** His words made many in the stadium to think about who he was talking about. Only one had an idea from his group but didn't say a word about it yet.

Haxorus was in excruciating pain and was exhausted, but he heard his trainer's words. It resonated with him and caused his body to start pumping adrenaline. Gaining some much needed energy from it, the dragon broke free from the fighter's onslaught by striking him with a Dragon Claw. Mienshao took a couple steps back and wobbled but stayed on his feet.

" **Mienshao, don't give up! You can win! Focus Blast!"**

" **Give it everything you have! Giga Impact!"**

Haxorus glowed an intense white while Mienshao focused all of its mental power. Both pokémon poured everything they had into their final attacks, wanting to win for their trainer and friend. The dragon shot forward all of a sudden and the fighter launched his concentrated blast of energy in close range of himself. Exploding on impact the second the dragon and the energy sphere collided, the field and both pokémon were covered in smoke with only their screams of pain heard. **"WHAT A WAY TO END THIS BATTLE! WHICH ONE OF THOSE TWO SURVIVED?!"** Everyone in the stadium held their breath as they waited to see the outcome. Slowly the smoke cleared to reveal one of the pokémon out cold while the other was barely standing, taking in heavy, wheezing breaths.

Seeing the victor, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. **"Haxorus is still standing while Mienshao is unconscious. The battle and victory goes to Ash Ketchum who has defeated the Unovan Elites!"** Immediately after his words, Ash ran to his pokémon and hugged the dragon while giving out words of praise. Seeing that occur, the crowd cheered over the outcome.

Stunned over their defeat, the Unovan Elite took a moment before returning their pokémon and praised them for their efforts. Remembering to turn off their microphones, they did so and then they looked at one another. **"So, that was fun. I was entertained. How about you guys?"** asked a chuckling Marshall.

Shauntal took off her glasses and wiped them with the bottom of her blouse. **"I can't believe I'm saying this but I had more fun than reading my books,"** she revealed to them before putting on her glasses.

Marshall had his jaw drop and the other two chuckled. **"Looks like you got competition,"** joked Grimsley, knowing how to push his friend's buttons.

" **Shut up man!"** whined Marshall while the two girls giggled. Shauntal gave a quick wink at Caitlyn afterwards, who smirked in understanding that she was only messing with his mind.

" **Hey guys."** Turning their attention to Ash now, the four of them composed themselves. **"I just wanted to say thank you for the great match,"** he told them, raising his hand.

Being the first to respond, Caitlyn walked a couple steps closer, grasped his hand and shook it. **"Right back at you. I must say I'm impressed. Good luck with your other matches."** Ash thanked her and with that, she let go and moved to where her champion was standing with a proud look on his face.

Grimsley went next and shook his hand. **"Those were some interesting tactics you used back there. Caught us off guard. We should do this again but next time, let's go one on one,"** he suggested and Ash agreed to that.

After him, Shauntal shook his hand with Marshall eyeing the two nervously. **"Ash, that was a grand battle. Would you allow me to write about this from my view and post it on my blog?"** she asked him.

Marshal was stunned over her question and Ash rubbed the back of his head after stopping the handshake. **"A-Ah sure, I guess,"** he replied back and she thanked him with a smile before following after her fellow elites.

Marshall was the last one to exchange words with him as he shook hands with Ash. **"Good battle Ash. You've truly strong."** After thanking him and complimenting him as well, the raven haired trainer wondered why he was being so weird when he moved in closer. **"Look, about Shauntal, she may be…"**

" **Stop right there,"** interrupted Ash, now knowing what was up and Marshall narrowed his eyes a bit. **"You have nothing to worry about so don't even start. Alright?"**

Looking into his eyes, the fighting type trainer could see that he was being straight with him. Instantly his demeanor changed. **"Alright then! Good luck with your battles against the other elites!"** he said happily and gave him a hard smack against his back, playing it off like a pat on the shoulder. Marshall then went to join his champion and elites, maneuvering to be next to the ghost type trainer.

Shaking his head, Ash let out a half chuckle mixed with a disbelieving scoff while making his way back to his side of the field. **"WITH THE UNOVAN ELITES TAKEN OUT AS WELL, THE GUARDIAN WILL NOW FACE THE SINNOH ELITE AFTER THE FIELD IS CHANGED!"** With the loud mechanical sounds signaling that, the raven haired guardian spoke with his starter pokémon as they waited. In the stands, many conversations were heard throughout the stadium as they passed the time until the elite matches continued.

Among them, a certain blue haired dragon trainer was thinking heavily about the battle she just witnessed. She had no idea how powerful and resilient a Haxorus could be. But after seeing her beloved's pokémon, she had to have one of her own. It was then that she remembered that there was someone she could ask where she could find one in Unova. **"Hey Iris…"** Waiting until she faced her, Clair continued her question. **"Since you have a Haxorus of your own, do you know where to find one?"**

Iris smiled a bit. **"Yes. Why do you ask?"**

" **Well, after seeing this battle, it made me realize how powerful and cool they are. And well I…"**

" **I understand. I'll help you find one,"** interrupted Iris, knowing what she wanted to ask. **"There's an area near my village where you can sometimes find its pre-evolved form, Axew. I can show you the exact place but it'll be a bit of a hike,"** explained the purple haired girl.

Clair let a large smile spread on her face. **"Sounds good Iris. I owe you one,"** said the blunette happily.

Waving her hand, Iris shook her head. **"Naw, don't worry about it."** Thanking her again, Clair then began speaking with Liza as Iris turned her attention towards the raven haired guardian on the field. _So this is what a true dragon trainer is capable of. To think that Haxorus, a pokémon that I have as well, can have so much power to defeat four elite level pokémon at once._ Thinking about that made Iris wonder exactly what kind of training Ash did with his pokémon. She remembered what he did in his memories that were shown to them all but she knew it was only a fraction of what he did.

Iris wasn't the only one thinking heavily in the group however. The former Pewter City gym leader was preoccupied with thinking over his best friend's choices. Brock was wondering why Ash used Delphox instead of Greninja in his match against Kalos and why he didn't have Emboar compete against Unova instead of Haxorus. Both of his choices were surely not as experienced as the others. He could have easily had another pokémon switch with guarding Natasha. Yet he knew that Ash wouldn't do that. But then again, it was like what Norman had said before and he agreed. But Brock also felt that something else was the reason why behind his choices. _What's the real reason behind your choices Ash?_

As Brock thought about that, Ash's girlfriends were speaking to each other excitedly. They were very impressed to say the least about their beloved's success. Sure, they knew he had become powerful but seeing him beating the elites while handicapped was completely different. **"This is incredible. Both Kalos and Unova have been defeated. But the elites aren't going down without a fight. They're giving it everything they have,"** remarked Anabel and her sisters agreed with her.

Leaf turned to the blonde from Johto after her words. **"Hey Sarah, when you faced the Johto Elites, were they going all out like this?"**

They all turned to face Sarah and so did the others in the group. Shaking her head, Sarah let out a sigh. **"They were tough no doubt and did go hard on me, but it was nothing like this,"** revealed the blonde girl, making the others become surprised. **"It's like my battle with them was just another challenger but this…"** She faced the field and locked her eyes onto Ash. **"…these battles with Ash are like something else. It's as if they're trying to prove something to everyone and to themselves."**

Her revelation made them all think about that and the black haired girl spoke up. **"That makes sense if you think about it,"** said Giselle, drawing their attention to her, making her go red slightly. Gesturing her to go on, Giselle took in a breath and explained. **"It just hit me now. Ash challenged the world's elites to a handicap match because he wants to test his strength right? And didn't Arceus tell the Champions to tell their elites to go all out and not hold anything back?"** Nodding their heads as they remembered that, Giselle continued explaining. **"So the elites are trying to do as their champions told them to and they're probably doing this for themselves too, to show that they are strong. Ash's challenge most likely has annoyed if not made them angry."**

Understanding dawning on them, it was then that they also realized what the valedictorian was talking about. **"That makes perfect sense,"** stated May and she turned to face the blunette from Sinnoh. **"Looks like your home region is up next. You feel excited?"** asked the brunette from Hoenn.

Dawn smiled as she faced the new field that was finally finished being set. **"Yes I am,"** admitted Dawn as she raised her hand and grasped the necklace he had given her after their date. **"Though they represent my home region, I can't wait to see how Ash beats them,"** she said fiercely. **"And I have a feeling that this will be a little more interesting because it's Cynthia's Elites too."** Her sisters smiled and stated their agreement with that as they too paid attention to the starting battle.

While the field was being changed, the Sinnoh elites spoke to each other about their plans and tactics in low voices. **"The plans we made with Cynthia should be good enough but after what we've seen, we need to be ready to adjust accordingly,"** stated Lucian.

Aaron shook his head a bit. **"What we decided with our champion is good against any pokémon, regardless of type, experience or power. We just need to stay focused and not get side tracked,"** said the bug type trainer.

" **Agreed,"** said Bertha as she looked at Cynthia. The two shared a smile and nodded. **"We'll have to show the power of Sinnoh so everyone knows what we're capable of."**

Flint had a grin form on his face. **"Exactly."** He also looked at his champion, making her tilt her head a bit. **"And we'll be testing to see if this guy is good enough for our champion,"** stated the fire trainer, making Cynthia's eyes widen and her face to flush red.

The others around them all looked at the Sinnoh Champion because of Flint's words. It was at that moment that those who didn't know if Cynthia and Ash were together or not for sure had their suspicions confirmed. Her reddened face told it all. **"Flint…"**

" **Don't worry boss,"** interrupted Flint as the field finished changing. **"We're just gonna have some fun battling against your boyfriend. But fair warning, we won't be going easy on him. Only the best can be with our champion after what you've been through in the past,"** he told her. His words made Caitlyn look at him curiously.

" **Flint!"** shot Cynthia angrily over his slip up, warning him to not say anymore, startling the other elites and champions.

" **Yea yea, I got ya,"** replied Flint as he and his fellow elites moved towards their trainer's box. **"That was close,"** he muttered under his breath.

" **You're an idiot,"** stated Lucian seriously in a low voice. **"You should know better than to remind her of that."**

" **I know you care about our champion just like us, but you need to watch what you say,"** advised Bertha calmly and Flint nodded his head.

Changing of the field finally done brought the next match to begin as the Sinnoh Elites stopped in their trainer's box and Ash was in his. The referee held up both flags and signaled the start of the match with his flags. Immediately the Sinnoh Elites tossed out their poke balls and four battle ready pokémon appeared with three of them making loud roars. After sensing their power with his aura, the raven haired guardian threw a poke ball into the air and it opened with a flash of bright light. **"AND THE THIRD ROUND OF THE ELITE MATCHES HAS BEGUN! WE HAVE DRAPION, RHYPERIOR, INFERNAPE AND BRONZONG CHOSEN TO BE SINNOH'S REPRESENTATIVES! AND THE POKÉMON CHOSEN BY THE CHALLENGER WHO WILL BATTLE THEM ALL AT ONCE IS EMPOLEON! WE HAVE TWO RARE AND EXCLUSIVE SINNOH STARTERS FULLY EVOLVED RIGHT HERE IN KANTO!"** Going crazy with anticipation of the battle, the crowd was making so much more noise now than before. Dawn had her eyes widen and she let out a gasp over her beloved's choice but soon she was cheering with a happy look on her face. She knew that the water type had much potential, since one of her strongest was her Piplup.

Seeing his brother's chosen pokémon for the match, it was then that Brock understood and he started chuckling quietly. That drew his fiancée's attention. **"What's so funny?"** asked Lucy.

Finishing up, the pokémon doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her in closer so he could whisper in her ear. **"I finally realized the reason why Ash has chosen these particular pokémon so far and I'm pretty sure I know who he's going to pick next for the remaining three battles if he continues to win,"** he confided in her.

Becoming stunned over what she heard, Lucy raised her gaze to meet his eyes. **"Really?! What is the reason and who is he going to have battle in the next ones if he does win?!"** asked the Pike Queen in a hushed voice. Telling her he'll say later because he doesn't want others to hear him, Lucy pouted but Brock didn't give in. That earned him a pinch on his side from her that made him yelp loudly and their friends laughed at him over the sound he made.

Back on the field, Empoleon was standing tall and eyeing his opponents. Infernape cracked his knuckles while sporting a wicked grin on his face. Rhyperior was having his two horns on his head alternate their spinning. Drapion was snapping close his claws and opening them repeatedly. Bronzong was hovering in the air but otherwise motionless.

Everything was calm and quiet in the arena between the five pokémon, though the stadium was buzzing because of the spectators. Ash looked at the Sinnoh Elite across from him. The four of them were sporting similar expressions of seriousness. He was wondering why they weren't speaking or cracking jokes or anything of the sort like the previous two teams of elites. Moving his eyes onto their champion, he saw the same serious gaze on her as well. Understanding dawning on him, Ash faced the opposition and a grin formed on his face. **"Well, if you're not going start the show, then I guess it's up to us to get this started! Blizzard!"** A howling storm of ice and snow was summoned out of nowhere by the emperor pokémon at once before launching it towards the four elite pokémon.

" **Heat Wave!"** shot Flint in return. A scorching wave of super heated air was brought up by the fire monkey towards the blizzard. The two opposite elements collided in the middle of the field and caused a reaction, causing a heavy mist to blanket the arena and cover the combatants.

Though they couldn't see their pokémon at the moment, the ground type trainer said her command to take advantage. **"Earthquake!"** ordered Bertha and her drill pokémon stomped on the ground hard, making the area shake heavily. Infernape avoided the damage by jumping on top of Bronzong in the air and Drapion climbed on top of Rhyperior to avoid it as well.

When the shaking finally stopped, no sounds were heard from within the mist. **"Clear out the mist!"** requested Lucian and his Bronzong used his psychic powers to clear the field.

It revealed Empoleon kneeling with his large shield like arm wings coated in a metallic sheen and dug into the ground. He had used Steel Wing to anchor himself to the ground during the quakes to limit the damage he received tremendously. **"Flash Cannon!"** capitalized Ash, seeing their stunned looks. A silver colored energy beam was fired at once from the water type's mouth.

" **Horn Drill!"** Rhyperior lowered his head slightly and charged towards the attack, shocking the guardian and his pokémon. The instant the beam of energy collided against the spinning horn, it dispersed into smaller beams of energy before they dissipated into the air.

Not letting him find room to breathe, Aaron told his pokémon to attack. **"Pin Missile!"** Drapion launched dozens of needle shaped projectiles rapidly.

Ash knew that he couldn't dodge those since they were too fast and also saw that Rhyperior was still advancing, with his horn still spinning. _Shit!_ **"Iron Defense!"** Empoleon hardened his body to the point of it being steel like to meet the incoming projectiles. Bouncing off his body with no damage done whatsoever, the needles dropped to the ground before they faded away. It was then that the rhino drew in closer to the penguin, intending to stab him with his spinning horn. **"Metal Claw!"** Right as he was about to make contact, Rhyperior was struck with two metalized claws on both sides of his body with so much strength that they dug into his rock hard skin, making the ground type let out painful shouts. The impact of the charge however was enough to make Empoleon be pushed back many feet until he finally stopped, though he was saved by the one hit KO move. _That was close,_ thought Ash, taking in a breather.

" **No time to rest!"** shot Flint, finally speaking. **"Close Combat!"** Infernape sprinted towards the immobilized water type.

" **Break free and use Bubble Beam to counter!"** yelled out Ash and his pokémon tugged and pulled, trying to free his claws. They had gone in very deep into the rhino's skin.

Bertha realized that the penguin was having difficulty getting free and used the opportunity to immobilize him further. **"Don't let him get free! Rock Polish!"** His body began polishing itself, making Rhyperior's normally rugged and rough skin become more streamlined and smooth. As a result, it caused the skin around Empoleon's claws to tighten and prevented them from being able to withdraw.

Appearing behind him, the fire monkey let loose a devastating flurry of rapid punches and kicks against the steel penguin's back. **"Empoleon!"** called out Ash in concern over his pokémon's cries of pain. **"You can do it! Use Metal Claw to break free and then get out of there with Aqua Jet!"** Trying to do as his trainer said, Empoleon ignored the pain from Infernape's hits but was unable to free himself.

Aaron and Lucian glanced at one another and nodded before facing the battle again. **"Drapion, once more! Pin Missile!"**

" **Get in there with the others and use Psyshock Bronzong!"** Maneuvering to opposite sides of the stuck water type, the ogre scorpion fired the green needles against the penguin's left side while the bell pokémon launched purple psychic bullets against the penguin's right side.

Screams and shouts were heard from many in the stands and Ash's family and friends were beyond worried over what was happening. Dawn stood up from her seat and shouted out for the pokémon in fright with her mother Johanna holding her so she wouldn't lose balance and fall over. **"THIS COULD BE THE END! THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON IS TRAPPED AND IS CONSTANTLY BOMBARDED FROM PRACTICALLY ALL SIDES! LOOKS LIKE HIS ELITE RUN MAY JUST END HERE FOLKS!"** Absolutely astonished over what was happening, everyone in the stadium couldn't believe what they were observing. Even the elites and champions weren't expecting something like this.

Seeing that he was about lose, Domino glanced at Oakley and Annie who nodded. Taking out her smart phone, the undercover agent dialed in a number to be ready to contact their allies to start their attack the moment the guardian lost. Filling up with anxiousness, the two sisters held hands as they waited for their mission to begin once the official statement of the guardian's failure was stated.

In the green trainer's box, Ash was at a loss. He didn't know what to do. No matter what he told his pokémon to do to get free, it didn't work. _What am I supposed to do?_ he asked himself in his mind as he watched his pokémon continuously get pummeled. _Everything I've tried isn't working! If this continues, Empoleon could be hurt permanently! How do I turn this around?_ It was at that moment that Empoleon dropped to one knee from the onslaught, panting heavily yet refusing to go completely down. His steel typing was helping him receive less damage than normal but it was beginning to take its toll. Seeing that occur, Ash felt his heart beat quicken. _Damn. It looks like I'm not ready yet but that doesn't mean I'll let him get hurt anymore! I have to stop this!_ Opening his mouth to say what he intended to say, he was going to say the two words he thought he'd never say in his life when it came to battling. **"I…"**

 _If you quit now, then what are we supposed to do in the future?_ Mewtwo's voice was heard in his mind, making him freeze and prevented him from continuing. _We have trained for far worse than this._

 _I know Mewtwo. But Empoleon is getting wrecked! He can't continue! If this goes on…_

 _Have you forgotten the harsh training we have all endured these past few years?_ Interrupted the psychic feline, making the guardian become quiet again. _Have you forgotten the aura bond you forged with your pokémon during that time? That which allows them to withstand more and increases their power? Have you forgotten the two previous battles with the elites you just had? Have you forgotten that your pokémon can sense and feel what you're going through as well?_

 _Of course not. I know that! But I…_

Mewtwo silenced him again with another interruption. _Then you know that Empoleon can still fight! If you lose, then so be it! We'll know what to work on because of that! But if you're going to lose, then go down fighting! Never surrender and never back down! You've never done that before so don't start now!_

Remembering some of the things he and his pokémon went through during their hellish three year training allowed Ash to realize that Mewtwo was right. He couldn't give up just because things got difficult. He never did before and he wasn't going to start now. That was how he was able to overcome both the Kalos Elites and the Unovan Elites. And he was going to do it again. But if he was going to lose, so be it and just like his comrade in arms said, he'll go down fighting. _Thank you Mewtwo._ Refocusing on the match and his pokémon, Ash quickly came up with a plan. It was a last ditch effort but if it worked, it could even the playing field. **"EMPOLEON!"** roared Ash, startling many in the stadium from his sudden shout. **"YOU CAN DO THIS! DON'T GIVE UP!"** Hearing the confidence from his trainer's voice revitalized the steel penguin. Summoning his strength, he slowly stood back up even against the relentless attacks, shocking everyone in the stadium except for one. _That's it! You're doing great! We're going to use the water in the pool to get back in the fight!_ After standing upright fully, Empoleon had his special ability activate. A bright blue outline appeared around him and his eyes glowed blue as well.

" **No way! This isn't good!"** yelped Aaron.

" **Keep going, don't let him do anything!"** ordered Lucian.

" **Give it everything you got Infernape!"** commanded Flint.

" **Don't let him break free! Keep him there and if need be, finish it with Horn Drill!"** shouted Bertha.

Hearing them say those statements made Ash bolder, sensing their fear over what was happening. **"THAT'S IT! KEEP GOING BUDDY!"** Focusing his power, the pool of water in the middle of the field began glowing as well as it started to spin before it began traveling up into the air. It went higher and higher up as the speed of its spinning intensified. Except for the four pokémon trying to defeat their opponent before it could unleash its attack, all sets of eyes were on the water tornado. **"EMPOLEON! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! WHIRLPOOL!"**

With a loud battle cry, the Sinnoh water starter glowed a bright blue as he had the water tornado travel towards him and the elite pokémon. With fear coating their voices, the elites told their pokémon to get out of there but it was no use. For the whirlpool was way too big and moved quickly towards them. It reached the five pokémon and engulfed them all in its dangerous spinning yet only one was unaffected by its power. The force behind the water tornado was enough to pull Rhyperior away from Empoleon with ease, finally allowing the penguin to be free of him. Lifting the four pokémon up into its vortex, the elite pokémon tried to get out by using many different moves and abilities but nothing allowed them to escape. The only things they could do were let out terrified screams and shouts.

Ash sensed that Empoleon was finally freed from Rhyperior and he let out a sigh of relief. _Good, that's taken care of. But we need to finish this battle before he runs out of steam._ **"Empoleon, get some distance from it!"** Concentrating his power, the water starter had the whirlpool back towards the middle of the field where the water was originally and stopped there. **"Good! Now, Ice Beam!"** Raising his arms forward towards the water tornado, a bluish white ball of icy energy appeared between his claws before firing the beam. The second it connected with it, the water tornado began freezing. It didn't take too long to have the entire giant whirlpool become a tower of ice. With his task done, Empoleon hunched over and panted heavily, losing the glow around him and from his eyes. Exhausted, he wanted to just keel over but forced himself to remain standing and stay on guard just in case.

Seeing their pokémon frozen solid in a tower of ice, the Sinnoh elite were aghast over what happened. They had their opponent up against the ropes and they should've won. Yet they never expected a comeback like this. **"The Sinnoh Elite have had their pokémon defeated with that final move. The winner of this match goes to…"**

" **Hold on a second!"** shot Flint, stopping the referee from finishing. **"This battle ain't over yet!"**

" **Flint, just let it go,"** advised Aaron but Flint didn't listen.

" **Flint!"** snapped Cynthia in anger, startling everyone around her. **"Accept your defeat!"**

Looking back at his champion, Flint could see she was angry. But so was he. **"I will if I truly am! But I'm not!"** Facing forward he threw out his left arm and yelled as loudly as he could. **"INFERNAPE! FLAME WHEEL!"** Every single set of eyes searched for the fire monkey in the icy pillar. But as the seconds passed, nothing happened. Aaron went up to his best friend to talk and calm him down but Flint was having none of it. He brushed off his words and roared again. **"INFERNAPE!"**

It was after that second time he called out his name that Ash sensed something. Looking at a spot in the top half of the ice pillar, he could tell that energy was building. Very hot energy. **"EMPOLEON! IT'S NOT OVER YET! STAY ALERT!"** he bellowed, making everyone become confused over why he would say that when the battle was done.

Until a glowing red sphere became visible inside the pillar that made the spectators let out startled gasps and yelps. Next second, the top half of the ice tower exploded, sending sharp shards of ice high into the air that melted from the sun's light. On top of the ice pillar stood the fire monkey, panting heavily yet was outlined in a red glow with his eyes glowing red. His Blaze ability had activated and his body was now surging with adrenaline. **"HOLY SHIIIOOOOOT! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?! EVEN AFTER BEING SPUN AROUND LIKE A RAG DALL AND BEING FROZEN SOLID, INFERNAPE IS STILL IN THE FIGHT! WHAT WILL!"** At first silent over the last couple of minutes, the stadium erupted over what they were witnessing.

Ash kept his gaze on the fire type for a little bit, sensing that he had gotten an energy burst from his Blaze ability. Shifting his gaze to look at his pokémon, he saw the water type looking at him. Seeing the expression on his face, the guardian was left in an astonished state over what he wanted. _Are you sure?_ Nodding his head, the emperor penguin straightened himself out and locked eyes with his opponent as his Torrent ability also reactivated, giving him a much needed energy boost but it wasn't as much as before.

Flint smirked as he saw them get ready. **"Looks like we'll be continuing this. But first, free your comrades Infernape!"** Using his boost, the fire monkey punched the center of the icy pillar hard. Numerous cracks formed on it before it shattered into countless pieces, freeing the three pokémon inside. Rhyperior, Drapion and Bronzong fell onto the ground unconscious before they were returned while Infernape landed on his feet. **"Time to get some payback! Mach Punch!"** With outstanding speed, Infernape shot forward, leaving Empoleon no time to react whatsoever. His fist smashed against his chest, making the water type take a few steps backwards. **"Flamethrower!"**

" **Water Pulse!"** countered Ash. A blast of pulsing water was fired from Empoleon's beak as a stream of flames was let out from Infernape's mouth. Both supercharged attacks collided and caused an explosion from their reaction, throwing both pokémon off their feet.

Getting back up as quickly as he could, Infernape was becoming angry and let out a rage filled roar. **"That's it! Get mad! Lose yourself in it! Draw power from it! Brick Break!"** His hand glowing white as he shot forward, he slammed it against the side of the water type's head who had barely gotten up.

Empoleon stumbled several feet to the side, disorientated from the hit. **"Empoleon! Gather your senses! He's coming at you from the left!"** he warned his pokémon as the fire monkey drew in closer.

Flint however let out a laugh. **"Thunder Punch!"** Infernape switched up his angle of attack quickly and had his electrified fist smash against his target's side, making Empoleon drop to his knee. **"One more should do it! Finish it!"** Infernape complied and had his electrified fist shoot forward once more.

It didn't strike the intended area however. Empoleon was able to outmaneuver the agile monkey by the skin of his teeth and caught his arm. A look of surprise was formed on both pokémon and his trainer. **"You're right Flint,"** called out Ash and the elite moved his gaze to the guardian's. **"It is time to finish this,"** he said, making Flint have his eyes widen. **"Send him flying!"** Lifting up the fire starter, the water type slammed him against the ground hard, causing him to let out a soundless gasp from the pain he felt. Not letting him recover, Empoleon then tossed him towards the other side of the field where he crashed against the ground.

A couple seconds later, he slowly raised himself back up to his feet. He faced the steel penguin while panting, the red glow still in his eyes and outlining him. Seeing that Empoleon was charging up a sphere of water, he too began charging up a ball of flames in front of him. Both Ash and Flint sent out their final commands as their pokémon finished up.

" **Blast Burn!"**

" **Hydro Cannon!"**

Both Sinnoh starters fired their respective elemental blasts towards one another. Empoleon was hit and engulfed in the fiery inferno, making him yell in anguish before it exploded and covered him in smoke. Infernape too was swallowed up by the blast of water before it caused him to soar through the air and crashed into the stadium wall, drawing up a dust cloud. **"WHAT LAST DITCH EFFORTS MADE BY THE TWO SINNOH STARTERS! IT SEEMS IT'S ALL DOWN TO THIS FOLKS! BOTH GAVE IT THEIR ALL WITH AMAZING ENDURANCE AND POWER BUT ONLY ONE CAN WIN! WHO WILL IT BE?!"** Holding its breath until they saw who the victor is, the crowd was unusually quiet. Finally, after a moment, the smoke and dust cloud cleared away and revealed the two pokémon. Both were still standing yet their glowing eyes and outlines were gone, absolutely shocking everyone so much that no one could speak. One of them began walking towards the other, using every ounce of will he could muster. He wanted to continue for his trainer and friend. To show the world how powerful they both are. Yet he only was able to take a few more steps before his exhaustion and damage took its toll on him, making him drop to one knee. Taking in one more breath, the pokémon gave a quick smirk to show his respect before he blacked out and fell face forward.

A moment passed with no one making a sound or moving. Seeing that the match was finally done, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. **"This battle is concluded with the winner causing the Sinnoh Elite's first defeat in a long time. Victory goes to Empoleon and Ash! The challenger gets to move on to face the next region's elites!"** Learning the outcome of the battle, a woman holding her phone with her thumb hovering over the green button put away her phone without calling and the two other females with her let out long sighs.

Hearing that they won made the steel penguin feel so happy that he just closed his eyes and relished in the euphoria he was feeling right then. Sensing that, Ash went up to his pokémon with a large smile on his face and when he reached him, congratulated him but also apologized for being out of it during the middle of the battle. Empoleon accepted the apology and the two celebrated with Pikachu cheering as well.

After the referee announced that they lost, it took Flint a moment to realize that before he returned his pokémon. Glancing at his fellow elites, Flint knew what they were going to say based on their expressions. Turning off his microphone, they copied him as he began to speak. **"Don't say it. I know,"** he told them before turning around to walk away.

Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, Aaron made him stop before speaking. **"Hey, it was a good battle. We almost had him and gave it everything we got. That's all that matters. Alright?"** he told him.

Flint let out a sigh but then nodded slightly. **"Yeah, you're right,"** he said quietly. Looking at his friend, he then noticed that Bertha, Lucian and Cynthia were also standing around him. Feeling suddenly nervous and scared over Cynthia's blank look, he started wringing his hands. **"L-Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to admit defeat a-and I wanted to show everyone that just because you and Ash are together…"** Cynthia's cheeks reddened over his words. **"…doesn't mean that we'll go easy on him. And that…"**

Cynthia raised her hand to silence him and he shut up at once. **"I get it and I understand,"** she said quietly so only they and the nearby elites and champions could hear her. **"But you should know that whatever I do in my personal life is really nobody's business but mine alone. I appreciate the fact that you respect me so much as your champion and friend that you would fight and argue on my behalf, but I don't want you to do that. Understood?"** Flint nodded and said he got it. Cynthia looked at her other elites. **"This goes for you too. Alright?"** Understanding her, Bertha, Aaron and Lucian also nodded their heads. **"Good. No matter what others say, don't let it bother you. Because I can take care of myself, you know that. And if somehow I can't do something on my own, I know I have you guys but still…"** Looking towards the raven haired guardian who was now walking up to them, she allowed a smile to form on her face. **"…don't worry for I have someone who will face the world if need be for me,"** she finished saying before her beloved reached them.

Hearing the Sinnoh Champion say all that made them all think about what she just said. It was only then that many of the elites fully realized what the champions and a couple of their fellow elites already knew, which was that the love between Cynthia and Ash is real. That realization made Flint feel stupid over his actions and a few of the elite females to become envious of what the blonde champion had found.

After reaching them, Ash smiled at Cynthia before facing her elites. **"That was an awesome battle and thank you for helping me get stronger,"** he told them before raising his hand.

Lucian was the first to shake hands with him. **"And thank you for those same reasons."**

His hand let go only to be replaced with Aaron's, Ash shook his hand as well. **"I would like to know a few of your training secrets if you don't mind,"** asked the bug type trainer.

Thinking about that for a bit, he then nodded afterwards. **"Sure but only after all this is done,"** he replied back.

Thanking him, Aaron barely let go of Ash's hand when Bertha shoved him out of the way with her body before hugging the raven haired guardian. **"Oh that was so much fun! Reminded me of the days I battled against the current Pokémon Master! Thank you!"** she said happily, completely not hearing Aaron's mumbling from her action.

Ash had his eyes widened over what she said. **"Thanks but you battled the Pokémon Master?!"** he asked her in amazement.

" **Yes, I did and you gave me an even better spanking than he did!"** she said.

Becoming very flustered over what she just said and how she was acting, Ash was feeling very uncomfortable. So much so that he was about to send a mental request of help to Cynthia but didn't need to. For Cynthia had heard what Bertha said and that made her both embarrassed and angry, making her react quickly. Grabbing hold of her elite, Cynthia pulled Bertha away from Ash while chastising her for her words and behavior while many around them laughed.

Flint used the opportunity to move closer to Ash and raised his hand. **"Great battle. I'm sorry about before. But I would like to say that I'm glad to know that Cynthia has a man like you in her life since she's like my older sister,"** he told him with respect.

Genuinely surprised over his words, Ash composed himself quickly and nodded. **"Thanks and I'll do anything for her…"** he told the fire trainer before letting go and looking at Cynthia who was still berating Bertha. **"…because I love her."** Hearing him say that made everyone, both elites and champions to freeze, since none of them was expecting him to say it outright. Cynthia even gave him a surprised look, her face turning crimson. Smiling at her, Ash turned to walk back to his trainer's box but then stopped and glanced back at her. **"Cynthia, I hope you haven't forgotten what we talked about. I'm half way done with the elites. Soon, you'll have to keep your word,"** he reminded her. Giving her a charming smile along with a wink, Ash let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing on his way back to his side of the field.

Cynthia was left in a completely stunned stated, not believing what he just did and said in front of many. She didn't even notice that every single pair of eyes from the elites and champions was on her. They were all wondering just what on earth that was all about, especially several of the females. But luckily for the Sinnoh Champion, she was soon brought out of her frozen trance and saved from questions when the announcer began speaking. **"WITH THREE OF THE ELITE TEAMS OF THE WORLD DEFEATED, WE HAVE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE ELITE BATTLES! WE WILL TAKE A QUICK THIRTY MINUTE BREAK BEFORE CONTINUING! GRAB SOME SNACKS, RELIEVE YOURSELVES OR JUST RELAX IN YOUR SEATS UNTIL WE START THE CRAZINESS THAT HAS BEEN TODAY AGAIN!"** Using that as their cue, the elites and champions started heading into their trainer's tunnel but one remained behind. Cynthia looked at Ash from across the field and the two exchanged smiles at one another before both headed towards their respective rooms in the tunnels.

With the thirty minute break announced, many in the stadium got out of their seats to take care of business. Whether it was to purchase some more snacks and drinks or to go use the restrooms, soon those once entertained people were now waiting impatiently in lines. Yet the stadium was filled with buzzing conversations going on over what they had had just witnessed with their own eyes. Though they saw it in person, most of them still couldn't believe it. How three regions had their elites defeated even with the odds in their favor. Sure, each one was close to the wire but still, their challenger had come out on top. To say they were impressed and flabbergasted was the least. And that was also true for the raven haired guardian's group, even though they did believe in him. His girlfriends wanted to go to him but were told by the parents not to so he could relax a bit and be able to focus on his remaining battles. Agreeing to that, they spent the time talking to one another over the battles they just witnessed.

While they did that, several from that group had gone up to get some snacks as well. Right now, five of them were in line waiting for their turn to order popcorn and drinks for themselves and their girlfriends. The youngest of the five let out a sigh. **"Man, this line is taking forever, huh?"** he asked to no one in particular.

Agreeing with him, the other four also let out sighs. **"You're correct on that Max,"** remarked Cress as he crossed his arms.

" **You think there might be a shorter line somewhere else?"** asked Richie as he looked around them.

Chili shook his head while glaring at the cashier. **"No and they're all moving slower than freakin Slowpokes man."**

Whining a little, Richie hung his head. **"Why did we have to go get the food?"**

" **Pregnant fiancée and four girlfriends,"** answered Brock instantly, reminding them of that. **"And you're not going to ask the other girls to get food for you or the parents either cause that'll be rude."**

Max hung his head. **"Yea, I guess you're right."**

Chili however scoffed, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulders. **"Ah c'mon! In this day and age? What about all the gender equality crap then huh?!"**

" **You know what, you're right Chili. Why don't you go back and ask Violet to go grab food for you while you sit and wait. See how she'll like that,"** replied Cress seriously, making his rash brother have his eyes widen in realization.

" **Ah, on second thought, I'd rather not have to deal with a pissed off girl,"** commented Chili and the others chuckled, agreeing with him. The five of them resigned to their fates and waited for their turn.

As the five of them killed time by joking and talking, some distance away from them, three others was in the same situation. But two out of the three were engaged in conversation while the third was just looking around them, observing what was happening among the crowd. After a couple minutes of waiting in line, the third person saw someone a little away from them. Her lips spreading into a smile, she began walking towards the person. **"Georgia? Where are you going?"** asked her friend.

" **I'm gonna go see someone. I'll find you later back in the stands Burgundy,"** answered the red head.

" **Wait, do you even know where Cilan's group is?"** she asked after her but all she got was a wave of her friend's hand as if to say don't worry about it. Turning to face the green haired man next to her, she reddened slightly. **"Are you sure it's okay if we joined them Cilan?"** asked Burgundy in a low voice.

Though he was worried about what might happen if he showed up with two other girls to the group, Cilan didn't want to have Burgundy carry his worries as well. And he remembered that he and Iris had made amends and promised to help each other pursue what they really wanted. **"I'm sure it's alright so there's no need to worry,"** he responded back with a small smile. Burgundy replied back with a smile of her own. It was at that moment that someone bumped into her accidently and made her move forward onto Cilan who caught her and kept her upright. The one who bumped into her apologized, saying he was in a hurry and moved away. **"Are you alright?"** asked Cilan with concern

Looking up at him, she saw the concern in his eyes and that made her heart beat a little faster. **"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you,"** she told him, steadily turning redder by the second since she was in his embrace and the two were alone. Seeing the way she was looking at him made Cilan became nervous. Separating from him as casually as she could, Burgundy did her best to stay composed since she felt embarrassed. **"So, Ash sure has become strong. I never thought he'd get this powerful,"** remarked Burgundy offhandedly in an effort to move things along.

Noticing what she was trying to do, Cilan agreed with that by nodding his head before commenting, though he too had reddened. **"True. He has worked incredibly hard to get to the level he's at during his time away from everyone,"** he answered her. As the two of them continued talking to pass the time until their turn was up, they steadily closed the distance between each other without even realizing it.

When Georgia left her two friends in the line, she walked quickly towards the person she saw in the distance. Though they kept in touch via phone calls and messages, it had been a long time since she had seen her in person and missed her greatly. The closer she got to her, the bigger her smile became as she saw her friend's signature long purple hair tied into three pony tails more clearly now. The purple haired girl was waiting in line with her arms crossed, staring at the slowly moving stadium worker with narrowed eyes. _Always annoyed by the smallest things._ Georgia chuckled quietly to herself over that as another thought came to her. _It's been a while since we hung out._ Suddenly getting the urge to surprise her, Georgia thought about how she should sneak up on her. _Hmm, how should I go about it? I haven't scared her in a while. Have to make it good…_ It didn't take her too long to come up with an idea though. Smiling wickedly, the red head moved towards the purple haired girl stealthily. Getting closer to her target, she was barely twenty feet away when she was prevented from doing so because of someone.

And that someone had walked right towards Georgia's target while calling out her name. **"Iris!"** said the hooded man, causing her to turn her attention to her side.

Her eyes narrowing even further, she replied back to him. **"Drax? What do you want?"** she asked him coldly, as the large man stopped beside her and lowered his hood that was covering his face.

Feeling annoyed that she couldn't do what she had planned, Georgia still felt a little curious hearing that it was Drax from the semi finals of the tournament. Remembering what happened in his final tournament appearance, she wondered why he was here now. She wanted to know why he wanted to talk to her close friend and biggest rival that she cares about. And she also wanted to know if this was someone she may have to keep an eye on in the future. Deciding to eavesdrop on the two, Georgia kept some distance between them while hiding but was close enough to hear them talking.

Not too surprised over her cold tone with him, Drax brushed it off. **"I need to talk to you."** Giving him a look of distrust, Iris didn't want to talk to him at all. **"Please."** Hearing him say that was not what she was expecting. After a moment, she agreed hesitantly. **"Thank you. Can we move to a little more private area?"** he asked her. **"Right over there."** He pointed out an area that had less people but it was still in the public area. Feeling that he won't try anything again, Iris nodded. The two walked towards that area with Georgia following from a distance. When they reached the place, Drax turned to face Iris. Silence for a moment as he took in a breath. **"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted before. And I wanted to…"**

" **You already apologized in front of the whole stadium. I don't need you to do it again, even if the way you said it was half assed,"** snapped Iris angrily while glaring at him.

" **I know but I wanted to say it again and this time I meant it."** Giving him a look of surprise, Iris didn't think she'd hear him say that and with a soft tone of voice either. Seeing her somewhat pacified, Drax decided to take a chance and keep going. **"Look, losing to the Aura Guardian made me think heavily these past few days. I've come to realize some things and I've decided to change some things about myself."**

Hearing him say that, made Iris think about what he said. **"Good,"** she stated in a more calm tone.

" **Yes it is,"** assured Drax, smiling a little. **"Because this will help me in more ways than one and help me make my dreams a reality."** Iris tilted her head a bit at that. **"You know that I have a dream of becoming the strongest dragon trainer in the world and I will reach that one day. But even with that, my honor will not be whole.** _ **I**_ **will not be whole. I will still be missing something. And that something…"** Moving a little closer to her, Drax took a chance and grasped Iris's hands who was stunned by his bold action. **"…is you Iris for you were promised to me all those years ago and everything I've done is to show you how powerful I am and that I am the only one worthy of you."**

Iris had her eyes widen in shock over what he said. She couldn't believe it. _Everything he did was for his honor? And for me?_ Looking into his eyes, Iris was able to see into his soul with the way he was looking back into her own eyes. Though she could sense that he was being genuine and felt what he was feeling, it didn't resonate with her. She had already come to terms with what she truly wanted. What her own true dreams are. Shaking her head and slipping her hands out of his, Drax was about to speak but was cut off by her. **"I'm sorry Drax. I don't feel the same way towards you,"** she told him.

For the first time in his life, Drax felt pain. Not physical pain but something far worse. It felt as if someone or something had grabbed hold of his heart and crushed it. Taking in a deep breath to keep himself calm, he closed his eyes and exhaled. **"It's because of Cilan isn't it?"** he asked her before opening his eyes again.

Iris shook her head. **"No. It wasn't because of Cilan. And that doesn't matter. Especially since he and I aren't together anymore thanks to you,"** she told him rather calmly.

Drax felt a little bad over what she said but was absolutely confused now. **"I'm sorry about that. But if it wasn't because of him and you two aren't together anymore, then why not be with me? Why not fulfill our elder's wishes? We could be great together, you and I,"** he told her, hoping she would see things his way.

Again, Iris shook her head. **"That's not how things work Drax. And I have to be honest with you. I never wanted to be with you."** Her revelation made him have a sullen expression form on his face and felt as if his heart dropped into his stomach. **"I didn't like that our elders were forcing us to get together when we got older. I never liked that tradition. That's why I left our village to go travel on my own. Something that wasn't really done by girls in our village, to go alone."**

Remembering that made Drax think about that. **"I remember that. How when you said you were going on your own journey, alone, it made many feel uncomfortable about that. But I thought it was great because you were already different from others in our village and I felt as if that made you more unique."**

Though he just complimented her, Iris felt nothing from it. Not even embarrassment. **"Thank you for that Drax. But like I told you, I didn't want any of it."** Having his eyes widened over that, Iris clarified. **"Don't get me wrong. I love our people, our history, our culture and our other traditions. But I never was in for the whole arranged marriage and honor above all parts."**

Beginning to understand her a little, Drax gathered himself and nodded a bit. **"I see. But how come you never said anything?"** he asked her.

" **Could you go up against our elders' wishes when we were younger?"** she asked him and Drax stated she had a point. **"You see? I was only able to get them off my back about it all recently after telling them I didn't want that."**

Understanding her, Drax knew what she was talking about. He looked at her more carefully, thinking about something else. He had a feeling something was off and that she wasn't telling the full truth. **"But wasn't that when you were with Cilan and told them that was the reason why?"** asked Drax. Before she could answer, he continued. **"I was called and told that you had decided to go against tradition and that you were with a green haired man."**

Iris let out a sigh. **"That's sort of true. Since I was with Cilan at the time, it was easy to use him as an excuse. Our elders were strict but even they could understand that love could be a reason why we don't follow traditions,"** revealed the purple haired girl.

Finally understanding, Drax nodded his head. But another question came to mind. **"I see. Then may I know one more thing?"** Saying that maybe he can, Iris waited for him to ask his question. **"What is it that you want if not to be with Cilan or me?"** he asked her.

Astonished over his question for a moment, Iris composed herself. **"What I want?"** she repeated and he remained quiet. Thinking if she should tell him or not, Iris was on the fence if she should tell him about the two most important things to her. Soon enough, she decided to tell him about just one. **"I want to become the best dragon trainer in the world."** And with that, Iris bid Drax goodbye and walked away.

Seeing her walk away, Drax realized a couple things. That the two of them were probably never meant to be together. And the other was that she didn't reveal everything. He too had gone through the elders' training back in their village. **"That's not everything you want Iris and you're lying. Even if you don't want to be with me, I'm still going to find out. Because I won't be able to rest easy until I know for sure what made you change from following our elders' teachings completely because you weren't like that before."** With that promise made out loud, Drax left the area too.

Left in an absolutely stunned trance over what she heard, Georgia's mind was racing with her heart beating a little faster over everything that she had found out about Iris, Drax and their history. Thinking about all of that made her lose track of time until the announcer's words were heard over the speakers, saying that there was only five minutes left for people to get back to their seats. Snapping out of it, Georgia decided to go after Iris to go sit with her and her group. As she walked, the red head wondered what could have caused the change behind the purple haired girl that Drax was talking about.

When the elites and champions went back inside their room in the trainer's tunnel, many conversations began at once. The defeated Kalos, Unova and Sinnoh elites were speaking with one another to try and find out where and what they did wrong that they lost when they had the upper hand. The remaining three regions' elites, Hoenn, Johto and Kanto were revising their plans with their champions after seeing what their opponent was capable of. As that went on, several waiters and waitresses came inside the room carrying food trays and placed them on the tables for them to eat. Most of them helped themselves, feeling hungry since it's been a while since they had breakfast.

While most of them were doing that, one was thinking about what she saw her beloved do. Cynthia was beyond amazed over how Ash was beating each region's elites, one after another. Even if she did see him do amazing things with her own eyes, to beat an entire region's elites in a handicap match three times in a row so far was something else. And having him say those final words before leaving for his trainer's tunnel made her became very anxious. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize her elites were trying to talk to her until Bertha tapped her on the shoulder. **"Huh, what is it?"** she asked.

Bertha smiled a bit. **"You didn't hear a single word we said did you?"** Seeing the guilty look on her champion's face, the ground elite chuckled and shook her head. **"It's alright, we understand. Though are you alright? You seem to be distracted,"** she asked her with concern.

Cynthia smiled at her thoughtfulness and motherly ways. **"I'm fine but thank you,"** she replied back.

Her smile spreading into a large grin, Bertha leaned in closer to her. **"I thought so. But I bet you're thinking about what Ash said before he left right? So what is he going to do to you? Another round of fun?"** asked Bertha with a wink.

Becoming embarrassed and a little angry over her sudden accusation, Cynthia's cheeks were turning dark red. **"Shut up Bertha!"** she told her seriously and quietly, hoping that no one heard either of them.

Fortunately for her, nobody did. Seeing how flustered she was becoming, Bertha decided to let it go. **"Alright fine. But don't be so thing about it. I was only curious about what's going on between you and him since you know I see you as my daughter,"** she told Cynthia, making the blonde girl feel ashamed.

 **"Sorry,"** said Cynthia and Bertha accepted her apology before continuing her conversation with the others. After she went, she thought about what she said, how she was curious. That reminded her of something that happened earlier on as well. Glancing around, she found the person who had made her feel intense jealousy and anger. Narrowing her eyes on her, Cynthia didn't stop glaring at her until the red haired woman happened to look in her direction. Seeing the intense stare she was given, she quickly looked away.

Noticing that, the oldest Sinnoh elite member thought quickly before turning to face her champion once more. **"Cynthia, could you help me with something please?"** asked Bertha while simultaneously grasping her arm and made her turn towards the door.

Stunned for a moment over the sudden request, Cynthia snapped out of it. **"Ah, okay, what is it?"** she asked her.

" **Can't say here,"** replied back Bertha as the two stepped out of the room.

The second the Sinnoh Champion stepped out of the room, the Kalos elite let out a relieved breath. **"Damn, I never felt that scared before,"** muttered Malva quietly to herself.

" **You're telling me. I felt scared for you."** Turning towards the one who spoke, Malva was surprised to see Karen moving closer to her. **"That furious glare she was giving you, I'm a little disappointed you didn't burst into flame,"** joked the dark type trainer.

" **Ha ha, very funny,"** said Malva dryly as she began walking towards an empty corner of the large room with Karen following her. **"Ah, why are you following me? You want something?"**

Karen raised her eyebrow over that. **"Somebody's all winded up. I don't want anything. Can't I just hang around with my friend?"** Giving her a 'c'mon' look, Malva knew that there was something else. Karen let out a chuckle. **"Okay fine. You see right through me. I want to know what was going on through that mind of yours that made you get all close and personal with our challenger. So what exactly did you tell him?"** revealed the Johto Elite. Seeing the expression her face, Karen smiled. **"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm just curious."**

Thinking about that for a moment, Malva decided to at least let someone in on it. Otherwise it would probably driver her insane. And she did trust Karen enough to tell her that much. Leaning against the wall with her right foot, she crossed her arms and looked at the floor as she began speaking. **"Honestly, I think I was just caught up in the heat of the moment."**

" **Heat of the moment?"** repeated Karen slowly.

Malva nodded before clarifying. **"Yea. I mean, I never had such a great match."** Karen gave her a disbelieving look. **"No, I'm serious and I battled with him before in the past. But it was nothing like this since we had teamed up against Team Flare and he was nowhere near as strong as he is now."** Karen understood what she was saying so far but told her to continue. **"Well, it's been such a long time since I was challenged and actually beaten that it made my heart race. And hearing those rumors about him and the multiple girls with him, I was thinking that there might be something special about him. Finding out for sure he's with Cynthia and loves her and she him was a shocker. And that proves there's something about him that's unique…."** Going quiet, Karen gestured for her to go on. **"I think I just wanted to…to…"**

" **To experience some of that uniqueness as well as some fun yourself?"** finished Karen for her with a smirk.

Malva looked at her and took a second to respond back, unable to keep herself from blushing some. **"Yea, I guess. I just wanted to get a taste of what was going on. Of what truly is so special about him. I have an idea but I wanted to be sure…"**

" **So what, you saying you've fallen for him too?"** asked Karen with an accusing tone.

Malva shook her head with a chuckle. **"No, not like that. I just wanted a onetime thing. But he even rejected my offer and that was something I thought would never happen to me."**

An astonished expression appeared on the Johto elite after hearing that but something also clicked in her head. **"Oh I see,"** said Karen before having a devious grin form on her face. Malva titled her head as Karen moved in closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she whispered into her ear. **"It's been so long since you were with a man that you wanted a night of hot, passionate, steamy sex with the man who somehow has caught the heart of multiple girls, some of whom were said to be impossible to capture, like Cynthia and Clair. You want to know just what it is that's keeping them attached to him and coming back for more. And now that he's turned you down on the offer, you want him and that night of passion even more, don't you?"** asked Karen while speaking sensually in her ear.

Malva was turning redder than her hair as Karen said those words but by the end she was flushing deep crimson. She was frozen in her spot and unable to respond back to her as she thought about what she was just told. Karen was about to speak again when someone else joined in their conversation. **"Are you messing with another's mind again?"** asked a Kanto elite member with disappointment. She had noticed the two in the corner alone and saw what the dark type trainer was doing. She knew what it was, having witnessed her antics before.

Chuckling to herself, the Johto elite member shook her head. **"No, of course not Lorelei. I'm just helping our fellow elite and female companion come to terms with what she wants,"** stated Karen without missing a beat.

Crossing her arms underneath her sizable chest, Lorelei narrowed her eyes behind her glasses. **"Is that so?"** she asked Karen but didn't wait for a response as she turned her gaze onto Malva. **"Whatever she told you, ignore it. Karen has a habit of messing with other people's minds and emotions just for shits and giggles."**

Malva had her eyes widen over how she spoke, not expecting that at all. She had only ever witnessed Lorelei speak and act properly. Karen however let out an annoyed huff. **"Oh please,"** started Karen as she too crossed her arms. **"I know when to be serious."**

" **Really?"** asked Lorelei, not believing it. **"Then tell me, what did you tell Malva?"**

Before Karen could respond another person was heard talking to them as she asked a question. **"So, having a party without me?"** The three of them turned around to see Pheobe walking up to them with a frown on her face that she wasn't invited to their little group. **"That's rude you know."**

" **That's not what was happening Pheobe,"** remarked Lorelei as the ghost type trainer stopped next to her. **"I was only waiting for Karen to tell us what she was trying to do just now to Malva,"** explained the ice type trainer.

" **Do to Malva? Hmm, sounds interesting,"** exclaimed Pheobe, making Lorelei shake her head and Karen laughed out loud.

Malva was beginning to get very flustered with everything that was going on and felt that she should stop things before it got too crazy. **"You know what guys, there's nothing happening. Not here or anywhere else. So let's just forget about this and move on alright?"** she said as she took a few steps away from them.

" **Hold it missy!"** snapped Karen as she grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving. **"You can't just go right when Pheobe arrives! She'll think that you left because of her. Do you really want her to feel like that?"**

Falling for that, Pheobe had a hurt look appear on her face and Malva showed guilt but then Lorelei let out an annoyed sound. **"Damn it Karen, stop it! This is exactly what you keep doing, messing with everyone's mind and feelings!"**

" **No I'm not! All I'm trying to do is help Malva with her fantasy about Ash!"** snapped Karen back, shocking the others and making the Kalos elite became so embarrassed that her heart began beating like a war drum.

" **What?!"** yelped out Pheobe and Lorelei together.

" **What's going on over there?"** asked Steven in concern from the other side of the room, making many look at the four in the corner.

His question made the four of them go silent at once before Pheobe turned around and answered for them all. **"Oh nothing! Just girl talk!"** she told him with a smile and the others merely shrugged and went back to their own things. Turning back around, Pheobe let out a relieved sigh. **"That was close,"** whispered the ghost trainer.

" **Quick thinking. Nicely done,"** complimented Karen.

" **Thanks,"** smiled Pheobe before facing Malva. **"So what's this about you and Ash?"** asked the ghost type trainer while raising her eyebrows a few times.

Malva let out a disgruntled sigh as Karen started giggling and Lorelei stared at the Kalos elite with wide eyes. **"Damn you Karen. Damn you."**

" **Hey, it's not my fault you want a one night stand with him,"** quipped Karen instantly without tact.

" **Malva!"** yelped Lorelei, making the Kalos elite go red again while Pheobe was absolutely bewildered over what she found out. **"What are you thinking?!"**

" **Oh don't be such a prude,"** advised Karen offhandedly. **"It's no big deal. Right Pheobe?"**

The three of them looked at the Hoenn elite who snapped out of her trance and thought for a bit. **"I kind of agree with Karen that it's not a big deal if it's just a fantasy…"** Karen let a triumphant smirk appear on her face. **"…but it's also wrong too if you act on it."** This time Lorelei had the winner's smile on her face. **"But I also think that being too uptight or too loose about all this is also wrong. Karen, you should stop being so open and relaxed about all this and saying such things cause it makes you look like a slut."**

Lorelei agreed with that as Malva stayed silent yet Karen had an astonished expression form on her face. **"Seriously? You're telling me that when you're in a bikini most of the time?"**

Pheobe however didn't let that faze her. **"It's actually tropical attire that's part of my culture thank you very much."** Karen had no response to that and the ghost trainer turned to face the ice trainer. **"And Lorelei, you should stop being too serious about all of this because you do come off as a prude."**

This time Karen agreed with that while Malva still stayed silent and Lorelei glared at her before speaking. **"I'm not being a prude but having lust filled fantasies about someone who's already in a relationship is bad!"**

" **Oh give it a rest will you?"** requested Karen and Lorelei glared at her. **"It's not like Malva fucked him already. Shit, he even turned her down."**

" **What?!"** yelped Pheobe and Lorelei together again.

Malva covered her face with her hands. **"Thanks. Thanks a lot Karen,"** came her muffled voice, feeling extremely embarrassed now.

" **Why would you…"**

" **I just did alright!"** hissed Malva as she raised her head, cutting off Lorelei, her anger suddenly rushing to her defense. She had enough of being questioned of her actions. **"I wasn't thinking and I was caught up in the heat of the moment because I was never pushed to my limit and I haven't been with a man in a long time! I miss the feelings, the intimacy and the passion! I just wanted that again and figured he was a worthy choice since he was able to capture Cynthia's heart! That's all!"** Malva finished up her rant and started breathing a little heavily while the three were left in dumbfounded states.

It took a moment but then Pheobe came out of it first. She smiled at Malva and grasped her hand, making her look at her. **"Hey, it's alright. A woman does have needs and its okay to fantasize. But maybe target someone else next time who's single alright?"** she joked.

Malva took in a deep breath and exhaled, calming down. **"Yea, you're right. But I'm not like other women who just get with any man. The man has to be worthy,"** she revealed to them.

" **Ah, have high standards eh?"** asked Karen rhetorically as she nudged her side. **"Good. Cause I'm the same way."**

" **Really? You?"** asked Lorelei in disbelief.

Karen gave her a cold look. **"Look, I may be open about things, but that doesn't make me a** _ **slut**_ **. The last man I was with was years ago and he was my ex-fiancée."**

That made the three have their eyes widen over her revelation. **"You were engaged?!"** asked a stunned Lorelei.

Karen let out a sigh before explaining. **"Yes I was, before I became an elite member but he passed away from a terrible illness. Haven't been with a man since all those years ago because nobody could measure up to him,"** revealed the Johto elite.

" **I see. I'm sorry to hear you went through that,"** said Lorelei.

" **I'm sorry too,"** said Pheobe and Malva together.

Karen however shook her head. **"Its fine,"** she told them and recovered quickly. **"So, moving on from horrible memories, that's why I was pushing Malva a bit."** She faced the red head before continuing. **"I don't want you to miss out on things because you'll never know when your time is up."** Understanding her, the three elites nodded to show that. **"But since this may be the wrong person to do it with, then how about we do something else that could be fun with him?"** she asked them.

Glancing at one another, the three were wondering where she was going with this. **"What do you mean?"** asked Lorelei for them all.

" **Well, even though Malva here is a hot piece of ass…"** The Kalos elite turned a furious shade of red while the other two let shook their heads in amusement. **"…the guardian turned her down without a thought. I wonder if it's because he's with Cynthia and the other girls from what we've heard and know and what they have is special. Or if Malva just wasn't his type and his open to being with other girls. Are you following what I'm trying to say?"** she asked them and the three of them thought about that for a moment before nodding in understanding.

" **Yea I get it. So you want to test him huh?"** asked Pheobe and Karen nodded. Pheobe had a wicked grin appear on her face before jumping up and down in her spot while clapping a few times. **"Oh, this is gonna be fun!"**

" **I don't think this is a good idea,"** spoke up Lorelei, trying to make them see reason and take caution.

Moving towards the ice queen of Kanto, Karen wrapped an arm around her shoulders now as she spoke. **"Well, it may be dangerous because we'll be testing a lot of things, including Cynthia's patience. And that'll make it even more fun and exciting. And I believe that you out of all of us shouldn't have any trouble in making the famous Aura Guardian do something for you by enticing him with your curves."** Lorelei blushed heavily over that as the other two gave her slightly jealous looks. For it was true since she was a very beautiful woman with very noticeable curves. **"And hey, when was the last time you flirted with someone? Don't you want to have some fun every once in a while?"** asked Karen with a grin.

Thinking about her idea for a few minutes, they wondered if it was suicidal. In the end however, they decided that they've been bored way too long and even though they would be risking Cynthia's wrath, if not the other girls' wrath who were said to be with him, they thought it was worth it. Even Lorelei couldn't pass up this opportunity to get to the bottom of a mystery. **"This has got to be the single craziest and stupidest thing I've done. But I have to admit that I wouldn't mind some fun, as I do like a challenge every now and then. And this is one mystery I want to know the answer to,"** stated the Kanto elite to the rest.

" **Good. So it's decided,"** remarked Karen with a smile as she looked up at the clock. **"Okay, so we have fifteen minutes. That's more than enough time to come up with some ideas and plans to follow on during our matches with him next."**

" **What if the others get involved?"** asked Pheobe, bringing up an important matter that just crossed her mind.

Right when she asked that question, their trainer's room door opened and Bertha walked back in but she was alone. It looked like Cynthia would come back later. **"I have an idea,"** said Karen as she walked quickly to Bertha and started talking to her. Soon, the two of them walked back to the awaiting three. **"Bertha, we wanted to know the answer to this question; would you say that Cynthia is like a daughter to you?"** she asked her.

Bertha smiled at that and nodded. **"Yes, she is."** Her smile never left her face though as she asked a question back. **"What are you trying to do Karen? I know your antics."**

Having a large smile form on her face, Karen never even faltered. **"In that case, let me be upfront. What would you say if me and the gals here were to test Cynthia's man?"**

Bertha looked at Karen for a moment before setting her gaze onto Lorelei, then Pheobe and finally onto Malva. **"I'd say you're crazy,"** she told them and they glanced at one another with worry. **"But I'd also say good luck with that cause you're in for a tough nut to crack if you can, I'll tell you that much."**

" **Are you saying that you're okay with this?"** asked Lorelei in surprise and Bertha replied back with a smirk. Shaking her head, Lorelei started laughing. **"Should've known; the mother always has to get involved with her daughter's affairs."**

" **That's right,"** agreed Bertha without hesitation. **"This would be a good test to make sure he's worthy of her. Though I know he's a good person, I want to be absolutely sure after what she's been through in the past. And this will help Cynthia learn to not get so jealous all the time over every little thing. It took me a while to calm her down just now when we were out."** That's when the four of them realized why Bertha had basically forced Cynthia out of the room earlier. **"So what do you need from me?"** she asked them while alternating her gaze at the four's faces. **"You could've done this without telling me."**

" **True,"** began Malva as she finally spoke up, making Bertha fully look at her. **"But you see, we're gonna need someone in the end to help us explain that it was all a prank because we're going to make it realistic so the others will probably react to our actions."**

Bertha turned her gaze towards the others in the room. **"I see and you're probably right."** Facing the four again, she said her final words to them. **"Make it good. You have enough time to plan some things out. I'll pretend I have no idea what you're doing and why. I just hope Cynthia doesn't go bat shit crazy until this test is over. I'm gonna have my hands full trying to keep her in line. I will say this; I hope you're prepared for her anger in case I can't keep her from exploding."** Bertha began walking towards the remaining elites and champions in the room. And with that, the four elite women committed themselves to their plan of testing the guardian by coming up with ideas of how to do just that as time ticked away until they returned to the field.

When Ash went to his trainer's room in the tunnel, he sat down onto a large couch and looked up at the ceiling while closing his eyes. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he then exhaled it out slowly through his mouth. **"Three down, three to go."** Opening his eyes, he looked at his starter who had sat next to him on the couch. Pikachu looked up at him. **"Man, the elites sure are tough aren't they Pikachu?"**

" **Pi pika,"** agreed Pikachu.

" **You said it. But we can do this. We're half way there. Right buddy?"**

" **Pika!"**

" **That's the spirit!"** exclaimed Ash as he smiled and Pikachu pumped his fist into the air. **"After all this, win or lose, I'm going to have to come up with a way to thank our comrades who battled. What do you think they'll want buddy?"** asked Ash, wondering what he could get for his pokémon who have been doing their absolute best for him.

Pikachu stared ahead and placed his right paw against his chin, as if in deep thought. **"Pika…"** The two were silent for a moment before the electric mouse spoke up. **"Pikapi, pi pika pi pi kachu pika pi kachu."**

Ash nodded in agreement. **"Yea you're right. I'll think about that later. Right now I have to focus. The other elites have seen some of my strategies with their own eyes. They'll most likely altar their plans for the next battles. I gotta be ready to change and adapt my strategies on the fly too,"** he remarked and his starter agreed with that. Trainer and pokémon spent the next several minutes brainstorming on what they could possibly face based on what they've been through so far with the elites. They kept at it until the door was knocked on suddenly. **"Come in!"** stated the raven haired guardian.

The door opened and in walked one of the pokémon league officials with pink hair dressed in her usual uniform attire holding a tray. **"Um, h-hello Mr. K-Ketchum. I hope you're hungry,"** she told him as she walked towards the nearby table and placed the tray of food on it.

Suddenly realizing how hungry he was, Ash got up to help himself. **"Thanks! But what did I tell you before Natalie?"** asked Ash as he walked towards her and the table.

Turning a furious red, Natalie moved her gaze away from him before speaking. **"I know but I c-can't do that. It's not p-proper,"** she told him and he had a confused look on his face. **"I have to f-follow protocol. And you're the hero of the tournament and everyone l-loves you and…"**

" **It doesn't matter as I told you I don't like such formalities,"** he interrupted her while picking up an apple. **"And I wouldn't say everyone loves me,"** joked Ash and he took a large bite out of it.

" **Then they're idiots for not realizing how incredible you are!"** shot Natalie without thinking before clapping her hands to her mouth.

Ash froze with the apple held up in front of his mouth, about to take another large bite. Even Pikachu was staring at her from the table, having jumped onto it to get some food himself. Sensing her becoming filled with embarrassment, Ash decided to roll with it and move the conversation along. **"Eh, I wouldn't say I'm incredible but thanks. And the world's full of idiots. No need to get upset over them. Right?"** he asked her and continued eating, acting as if she didn't just have an outburst and say something.

Slowly turning her face with her hands still clapped against her mouth, she was giving a very embarrassed look at him, with her face a deep red color. **"Ah…I…um…"** she muttered, not knowing what to say. **"Thanks,"** she whispered a moment later after he finished eating the apple.

Glancing at her for a moment, he then turned to the food and picked up a slice of pizza. **"Thanks for what?"** he asked her. **"Nothing happened for you to say that."** Taking a bite out of it, he chewed a bit before swallowing it. **"Right?"** Lowering her hands, Natalie smiled a bit over what he just did for her before she noticed something and let out a giggle. **"What? What I say?"** he asked, absolutely confused now.

Calming down a bit, Natalie shook her head before smiling at him. **"It's not what you said,"** she started as she picked up a napkin from the table and moved closer to him. **"It's what you just did."** Ash was at a loss until she wiped off the sauce from the pizza from his cheek with the napkin. **"There, all clean now. You should not eat so fast to get sauce on your face,"** she told him with a smile before tossing the napkin into the trash can.

Chuckling a bit, Ash rubbed the back of his head with his clean hand. **"Thanks. It's kind of a bad habit of mine."**

" **No thanks necessary. It's the least I can do. I mean…you saved my life,"** she told him quietly, looking down at her feet as she held her hands together in front of her.

" **It's nothing to worry about. What else was I supposed to do? It's my job, remember?"** he told her.

She shook her head and slowly started closing the distance between the two. **"No, it's not just your job. It's who you are,"** she said quietly and stopped when she was right in front of him. Raising her gaze to his, she looked into his eyes. Ash didn't move from his spot, not wanting to offend her but also was thinking of where she was going with this. He mentally prepared himself in case she tried something. **"You save people and pokémon over and over. I know of some of the things that you've done in your life,"** she revealed to him.

He became surprised over that. **"How?"** he asked her after a moment.

Natalie blushed a bit. **"I overheard the champions talking in their meetings the past few days while they strategized for the extended battles against you,"** she revealed to him and Ash understood, sensing it was the truth. **"It made me realize that you're one of a kind. That you're the man every girl dreams of being with,"** she told him as her eyes never left his.

Ash was starting to feel very embarrassed and also nervous. He could sense her feelings and knew what she wanted. But he couldn't give it to her since that's not how he saw her. And why was she trying this again? He felt horrible for having to turn her down again. _Just what the hell is going on now? First Malva and now Natalie again?_ Letting out a sigh, he began speaking. **"Natalie, you're very kind. But I'm sorry. I can't give you what you want,"** he told her quietly.

Her eyes beginning to water, Natalie was becoming very saddened. **"Please,"** she started, raising her hands and placing them against his chest. She leaned onto him with her eyes never leaving his. Ash just stood there, unable to move from his spot. Pikachu just kept still on the table, wondering what was going to happen yet knew that his best friend could probably handle it. And if not, then it'd help out with a small Thunder Wave. **"If the rumors are true, that you're with multiple girls, then why can't you be with me too?"** she asked him in a slightly high pitched voice. **"Am I not good enough? Why can't I get a chance? Even if you're just using them, I don't care about that. You're special and you saved my life. You deserve whatever you want. You can use me too and I want this. I want to be with you,"** she told him as a few stray tears left her eyes.

Ash could sense her feelings going haywire and they were very strong. He hated that he had to reject her and for the second time. But as hard as it was, he had to put an end to this before it became even worse. And the way to do that is with the truth. **"Natalie, I understand that you've been thinking about me and more so because I saved your life. And I understand that you think that I'm with multiple girls and just messing around from the rumors."** He took in a breath before continuing. **"But it's not what you think. Though truth is that I am with multiple girls…"** Natalie let out a gasp at that but remained quiet. **"…but it's because I love each of them with my entire heart, they love me back fully and we have a special bond between each of us because of our experiences together and many other reasons. And there is something else too that I just can't explain that allows us to be like this together. It's not some fantasy that we're living out. You may like me or have feelings for me, but I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way towards you at all."** Natalie let out more tears as her lips quivered, feeling sadness creep up within her. She hung her head and began crying. Ash, feeling responsible for what he caused to happen, gave her a hug and she just cried into his chest. **"I'm sorry for hurting you. I never wanted that. But I can't lie to you either. Please tell me that you fully understand me this time. You'll find someone else who's right for you. Until then, you can even be mad at me and not talk to me ever again. That'll be okay with me. Does that sound alright?"** he asked her.

It took a little bit of time until Natalie stopped her crying and calmed down enough to pull herself together. Separating from Ash, she turned around and grabbed a couple napkins to dry her face. **"Ash…"** she started softly as she wiped clean her tear streaks from her cheeks. Throwing away the napkin, she didn't even look back at him as she continued speaking and went towards the door. **"…some advice for you; if you don't want a girl to think about you or develop feelings for you, then stop being such a perfect gentleman to her."**

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash replied back quietly. **"It's not like I'm trying for that and I can't really turn off who I am you know."**

Stopping at the door with her hand on the doorknob, she glanced back at him. **"No, I guess not."** He apologized to her but then she shook her head. **"No. No need to. I think I finally understand and thank you for being upfront with me."** Allowing herself to smile a bit, she nodded at him and he nodded back at her. **"It's going to be hard to get over you. But I wish you good luck with your next matches. And…with your girlfriends,"** said Natalie, barely controlling her emotions before exiting the room. After she left, Ash looked at Pikachu and the two let out a sigh.

The moment she left and the door closed behind her, Natalie was barely able to take a step when her left shoulder was grasped from behind. **"That was pretty bold of you. Volunteering to deliver food to him when it's not your job and then confessing to him like that,"** said a rather calm but serious tone of voice.

Her heart skipping a beat, Natalie knew who that voice belonged to. **"You…heard?"** she asked without even turning around.

" **Everything,"** she answered.

Starting to feel a little scared, the league official tensed up a bit but also thought quickly. She didn't want the guardian to get into trouble because of her. **"Then you would know that he rejected me. So, there's no need to be angry at him or lose trust in him,"** stated Natalie and she tried to walk away.

" **Oh I'm not angry with him and I'll always trust him,"** said the girl, whose grip tightened on the official's shoulder, preventing her from leaving and Natalie winced a bit. **"It's others I don't trust. But I understand why you did what you did yet I'm only going to say this once; you may be a good person but I hope that you finally learned to stay away from him. He has enough on his mind to deal with and the last thing he needs is to feel bad for thinking he broke a girl's heart, let alone dealing with someone who can't take a hint. Got it?"**

Her eyes widening over that, Natalie felt bad for causing him despair, though she did feel a little angry over what she was just told. _Who does she think she is, telling me to stay away?!_ It was then that the league official thought that she may not be able to just let him go. But she controlled herself for she knew better than to start something, especially with a champion. At least not right now. **"Okay. I got it."**

" **Good. You can go now,"** replied the girl, letting go of Natalie's shoulder and immediately she started walking away down the tunnel. Letting out a sigh, the blonde woman looked at the door next to her. Cynthia had wanted to spend some time with Ash before his matches continued. But when she got here, she heard another girl's voice from inside saying she brought some food. Normally not one to eavesdrop, she couldn't help herself, curiosity taking over her and so listened in on to their conversation until the end. It warmed her heart to hear Ash say the things he said and it helped her be at ease, even when speaking with the league official. Cynthia was about to grasp the handle and open the door to go to him when she heard the announcer speak that there was five minutes left until the matches continued. _Damn, how did time go by so quick?!_ Knowing she had to get back to be with the others, the blonde champion of Sinnoh let out a sigh before heading back. As she walked, Cynthia couldn't help but smile over what she overheard Ash say to Natalie about her, her sisters and what they have together.

With the thirty minute break almost over, especially after the announcer's five minute warning, people began to make their way back to their seats in the stadium. Among them, Ash's family and friends had gathered back together with the guys handing out snacks and drinks to everyone. It was during this time a certain red haired girl walked up to them and called out to the purple haired girl. **"Hey Iris!"**

Turning to face her greeter, Iris was surprised to see her close friend and rival there. **"Hey Georgia, what are you doing here?"** she asked her while getting up and hugging her.

Feeling happy over the hug, Georgia returned it. **"Do you even have to ask?"** she replied back as the two separated. **"Who could miss these battles?"** she asked rhetorically while sporting a smirk on her face. **"And I saw you earlier on my way to my seat and decided to join you if you'll have me around,"** she admitted to her.

Iris beamed at her. **"Of course!"** Feeling ecstatic over that, Georgia smiled greatly in return. **"Here, let me introduce you to everyone."** As Iris introduced Georgia to everyone, the red head and everyone exchanged handshakes and hellos. After that was finished, Iris sat down and Georgia took a seat beside her. **"Were you here alone?"** asked Iris as they waited out the last couple of minutes until the matches continued.

Georgia shook her head in response. **"Oh no, I was with my friend before,"** she said, catching the attention of the others in the group, wondering who it could be. **"But then she went to get some snacks and I walked around to kill time."** Georgia's stomach made a loud rumbling sound, making Iris and a few others to become amused. She went red with embarrassment. **"Now that I think about it, I should've bought some myself,"** she muttered in a low voice.

Iris was about to laugh at her friend when her stomach grumbled loudly as well. **"Ah yea, you're not alone,"** said Iris, feeling very hungry.

Hearing some laughter, the two looked at the others and pouted at them as they eyed their food. Taking pity on them, the brunette from Hoenn split her pretzel into two and held it up for them. **"Here, have some with us,"** offered May after calming down and understanding what they were going through. She knew what it felt like to be hungry.

" **You sure?"** asked Georgia, though she was eyeing the pretzel.

" **What about you?"** asked Iris, her mouth begin to water.

Before May could answer, another voice spoke up. **"You don't need to do that May as we have extra food with us."** Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Cilan was standing in the aisle along with a purple haired girl dressed in formal attire beside him. **"Here you go,"** he said as he handed Iris and Georgia some popcorn, chips and drinks and the two thanked him for it. **"Oh and everyone, this is Burgundy. She is a connoisseur like me,"** he told them. **"Please let her feel welcome."**

It took a moment for them to snap out if, since they realized that this was the girl that Cilan wanted to actually be with that Iris mentioned. Burgundy was starting to feel very embarrassed over their stares and wondered if something was going to happen. Until Iris spoke up to get rid of the awkward silence. **"Hey Burgundy, it's been a while. It's good to see you. Have a seat,"** she offered, scooting over to one side, making room for her and Cilan to sit down. In the act, she brushed up against Georgia with her shoulder, who tensed up a bit.

Smiling at her, Burgundy accepted her offer. **"Thank you and I've been well. And hello to all of you and hope you're all doing well too!"** she said politely towards the rest. Finally getting out of it, the others returned the greetings and introduced themselves. Smiling at what was going on, Cilan then faced Iris who caught his gaze. The two shared a quick nod and the green haired connoisseur mouthed the words 'thank you' to Iris who smiled in return.

Right when Burgundy took her seat beside Iris after exchanging greetings and introductions with everyone, the announcer began speaking and Cilan sat down next to her. **"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! I HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE CHALLENGE OF THE ELITES!"** The crowd roared and cheered, ecstatic that it was finally continuing with the now larger group of family and friends shouting as well. **"WHETHER OR NOT YOU WERE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT OR HAVE A BATHROOM BREAK, IT'S TIME TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! AND NOW, HERE ARE YOU ELITES AND CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!"** From one side of the stadium, the huge group of powerful trainers entered the field from their tunnel. As they walked, they were greeted with cheers and shouts again. **"AND DON'T FORGET THEIR CHALLENGER!"** The raven haired guardian stepped out of the tunnel from his side and made his way into the field with his starter on his shoulder again to the roar of the crowd. Georgia glanced at Iris when she started cheering loudly for him as well. **"WITH THREE OF THE ELITE TEAMS OF THE WORLD BEATEN, CAN HE CONTINUE DOING SO WITH THE REMAINING TEAMS? STAY TUNED FOR WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH!"** The referee in the middle of the field gestured for Ash and the next region's elites to come to him, who represented Hoenn. The referee then reminded them of the rules. The five of them nodded in understanding and then turned on their microphones afterwards.

Ash turned to the Hoenn Elites and they faced him as well. **"Let's have a great match,"** he told them with a smile.

" **Yes, let's,"** replied back Drake, keeping their conversation short and simple.

Glacia nodded at him. **"I hope you're able to provide us with some challenge before we take you out,"** she taunted him respectfully but Ash just chuckled.

Sidney had an almost feral grin form on his face. **"Oh, I'm sure he's got a plan. But don't worry, so do we. Get ready for some no holds barred ass kicking!"** he said, raring to go.

Replying back with a grin of his own, Ash was getting psyched to have their battle already. **"Sounds good to me. This is going to be fun,"** he said before facing the fourth and final member of the Hoenn Elites, expecting her to say something as well. But she was giving him a somewhat blank look that made him tilt his head. **"Ah, are you okay Pheobe?"** he asked her.

With her fellow elites also looking at her with concern, the ghost type trainer didn't react for a moment. Until she had a very large smile form on her face. **"Oh I'm doing just fine Ash. After seeing what you can do, I can't wait till you show me your power first hand. Impress me and I'll reward you for it,"** said Pheobe sensually, giving him a sly wink before turning around and heading towards her trainer's box. Swaying her hips in such a way to draw attention that it even made both Sidney and Drake stare until Glacia elbowed them both to snap them out of it before they followed after her.

Her actions and words surprised the raven haired guardian and he glanced at his starter who just shrugged before the two of them moved to his trainer's box. Everyone in the stadium was surprised to see the elite ghost trainer do such a thing and began gossiping about what she was doing. Most of the elites and all of the champions were left in shocked states because of what she did yet a handful of them were holding back their grins at what their partner in crime was doing. But every single one of Ash's girlfriends were beyond annoyed over her actions but controlled themselves for the moment. Cynthia however was glaring at Pheobe with an intense stare. Yet the elite ignored her, not even looking in her direction but did covertly glance at Malva, Karen, Lorelei and Bertha who flashed her quick smiles. **"WITH THE TEASING ACTIONS OF…"** A few loud coughs were heard suddenly through the speakers at that point, cutting off the announcer until he continued a moment later. **"…I MEAN WITH BOTH SIDES TRYING TO SIZE EACH OTHER UP, THE FOURTH ELITE BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"** Laughter was heard among the people in the stands, even with them letting out cheers as the contestants got ready to bring out their pokémon. Four poke balls were tossed into the air and some flashes of light later, the elites' pokémon were in battle ready positions. **"AND THE ELITE FOUR OF HOENN HAVE CHOSEN ABSOL, BANETTE, WALREIN AND SALAMENCE TO REPRESENT THEIR REGION! WHO WILL ASH CHOOSE TO FACE AGAINST THEM?"** Giving his opponents' pokémon a look of respect, Ash gripped the poke ball in his hand tighter before tossing it into the air. Opening and letting out the pokémon inside, his chosen partner let out a battle cry before taking up a martial arts stance. **"WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! THE GUARDIAN HAS CHOSEN BLAZIKEN WHO WE'VE ALL WITNESSED HAS EXTRAORDINARY POWER WHEN HE FOUGHT IN THE STADIUM ATTACK! BUT WILL HE BE ABLE TO STILL KEEP UP AGAINST FOUR ELITE POKÉMON AT ONCE?"** The crowd roared their approval over Ash's choice for his battler.

" **Yea, Blaziken!"** cheered May at once, jumping from her seat and letting out loud cheers for her beloved and his pokémon with her sisters.

Glancing at the happily smiling brunette from Hoenn, the pokémon doctor had a grin form on his face. _I knew it._ Turning his gaze back at Ash, Brock chuckled quietly. _I had an idea after your opening speech but now I know for sure. I wonder if anyone else has figured it out yet like me._ Glancing around at the rest, Brock wondered a bit about that before having his attention go back onto the starting match.

" **Alright Blaziken, get ready,"** stated Ash and his pokémon had the flames around his wrists grow a little larger.

" **Team, prepare for combat!"** stated Drake before giving out as command immediately after. **"Dragon Rush!"** Salamence charged forward with amazing speed while glowing an intense blue without delay.

" **Acrobatics!"** countered Ash instantly. But the dragon was rushing forward so quickly, Blaziken barely maneuvered out of the way by jumping over the charging dragon using his strong leg muscles.

" **Night Slash!"** Absol appeared out of nowhere in the air, targeting the fire type's side to attack with his horn that was glowing a dark color. He was about to land his attack when Blaziken twisted his body in the air at the last second and evaded that strike.

" **Ice Ball!"** A large frozen solid ball of ice was shot by the blue walrus at that moment. Blaziken could do nothing at this time but defend himself by bringing up his arms in an 'x' fashion and covered his head while drawing in his legs to protect his body. The dense and hard ball of ice smashed against him and shattered while the force behind it pushed Blaziken some in the air.

Ash was about to say his next command when Salamence drew close and struck Blaziken from behind with Dragon Claw, sending the starter to the ground. Regaining his senses at the last second, Blaziken moved his body to land onto his feet and rolled to offset the pressure from the hard landing. **"Fire Punch to your right!"** commanded Ash at once and his pokémon obeyed without question. Throwing a punch covered in flames to his right, he intercepted a Shadow Claw from Banette who just revealed herself right then.

That surprised almost all greatly that he was able to guess where the ghost would appear, though few thought it was because of his aura senses. Pheobe was shocked so much that she was momentarily frozen, until snapping out of it when Blaziken struck her pokémon with a Shadow Call himself and heard her cry of pain. **"Banette, vanish!"** she ordered and the ghost disappeared from sight. She locked her eyes onto Ash before one side of her lips curled up into half a smile. **"Impressive Ashy. I never knew that someone can sense ghost types. You trying to impress me with your power?"** she asked him softly, making her teammates look at her with wide eyes. They wondered if this was going to continue throughout the battle.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash was feeling a little off by Pheobe. **"Ah not really. Could we just get back to the battle?"** he asked, making the ghost type trainer pout a bit.

" **My thoughts exactly,"** stated Drake, taking over before Pheobe could speak again. **"That was a good showing. But this is just the beginning. Dragon Claw!"** Speeding through the air, his dragon had his right claw glow, getting ready to strike.

" **Slash!"** called out Ash. Blaziken and Salamence had their claws smash against each other and had a power struggle. Both were trying to push the other back.

" **Don't forget about us now! Psycho Cut!"** spoke up Sidney. Absol rushed forward with his horn glowing purple now.

" **Block it with Shadow Claw!"** said Ash right before Absol reached Blaziken. Using his free hand, the fighting falcon blocked the horn of his attacker and canceled out the attack. But now with two pokémon pushing against him, Blaziken was being forced backwards.

" **Trying to take on two pokémon at once? You know, I'm getting a little excited,"** stated Pheobe, making many in the stadium to think very different thoughts, making Glacia wonder why she was acting this way. **"But could you handle three?"** she asked teasingly. Banette appeared behind Blaziken suddenly, about to strike.

But Ash never faltered, having been through similar battles recently against the other elites. He was actually expecting something like this now. **"Flame Charge!"** Engulfing his body in flames at once, Blaziken prevented the ghost from getting near enough to hit him while burning the dragon and feline at once since he was holding onto them. **"Now, Flamethrower!"**

" **Dragon Breath!"** countered Drake. Both dragon and falcon let out differently colored flames from their mouths that collided against each other and exploded. The explosion forced the three pokémon away from one another, sending them backwards.

But then Blaziken back flipped and landed onto his feet. Using the extra energy he gathered from his move earlier, he sprinted forward quickly with his right hand glowing brightly towards Absol who was disoriented.

" **Slow him down! Icy Wind!"** ordered Glaica and her Walrien complied, summoning a very cold wind towards his opponent. Blasting against him with no mercy, the cold air slowed down his movements, negating his speed boost while hurting him a little.

However, it wasn't enough to keep him from reaching the disaster pokémon and the blaze pokémon delivered a Sky Uppercut against his chin, sending him high into the air with a yelp of pain. **"Absol!"** screamed Sidney in fright, seeing his pokémon get sent into the air like it was nothing.

" **Salamence, catch him!"** Flying quickly to his ally, the dragon caught the pokémon and brought him back to the ground. Absol shook his head a little before nodding at the dragon who returned it.

" **Whew, thanks Drake,"** remarked Sidney with a relieved tone.

" **No need. We're in this together,"** he replied back and the two refocused on the match as the four elite pokémon grouped together again while Blaziken went back to his side of the field and took up a defensive stance.

In the stands, Ash's group was watching with wide eyes. **"This is getting intense,"** commented Bonnie.

" **Yea huh? It seems like the elites are redoubling their efforts to take Ash out,"** remarked Max.

Some murmurs among the group over this with Norman agreeing and added his own thoughts. **"I'm not surprised. After what they've seen him do in the previous three matches, it looks like they did revise their plans and now they're not giving any room for mistakes. Ash has to be careful,"** he told them.

After listening to him, they all agreed but then the Princess of Hoenn spoke up. **"You're right Dad but Ash will win. I know it. There's no way he'll lose now. Especially with Blaziken,"** said May, her sisters smiling at her and agreeing while Norman just stayed quiet, not wanting to upset his daughter.

Back on the field, Ash was thinking furiously while eyeing the elite pokémon, trying to find a weakness. _They're a lot more calculating than the previous ones. Looks like the battles before really did give them some insight on my plans. Well, I guess things will just be a little more interesting now._ Roaming his gaze around, he then noticed Pheobe giving him a very peculiar look that made him tilt his head a bit. _What the…_

On the other side of the field, Pheobe noticed his slight reaction to her look and that made her become even more excited and happy. _Just like I planned. I'm having so much fun! Time to make things more interesting. I just hope Cynthia doesn't kill me…_ **"Ashy, that was a good show of power just now. But I'm a little disappointed if that's all you have to show me. It's not, is it? You want to impress me right?"** she asked him.

While the girls shook in their seats in the stands, on the field Cynthia growled from behind, making Bertha grasp her shoulder and telling her to calm down. Ash however, ignored her question. **"Let's continue the battle and show them your skills Blaziken! Bulk up!"** Flexing his muscles, Blaziken increased his attack and defense.

Becoming slightly annoyed over him not falling for it, Pheobe narrowed her eyes a bit. **"You know, that's rude to ignore a beautiful girl! Shadow Ball!"** A ball of ghostly energy was shot from Banette.

" **Don't take it personally! You know what to do!"** Blaziken dashed towards the Shadow Ball and then struck the ball with Shadow Claw, sending it back towards the ghost.

Pheobe's eyes widened and she shouted out in fright. **"Dodge it!"** Banette barely evaded it by moving to the side. **"That was close,"** sighed the ghost elite.

" **Watch out!"** shouted Glacia and Pheobe saw Blaziken about to collide into her ghost while covered in flames. Shocked and unable to do something, Pheobe couldn't even say anything. **"Water Gun!"** Walrein launched a blast of water at Blaziken, pushing him off course and dousing his fire.

" **Salamence, now's your chance!"** shot Drake, capitalizing on the opportunity. The dragon shot down from above to the falcon and grabbed hold of him before flying high up into the air.

" **What's the matter with you?!"** snapped Glacia the moment they had a breather. Pheobe looked at her because of her tone and saw her angry gaze. **"Stop being such a desperate flirt and get your head back into the game!"** she chastised her, making Pheobe become very embarrassed and also felt really hurt from her words. Many were thrown off a little by Glacia's sudden harsh words, even making Cynthia feel that was a little extreme in front of so many people.

In the group of elites, Malva, Karen and Lorelei leaned in close to one another after hearing that altercation. **"You think this whole thing was a mistake?"** asked Malva quietly.

" **You're probably right. Maybe we shouldn't have asked Pheobe to take part of it. She's easily hurt,"** commented Lorelei, feeling bad for the ghost elite.

The dark haired girl shook her head however. **"It's too late now. We can't back out now. But have some faith in her,"** said Karen and the other two let out sighs.

His attention first on his Blaziken and what his opponents were doing, Ash was trying to come up with a plan to turn the tables on them. But then he heard Glacia's words towards Pheobe and that made him frown. It made him remember his recent conversation with Natalie and how people couldn't control who they develop feelings for. He thought if Pheobe was really interested or just messing around to throw off his concentration. That would be a good tactic since they were in the middle of a battle, even if it was a cheap one. Good thing for him he didn't really feel anything over her or her actions. He also thought that she should be focusing on the battle instead of trying to mess with her opponent, until he remembered that he was losing his concentration too. Shaking his head, Ash decided to find out why this was happening later on. But right now, he had a battle to focus on. _Blaziken, it's time for that special move you've been working on._ Hearing his pokémon's thoughts back, he turned his gaze onto the ice elite of Hoenn. **"Hey Glacia,"** he called out to her, drawing her and everyone's attention. **"You should follow your own advice!"**

Narrowing her eyes onto him, Glacia was peeved. **"How dare you! I never lose focus! And you should worry about yourself!"** she said to him with anger.

Ash merely grinned. **"Really?"** he asked her, making her become very annoyed. **"Well I guess you should be alright then,"** he told her before shouting his next words. **"BLAZIKEN! FIRE BOMBS!"** Breaking free from Salamence's grip by elbowing him in the gut with both arms, Blaziken started free falling while his wrists had their flames grow larger and engulfed his hands. Cocking his right arm back, he then shot it forward so quickly that the fire around his hands launched like a bullet in a ball of flames. He did the same thing with his left hand and then rapidly alternated between the two, sending a shower of fire balls towards the field and his opponents that made the spectators shout over it.

" **Take cover!"** shouted Sidney, seeing the dozens of fire balls raining down. Absol, Walrein and Banette took up defensive positions and summoned protective shields around them right before the fire balls reached them while Salamence tried to catch his breath.

Countless explosions of fire erupted from the fire bombs all around the three pokémon, making the shields crack from the tremendous power behind them. The Hoenn Elites were at first stupefied and unable to react, having never seen something like that before. Until Drake snapped out of it and called out to his dragon. **"Salamence! Stop him!"** Needing another moment to recover first, he then began dive bombing towards the falcon, the dragon increasing his speed to the point of a blur.

" **Blaziken, look out!"** yelled Ash and his pokémon looked behind him and saw the dragon about to smash into him. However, right before the dragon was about to make contact, the fire starter flipped his body backwards in the air and landed on top of the passing dragon's back and grabbed hold of his wings. That surprised everyone with his aerial maneuver, making them cry out in shock. **"Awesome! Good job buddy! Now let's get some pay back with Thunder Punch!"** Not wasting any time, Blaziken had his right hand covered in electricity before he started to repeatedly pummel the dragon's back, trying to make him land.

Roaring with pain, Salamence tried to shake him off by spinning rapidly in the air but Blaziken's grip was too tight. The dragon couldn't leave his advantage in the air, forcing himself to remain airborne as he did his best to ignore the pain. **"No, Salamence! Free yourself!"** called out Drake.

" **INCREDIBLE! BLAZIKEN SUBDUED THE OTHER ELITES' POKÉMON WITH HIS INCREDIBLE FIRE BOMB MOVE AND IS NOW TAKING HIS TIME IN TAKING OUT THE DRAGON!"** The crowd was going crazy and Ash's group was cheering loudly.

Back on the ground, the other elites were trying to see if their pokémon were still in fighting conditions since the last few fire bombs had broken their shields and caused them some damage. Sidney asked his Absol if he was alright since he had some cuts and the dark type nodded, allowing his trainer to let out a relieved sigh. Pheobe gave her pokémon a worried and guilty look but Banette gave her trainer a thumb's up, letting her know she was alright, though she too had some bruises. Smiling a little, Pheobe turned towards her fellow female elite and was shocked at what she saw. Glacia was staring at her Walrein, seeing the scorch marks on her pokémon. She was in a trance, absolutely mesmerized by the sheer power of Ash's Blaziken. Grasping her shoulder, Pheobe made Glacia look at her. **"Glacia, are you alright?"** she asked.

Seeing the concerned expression on her face, she snapped out of it and shook her head. **"Yea, I'm fine now,"** answered Glacia before facing her pokémon. Her Walrein nodded at her, making the elite smile a bit, feeling a little better that her pokémon was still in good shape. Moving her vision to her opponent across the field, Glacia saw his gaze was up, watching the aerial battle but she was able to see the confident look on his face. Turning her sight onto the two pokémon in the sky now, she noticed that the dragon was beginning to show signs of slowing down and that shocked her. Normally the Hoenn dragon could endure more but it looks the falcon's appearance didn't properly display his true power. _How is he so damn strong…_

Up in the air, Blaziken kept relentlessly chipping away at Salamence's endurance while the latter tried everything he could to shake him off. Spinning his body, performing dive bombs, making sharp turns and sudden stops, flying in circles and everything else that came to mind. However, no matter what he did, he couldn't throw off the falcon, his grip impossibly tight on his wing. Seeing that his pokémon was having no luck whatsoever in getting free, Drake was thinking furiously to come up with something. Looking down for the first time in a while, he evaluated the conditions of his fellow elites' pokémon. Seeing them able to continue battling, he made up his mind. **"Listen you three,"** he called out to them as he faced them, making his team mates look at him. **"I'm going to have to do my emergency plan,"** he told them without hesitation.

" **You sure about that?"** asked Sidney quietly, while Glacia and Pheobe were both surprised, unable to speak over his decision.

" **I have no other choice,"** he told them and they understood. Letting out a sigh, he said something in his mind; _forgive me my trusted pokémon._ Raising his gaze back up towards the sky, Drake yelled out his final command. **"SALAMENCE! A DRAGON'S HONOR!"** Hearing that made many wonder what his plan was but some had an idea and a few knew exactly what he was going to do. Listening to his trainer's words, Salamence stopped his actions and shot down towards the field at once with his wings folded in against his underbelly to increase his velocity. It looked like he was going to smash into the ground at top speed in an attempt to take out the fire type.

Realizing that the move was a kamikaze type of attack, the raven haired guardian had his heart start beating faster. **"Blaziken, break away!"** shouted Ash. Blaziken stopped his attack and was about to let go of the dragon. But then Salamence unfolded his wings and folded them the opposite way, to wrap him against his back, preventing his escape. **"WHAT?!"** shouted the guardian in surprise, not knowing they could do that with their wings.

As the two pokémon rocketed towards the hard ground, many people shouted and screamed in fright. Nearing the ground, Salamence moved his body so he would land against his back to have his opponent take most of the impact. A torrent of flames shot from Blaziken was all they saw along with a roar let out by Salamence before the two smashed against the hard cement ground at such high speed that they blew apart the ground and a cloud of dust arose and blanketed part of the field, preventing everyone from seeing what happened. **"OH MY, WHAT A DANGERIOUS LAST DITCH MOVE! WAS THE RISK WORTH THE REWARD?!"** Waiting impatiently to see the outcome, the crowd was silent and both the guardian and the elites were holding their breath. Finally, the cloud dispersed and revealed what it was hiding. The ground was caved in from the pressure of the dive bomb. Salamence was the only pokémon visible of the two, having used Blaziken as his 'soft' landing, though he was breathing raggedly and his eyes were closed.

" **Is it over?"** asked Lizabeth in shock.

" **It can't be,"** whispered Shauna, not believing it.

" **Of all the things to do,"** commented Anabel sadly.

Tears were gathering in May's eyes. **"No way, how could they lose?"** The others didn't say anything for their words was spoken for them and they didn't know what else to say.

Somewhere in the stands, three women looked at one another. One of them lifted up her cell phone once more and got it ready to call to start their plan. All she was waiting for was the official statement of the match. The other two took in a breath and exhaled it out to calm their nerves.

Back on the field, no movement or sound was made for a few more seconds until Sidney looked at the referee. **"Hey ref! Call it!"** he told him.

Nodding at him, the referee cleared his throat and spoke. **"With that final move, Salamence has beaten Blaziken and that means that the Elite Four of Hoenn have-"**

" **Hold on!"** shouted Ash, interrupting him. **"We haven't lost yet!"**

Glancing at one another, the Hoenn Elites were shocked over his words, thinking he had gone crazy. **"It was a great battle Ash,"** started Sidney as he turned to look at him again. **"But as I said before, it's a no hold barred battle and you lost."**

Shaking his head, Ash pointed at the unconscious dragon. **"Blaziken!"** Nothing happened after Ash called out to his pokémon. A little while later, thinking he had lost it, Drake was about to say something when Salamence started moving. Or more accurately, he was raised into the air before being moved to the side, his wings completely busted up. A second later, a red bipedal falcon slowly rose up to his feet, covered in scratches and bruises. He stayed standing with his left arm held loosely by his side along with leaning mostly on his right leg. He had received damage mostly against his left side. **"As I said, we haven't lost yet,"** said Ash calmly to the silenced Hoenn Elites while everyone else was left in flabbergasted states.

It took a moment for someone to speak. **"How?!"** asked Glacia for everyone.

Ash grinned a little as his Blaziken used the time to recover some energy. **"I had Blaziken use Flamethrower to melt the ground a little to cushion the impact. And though Salamence tried to unwrap his wings at the last second to not damage them, Blaziken prevented him from doing so by grabbing hold of them to use them as a shield. Both Salamence's wings and the melted ground helped Blaziken survive,"** he explained to them, though they were left in surprise states before frowning a bit. **"But he still ended up getting hurt,"** he commented, seeing his pokémon's condition. **"Hmm, looks like your leg is messed up and your arm is dislocated. What do you want to do buddy? We can call it if you want,"** stated Ash. Blaziken scoffed at the idea of backing down now. Grabbing hold of his left arm with his right, he then used force to pop his shoulder back into its socket, making a loud snapping noise that cause many to cringe from it. Rotating his arm a bit and then shaking it some, the fire type then lifted up his left leg so there's no weight on it, bending it in front of him while balancing on his right leg and holding up his hands. **"Figures. Show off,"** muttered Ash but Blaziken just smirked.

Seeing the Hoenn starter still able to battle after that death defying stunt, the crowd was silenced, unable to make a sound. Until Blaziken showed his willingness to continue battling even with a damaged leg, making them roar over his conviction. Ash's group was beyond amazed at the pokémon's resilience and willpower.

" **Now that's a true fighter!"** praised Shauna happily and a couple from the group nodded.

" **Incredible. They never back down,"** remarked Lizabeth with admiration while several vocally agreed with her.

May wiped away her tears, feeling relieved that they were still in the game. **"I can't believe I thought it was over."**

" **It's alright May. You weren't the only one,"** said Anabel truthfully and the brunette looked at her before giving a small smile in response while her sisters admitted the same. Letting out a sigh, May returned her gaze to the field with them copying her.

Drake looked at his pokémon and saw him out of commission. Letting out a sigh, he returned Salamence and turned his head to his teammates. **"It's all on you now. I took out his leg. He should be weakened down enough but stay on your guard,"** he advised them

Nodding their heads in understanding, the Hoenn Elites turned to face their challenger. **"I hope you're ready for some more Ash!"** called out Sidney. **"Cause all of that just made me hunger for some more action!"** His and the other two pokémon let out loud battle cries after his words.

" **Bring it on Sidney!"** taunted Ash and Blaziken let out a roar of his own back at them.

" **Don't get cocky Ash!"** advised Glacia. **"Just cause you got lucky, doesn't mean you'll win! Super Ice Ball!"** Forming a larger ball of ice this time, Walrein was getting ready to launch it.

" **Banette, keep him busy!"** commanded Pheobe, being serious for the first time since the start of the battle. After being chewed out in front of everyone by her fellow elite, Phoebe realized that she should've stayed focused on the match, even with her plan with the other three. She still intended to follow through on that of course but only when the time was right for she wasn't going to lose her concentration anymore. The ghost disappeared before reappearing behind the fire starter and attempted to hit him with Shadow Claws but was unable to. Even with just one leg, the falcon was able to evade the strikes.

" **Help her out Absol!"** ordered Sidney. Running forward, the feline soon engaged the falcon as well, who was barely able to fend them off while trying to keep his balance. Every time he was able to break away and try to go towards the walrus, the other two would catch up to him and stop him.

Glacia saw her pokémon finish readying the ball of ice and she grinned. **"Good, now fire!"** Walrein roared before launching the huge ball of ice at his opponent.

" **Look out!"** warned Ash as Absol and Banette moved out of the way of the incoming projectile. Turning to face the ice ball, Blaziken had his eyes widen over the size of it. There was no way he could evade it. **"Knock it back with Blaze Kick!"** shouted the guardian. Focusing his strength and engulfing his right leg in flames, he waited for the right moment to counter. At the last second, Blaziken jumped towards the ice ball with his right leg and swung the same leg against it. Putting all of his strength behind it, he was able to deflect the large ice ball with his kick, sending it straight back towards his opponents.

" **No way!"** yelped Glacia, seeing her own attack coming back towards them.

" **Absol, cut it in half with Night Slash!"** ordered Sidney and his dark type rushed forward with his horn glowing. He slashed at the ice ball and cut it into two pieces. The halves went flying passed Banette and Walrein before falling to the ground. **"Alright Ash, now I'm…"** He trailed off, seeing Blaziken near his pokémon. He had used the cover of the ice ball to advance, hopping on his leg. **"Shit! Absol, Double Team!"** Splitting into a dozen copies, Absol avoided the falcon's Fire Punch, hitting only a copy. **"That was close. Nice try there Ash but not good enough,"** said Sidney with a sneer.

" **Well how about this; Heat Wave!"** Blaziken summoned scorching hot winds around the field, making the copies vanish and the real Absol, along with Walrein and Banette, were letting out anguished cries from the intense heat. **"Now, let's bring it down to two! Target the closest one with Fire Blast!"** Bringing down his left leg to help stabilize himself even though he felt pain from putting weight on it, Blaziken then let out a large five pointed star of flames towards the dark type before raising his leg again.

Pheobe and Glacia told their pokémon to help out since Sidney's was barely getting back onto his feet. But their pokémon were also out of it, leaving their comrade on his own. **"Absol! Counter with Dark Pulse!"** ordered Sidney. His pokémon finally got his senses straight and tried to launch the dark energy blast but he was unable to in time. Absol was struck by the Fire Blast and the flames erupted, burning him and he let out agonizing sounds for a few seconds before no more sounds came. The fire died down and revealed an unconscious white feline on the ground. **"No, damn it!"** shouted Sidney in disbelief and anger that he was also taken out.

" **Good job buddy! That leaves just two more!"** praised Ash and his Blaziken let out a screech.

Glacia and Pheobe looked at one another as Absol was returned. **"It's up to us now,"** remarked Glacia and she faced forward. **"We need to end this and win."** Evaluating her and Pheobe's pokémon's conditions, she realized that they were very close to their limits. **"We need to give our next moves everything we got,"** she said with seriousness.

Pheobe nodded in agreement before letting out a gasp. **"Wait, are you thinking what I think your thinking?"** she asked and her fellow elite confirmed it. Looking at Ash now, the ghost elite grinned at him. **"Don't think it's over now that it's just us girls Ash! You may have shown your power, but I still expected more. You disappointed me,"** she said, taunting him as she wagged her right index finger at him. That caused several annoyed expressions to form on the girls' faces.

Ash just shrugged however. **"Well, I can't please everyone,"** he said without thinking of his choice of words.

That made Pheobe blush greatly. **"Why'd you say it like that?!"** asked the ghost type elite.

" **Why'd you even bring attention to it?!"** shot Glacia towards Pheobe in horror, turning a little red herself from embarrassment of what was going on.

Placing her hands against her cheeks, Pheobe felt the heat from them, ignoring her team mate. **"You're being awfully bold in front of so many Ashy…"**

Ash tilted his head. **"What? What do you…"** It took a moment until he understood what she meant. **"Oh, c'mon!"** he called out to her, turning a little red himself from embarrassment. The people in the stands laughed and his group couldn't help but chuckle themselves. Though his girlfriends were a little annoyed, they couldn't really blame Ash. He did have his slow moments at times. **"That's not what I meant! Can we get on with the battle already?!"**

" **Fine!"** snapped Pheobe, getting embarrassed herself over the situation and Glacia wasn't feeling too good about it all either. **"Banette, vanish!"** Her ghost disappeared at once.

" **Walrein, its time to end this! Give it everything you have! Sheer Cold!"** added Glacia and her pokémon obeyed. Letting out a loud roar, her pokémon summoned a howling, absolutely freezing wind of ice pellets and snow and sent it towards the fire type.

" **Protect!"** shouted Ash and Blaziken had a protective shield formed around him after lowering his leg again to help stabilize himself in time to have the freezing blizzard slam against his barrier without restraint. Straining to keep up the shield, the Hoenn starter was also dealing with the pain from his leg. **"It's almost over! Hold on!"** encouraged Ash and his pokémon held on.

" **That's right!"** called out Pheobe, drawing his attention. **"It is over! Phantom Force!"** Banette appeared through the shield with her body glowing before slamming into Blaziken. Letting out a howl of pain, he was hurt badly but was able to keep up the shield for the time being. **"No way! That wasn't enough to break his will and shield?!"** yelped Pheobe in shock.

" **Maybe not but he can't keep it up forever! Don't let up Walrein!"** commanded Glacia, having her pokémon keep up the relentless freezing blizzard.

Pheobe agreed with that. **"Banette, take a breather and then charge up the biggest Shadow Ball you can!"** Taking in much needed breaths after the last attack, her ghost then began concentrating all of her power in creating as large of a Shadow Ball as she could.

Seeing both females putting everything into these attacks, Ash concluded that this was their final play. _It's time for us to give it our last shot too buddy. You ready to go all out?_ Hearing his thoughts back that he was, Ash sent out his final commands for this battle. **"Blaziken, bring out your fire!"** His words baffled everyone, not knowing what he was up to but the Hoenn starter knew what to do. Concentrating on his inner flame that burned inside every fire type, he was trying to bring it out to the surface while maintaining his shield. Slowly, he brought it out, having red flames appear all over his body, causing everyone to let out startled gasps and shouts. **"That's it buddy! You got it! Just a little more!"** he told his pokémon. More and more red flames appeared and they grew larger and larger, dancing wildly around the falcon inside the barrier.

" **Glacia, I don't know what that is, but it can't be good!"** yelped Pheobe, losing her cool.

" **We can't let him do whatever he's trying to do! Fire it now!"** replied back Glacia.

" **Banette, is it ready?!"** asked Pheobe hysterically and her ghost nodded after a second. **"Fire away!"** Pouring almost everything she had into the Shadow Ball, Banette then launched it with the last of her strength before hunching over in her spot, barely conscious.

Inside the shield, nobody could see the starter anymore for it was just red flames inside of it. The super powered Shadow Ball went racing towards it, traveling with the blizzard that was still colliding against the shield as well. It was then that Ash gave the order. **"It's now or never! FIRE WAVE!"** A loud roar was heard that came from inside the shield. Next second, the shield shattered caused by the flames inside suddenly bursting through towards their opponents while growing in height and width, morphing into a wall of fire that traveled towards the two pokémon. It swallowed up the incoming large Shadow Ball and vaporized it while also negating the freezing blizzard, leaving behind only steam.

" **Impossible!"** yelped Glacia while taking a step back subconsciously, losing her composure.

" **No way!"** cried Pheobe, scared of the wall of fire that was still going, heading for her pokémon. **"No! Call it off! Please! I quit! Banette can't battle anymore!"** she said desperately, seeing how her pokémon couldn't even try to defend itself.

Glacia looked at her pokémon, about to say a command but saw that her Walrein too was utterly exhausted, unable to battle anymore. Her eyes widened, surprised at herself that she didn't notice until then. **"Stop the attack!"** shrieked Glacia. **"Stop! I forfeit!"**

Hearing the two say that, Ash quickly called out to his pokémon. **"Blaziken, that's enough!"** His pokémon stopped supplying energy to his attack and the fire wall stopped its advance and soon after, the flames dissipated into thin air. The flames around his body regressed back inside of him and Blaziken dropped to one knee. Leaning against his right leg at first, he then allowed himself to fall down onto his rear and sat on the floor, absolutely done with no spare energy. It was all he could do to just stay conscious.

The referee raised the green flag and lowered the red flag. **"Glacia and Pheobe have forfeited the match. Winner is Blaziken and Ash, who will now advance and face the Johto Elites!"** Ash ran up to his pokémon to check on him while the female elites did the same to theirs.

 **"UNBELIEVABLE! NOT ONLY DID ASH WIN AGAINST THE HOENN ELITES, BUT HE FROCED THEM TO FORFEIT! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MATCH!"** The crowd was left in stunned states over the fire wall until the announcer's words brought them out of it. Roaring their loudest yet, they continued to cheer as the elites and the guardian gathered towards the referee in the middle after thanking and returning their pokémon.

It was the dragon elite of the four who first spoke with the young man. **"That was the most intense match I've ever had,"** admitted Drake, raising his hand.

Raising his hand and shaking his, Ash nodded. **"With all due respect, you guys are as hard to beat as the other elites,"** he replied back, getting a nod in return before separating and facing the dark trainer.

" **Not bad. But we're gonna have to have a one on one battle you and I in the future,"** remarked Sidney as he shook hands with Ash.

" **Sure, sounds like fun,"** smiled Ash. Chuckling, Sidney nodded before stepping aside for Glacia. **"You almost had me there with that Sheer Cold,"** he told her.

Glacia didn't say anything for a moment until she smiled. **"And you surprised me with how strong your pokémon are and how you never give up,"** she told him. **"Thank you for opening my eyes to how much more I need to learn,"** she said to him before giving him a curtsy, surprising her fellow elites. She wouldn't do that to anyone unless she respects them.

" **Hey, n-no need f-for that,"** stammered Ash, embarrassed over her behavior towards him. **"But thank you for the respect,"** he told her.

Straightening out, she shook her head. **"No, thank you for that grand battle and for sparing my pokémon,"** said Glacia sweetly before moving away for their last member to say her words.

Letting out a sigh, Ash turned to face the ghost elite as he wasn't sure what she was going to do. But he still had to say something to her and so decided on something short and respectful. **"Great battle Pheobe. Thank you,"** he told her.

Locking her eyes onto his, she didn't react for a moment. Until she suddenly jumped on him and gave him a bear hug, shocking everyone. **"Thank you for not going through with that final move! I don't know what would have happened to Banette if you didn't,"** said Pheobe while Ash just said it was nothing nervously. She leaned in closer to his ear. **"That power you and your pokémon displayed…I have to admit it…I'm** _ **very**_ **impressed. Made my heart race. I want to thank you for that** _ **personally**_ **,"** she whispered into his ear, making Ash widen his eyes.

Feeling uncomfortable over her words and actions while also sensing his girlfriends' emotions, Ash quickly but casually separated from Pheobe. **"Thank you for the compliments. Take care of yourself!"** said Ash, indicating that that they were done talking.

Pouting at him at first, Pheobe then smirked at him. **"Oh I see. Don't worry, no one else will know."** Giving him a wink, she then turned around to leave. **"I'll catch you later Ashy,"** she told him before rejoining her fellow elites and they made their way back to the other elites.

Ash glanced at the referee who just shrugged. Letting out a breath, the young guardian shook his head and decided to wait beside the referee as the field was changed. That way, when finished, he could greet the Johto Elites before their battle.

When the Hoenn Elites rejoined the other elites and their champions, they were given an approving look from Steven while the rest gave them some praise and compliments. Cynthia however, had her eyes narrowed onto Pheobe. Though she felt a little shocked over Glacia's behavior towards Ash in the end, Cynthia quickly brushed it off since she was much older than him and she was only behaving properly. And she also knew how that was a sign of her respect for others. Yet she couldn't control her anger over the ghost elite's actions. Taking a step towards her to give her a piece of her mind, Cynthia was made to stop by Bertha who had grabbed hold of her arm.

Snapping her gaze onto her, the blonde champion glared at her elite but she didn't falter. **"What did I tell you before?"** asked Bertha quietly but Cynthia didn't answer. **"You need to control that anger and jealousy of yours. And even if you can't this is not the place for it,"** she reminded her.

Knowing she was right, Cynthia listened to her but inside she kept boiling. Facing Pheobe, she crossed her arms and exhaled out through her nose. That was when she noticed that Malva was speaking with her quietly, along with Karen and Lorelei. _Those two! They better not do anything else unless they want to get hurt! And what are they even talking with them?_ Wondering about that, she kept her sight locked onto them. Until she heard a sudden voice in her head.

 _Cynthia? Can you hear me?_

 _Liza?_

 _So you can! Cool! Aura bonds rock!_

Able to keep herself from chuckling so others won't think she went insane, Cynthia took in a breath. _Yes I know. What is it?_

 _Oh right. Well our sisters and I wanted to ask you if you know what's going on with those girls and what they're trying to do if there is._

 _That's what I'd like to know myself. But don't worry, I won't let them do anything._

 _Alright. But listen, no matter what happens, don't do anything right now. Wait till after the battles are done._

A little bit of anger sprang up inside the champion. _I know that! I'm not stupid!_

Liza became a little frigthtened but kept her cool. _We know that but also know how you can be when angered. So just try to keep it in for now okay? And remember, you're not alone._

Understanding what she was saying, Cynthia calmed down. _Okay. I got it. Sorry and thanks._ Letting out a sigh and recomposing herself, she then noticed Karen leave the group to go to the referee with her comrades since the field was done being switched out.

In the stands, the caretaker of the valley let out a sigh after finishing her mental conversation with the Sinnoh champion. **"Next time, you guys tell Cynthia to calm down,"** whispered Liza so only they could hear her.

Her sisters chuckled a bit before one of them replied back. **"No way. I'm not gonna try to calm down Cynthia when she's pissed,"** admitted Clair, earning herself a glare from her friend.

" **Stop being such a wuss. And she wasn't the only one angered though,"** remarked Sabrina with a knowing look and Clair had a sheepish look form on her face. **"I still don't understand as to why you guys are telling me not to read their minds. I can find out what they're thinking and let you know,"** she told them.

" **We know that Sabrina,"** started Dawn quietly so only she and her sisters could hear her. **"But even though we're angry, much angrier than we were in the past, we feel as if it's an invasion of privacy. Unless it's absolutely needed, we don't need you to do that as we don't want you taking on that by yourself. We'll handle things together, like we decided last night. Remember?"** she asked her and Sabrina nodded after a moment.

Before the Saffron gym leader could respond back though, another caught their attention. **"Hey, we'll worry about that later cause the Johto Elites are talking to Ash now,"** exclaimed Sarah, making her sisters move their gaze onto them.

As Karen and the other three Johto Elites headed towards the referee and Ash, she felt some excitement inside. She couldn't wait to battle Ash. And she also couldn't wait to put her part of the plan into motion. It had been a long time since she flirted with anyone, even as a joke. But she knew that she can still get what she wants if she puts her mind to it. And noticing how Cynthia reacted during Pheobe's actions, Karen knew she was onto something. She knew she was playing with fire and knew it was only a matter of time until she got burned. But it would be worth it for she and the other three will finally get answers for their questions regarding just what exactly was going on between them all.

Reaching the referee, the Johto Elites were reminded of the rules and they turned to face Ash afterwards. **"Let's have a good match,"** said Will, the first to speak.

Ash nodded in reply and then faced the ninja before smiling a bit. **"It's been a long time Koga. Looks like we'll be having a rematch,"** he told him.

Koga allowed a half smile to form on his face. **"Looks like we shall."**

" **Whoa, you two battled against each other before?"** asked Ethan in awe.

" **Yea, back when he was the gym leader of Fuschia about ten years or so ago,"** revealed Ash, making Ethan comment that he didn't know that he used to be a gym leader. Koga however just acknowledged it by barely giving a single nod. **"Oh but if you're one of the Johto Elites, who's running the gym?"** asked the raven haired trainer.

" **My daughter Janine has taken over,"** answered Koga. Ash commented how that was awesome and that he should battle her one day. **"Yes, you should. But first let's have ours,"** he suggested.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash let out a chuckle. **"Yea, you're right. I hope you're ready."** Koga said no more and moved aside while covertly pulling Ethan alongside him who said his greetings but also wouldn't stop talking.

Taking that as her cue, Karen moved in front of Ash. Placing her left hand on her hip, she gave a warm smile to her opponent. **"So, looks like it's finally my turn to say hello kiddo."**

That comment made Ash internally groan. _Oh great…please tell me this one isn't like Malva and Pheobe too._

" **I've been waiting for someone who could give me a great fight. I'm not too worried since you've proven you have great power,"** Karen told him.

Ash felt relief after hearing her say that. _Oh thank Arceus! She's not like the other two!_ He allowed himself to smile a bit and nodded in reply to her words.

Seeing him do that, Karen decided to make a move. Taking a few steps closer to him, she raised her right hand and placed her right index finger against the middle of his chest, making her teammates give her astonished looks.

Though he felt nothing over her touch, his heart still beat faster because of her action and what he sensed from his girlfriends. _No…no…no...NO! Not this one too!_

" **But power alone isn't what I'm looking for,"** she whispered to him seriously but with a slight tone of playfulness, making Ash curse his situation inside his mind. **"You've shown you have some skills too but I'm not impressed."** Moving her finger down, she stroked his chest while whispering. **"Wow me."**

" **What?!"** asked an absolutely startled Ash.

" **Wow me if you can,"** repeated Karen. **"And maybe…just maybe…I'll have you teach me some of the things you've learned. And in return, I'll give you some of my own lessons in some** _ **private**_ **sessions."** She grinned at his look of astonishment before lifting her finger and rejoined her elites. **"Let's go,"** she told them casually, as if nothing happened just now. **"We have a battle to win,"** she told them. Making their way to their trainer's box, the Johto Elites asked her what that was about but she told them to not worry about it.

Ash snapped out of it, turned around and made his way to his side of the field. _Okay, something is seriously going on. First Malva. Then Pheobe was a surprise. And now Karen? What the fuck is going on? Are they really flirting with me or are they just trying to mess with my head? Should I try to hear their thoughts?_ Shaking his head slightly to himself, Ash let out a sigh. _No, I can't do that right now. I need to focus on the battles. Well, either way it doesn't matter because I'm not going to lose and I don't feel anything at all for them._ Glancing at his group to check on his loved ones, he could see that his girlfriends were glaring at Karen, sensing their anger towards her. Reaching his box and turning to face them, he then noticed Cynthia's look of rage at the Johto Elite. _Uh oh…this is not good. The girls are pissed! Well, I guess good news is they're not pissed at me. For once. Should I tell them to not worry?_ He thought about that a bit but decided against it. _No, that won't be good enough. Good thing I have something better._ Covertly touching his chest once more as if scratching it, Ash could feel his girlfriends calming down. Multiple mental messages were sent to him and he responded back to them. Taking in a breath, he looked at his starter with a smile. **"Ready Pikachu?"** he asked him.

" **Pika!"** replied back the electric mouse and he nodded.

Summoning a poke ball to him with his aura, Ash waited for the announcer to finish speaking and the Johto Elites to reveal their choices before bringing out his. **"WITH THAT RATHER INTIMATE GREETING BY…"** Loud obnoxious coughing sounds were heard again, interrupting the announcer. **"…can't even speak my mind anymore…"** Many laughed in the crowd over that and so did several on the field. **"AS I WAS SAYING, ONLY TWO MORE TO GO AND ASH WILL HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BATTLE AGAINST THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW IN ANOTHER HANDICAP MATCH! THE FIFTH ELITE MATCH STARTS NOW!"** Taking that as their cue, the four Johto trainers brought out their pokémon choices. A purple four winged bat, a green psychic condor, a black feline and a light blue bipedal crocodile appeared on the elites' side of the field. Gripping his poke ball tightly, Ash then threw it into the air and his chosen pokémon, a blue orange badger, appeared with a loud roar. **"THE JOHTO ELITES HAVE CHOSEN THEIR SIGNATURE POKEMON OF CROBAT, XATU, HOUNDOOM AND FERALIGATR WHILE THE AURA GUARDIAN SENT OUT TYPHLOSION! ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE TWO STARTERS OF THE SAME REGION AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!"** Letting out roars and cheers again, the crowd was getting very loud as the five trainers and their pokémon eyed one another.

When Sarah saw Ash's chosen pokémon, she let out a squeal of surprise before smiling broadly. Seeing her reaction, her sisters became happy as well and Leaf elbowed her lightly against her side, drawing her attention. **"Bringing back memories?"** asked the brunette teasingly.

Laughing a bit, Sarah nodded. **"Yea. But this is different. And even though my starter was Cyndaquil and Typhlosion is one of my two strongest, it still took my entire team to beat each elite. I know the fire badger pretty well so I wonder what plan Ash has with his Typhlosion to take them all out at once."** Sarah's words made her sisters think about that as well, with some of them thinking about his previous elite battles and how he used a pokémon that they have and the things he came up with that they never even thought of.

" **Well, looks like it's a perfect opportunity for you to gain some knowledge,"** stated Anabel and Sarah agreed with that, having her attention go back onto the match.

" **Alright Typhlosion, it's finally your time to shine buddy!"** called out Ash and his pokémon let out another roar while flaring up his fire from the back part of his neck.

Grinning, the Johto Elites could feel the power from their opponent. **"Let's get things started. You're pokémon may be strong, but strength alone won't be enough to defeat us. Confuse Ray!"** ordered Will. His Xatu fired a sinister ray of light to cause confusion in his opponent.

" **Dig!"** countered Ash and Typhlosion quickly went underground, the cement floor not hindering his actions at all and evaded the sinister ray.

" **You too!"** countered Ethan immediately. Feraligatr also disappeared beneath the ground.

A short while later, clashing sounds were heard from beneath them with tremors shaking the field. A few blasts of fire and water tore through the ground, shooting up into the air, startling the spectators. Rumbling was then heard coming from underneath their feet until all of a sudden, both starter pokémon popped out of the ground locked in a physical bout. Typhlosion and Feraligatr were exchanging rapid strikes against one another.

Koga smirked. **"Crobat, Toxic!"** Moving at incredible speeds, the poisonous bat flew to be behind the fire badger and spat out a dark purple glob towards him.

" **Quick Attack to the side!"** Typhlosion lunged away from his spot at breakneck speeds at the last second, dodging the glob of poison that kept going towards Feraligatr. Before it connected the toxic glob was outlined in a purple glow and made to stop in midair. **"Damn it!"**

"You shouldn't forget about us challenger," remarked Will. **"Xatu, looks like our friend forget to take his gift with him. Send it back to him please."** With its eyes glowing purple again, the psychic bird sent the toxic glob after the fire badger.

" **Flamethrower!"** Letting out an intense blast of flames, Typhlosion was able to disintegrate the toxic glob. But then Houndoom appeared behind him out of nowhere. **"Look out!"** warned Ash but it was too late as the demon dog sank her sharp teeth into his back. The fire type let out a howl of agony and tried to shake her off but instead it just helped Houndoom sink her teeth in deeper.

" **My, my, what a predicament,"** said Karen in a mock concerned tone at first before changing it to a more condescending one. **"But that's what happens when you leave yourself vulnerable. I wonder, do you think that the move Crunch is named after bones breaking?"** she asked tauntingly, making Ash's eyes narrow onto her. Up in the stands, Sarah booed loudly among her sisters.

" **Here's a chance to finish this quickly. Ethan! Hold him down!"** ordered Koga.

Ethan snapped to it. **"Yes sir! Feraligatr, subdue Typhlosion!"** Closing in on the orange badger, the blue crocodile raised its arms.

Ash thought a mile a minute to come up with something to get his pokémon out of the corner he was in. Coming up with an idea, he knew it was risky but it was better than the other ideas. **"Typhlosion, Rollout!"** His pokémon rolled forward towards Feraligatr while curling himself up into a ball. As a result, Houndoom was sent colliding into the water type. The force behind the collision loosened up her jaws, allowing Typhlosion to break free but he wasn't done. Continuing his Rollout, he smashed into the two pokémon, sending them flying back some distance and then crashed against the ground. Both Karen and Ethan let out worried sounds.

" **Xatu, stop him in his tracks!"** commanded Will, seeing him continue rolling around the field as he zigzagged his way towards the other pokémon. Eyes glowing blue, the bird concentrated on the badger and a purple outline appeared around him. Though he kept turning in his spot, he was prevented from actually moving.

" **Typhlosion, you can do it! Break free!"** shouted Ash.

Koga knew it was only a matter of time until he did so and quickly said a command. **"Crobat, Air Cutter!"** The purple bat launched razor sharp winds against the spinning badger. Each one connected against him that caused him stinging pain yet he kept spinning. Feraligatr and Houndoom recovered by that point and got ready to continue the battle. **"All of you, attack at once! Venoshock!"**

" **Dark Pulse!"**

" **Hydro Pump!"**

Crobat, Houndoom and Feraligatr fired their attacks. A special poisonous liquid, a darkly colored blast of energy and a large torrent of pressurized water traveled through the air towards their trapped target.

 _SHIT! That ain't good!_ **"Typhlosion, ERUPTION!"** His pokémon began spinning even faster now and a red glowing outline formed around him, breaking free from the psychic hold over him, shocking the psychic elite. Flames covered him up and right before the triple attack reached him, the fire badger let loose an explosive fury of fire. A wave of red flames shot out from him in all directions, negating two of the three attacks. The third one however cut through the fire but lost power greatly. Typhlosion was struck directly with the weakened Hydro Pump yet it hardly did any damage to him since he dispersed the remaining water with his spinning. **"Good job buddy!"** praised Ash happily.

" **Don't get too comfortable now!"** advised Koga as his Crobat appeared in front of the still spinning fire starter and slashed at him with Cross Poison at top speed. Powerful enough to stop his spinning, Typhlosion was sent sailing through the air from the attack and smashed against the stadium wall before falling to the ground.

" **Typhlosion!"** yelled out Ash in concern, with the crowd going silent. A moment later, the guardian's pokémon rose onto all fours and shook his head a bit. He then stood back up while panting some. Though he wasn't poisoned from the attack, the bat managed to land a critical hit against him. Letting out a relieved sigh, Ash praised his pokémon as he moved back into his side of the field.

Seeing his pokémon alright, the girls all let out relieved breaths. **"Good job Typhlosion,"** praised Sarah with pride.

" **I didn't know that the Johto Elites have become so strong,"** remarked Clair in a low voice.

" **What do you mean? Haven't you battled them yourself before?"** asked Liza in confusion, catching the others' attention with a few being surprised over hearing that.

" **Well yes but…"** Clair was quiet for a few seconds before explaining. **"Though I battled against them and can hold my own against them, I never was able to beat them, either ending in draws or losing outright. It was always down to the wire. But I think after losing to Sarah in the past has made them train even harder and reach a new level. I doubt I can pose a challenge to them now."** Turning to face the blonde girl who was a native of the same regions as her, Clair gave her a questioning look before saying it outright. **"You think you can win against them again now after seeing this?"** she asked her.

Sarah turned to face the field and thought for a moment before shaking her head. **"I don't know. Though it's still early in the battle, I can already feel their intensity. It's much more than before."** Sarah's heart was beating like mad over the battle but was glad to see her beloved's pokémon was alright.

Understanding her, the girls faced the arena in front of them once the announcer began speaking through the speakers with each of them filling up with anxiousness. **"WHAT A MATCH! WITH THE TIDES CONSTANTLY SHIFTING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER, IT'S STILL ANYONE'S BATTLE!"** Letting out loud cheers and roars, the people in the stands wanted more.

" **Man, that's one tough Typhlosion,"** commented Ethan, eyeing the pokémon with respect. **"It's much harder to take down than our previous challenger's. After training harder than ever, I'm at a loss that it's still standing."**

His fellow elites agreed to that but said nothing over it. **"Even so, we must do everything we can to triumph,"** said Koga. Turning his gaze to the psychic, he then asked a question. **"Did you find any weak points?"**

Will didn't answer until a few seconds later. **"No, not really. That pokémon has very good balance of offense and defense as well as outstanding skill to be able to control his attacks like that,"** explained the psychic elite, causing his fellow elites to sport astonished gazes for Will almost never complimented someone.

Turning her gaze back towards her opponent, Karen had a grin from on her face. _So there's more to you than meets the eye huh? Always hiding your true strength and only bringing it out if needed. I should've realized that after witnessing your previous battles. If you keep this up, I may actually go through with what I said to you. But you still have a long way to go to reach 'his' level before I even consider doing anything with you._ Using her hand to throw her hair backwards over her shoulder, Karen looked at her teammates. **"C'mon, he may be strong. But it's time to show our power and skill too,"** she told them. Agreeing with her, the four of them recomposed themselves and faced forward. **"Time to face the true power of the Johto Elites! Get ready Ash!"** she called out to him.

Grinning back at them, Ash crossed his arms and Typhlosion took up a battle stance. **"About time. I thought you were discussing if you wanted to forfeit or not,"** he taunted them, making Will And Ethan growl but Koga and Karen didn't get affected by it.

" **That's what you think! I'll show you the power of an Elite!"** stated Ethan angrily. **"Feraligatr, Surf!"** Using the water in the pool, the crocodile focused his energy and made the water rise up into the air before sending it towards the fire starter.

Smirking at the incoming wall of water, Ash sent his pokémon a command through their aura bond. _Typhlosion, Rollout into Flame Charge!_ Rolling forward and curling himself up into a ball again, the badger gained speed as he moved towards the incoming attack. Letting out intense flames and using it to energize himself, his speed shot up tremendously. Shooting forward like a bullet, Typhlosion plowed through the water wall, his appearance shocking the Johto Elites so much that they couldn't react. Using this to his advantage, the badger slammed into Xatu at high speeds. The force behind it sent the psychic bird towards its partners Houndoom and Crobat. The bat quickly moved out of the way but the demon dog wasn't as lucky who was struck hard, making the two crash against the ground. Both Karen and Will shouted out in concern for their pokémon.

" **Crap! Aqua Tail!"** said Ethan hurriedly in an attempt to take back control. Feraligatr swung his tail while it was covered in water and struck its target.

Sent into the air while still curled up, Typhlosion was made vulnerable and Koga capitalized on that. **"Crobat, Wing Attack!"** Using his four wings, the purple bat cut through the air like a hot knife through butter while getting ready to attack. His wings glowing white, Crobat slammed into the badger with them, making him let out a grunt of pain while also pushing him higher into the air. "Again!" shouted Koga. Quickly performing a u-turn, he came back around for another pass and again slammed into him. **"Good! Keep going! Keep him in the air!"** Listening to his trainer, Crobat kept up his relentless attacks and kept the badger in the air.

Seeing that the guardian's pokémon was once again up against the ropes, three women looked at one another. However, this time one of the three merely shook her head and returned her gaze back onto the field and the two copied her. She had learned from the previous matches to be patient for anything can happen. She didn't want to constantly bring out her phone and just have her finger hover over it for a few minutes every now and then for it could cause suspicion if someone noticed something. And she definitely didn't want that. **"WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS! CROBAT IS NOT GIVING ANY LEEWAY TO TYPHLOSION! HE'S STUCK IN THE AIR AND THE ONLY THING HE CAN DO IS TO KEEP CURLED UP TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE HE'S NO DOUBT RECEIVING! WHAT WILL THE GUARDIAN DO NOW? CAN HE COME UP WITH A PLAN BEFORE THE JOHTO ELITES COME UP WITH THEIR OWN AND BRING HIS ELITE SMASH RUN TO A SCREECHING HALT?!"** In the stands, the people were going crazy over it and many were unable to move their gaze away from it. Letting out shouts and screams, the guardian's group became very worried. In the field, many of the elites and the champions were impressed at Koga's tactics to keep his opponent from countering back. While the bat kept the badger in the air, the other elites and their pokémon were regrouping and making a plan.

Ash saw all of this and knew he had to come up with something quick. _Need to counter this. But how? Crobat is too fast for Typhlosion…damn it!_ Gritting his teeth, Ash shouted out some encouragement, telling his pokémon that he was doing great and to hang on for the right moment, trying to buy some time.

However, the elites on the other side of the field began their plan. **"Xatu, start storing power!"** ordered Will and his psychic condor began to focus his psychic power. A faint purple outline appeared around him and then it gradually became brighter.

While they did that, Karen and Ethan had their pokémon take up positions on the sides of the field before saying their commands.

" **Houndoom, get ready to fire a Dark Pulse!"**

" **Feraligatr, assist with Hydro Pump as well!"**

Readying their attacks, both pokémon were waiting for the word to launch them at their opponent. Seeing them ready, Koga waited for his pokémon to finish his next attack before saying his next few words. **"Crobat, send him to our friends! Giga Impact!"** Covering itself in a white glow, the purple bat launched itself through the air towards the curled up badger.

Shouts and screams were made by the people in the stands as Typhlosion was slammed into by Crobat at maximum speed. The force was powerful enough to completely stop the badger's spinning and break him out of his curled up state with a cry of pain. Ash shouted out for his pokémon and many in the stadium gasped. As he fell through the sky towards the ground, that was when the other elites said their commands. **"Do it now! Fire!"** said both Karen and Ethan at the same time. Both Feraligatr and Houndoom launched their Hydro Pump and Dark Pulse together towards their target.

" **Typhlosion, no!"** yelled Ash but it was futile. Both attacks struck his pokémon, making him scream in pain before he continued falling down and crashed against the cement floor. The ground caved in around him and a cloud of dust rose up from the impact.

Going silent, the entire stadium waited for the dust to clear so they could see the result. A few moments later, the field cleared up and revealed the badger's state. Typhlosion was still conscious and was standing upright but he was covered in blackened bruises along with some cuts and scrapes. He was panting heavily and his right eye was closed. **"INCREDIBLE! THE FIRE BADGER IS STILL IN THE FIGHT EVEN AFTER TAKING ALL THAT PUNISHMENT!"** Seeing him still able to battle stupefied the elites and the crowd roared. Ash's girlfriends, especially Sarah, let out relieved breaths at seeing the fire starter still up.

" **Impossible,"** whispered Ethan in shock.

" **What resilience,"** complimented Karen under her breath.

Koga turned to the psychic at that moment. **"I believe it's your time,"** he told him.

Turning his attention to his pokémon, Will noticed that he was ready. **"Yes, you're right. Xatu, finish this with Stored Power!"** With a loud screech, the green condor let loose a colossal blast of psychic power at the fire badger.

" **Protect!"** snapped Ash and Typhlosion was barely able to summon a shield in time to protect himself. However, the psychic blast was so strong that it completely shattered the shield, shocking Ash. It threw his pokémon off his feet and he slammed against the ground hard. **"No! Typhlosion! Are you alright?"** It took a moment but the guardian's pokémon was able to slowly get back up on his feet. **"Thank Arceus,"** sighed Ash and his pokémon straightened out enough to glare at the four elite pokémon with one eye. **"I know you're tired buddy. But I also know you can do it. Unless you believe you're at your limit. If that's the case, I'll throw in the towel without hesitation."** Glancing back at his trainer, Typhlosion shook his head before he faced his opponents. **"Alright then! If that's what you want, then we'll go full blast! Time to turn up the heat!"** After catching his breath, Typhlosion repositioned his feet on the ground to better stabilize himself. He then let out a loud angry roar, causing the fire along the back of his neck to flare up. The fire however kept growing from the starter's rage. Soon, he was covered in flames that danced around him like Ash's aura would. The temperature rose so quickly that the very ground underneath him began to melt. Seeing this occur, the spectators in the stands became frightened and some even began moving back into the upper levels of the stadium because of the heat.

" **That…is a problem,"** remarked Koga, feeling the intense heat as the badger began moving forward, with each step he took melting the cement and leaving behind his foot print in the cement floor.

Wiping off the sweat from his brow, the youngest elite decided to take control. " **Don't worry, I got this! Feraligatr, Aqua Jet!"** commanded Ethan and his pokémon rushed forward while covered in water with his fellow elites telling him to withdraw but he didn't listen. Slamming into him, the blue crocodile pushed his opponent back several feet until he stopped.

That was when the water type noticed that the fire type was not even phased by his attack and had caught him. The water that had covered him had been turned completely into steam from the sheer heat around Typhlosion. It's eyes growing wide, the crocodile then began feeling hot and it caused him distress. **"Thunder Punch!"** snapped Ash, making Ethan yell for his pokémon to get free but it was no use. An electrified fist connected against Feraligatr's stomach, making him let out a gasp. Another electrified punch was then thrown in an uppercut motion, hitting the crocodile's jaw and snapping his mouth shut while lifting him into the air. **"Now finish it!"**

Typhlosion was about to let loose a devastating fire attack when Feraligatr was moved out of the way with help from Xatu using his psychic powers. Ethan let out a relieved breath. **"Thanks Will."**

" **You're welcome but don't do that again."** Ethan nodded and apologized. Will then turned to other two. **"Now we have to work together,"** advised the psychic elite. They agreed with him and eyed the advancing fire badger.

The flames were still whirling around him and the heat in the field had become almost unbearable. They were sweating uncontrollably and that bothered them. Though Ash was sweating too, he was ignoring it since he was used to intense heat levels because of his training and instead, kept his attention on his pokémon. He was sensing his energy levels and kept an eye on them, making sure he didn't go dangerously past his limits.

" **None of us will be able to engage him alone anymore,"** stated Koga seriously. **"But we won't be able to penetrate that heat shield of his without combing our attacks and putting everything we have into them,"** he advised and his team mates thought about that.

Seeing no other alternative, Karen nodded her head. **"You're right. We have to douse that fire before we can put it out for good. I think I have a plan,"** she told them.

" **What is it?"** asked Will and she quickly but quietly explained it. When finished, they gave her bewildered looks. **"Are you crazy?!"** asked an astonished Will.

" **Do you have any better ideas?"** she asked him. He didn't reply back and neither did the other two. **"That's what I thought. Now let's get to it!"** she ordered them and they faced forward about to put her plan into action.

But that was when Ash spoke, catching their attention. **"Hey, did you ever wonder why they call Typhlosion the volcano pokémon?"** he asked them and none of them answered him. **"I'll tell you why. Or rather, I'll have him show you."** That statement made everyone become a little tense over what he was going to do next. **"Tyhplosion! Turn the field into magma!"** With a loud roar and his eye glowing red, the yellow blue badger turned up the heat even more using his own flames. The ground around him began to melt, turning into magma. Gradually spreading throughout the field, the lava was moving toward the elite pokémon at a fast pace.

" **What are we supposed to do?!"** asked a frightened Will.

Koga looked at Ethan who understood. **"Feraligatr, use the remaining water in the middle of the field to stop him!"** ordered Ethan and his pokémon focused his energy to use the water in the field. But the lava began heading into the pool of water and a gush of steam rose up from within into the air. The water was not enough and the lava began collecting in the circular empty pool while the rest continued from the sides. **"No way!"** exclaimed Ethan in shock.

All four elites were left in stunned states, not knowing what to do while everyone else in the stadium were both astonished and frightened over what they were seeing. Even Ash's group was speechless over the power of his Typhlosion and Sarah couldn't believe that her pokémon's species could do something like that.

Snapping out of her stupor, Koga took control. **"Will, have Xatu carry Feraligatr and Houndoom into the air with his psychic powers!"** Will agreed to that and did as he told him. Soon, all four pokémon were hovering high up in the air, barely escaping the heat from the lava.

Smirking over that, the raven haired guardian now knew it was only a matter of time. **"Good job buddy, now let's keep them from touching down!"** said Ash and Typhlosion focused on the lava. Using his power and energy, the starter had the lava spread all over the field until it reached the edges of the painted boundaries. Once done, he kept the lava from spreading to the stadium walls and looked up at the four in the air. **"Alright, now we wait for the right moment."**

The Johto Elites let out frustrated sounds and growls over their predicament. They were unable to come back down and couldn't stay in the air forever as Xatu was getting tired from holding up Feraligatr and Houndoom with his psychic abilities. Though Crobat was free to attack, he couldn't get close because of the heat. What was worse is that any long rage attack he attempted to land against his opponent was vaporized with intense blasts of fire. The same thing happened whenever the others attempted to attack. **"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! HAVING HIS POKÉMON COVER THE ENTIRE BATTLING AREA WITH LAVA, THE GUARDIAN HAS PREVENTED HIS OPPONENTS FROM TOUCHING THE GROUND AND IS KEEPING THEM AT A DISTANCE! THEY CAN'T GET IN CLOSE OR CONNECT ANY ATTACKS FROM AFAR! ALL THE GUARDIAN HAS TO DO IS WAIT THEM OUT! BUT WILL HIS POKÉMON BE ABLE TO KEEP UP THIS SCORCHING HEAT AND CONTROL THE LAVA?"** The crowd was buzzing with many conversations and comments over what they were witnessing. But Ash's group kept their eyes glued onto the match and were unable to speak.

" **Damn, we can't do anything,"** stated Ethan.

" **So much for your plan,"** muttered Will.

Koga glanced at Karen and saw her gaze locked onto the guardian. **"We still have to do something. We cannot just sit around and wait. Let's try to end this with one final team attack. What do you say Karen?"**

Asking her that question made the dark trainer look at the poison expert. After a moment she nodded. **"We got nothing left to lose. Let's give it everything we got. You ready?"** she asked them and they nodded. Facing forward, the four of them looked up towards their pokémon. **"This is to show the power of the Johto Elites…everyone together at once!"**

The four of them then said their final command together; **"HYPER BEAM!"** Each of the elite pokémon charged up their attack and launched four white energy beams together simultaneously.

Seeing the multiple beams of intense energy racing towards his pokémon, Ash's heart thumped loudly. **"Typhlosion, this is it! Give it everything you have! Counter back with your own Hyper Beam!"** Quickly charging up his own attack, the badger then fired a large beam of energy. Traveling upwards, the lone beam of energy connected against the four separate ones. A flash of white light exploded from the impact, causing everyone to shield their eyes for a moment before they were able to see again.

And when they were able to see again, the four elite members saw that the Hyper Beams were in a stalemate. **"WHAT?!"** exclaimed the Johto Elites in disbelief as did many others. They couldn't believe that the guardian's pokemon's beam was equal to the four elites' beam. It shouldn't be possible. The elites began rallying their pokémon to pull through and overpower their opponent.

" **You can do it Houndoom!"** encouraged Karen.

" **You're stronger than this Feraligatr!"** reminded Ethan.

" **Focus your power Xatu!"** advised Will.

" **Concentrate your energy Crobat!"** stated Koga.

Hearing their trainer's words, the four elite pokémon resonated with it and gained a much needed energy boost from it. Channeling it into their attack, their Hyper Beams grew in size and power. Their beams began pushing back against Typhlosion's.

Seeing that happen made Ash's eyes widen and he grew worried. _Damn it, this isn't good!_ Moving his gaze to his fire starter, Ash saw he began to struggle to keep up the beam and sent him a mental message. _Typhlosion, I know you're hurting. I know you're giving it your all. But I also know that you have yet to reach your limit. Don't be frightened for I am right here beside you buddy. I won't let anything happen._ He heard his pokémon's thoughts back, saying he agreed. Letting a small smile form on his face, Ash responded back. _That's it! This is your chance to try out your new move! Whether we win or not, I'm proud of you!_ **"Typhlosion! Time to show everyone that even if the odds are against us, we will never give up! Absorb the heat!"** Ash's words and command brought everyone into a state of shock. They had no idea what they were trying to do. Their question was soon answered as they saw it happen in front of them. Typhlosion began absorbing the heat from the hot magma around him, causing his red glow to intensify, boosting his energy levels.

" **What the hell is he doing?!"** asked a scared Ethan.

" **We have to end this now!"** advised Koga. He and the other two told their pokémon to hurry up but the fourth didn't even attempt to say anything for she was unable to speak, seeing the guardian in action.

It didn't take too long and he absorbed all of the surrounding heat from the lava, turning it into hardened cold stone. The fire badger was glowing a crimson red as the energy strengthened him, allowing him to stand fully upright now and both of his eyes were open. **"Good job! Now, finish this! Super Hyper Beam!"** Adding the absorbed energy into his Hyper Beam, it tripled in size and it glowed a bright red color. Plowing through the four separate beams of energy, the supercharged heated Hyper Beam cut through them like nothing. It engulfed the four pokémon who were only able to let out split second screams of agony before being hidden from view. When he finished with his attack, the beam dissipated into the air and the four pokémon fell to the ground with loud thuds that also brought up smoke. Losing the red glow around him and in his eyes, Typhlosion slouched over, wheezing heavily but remained standing.

Clearing up a moment later, it revealed the four pokémon unconscious. Lifting his green flag and lowering the red, the referee announced the outcome. **"The Johto Elites' pokémon are knocked out! The winner is the guardian's pokémon! Ash will advance to face the final Elite team of the world!"** Coming out of their silent states, loud roars and cheers were heard as Ash and the elites went to check on their pokémon.

All over the stadium, the people in the stands were talking loudly and excitedly over what they just witnessed. And it was also true in a particular group. **"Though I'm glad it's over, that was an amazing battle!"** exclaimed Lizabeth.

" **I know right? Who would've thought that Typhlosion can do that?"** asked Shauna rhetorically.

" **I don't know if anyone else would've,"** answered Sarah as her sight stayed glued onto Ash. **"Even I didn't know it was possible for them to absorb heat and use it as energy and I have one of those pokemon. That's incredible!"**

Nodding their heads in understanding, her sisters knew what she was talking about. **"Well, you could always have Ash teach what he learned,"** suggested Giselle.

Several murmurs of agreement were said. **"Good thing after the tournament we're all going to do just that,"** stated Daisy. **"But for now, let's just enjoy ourselves as we watch the elites get taken down,"** she added with a smile, seeing Ash walking up towards the referee in the middle. Agreeing with that, her sisters and the others gave their attention to the field.

After Ash thanked his pokémon and congratulated him on using the move without problems, he returned him and made his way to the referee. Seeing the Johto Elites making their way as well, Ash felt a feeling of dread fill him. He was not looking forward to what Karen was going to say or do, having had enough already from the previous female elites…

Reaching the referee, the four elite members turned off their microphones and then faced the raven haired guardian who did the same. Being the first to act, Koga strode forward and held up his hand. **"That was an amazing match Ash. Thank you. I expect great things from you and don't forget to battle my daughter one day too. It'll help her get stronger,"** said the ninja with respect.

Ash smiled and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. **"Thanks Koga. That means a lot coming from you and I promise I'll battle her one day."**

Nodding his head, Koga stepped aside for Will to go next. **"That was quite a battle. Thank you for that experience and good luck with your final match."**

" **Thanks Will."** Shaking hands with him, Ash then faced Ethan after the psychic moved away. **"Cool battle Ethan. Your Feraligatr is strong."**

Ethan grinned a bit as he held out his hand and Ash took it. **"Thanks but your Typhlosion is much stronger. I'm gonna train some more and then we're going to have a rematch and I'm going to win for sure,"** he said confidently.

Smiling back, Ash nodded. **"Can't wait buddy. But I'll be stronger too so watch out,"** he said and Ethan chuckled. Separating from him, Ethan walked back for the last Johto Elite to say her words. Karen took a couple steps closer and stopped in front of him. But Ash didn't wait for her to say something. Instead, he decided to say something first to prevent her from saying other things that he didn't want to hear. **"Thanks for the battle and you're pretty good,"** he said to her, raising his hand.

Karen looked down at his outstretched hand and then looked back up at him. She reached over and grasped his hand and shook it while giving him a smile. Next second, she leaned in closer to him and whispered in his ear. **"I have to admit, those unique techniques your pokémon used…I must say I've been wowed. Can you teach me what you know? In return, I'll give you** _ **anything**_ **you want, if you know what I mean,"** she told him before slowly pulling back. Making eye contact with him, she then gave him a very erotic look.

Ash however was prepared for that after everything else that happened before. He merely shook his head before responding back. **"I don't mind sharing with you some things I've learned over the past few years but that's all and only after the tournament. I don't want anything from you in return,"** he told her respectfully yet seriously to show he wasn't kidding.

Being told that he didn't want anything from her at all with such a tone of voice was something she wasn't expecting at all. Feeling her heart beat a little faster over her absolute rejection, Karen still kept herself in check though. Letting go of his hand, she nodded slightly. **"I see. Okay then. Well, good luck."** Turning around, she and her fellow Johto Elites made their way back to the other elites and their champions.

Once again, Ash remained beside the referee as the field was changed for the final time that day to accommodate the final battle against the remaining elite team of the world. While he waited, Ash began thinking about what happened so far during this day. He let out a sigh. _Man, what a day. But it's still not over._ Turning his head to face his starter, the raven haired guardian scratched behind his ear as he spoke. **"One more battle left huh buddy?"**

" **Chaaa…"** agreed Pikachu, enjoying the scratching. Ash smiled and continued for a bit while the melted arena was being changed and the Johto Elites made their way back to the large group on their side of the field.

When they finally reached them, the Johto Elites looked at their champion. Lance gave them a nod, signaling his satisfaction with their battling. Nodding back at him, the four of them then turned to face the last elite team of the world. **"Looks like it's down to you,"** said Will and the three Kanto elites nodded.

Koga moved up to Agatha and locked eyes with her. Without a word spoken, it was as if the two were communicating as they stayed like that until a moment later when the ninja gave her a curt nod and the medium returned it. Making his way past her, he ignored Ethan who was trying to have him answer what just happened. Seeing he was getting nowhere, the youngest elite dropped it and faced the largest and tallest elite of them all. **"He'll never change huh? Anyway, good luck Bruno! You got this!"**

Bruno smiled a bit as he raised a thumbs up with his right hand. **"Yea, it's going to be one hell of a battle."** He turned to face the other two. **"You two ready to rock?"** he asked them.

Lorelei glanced at him and then at the oldest elite of them all. **"I am and looks like so are you two. Let's go."** Agreeing with her, Bruno and Agatha began making their way to the referee in the middle of the field while the old field was finally gone and the new one was being raised up. Flashing a quick look with her eyes at Karen before walking herself, Lorelei was surprised she didn't utter a single word. Usually she was very talkative and expected her to say something to her about her battle. She barely interacted with Lance before moving to stand in her current spot, ignoring her's, Malva's and Pheobe's questioning looks. As the distance to the referee and her challenger shrunk, Lorelei wondered what could've made Karen be that way and if it had anything to do the final words spoken between herself and Ash…

Reaching the two in the middle, the Kanto Elite stopped in front of the Aura Guardian. Locking their gazes with his, the four of them were sizing each other up. Until each of them smiled and the elites turned on their microphones and the raven haired trainer copied them. It was then that Agatha finally broke her silence after locking eyes with Ash. **"It's been a long time, Ketchum. I must say I've always had a feeling that you'd go far. But never did I expect this,"** she told him with a genuine smile.

Her words surprised Ash. **"Oh, well thank you,"** he replied back, not knowing what else to say.

Closing her eyes while nodding her head, she then opened them quickly after. **"You're welcome. Now, be prepared. After watching five straight battles of yours against my fellow equals around the world, I believe that we are more than ready for you. Though we may be lacking a fourth elite for Kanto, we are no less than the rest. I advise you to remember that,"** she warned him with a small smile.

Ash formed a one sided smile on his face. **"Oh, I won't, trust me."** Moving his gaze towards the karate master, his half smile formed into a full on grin. **"So, Bruno, just to let you know, this is going to be payback."**

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Bruno was beyond confused. **"What do you mean? What did I do to you?"** he asked him, wondering if he had gone crazy.

" **Remember all those chores you made me and my friend do for you many years ago by tricking us, calling it training? Up in the mountains? Ring any bells now?"** asked Ash as he crossed his arms.

Bruno's eyes widened a bit while the two females looked at him. **"Ah, you must be mistaken about that!"** he said while chuckling a bit. It was at that moment when the field finished being changed. **"Oh look, the field's ready! Time to battle!"** he stated hurriedly and quickly made his way to their trainer box with Agatha following from behind with an amused expression on her face.

Ash chuckled before facing the third member but before he could say something, she spoke. **"Well Ash, looks like we'll finally have that rematch,"** remarked Lorelei.

Nodding his head, Ash's face grew serious as he remembered their old battle. **"Yes we will. And it won't be anything like that one,"** he told her calmly. **"That's one of the battles I'll never forget, how your Slowbro defeated my Charizard like it was nothing. You helped me open my eyes. For that, I thank you,"** said Ash respectfully, making her smile. **"But this battle is going to be completely different from then."**

Lorelei heard his words and smiled. **"I know. I can't wait to see what you have planned. But then again, we've seen your power and the skills you possess from the battles today. You're going to need more than that to defeat us. Something along the lines of the impossible."** Expecting him to become worried or to show some sort of concern on his face, Lorelei was surprised that her words had no effect on him. Or rather, it had the opposite effect she was looking for; his smile grew wider. _Interesting,_ she thought. Forming a smile on her face as well, she turned around to follow her teammates. The ice queen of Kanto was trying to keep her focus. But was having some difficulty because of her thoughts about Karen's behavior, what she planned to do with her and the other two girls and how she was too excited for the battle against him. And that's when she remembered something. _Oh shoot, I forgot to do my part of the plan. Oh well, I'll just enjoy my battle instead with him._ Feeling her heart beating faster in anticipation for the battle, Lorelei became a little stunned that she was being affected so much. It had been too long since she felt anything over a battle. But now was not the time to dwell on that as she reached her trainer's box and faced the other side of the field where the guardian took up his position. Clearing her mind as much as she could with some lingering thoughts in her head, Lorelei turned her head to look at the other two. **"Let's win this one for all the elites in the world,"** she told them.

Surprised over her words, both Agatha and Bruno were momentarily frozen. Until Agatha snapped out of it. **"I haven't seen you get so worked up over a match before Lorelei,"** she commented with a smile, making the young woman blush slightly as she told her to be quiet. Agatha chuckled a bit. **"It's alright. It's good to feel something every now and then."**

Getting out of his own trance, Bruno chuckled while shaking his head. Taking off a poke ball from his belt, he then calmed down and focused on his opponent. **"Let's do this,"** he told the two while keeping his gaze locked onto Ash.

Hearing him, the two brought out their own poke balls and got ready themselves. **"Let's,"** said both of them at the same time.

Right after the announcer made the introductions and the referee reminded them of the rules, the three Kanto Elites tossed out their poke balls. They opened with flashes of white light and their signature pokémon appeared. The four armed super strong humanoid, the devious purple nightmare ghost and the seafaring plesiosaur took up positions near each other in the middle of their side of the field. Machamp, while constantly flexing his muscles, stood next to Lapras who remained motionless with her gaze forward as Gengar floated above the two, its maniacal grin plastered on its face. **"THE FINAL ELITE MATCH HAS BEGUN AS THE KANTO ELITES HAVE SENT OUT THEIR POKÉMON! EVEN THOUGH THEY ONLY HAVE THREE MEMBERS NOW, THEY ARE STILL A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, WITH THEIR COMBINED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THAT'S MORE THAN THE OTHER REGIONS! WILL THE GUARDIAN BE ABLE TO GO SIX FOR SIX AND DEFEAT THEM AS WELL? OR WILL THEY BE THE CAUSE FOR HIS ELITE SMASH RUN TO COME TO A GRINDING HALT? GRAB ONTO YOUR SEATS FOLKS FOR WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH IN THE FINAL ELITE MATCH OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!"** After the announcer's words ended, the crowd roared and cheered, with many conversations going around while they all waited for Ash's pokémon to be called.

Up in the stands, Ash's family and friends were on the edge of their seats. **"This is it,"** commented Misty, her heart beating a little faster and louder. **"Just one more battle to go now."**

Many agreed with her and her sister grasped her hand. **"He'll defeat them just like with the rest,"** remarked Daisy, looking at her baby sister who turned her gaze to met hers.

" **It won't be an easy task but if anyone can do it, it'll be Ash,"** stated Sabrina with certainty.

" **After what we've seen before, it's hard to imagine that he can't,"** commented Giselle.

" **Couldn't have said it better myself,"** added Leaf while wrapping an arm around the valedictorian's shoulder, making her glance at the brunette and the two smiled at one another. Their sisters stated their agreements before they and their family and friends faced the field.

Seeing their pokémon on the field ready to go, Ash's smile grew wider. A blue orb appeared in his hand and he gripped it tightly with his own heart beating a little faster than with the previous matches. He was feeling much excitement since he was about to battle the Kanto Elites. Sure, he felt similar feelings with the previous region's elites, but this was different. For they were his own region's elites who he looked up to as a kid. He dreamt of facing them one day and now that dream had come true. Closing his eyes and taking in a long slow breath, Ash then exhaled it slowly as he opened his eyes. Locking his gaze onto his final elite opponents, he had a thought enter his head. _This is it. Just one more battle. And then…and then I get to face the champions of the world! And I'll be one step closer to making my dream a reality as well as preparing for the future!_ Throwing the poke ball high up into the air, it opened and a moment later, his pokémon appeared with a loud bellowing roar that made everyone except his trainer to close their ears.

His chosen pokémon against the Kanto elite surprised everyone. For they all were expecting his powerhouse Charizard or at least one of the other starters such as Venusaur or Blastoise. But not only didn't he choose one of the three, his pokémon was someone who nobody would've guessed would be battling in this particular match. **"THIS IS IT FOLKS! THE LAST OF THE ELITE BATTLES! THE KANTO ELITES HAVE THEIR LEAD POKÉMON ON THE FIELD! AND THE GUARDIAN HAS CHOSEN A POKÉMON COMPLETELY FROM LEFT FIELD! THOUGH HIS POKÉMON IS LARGER THAN MOSTOF ITS KIND, WILL THIS GYARADOS BE ENOUGH?"** Most were amazed over her sheer size, with the Waterflower sisters among them, letting out gasps in surprise in seeing the water type. For they had Gyarados too, which usually was with the youngest of the four, he was nowhere near the size of Ash's. They were astounded over her size, not noticing it before since they never got a good look at her. She was taking up a large portion of the field. It wasn't to the point of the Lord of the Skies, but she took up half the size of his side of the field. Ash had Gyarados coil up the lower half of her body to be ready to take either offensive or defensive actions.

Staring at the Gyarados with impressed looks, the Kanto Elites then looked at one another before facing forward. **"Get ready!"** they said to their pokémon, who immediately took up battle ready stances. A long tense moment passed with nothing happening on either side with almost everyone in the stadium waiting anxiously for the battle to begin. No talking or moving. Just intense gazes being shared between the four of them.

Until both the elites and the guardian said their commands all of sudden at once.

" **Ice Beam!"** ordered Lorelei, her Lapras firing the freezing attack.

" **Shadow Ball!"** commanded Agatha, her Gengar launching the purple ball of ghostly energy.

" **Stone Edge!"** shouted Bruno, his Machamp making the ground beneath the large pokémon break apart and send sharp projectiles shooting upwards.

" **Earthquake!"** yelled Ash, his Gyarados slamming her giant tail against the ground that sent powerful tremors throughout the stadium at the same time. Making her opponents stumble about, the water flying type also weakened the Stone Edge attack from the fighter. But the Ice Beam and Shadow Ball hit their mark, making Gyarados let out a roar of pain. It was then that Gengar appeared in the air in front of Gyarados with his eyes glowing, trying to use Hypnosis. Ash's eyes widened. **"Dragon Rage!"** snapped the raven haired trainer immediately. His pokémon fired a draconic shock wave of energy from her mouth at once, making the ghost forgo his advance and retreat. However, Gengar's move was only to preoccupy the water type as Machamp had recovered quickly and used the opportunity to draw closer to Gyarados. **"Look out to your right!"** warned Ash but it was too late.

Machamp had reached the large pokémon and grabbed hold of a spot near her tail, wrapping his four muscular arms around it with an iron grip. **"Now's your chance Lorelei while Machamp's got his hold on!"** said Bruno hurriedly.

" **Right! Lapras, get to the pool!"** said Lorelei and her pokémon moved as quickly as she could to get to the water in the middle of the field. Though she had trained her pokémon to be effective outside of the water, she was still much better in her element than out.

Seeing what they planned, Ash sent out a command. **"Free yourself with Aqua Tail!"** Gyarados had her lower body covered with water before swishing her tail with the force of a powerful wave. Yet Machamp held on tight and Lapras moved closer to the pool. Seeing that, Ash grit his teeth. **"Thunder Fang on Lapras and take Machamp with you!"** Moving forward, the tyrant of the sea had her fangs cackle with electricity while slamming her tail against the ground to free herself of the four armed fighter, though he held on even with all the damage he was receiving.

" **Find your footing and hold her back!"** advised Bruno but Machamp couldn't get a solid stance on the ground, his opponent's movements too erratic.

That was when Gengar materialized in the air above and started firing Shadow Balls nonstop. **"Don't forget little old me now!"** chastised Agatha while leaning against her cane.

Her action however didn't deter the young trainer. **"Plow through!"** ordered Ash and his pokémon kept going, ignoring the pain from the constant barrage, shocking everyone. Reaching her opponent, Gyarados bit down hard against the spot between the base of its neck and the hard carapace on its back.

Lapras let out a shrill scream of agony as the electricity flowed through her body. **"No! Fight back! Get free!"** yelled out Lorelei. But that was futile for Gyarados locked down on the bite with her powerful jaws. Next moment, she lifted up Lapras into the air with her head, startling everyone over her display of strength.

But that was a mistake on her part. Concentrating on doing that, Gyarados stopped moving her tail, allowing Machamp to slam his feet into the ground and get proper footing. **"Vital Throw!"** shot Bruno, taking advantage of the current situation. Using his incredible strength, the fighting type increased his grip on the water type, his fingers actually digging into the steel like skin. Feeling pain shoot up her body from that, it was enough to cause Gyarados to let go of Lapras, who dropped to floor, landing onto her side and cried out in pain.

" **Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"** called out Ash but it was too late.

" **MAAAAA…."** Yelling that out while pulling the large pokémon, he then used his power to swing her through the air and onto the hard ground with all of his strength. **"….CHAMP!"** The cement broke apart from the force behind the throw and Ash's pokémon let out an agonizing yell. But the fighter didn't let go of water type after his throw, keeping his hold.

" **OW, THAT HAD TO HURT! WHAT WILL THE GUARDIAN DO NOW?!"** People yelled out in shock over what they witnessed, barely hearing the announcer's words. Ash's group became concerned and worried with shocked expressions on their faces, unable to make a sound to cheer on the young man.

Agatha used this opportunity to deal some extra damage, if not end the battle at once. **"Ominous Wind!"** Gengar let loose a repulsive blast of wind after appearing above the hurt Gyarados.

" **Crunch!"** countered Ash. Raising the top half of her body rapidly, she pushed through the ghost's attack and bit down hard on the ghost. Gengar yelled horrifically, the pain he received from the fangs covered in dark energy that negated his usually imperviousness to such physical attacks was too much. Agatha's eyes widened in response and she took in a sharp breath, astonished over what just happened. Bruno tried to help by having Machamp pummel Gyarados with punches but still she kept biting down on Gengar.

" **HYDRO PUMP!"** A large pressurized torrent of water was shot against the head of the serpentine pokémon with tremendous force from the pool of water. Lapras was able to finally get in there, though she was in great pain from the earlier attacks. The blast was powerful enough to free the ghost who wiggled out of his situation the second he felt some give.

Seeing his ally free, Bruno was able to carry out his next command. **"SEISMIC TOSS!"** Once more employing his super strength, Machamp pulled Gyarados from her tail and using the momentum, began whirling her around in circles. After a few more spins, the fighting type tossed the water type high up into the air, causing the spectators to shout in surprise over what he just did to a pokémon several times larger than him. **"Now's our chance!"** snapped Bruno and the two nodded in agreement. **"Hyper Beam!"**

" **Ice Beam!"** ordered Lorelei.

" **Thunder Bolt!"** commanded Agatha.

Three different beams of energy raced up towards the large pokémon in the air, making Ash's eyes widen as he quickly said a move. **"Gyarados, Hurricane!"** shouted Ash. His pokémon whipped up a fierce whirling wind around her that hid her from view while simultaneously dispersing most of the energy behind the three attacks. What little remained behind the beams hardly did any damage against her steel like skin. Using the vortex of air, the atrocious pokémon floated back down and landed gently on her side of the field before it faded away. Letting out a relieved sigh, Ash was glad his pokémon was alright. **"Well done,"** he praised and his pokemon gave a soft growl while her eyes were set on the Kanto Elites and their pokémon, who had stunned expressions on their faces.

Absolutely engrossed in the amazing match, the crowd was making noise with its screaming and shouting. Some from Ash's group was among them, yelling out praise or encouragement of their own. Even the other elites and the champions were unable to keep quiet, the match becoming so intense that they commented to one another over it.

" **This is going to be harder than I thought,"** muttered Bruno, rubbing his neck with his right hand as he cracked it.

Agatha took in a breath and let it out. **"True, but we were expecting something like this."** A smirk grew on her face. **"And I'm loving it."**

" **You're not the only one who's enjoying this,"** spoke Lorelei, drawing their attention. **"And we're barely getting started,"** reminded Lorelei, giving her comrades a fierce look before facing the raven haired man.

Seeing her act in such a way made Agatha tilt her head. _Lorelei? I've never seen you in such a way over a battle._ Shifting her sight back to Ash, she felt her own heart beating faster and could feel her blood pumping. Glancing at Bruno, she saw him too in a state of anxiousness but also excitement. Looking back behind her, she noticed the expressions on the other elites and the champions. Facing forward again, Agatha let out a small chuckle after remembering something. _I shouldn't be surprised. He's affecting us all just like he did. Just like Red did. But this time, there's something different. I can't quite tell just yet but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough._ Her expression going serious, her eyes locked onto the pokémon in the field. _For now, I have a battle to focus on._

On the other side of the arena, Ash was thinking a mile a minute trying to come up with a new plan. Having noticed that both his pokémon and the elites' pokémon sustained a fair amount of damage during round one, he was not happy with the results. _Damn it, I was hoping to take out one of them by now. Good thing Gyarados has really tough and thick scales. If it wasn't for that, she'd be at the limit already. Good news is that their pokémon are roughly in the same shape. I think now is as good a time as any to reveal our trump card. What do you say Gyarados?_ He received his pokémon's answer through their shared aura bond and he took in a breath. _Alright then. Get ready!_ **"Kanto Elites!"** called out Ash, catching their attention and everyone else's. **"I have a surprise for you!"**

Agatha cocked an eyebrow while Lorelei tilted her head a bit and Bruno stroked his chin with his left hand. **"Is that so? Well then, by all means, show us. We like surprises,"** commented back the eldest of the three.

Grinning, Ash nodded back in response before speaking to his pokémon. **"Oh you'll love this one for sure! Gyarados! Show them what you're capable of! Show them your true power!"** Letting out a loud roar at first, his pokémon then coiled her body again before rapidly spinning in her spot, gaining in speed with each passing second. A white glowing outline appeared around her body, causing many to wonder what was going on. Until what they saw next. All of a sudden, Gyarados raised her head towards the heavens with her body following, traveling into the sky above them all.

" **WHAT?!"** screamed Bruno in shock for everyone, for they were all silenced over what they were witnessing. Ash's Gyarados continued soaring higher into the air until she went past the stadium lights and stopped at their level. All eyes were on the levitating tyrant of the sea who was now in the air above them all.

Even the ghost elite was astonished to the point that she let go of her cane and took a couple wobbling steps backwards. **"In all my years…"** muttered Agatha, her gaze locked onto the large floating pokémon.

" **Impossible,"** whispered Lorelei, absolutely astonished and frozen in her spot. Lowering her gaze back down, she saw the triumphant grin on the raven haired trainer's face. Her heart skipped a beat over that. **"How…how is this even real?!"** she asked out loud to him.

Chuckling a bit over her outburst at first, Ash soon gave her, and everyone else since they too were wondering about it as well, an answer. **"As I said before, I found out about many secrets during my three year absence. Whether by stumbling into them through sheer dumb luck in remote areas of the world to long hours of researching and studying into the night. This…"** He gestured towards his Gyarados in the air, who let out a loud roar once more, making everyone cover their ears. **"…is just one result of that. I could tell you about the details, but not now. It'll take too long and we have a battle to fight and win."**

Narrowing her eyes on him, Lorelei didn't like his vague answer. **"So you won't spill your secrets huh? Fine. We'll still defeat you and when you do, you'll tell us everything in detail. Got it?!"** she shot at him.

Ash crossed his arms and smirked back at her. **"Sure, why not? But what if I win? What do I get?"**

" **Don't get cocky,"** snapped Agatha in annoyance for Lorelei who went red in response, thinking about what she planned with the other female elites and Bruno let out a frustrated sound. **"Just because your pokémon can somehow fly, it means nothing."** Gengar appeared in front of Gyarados in the air after those words. **"Now, let's see if you're as formidable in the air as you are on the ground! Sludge Bomb!"** A poisonous ball of goo was lobbed by the ghost towards his target.

" **Dragon Pulse!"** countered Ash and a multicolored beam of draconic energy was blasted from the water snake's mouth, disintegrating the sludge. It continued towards the ghost but Gengar disappeared from sight as a sudden large rock, the size of a one person couch, went whizzing past the side of her face. Moving backwards in the air, Gyarados looked down in time to see another rock come racing towards her. Backing away in time, that projectile too missed. Seeing more incoming from the fighter, Ash issued his next command. **"Gyarados, dodge using Dragon Dance!"** Listening to her trainer, the atrocious pokémon evaded the incoming attacks while performing the mystical dance.

" **Don't let Gyarados do that! Keep going and bring that pokemon down with Smack Down!"** yelled out Bruno. As Machamp tossed large rocks at the flying water dragon, Bruno turned to his fellow elites. **"What are you waiting for?!"** he snapped at them.

Lorelei jumped in her spot at the sudden question but then quickly sprung into action. **"Use Ice Beam Lapras!"** shouted Lorelei and her pokemon fired the bluish white beam of ice.

Following suite, the eldest also said a command as she bent down to pick up her cane. **"Use Shadow Ball Gengar!"** ordered Agatha while picking her cane back up and her pokémon shot the ghostly energy ball.

All three pokémon kept up their attacks, constantly on the offensive. However, even with the three of them going full tilt, Gyarados kept dodging them, with her speed increasing steadily, the white glowing outline also gradually brightening. She kept using the mystical dance to evade while simultaneously raising her attributes. _That's it Gyarados, keep it up! We're almost there!_

On the other side of the field, the Kanto Elites were becoming frustrated over not being able to land a hit on their target. Even when they had told their pokémon to alternate their attack patterns or to use different moves entirely, nothing came close. And they were astounded that the large pokémon was able to be so quick in the air. **"LOOKS LIKE THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON HAS BECOME WAY TOO FAST THANKS TO THE CONSTANT MANUEVERING AROUND OF THE DRAGON DANCE! GYARADOS IS GOING FASTER AND FASTER WITH EACH PASSING SECOND! THERE'S JUST NO WAY THEY CAN LAND ANY ATTACK! WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO NOW?!"** While the Kanto Elites were trying to think up of a way to bring down their target, the people in the stands were watching with rapt attention. From the self proclaimed dragon master to the Team Rocket agents, nobody was diverting their gaze from the aerial battle. Even on the field, the other elites and the champions were all awestruck and unable to look away or even comment.

Ash's grin spread on his face while his sight was locked onto his pokémon in the sky. Lowering his gaze towards his opponents, he saw that they were looking up, gritting their teeth and sending out commands every now and then. It was at that moment that Ash was sent a mental message from his pokémon. _Looks like it's time. No matter what they have planned, it won't do them any good now._ **"Hey!"** Looking down for the first time in a couple minutes, the three elites were wondering why Ash called out to them but waited for him to speak. **"It's been a fun battle but perhaps we should move this along, no?"** Their eyes widening, one of them was about to talk back when Ash cut her off. **"Gyarados, use the power and speed you gained from your Dragon Dances and finish this!"** he said while throwing out his right arm in front of him.

Letting out a vicious roar, the tyrant of the sea used the multiple boosts she received from the Dragon Dances to cut through the air at such an incredible speed towards the ghost. Gengar was shocked frozen over its sudden velocity, seeing a large mouth covered with sharp teeth bearing down on him covered in dark energy and couldn't react until the last second. Jerking himself to the side, the ghost thought he had evaded the fatal attack but then felt intense pain throughout his body for a split second before he went rocketing downwards towards the ground.

Agatha screamed out for her pokémon the second she saw him get hit by Gyarados's tail covered in water but it was all for nothing. Though Bruno and Lorelei tried to have their pokémon catch him, they were unable to reach him in time. Gengar crashed against the ground with such force that the cement caved in around his body and he was out cold from the impact. **"This can't be…"** Agatha couldn't believe that her ghost was knocked out, staring at her unconscious pokémon with wide eyes, leaning against her cane.

With the ghost taken care of, Gyarados flew down to the field and made her way towards the remaining two combatants. **"Machamp, stop their advance with your ultimate move; Quad Dynamic Punch!"** ordered Bruno to his pokémon. After taking up a position in front of Lapras, the fighter stabilized himself by digging his feet into the ground and clenched his fists while concentrating his energy to stop the water type in its tracks.

Seeing him get ready to lay it all on the line, Lorelei decided to give it her all as well. **"Lapras, prepare a full power Thunder and the second Gyarados is stopped, launch it!"** Focusing all of her power, the plesiosaur had her eyes start glowing yellow.

" **That's not going to work!"** stated Ash, seeing them get prepared to halt his pokémon. **"GIGA IMPACT!"** Covering herself in an intense white glow now, Gyarados slammed into Machamp at full speed. She was able to break past him, sending him sailing towards the stadium wall. But not before he was able to land his quad punch technique, damaging her greatly. Yet it wasn't enough to prevent her from continuing on towards the other pokemon.

Seeing the water snake still continuing towards her pokémon, Lorelei told her pokémon to fire the Thunder with everything she got. A large pillar of electrical energy dropped down from above onto its target the second Gyarados smashed into Lapras, causing both of them to shout in pain. Electrifying both pokémon because of the physical contact, it then caused an explosion that covered the two in smoke. **"OH MY, WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! WITH SUCH POWERFUL MOVES USED, WHO'LL REMAIN STANDING?!"** With the stadium waiting silently with their unblinking eyes, the smoke slowly cleared. It revealed both bodies of Lapras along with Gyarados on the ground, not moving. Machamp was left stuck in the wall and he was out cold. **"LOOKS LIKE BOTH POKÉMON WERE TAKEN DOWN! IF NEITHER MOVES WITHIN A MINUTE, THEN THIS MATCH IS A DRAW!"** At first silent over waiting to see the result, the crowd was now making noise. Some were rooting for the guardian while others shouted for the Elites while the referee kept time. Both the elites and guardian called out to their pokémon, trying to wake them up. It was only when about half a minute passed that one of the pokémon began moving. Straining to get up with every ounce of will the pokémon could muster, it slowly raised itself of the ground and faced its trainer while breathing heavily.

Getting the answer he was looking for, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. **"Machamp, Lapras and Gengar are unable to battle. Winner is Gyarados and with this sixth victory against the last elite team, the challenger Ash Ketchum has beaten all the elites of the world!"**

Utter silence for a moment until the stadium erupted with such loud roars and cheers over the outcome, that the windows of the VIP room and even the stadium itself seemed to be shaking from the sound vibrations. Every single person was beyond amazed over what they had witnessed. They couldn't believe it even though they witnessed it themselves. Even the victor was having a slightly hard time coming to terms with what he just accomplished. But thanks to his loyal starter Pikachu who tapped him on the head, he snapped out of it quickly and ran up to his pokémon cheerfully while Gyarados remained in her spot but gave a rather crude smile, unable to control her facial expressions fully because of her exhaustion. **"INCREDIBLE! THE YOUNG AURA GUARDIAN HAS BEATEN EVERY SINGLE REGION'S ELITE TEAM OF POKÉMON TRAINERS IN A SINGLE DAY! THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING! ASH KETCHUM HAS PROVEN HIMSELF AGAINST THE ELITES AND NOW HE GETS TO CHALLENGE THE CHAMPIONS TOMORROW IN ANOTHER HANDICAP BATTLE! NEVER BEFORE HAS SUCH AN EVENT TAKEN PLACE!"** As the announcer's words blared out from the stadium speakers, Ash and the Kanto Elites returned their pokémon and met up together near the referee with the five of them turning off their microphones.

Being the first to react, Agatha took a couple steps towards Ash and stopped in front of him as she leaned against her cane with both hands. **"That my child…was the greatest battle I've ever had. More so than even when I battled against the current Master,"** she revealed to him.

Ash's eyes widened over what she said. **"R-Really?"** he asked and the elder woman nodded with a smile. **"Wow. Thank you Agatha."**

Stepping forward and standing on her left side, Bruno raised his hand. **"She's not the only one who enjoyed that match. That was a lot of fun. I'm bummed we lost but happy to know that there are strong trainers out there. That'll motivate me to get even stronger,"** he told the smaller man with a smile.

Grasping his hand and shaking it, Ash smiled in return. **"Thanks Bruno. It was a great match and your Machamp is super strong. It never crossed my mind that he would be able to do that to such a large pokémon like Gyarados,"** admitted the young guardian. Bruno chuckled as they let go of each other's hands and remarked that he had to make a few unruly Onix and Steelix behave in his days. Chuckling too, Ash then noticed the third member move up to the right side of the eldest elite from the corner of his eyes. Turning his gaze to hers, he smiled at her and raised his hand. **"Awesome battle Lorelei. But this time, I win,"** he told her cheekily.

Shaking her head slightly with a smile, Lorelei grasped his hand and shook it. **"Yes, you won this time. And you deserve it. I've seen and experienced much in my life but what I experienced today…"** Letting go of his hand, Lorelei crossed her arms under her chest but then raised her right hand and leaned the side of her face against its palm. **"…I'll never forget. Thank you for that wonderful experience. I guess I owe you something since you won,"** she told him with respect while giving him an admiring look.

Feeling a little embarrassed but also nervous over her actions and words, Ash didn't know how to respond to that at first. Until he decided to do as he did with the other female elites and just stay respectful but also distance himself at the same time. **"Thank you Lorelei. That's okay, I don't want anything from you and I won't forget my battles with the Elites of the world either."**

Hearing him respond back in that way made the ice queen of Kanto to feel something weird that she hadn't experienced before. However, she remained composed and nodded back. The three elder trainers handed over the microphones to the referee but Ash kept his. Turning around, the three of them made their way back to the large group of trainers as their champions walked towards the referee and their challenger. The second Lorelei reached the group, Malva, Pheobe and Karen, who was dragged along by the ghost trainer, went up to her. About to ask her a question, Lorelei cut off Pheobe by shaking her head and turned to face what was happening now. The three gave her bewildered looks before facing the area she was staring at as well. But one of them thought something then, her dark hair hiding the expression on her face. _Lorelei…could you have been affected as well? Just like the rest of us?_

When the champions reached the raven haired guardian, the five of them stood in front of him in a line. Speaking for them all, the Dragon Champion's words were heard throughout the stadium. **"Looks like you've beaten our elites and now you've earned the right to battle us. We look forward to our battle with you tomorrow,"** stated Lance with respect.

Nodding his head, Ash then turned his gaze to the blonde haired champion. Giving her a smile, which she returned, he replied back. **"As do I."** Raising his hand to turn off his microphone, it was then that he remembered the thing he wanted to do if he won all six matches. Turning his body to face his family and friends, he took the microphone into his hands and raised it to his mouth. **"Before I leave, I want to say something. I want to dedicate these victories against the Elites of the World to all of my true and close friends, who have been there for me always. Thank you for everything."** Feeling such good emotions over his words, his group cheered and praised him while shouting out their own words to him. Cynthia felt happy to see him so and thought that was a great thing he just did then. When he faced her and her fellow champions once more, he turned off his microphone and handed it to the referee with champions following suite. **"See you tomorrow. Coming Cynthia?"** he asked her.

He was about to ask Mewtwo to get ready to teleport him and his group back to the hotel when Cynthia spoke up, making him stop. **"I can't Ash."** Tilting his head, he asked her what she meant. **"I have to stay with the champions until our battle tomorrow because there's something as champions that we have to do. It's a sort of tradition that all champions have followed for years when there could be a possible contender to take their title. I hope you understand,"** she told him quietly. She didn't want to spend the night away from him but couldn't break this particular tradition.

Smiling at her, Ash walked up to Cynthia as he spoke. **"No need to worry Cynthia,"** he said as he stopped in front of her and grasped both of her hands, making her redden a bit. His action made the stadium buzz. **"What's important to you is important to me too. But here's something to remember me by."** In front of everyone in the stadium, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Many surprised shouts and yelps were let out by the people in the stands along with some other things said from jealous males and envious females. Even the four elite women who had planned together to test Ash and Cynthia were stunned over what they witnessed and felt something inside. Turning crimson red in embarrassment, Cynthia still enjoyed the simple peck on her check. But then when he finished, he leaned his head closer to whisper into her ear. **"Tomorrow. Tomorrow is when you'll have to keep your word,"** he told her softly.

His words caused the Sinnoh Champion to shiver in both anxiousness and excitement before she responded back to him. **"Don't get too cocky Ash or you'll lose tomorrow. And then instead of rewarding you, I'll punish you instead,"** she whispered back to him.

" **Is that so? Well then, if that's the case, maybe I'll lose on purpose then,"** he whispered back in a husky tone of voice making her shiver from it. He separated from her and flashed his trademark goofy grin before he vanished in a blue glow along with his group in the stands.

Cynthia was stuck in a trance over his final words, unable to move or speak. Until Diantha tugged her coat, allowing her to snap out of it. **"Thanks,"** she whispered and Kalos Champion chuckled before gesturing her to leave with them. Walking alongside the four, the blonde woman's mind was racing. But as they reached their elites waiting for them near their trainer's tunnel, she spotted four women huddled together and speaking quietly. Her eyes narrowed as anger began filling her. _I don't care what Bertha said. They're going to get a piece of my mind when I get the chance._ Promising to herself that she was going to confront them when the opportunity presents itself, Cynthia kept herself composed as the five of them rejoined their elites and all of them entered the tunnel.

As the crowd gradually dispersed from the stadium, three women hadn't gotten up from their seats yet, being the last ones in their section of the stadium. Two of them were waiting for the third to finish with her phone call. Glancing at one another, their expressions on their faces was all they needed to know what the other was feeling; concern and fear. Watching the battles, they didn't think that the Aura Guardian would have pokémon stronger than several elites' pokémon combined. But as they witnessed him triumph again and again against overwhelming odds, they began to wonder as worry filled them. So lost in their thoughts that the two didn't realize that their fellow agent finished with her phone call and was giving them a scrutinizing look. Sudden strikes against the back of their heads made both sisters yelp in pain.

" **Ow, that hurt!"** exclaimed Oakley, holding her head with both hands.

" **What the hell?!"** asked Annie angrily as she rubbed the area she was hit while glaring at Domino.

Narrowing her eyes at the two sisters, the top executive of Team Rocket didn't feel anything over her action. Not even the slightest bit. **"Stop allowing fear to control you and cloud your judgment,"** she chastised them.

" **Look who's talking!"** snapped Annie back. **"I know you're worried and scared too!"** she said without thinking.

A sudden punch to her stomach made the blonde girl let out a soundless gasp and her sister cried out in shock. **"Don't you dare ever speak to me like that again,"** said Domino in a dangerously serious tone of voice. She stood up as the silver haired girl comforted her elder sister and began walking away.

" **You know better than to make Domino angry,"** said Oakley quietly.

" **Even so…"** wheezed Annie. She caught her breath before she continued. **"…this just proves that what I said before is true. Both her and boss are on edge."** Turning her gaze towards her sister, Annie looked into her eyes. **"We need to be prepared in case things go bad. Even if we have to turn tail and run. Because no matter what happens, as long as you're alright, that's all that matters to me,"** she told her younger sister and lover with tears building in her eyes.

Seeing her sister in such a state made the silver haired girl have her eyes water. **"Annie…I don't think it'll come to that. We'll triumph in the end. You just have to stay confident and strong okay?"**

Annie however shook her head frantically and grabbed Oakley's shoulders with both hands and locked her gaze with hers. **"No. You saw what I did. What Domino saw. What everyone in the world saw and most likely Giovanni did too. We need to have a backup plan just in case. You know I'm right. Please…"**

With the pleading expression on her face, Oakley couldn't deny her. Letting out a sigh, she nodded her head. **"Alright. But how do we convince Domino?"**

Annie was quiet for a moment until she spoke. **"We don't."** Letting out a gasp, the younger female asked the older one what she meant. **"Domino never quits. She'd rather die in the attempt than to fail Giovanni. She'll more than likely kill us if we even mention something like this to her."**

" **But…but she loves us. We've been together with her and Giovanni. They'll understand,"** reasoned the silver haired girl.

Shaking her head, the blonde girl disagreed. **"No Oakley. Domino loves Giovanni more than anything else in the world. She'll see it as a betrayal. And he's too unhinged himself. We cannot let anyone else know. This is only between us. Do you understand?"** she asked her quietly but she didn't respond, keeping quiet. **"I said do you understand Oakley?!"** she repeated the question, but this time with more force behind her tone.

Slowly, she nodded her head. **"Yes, I understand,"** she answered quietly before hanging her head.

" **Good."** Placing her hand underneath her beloved sister's chin, she raised her gaze to meet hers and found her expression to be filled with fear and sadness. **"Don't worry. Like you told me before, be strong Oakley. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you. Not the Guardian. Not some over powered pokémon. Not even Domino or even Giovanni. I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt you before they even get a chance. I swear I'll protect you."** Leaning in slowly with her eyes still locked with her sister's, Annie placed her lips against Oakley's. Kissing for a short while, the older girl then hugged the younger one tightly afterwards. **"You're everything to me. I love you more than life itself,"** whispered Annie.

Oakley couldn't help herself and she let out some tears over her words. Wrapping her arms around her back, she tightened her hug. **"And I you."** Staying like that for a couple of minutes, the two then separated afterwards and began making their way out of the stadium. Holding hands and sticking very closely to one another, the two sisters felt an awful feeling fill them both that something was going to happen. And no matter what they did, they couldn't shake it off.

Appearing in the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel, the group of family and friends congratulated the raven haired guardian on his victory over the elites. From hugs and handshakes from his mother and friends, to kisses from his girlfriends, Ash was praised and complimented on his success. After that was all said and done, he smiled at them all and thanked them for their support and kind words. That was when he noticed two new faces in the group. **"Burgundy? Georgia?"** When he addressed them, the others turned to face the two, causing them to go red. **"Wow, it's been a while. But, how'd you two get here?"** he asked them.

Both of them shrugged in response. **"I don't know, I just felt something, like it was holding me before suddenly I couldn't see anything for a split second and then here I am,"** explained Burgundy and that's when Ash figured it out.

" **Hey, that's what I went through too!"** added Georgia before pointing at Ash. **"You know why that happened! Spill it!"** she told him, seeing the understanding look on his face.

But before he could answer, another did. **"It was probably Mewtwo,"** answered Iris and the two looked at her. **"Since you were sitting with us in the stands, when he teleported us back here, he figured you would come with and so he just added you along I bet,"** explained the purple haired girl.

Their eyes widened at first, the two girls soon understood and nodded. **"I see. That's pretty useful,"** complimented Burgundy.

" **It is, but sorry about that,"** said Ash but the two said it's alright. Looking out to the setting sun in the horizon, it was then that he realized how late it was in the day. **"Damn, it's almost night."**

Brock clapped his hand against Ash's back, making him take a step forward and causing Pikachu to jump off his shoulder onto Delia's in annoyance. **"Sorry Pikachu,"** chuckled Brock when the mouse glared at him. **"Anyway, I wanted to say nicely done. How about we go eat?"** he asked.

Extremely loud rumbling came from the guardian's stomach and he held his stomach in embarrassment. **"Yea, I'm really hungry,"** he said quietly while the others laughed.

Delia led the way while calling out to the others. **"C'mon then, let's get a nice meal made for dinner before we relax and call it a night."** Agreeing with her, the other mothers followed her as did Chili, Cress, Violet and Lily to help out with the cooking.

" **Cool. I'm gonna go shower,"** said Ash, taking a step.

" **Hold up,"** said Brock, grasping his shoulder, making him stop. **"I need to talk to you about something."**

" **Alright, sure."** Leaving the two alone outside, everyone else went inside as Cilan and Iris used that time to show Georgia and Burgundy around the penthouse, with the two girls becoming amazed over their suite. Once they were alone, Ash spoke up. **"So what's up Brock?"** he asked.

Allowing a grin to spread on his face, Brock didn't immediately answer back, making Ash have a confused look on his face. **"So I have a theory over your choices for the elite battles,"** he said finally after a moment.

Ash raised his eyebrows. **"You do huh?"**

His response was all he needed to hear and knew he was right. Laughing out loud, Brock then shook his head before speaking. **"Yup and now I know that theory is true. That little speech of yours in the beginning…you were referring to the girls weren't you?"** he asked.

Rubbing the back of his head while blushing a bit, Ash nodded. **"Yea but it also meant you and my other friends too,"** he said quietly.

" **But mostly it was the girls right?"** Not able to lie to his brother, Ash nodded again. **"I thought so. You wanted these battles to mean something more than just a victory didn't you?"**

Smiling a bit, Ash faced inside the suite, seeing his girlfriends in the living room talking with one another and to their friends. **"Yea, I did. They helped me out a lot during my travels. And I wanted to show how much they mean to me by having some of their favorite pokémon battle with me that I believed could handle the special battle conditions."** Facing the older male, Ash then asked him a question, not noticing that the girls began leaving the living room. **"Anything else you wanted to know?"**

" **Nah, that's it,"** said Brock as he began making his way out. Until he suddenly remembered something and stopped. **"Actually there is."** Turning back around, he went up to Ash and looked him in the eye. **"Ash, will you be my best man?"** he asked him.

His eyes widening at first, Ash then had a huge smile on his face. **"Of course I will!"** he answered happily.

Grinning back at him, Brock felt really happy over that. **"Thanks man!"** Sharing a hug between the two, the brothers separated and began heading inside.

When they walked in, it was then that Ash noticed his girlfriends weren't in the living room anymore. Thinking they were in their room, he told Brock he'll rejoin them later after showering. Heading towards his room, Ash reached the door and grasped the handle. The instant he took a step inside after opening the door, he had water splash onto him from above. It was so cold and since he wasn't expecting it all, it made him freeze and tense up while taking in a sharp breath. But that wasn't all. After the water spilled onto him from above, he was bombarded from all angles with baking powder paper bombs. He covered up his face with his arms as they hit him. **"Alright, alight! I give in!"** he shouted. A couple last powder bombs were thrown at him and then it stopped. He slowly lowered his arms and saw his attackers were none other than his girlfriends. **"What the hell was that for?!"** he asked them.

His girlfriends took one look at him, completely drenched and covered in white powder before they burst out laughing. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel couldn't help it and dropped to the floor holding their stomachs. Clair, Liza and Sabrina leaned against each other for support as they laughed. Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle were bent over with their hands against their knees. Daisy, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena had plopped onto the large bed, laughing so hard that they couldn't even make a sound. Seeing them laughing and in such good spirits, even though it was at his expense, Ash just couldn't help himself. He started laughing along with them for a while until they all slowly calmed down. Taking in a couple breaths, Ash shook his head a bit. **"Man, way to bring a guy down after his awesome victory,"** he remarked while chuckling.

Sitting up on the bed while using her arms to support herself, the red haired mermaid spoke up. **"Well, we do need to keep your ego in check,"** quipped Misty.

" **Yea, otherwise you'll start believing you can take on Arceus by yourself,"** teased Liza, adding onto what her sister said.

" **Maybe I can. Who knows?"** asked Ash, making his girlfriends roll their eyes while smiling. A slow devious grin began forming on the young man's face, making the girls focus their attention onto him, wondering what he was thinking. **"But right now, I believe I can do something else without too much trouble,"** he told them as he took off his wet cloak and placed it on a nearby chair.

" **Oh really? And what is that?"** asked Shauna as she crossed her arms.

Ash took off his soaking wet fedora hat and placed it on top of the cloak with the devious grin never leaving his face. **"Payback,"** he said simply as blue glowing spheres materialized around him before they faded away to reveal floating water balloons. His girlfriends had their eyes widen before glancing at one another until him talking again made them face him. **"Don't worry, I'll be fair."** A handful more blue glows materialized in the room in the corners behind the girls before fading away to reveal water balloons. **"You'll have to reach them first though. Remind me to thank Mewtwo after this,"** he told them as he grabbed one of the water balloons in the air next to him and a purple barrier appeared in front of the room door, preventing escape. **"So, who's first?"** he asked in a cocky tone of voice, making the girls glance at one another again before they all reacted at the same time. Soon after, the sounds of playful screams, surprised yelps and hearty laughter filled the master bedroom as the girls and the young man fooled around together as they had their water balloon fight.

It didn't take too long for them all to become wet after all the water burst out of the popping balloons. Holding up two water balloons, one in each of his hands with more floating behind him, Ash cornered the girls after they ran out of ammunition, sporting a ridiculous triumphant smirk on his face. **"So, any last words?"** he asked them tauntingly.

Holding onto one another while droplets of water fell onto the floor, the girls looked at one another. Mentally speaking with each other through their aura bonds, they agreed to go through with their back up plan. Facing forward and locking their eyes onto his, thirteen of the fourteen girls said one word together; **"Sabrina!"**

Ash's eyes widened as a pink glowing sphere, a very large one, appeared above the girls. Fading away, it revealed a huge water balloon. Each of the girls raised their hands and held it up together. Ash took a few steps back, while dropping the two smaller ones he was holding and waved his hands in defeat. **"Okay, you win! You win!"** he called out to them. But the girls didn't falter, sporting ridiculous grins on their faces, having every intention of committing to their plan. Though he was close to them, the girls moved forward while holding it up. Ash barely took a step back when they threw it at him. The instant it touched the young man, it exploded and water splashed over everyone since they were so close to one another, soaking them all to the bone. Stunned at first over what happened, Ash and the girls took one look at each other, noticed their absolute soaking wet conditions, and burst out laughing. Shaking his head to free his hair of some of the water, he then wiped his face with his hands. **"Damn, you got me good,"** he told them. **"Whose idea was this?"**

Finishing up with laughing, Leaf was the first to speak. **"Got that right. And who else? I had to get you back for all those mornings I didn't wake you up,"** she revealed to him while sporting a devious smirk on her face.

Shaking his head, Ash scoffed. **"Should've known. And you all just had to go along with it huh?"** Giggling gave them away and he let out a chuckle. Glancing around the room and noticing the state it was in, Ash rubbed the back of his head, causing more water to fall from his hair. **"Damn, looks like the room got thrashed."**

" **Um, that's not the only thing that got messed up."**

Looking at Lizabeth now over her words, Ash saw that she was covering her chest with her arms while having an embarrassed look on her face. It was then that he noticed that her clothes had become transparent because of all the water. And that's not the only thing he noticed either. Each of the girls' attire had become so wet, with several of them wearing lightly colored clothing that he could see through to their undergarments. Ash's face reddened as he took in the sight, unable to look away. **"Sorry, but you guys started it."**

" **Hey, don't stare!"** yelped Shauna, covering herself too after realizing her clothes had become see through as well.

" **Oh don't be so embarrassed,"** chastised Dawn as she made her way to Ash. Not caring about the fact that she was soaking wet or that her blue undergarments were showing, she wanted to hold him, not doing so for so long now. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned in and gave him a kiss. Kissing her back, Ash wrapped his arms around her lower back while closing the distance between them. Feeling their wet clothes against their bodies but becoming heated over their action, it felt strangely good to the two.

Seeing the two go at it, the other girls smiled, each filling up with good emotions over it. Making their way to the two, with Shauna, Lizabeth and a couple others getting out of their embarrassed states, they surrounded the blunette and raven haired guardian. When the two finally stopped and separated, they smiled at one another before Ash turned his gaze towards his left. Seeing Anabel there, he kept his smile as he pulled her in to him now and started kissing her with her kissing him back. Not too long later, Ash grabbed hold of Shauna, making her become very self conscious of her appearance before her concern melted away when he kissed her. The two displayed their love for one another as Anabel and Dawn stood next to one another, arm in arm. After Shauna, he did the same to Lizabeth and this kept going until each of the girls had a turn and the last to get hers was the black haired valedictorian.

When finished, Giselle didn't open her eyes immediately, instead, relishing in what she just felt during their kiss. Finally opening her eyes, she saw the brown eyes of her beloved looking into hers. Smiling greatly, she hugged him tightly and he did the same to her. Following her example, her sisters joined in on it. A moment passed with them staying like that before Giselle said something that came to mind. **"Hey Ash…"** He hummed, indicating he was listening. **"What were those elite women telling you when they got close to you?"** she asked him.

Her question caught everyone's attention and they all started thinking about that. Ash remembered how his girlfriends felt during his battles over their actions. Having sworn to be upfront with them about everything, he began telling them what had happened. From the elites to the league official, he explained what happened and what his response was. As he talked, the girls let out gasps and growls, along with a few choice words over their actions, their anger shown. **"And that's it,"** said Ash, finishing saying what had occurred.

Once he was done, the girls spoke back, commenting on some of the things he said and asking questions about it with him answering it. They even mentioned how each of them had become filled with anger over their actions. More so than in the past and now that they think about it, it's frightening them. Ash didn't know what to say about that and before he could think of something about that, the red haired mermaid said something. **"Ash, do you know why they did and said those things?"** asked Misty.

He shook his head. **"No clue. I didn't listen in to their thoughts as I was focusing on the battles and they didn't really say or do anything besides what I said."** Nodding in understanding, the girls didn't say anymore. But Ash did. **"And regardless, whatever the reasons behind it, there's nothing to worry about as I don't see them in that way at all,"** answered Ash truthfully, causing the girls to smile a bit.

" **We know that Ash,"** started May softly, drawing his attention to her now from within the group. **"It's just for some reason, when they did and said those things, when we saw it and when you told us about it just now, it made us very angry. Much angrier than in the past."**

Ash nodded in understanding. **"I understand. But don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll face it together and nothing will break us apart,"** he told them and the girls nodded while saying that back in their own words. Smiling at them, Ash moved his hand towards his aura tattoo. **"Remember, this is how I feel for each of you and it will never go away."** As he touched it, each of the girls had their own glow on their bodies and began filling up with warmth and comfort from it. The aura flowed over them all and it was so great that the energy from it dried their clothes to an extent. It wasn't fully dry but it was enough that they didn't feel the wetness anymore. When it finished and the aura regressed back into their bodies, each person in the master bedroom was feeling much better, sharing smiles with the one they love.

After a moment, Clair spoke up when she remembered something. **"Ah, how come it didn't glow before when you did the same thing in the stadium?"**

" **Yea, why is that?"** asked Sarah.

" **When I went to my pokémon before the matches began, Lucario explained a bit more about this to me,"** started Ash with the girls giving him their utmost attention. **"I asked him about the glowing part, if it'll always be like that. He said that the symbol will only glow when the one who touches it is feeling extreme emotions or wants it to glow. In a way, it's connected to our mental and emotional state. When I touched mine in the stadium, I only wanted for you to feel better but not draw attention. But since we're here in private, it didn't matter,"** explained Ash and the girls understood.

" **Speaking of emotions,"** began Anabel, making them all look at her now. **"Shouldn't we go back to our rooms and get ready for dinner before somebody finds us like this? We might deal with some other emotions that we're not quite ready to deal with now."** Her words made the rest become suddenly worried that their little secret might get discovered before they're ready to tell them.

Moving towards the door, the purple barrier disappeared. It was then that another one of the girls also realized something and stopped the others and told them why she did so. **"Don't you think it'll cause suspicion if we all come out of the room together?"** asked Serena.

" **Oh, crap. What do we do?"** asked Daisy.

" **Um, did you forget I can teleport us?"** reminded Sabrina and the blonde sensational sister had a sheepish look form on her face. **"See you at dinner Ash,"** said the psychic prodigy.

" **See you then,"** said Ash with a smile before the girls disappeared in pink glows. Looking around his room, he saw all the water balloon pieces and how everything was wet. Letting out a sigh, Ash sent a mental message. _Mewtwo, clean this up will ya?_

An annoyed tone of voice was heard in his mind. _I am not your maid!_

 _Please! I don't have the time to do it myself and it'll take forever to dry everything! Please do this for me and I'll do anything!_

A moment passed before he was sent a response. _Fine. That's another you owe me. We're back to three now._ Smiling to himself, Ash made his way to the bathroom to shower while agreeing to it. The room glowed a bright purple for a split second before it faded away and left behind a perfectly dry and clean room.

In the Pokémon League headquarters, in their large conference room, the elites of the world and their champions were gathered together. Four out of the five champions and all of the elites were staring at a blonde haired woman with astonished expressions on their faces over what just happened and what they witnessed…

Because a few minutes ago, while the other champions went over their elites' battles with them, the champion of Sinnoh was having some difficulty in controlling herself. She had decided to give the ones who had tried to make a move on her beloved a piece of her mind. But she knew that this wasn't the right time but even so. Her anger was slowly engulfing her, even as she went over the battle with her elites. The tipping point came when Steven began speaking with Pheobe over her lack of focus and hearing that conversation caused her to go over the edge.

Cynthia faced Pheobe and started to scream at the ghost elite, startling everyone, having caught them off guard over her outburst. Raging at her, the poor ghost trainer was filling up with intense fear over the furious champion, taking steps back while holding her hands up as if to say she was sorry, and she wanted to say that it was just a prank. But couldn't actually get the words out for she was too scared.

Seeing their partner in crime in such a situation, Malva, Lorelei and Karen gathered next to Pheobe and tried to defend her by reasoning that it was all a harmless joke and that they were just messing around. But then they got it as well as Cynthia continued her rage at them, calling them out on their actions too. Becoming angry themselves, Malva and Karen started shouting back, trading words and insults with Cynthia while a disbelieving Lorelei held onto a shocked and crying Pheobe. Nobody was able to calm the champion down or the female elites. Even Bertha was at a loss over what she should do, unable to reign in her surrogate daughter.

Right when it came to the point of poke balls being drawn, a blue glow coming from the blonde haired woman halted their rage filled argument in an instant. Drawing everyone's attention to it while the champion of Sinnoh felt her anger completely vanish while filling up with wonderful feelings, the blue glow that came from her aura symbol was so bright that it shined through her clothing.

Looking down at her abdomen, she smiled a little as she placed her left hand against the blue glowing sphere on her. Lasting for a little while, it then faded away but left behind a calmed down and happy champion along with a completely silenced room. Though Cynthia wondered why that just happened, she was glad that she felt that as it calmed her down and made her feel happy. Raising her gaze back up, it was then that she noticed everyone's dumbfounded expression as she looked around the room. _Shit._ That was the only thing she could think as she realized that they all had noticed the aura symbol on her that was proof of her unbreakable bond with the Aura Guardian and that they would want answers…

* * *

 _ **A/N - You made it! hahaha Pretty long chapter right? Well, I hope you've enjoyed it enough to not notice how long it was and to make up for the long wait. But as I keep saying and what I said above for other reasons, I will not rush to post a chapter. Each new one has to be at least same quality if not better. Thank you for understanding, for reading and everything else. Don't forget to leave behind a review, fav and follow! Thanks and take care!**_

 _ **Question 1 -** Which Elite battle was your favorite and did you like the choices for the pokemon?_

 _ **Question 2 -** Which non-battle scene or scenes, did you find surprising to read/find out?_

 _ **Ash's Harem Status**_

 _ **In the Harem -**_ _Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower_

 _ **My Other Stories**_ _ **(**_ _Please check out my other stories and leave a review!_ _ **)**_

 _ **"Tale of the Forsaken" -**_ _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_

 ** _"Agma Sins" -_** _Prologue is up; working on chapter 1_


	55. Update - 93017

**UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2017**

 _Hello everyone!_

 _First off, I want to say I hope you're all doing well. Secondly, I know this isn't a new chapter and I know it's been a while since my last post and I've even messaged several of you back saying it'll be soon. And third is I had to post this update as a new chapter to make sure everyone is caught up on what's going on._

 _And fourth is this; I apologize for the long wait and I apologize in advance for what I'm about to say next; I won't be able to post a new chapter for a little while longer. I know that many, if not all, of you don't want to hear that but honestly, I've just been far too busy to focus on writing. From working 2 jobs, 6 days a week just to help out with family since April of this year, my father going in and out of the hospital during the entirety of August, having two weddings to go to just in this month of September, to many other things happening, I've have had absolutely no time to do anything that I like doing, let alone write. And the few times where I did have some free time, I just wasn't able to concentrate clearly enough to write. I don't like to do anything halfway and I don't want to post sub par chapters just to get something posted. When I'm finally able to post, I want each newer chapter posted to be at least the same quality as the ones before it, if not better than the last._

 _As a result of all that, I would like to request a little more of your patience. Thank you all for the continued support, the messages, the reviews, the favorites and follows. Even though I haven't responded to some of you recently, please know it's not that I'm ignoring you or anything of the sort. I truly want to get back to everyone but as I said, I really don't have the time as I used to so please don't take it personally._

 _To those who always send messages and ask how I'm doing, I appreciate the checking in and catching up every now and then. Thank you. It means a lot to me. One last thing before I wrap this up is that I would like to give an update of where I am for my stories._

 _1 - For my first story, "The Blue Spirit", the 1st part of it is coming to a close. I estimate about 4-7 more chapters of content before the end of part 1. With that said, I won't be posting anything until I have it all completed. And when I finally do post, I will have the remaining chapters all posted up within a few days of each other as I would like some feedback for each one. All of that will be posted before the end of this year, 2017._

 _2 - For my second and third stories, "Tale of the Forsaken" and "Agma Sins", I will begin writing their stories after finishing with part 1 of my first story. Though their outlines are complete, there are some things I need to edit and change because of new ideas that will make the stories much better._

 _3 - For my fourth story, "The Prince of Rota", that will still be on the back burner for quite some time since it will be a VERY large story and I'm not sure yet how I want it to go because of many, many possibilities and ideas._

 _4 - Though I don't have any other fanfiction stories that I'm actively working on, I have been getting many other ideas and I have been writing down notes whenever I can. Possibly enough for 3 other stories at the minimum. But no worries, I won't be working on them until my first 3 are posted and done. Just letting you know that there is much more on the way._

 _5 - And final note is this; I have FINALLY started working on my actual book that I would like to publish in the future. I'm currently working on the outline and near halfway done with it. I hope I can get it done and start writing by the middle of 2018. This first book will be a stand alone title but I have also many other ideas for actual novels, some of which could be a series of sorts. I'm feeling very happy about that right now._

 _Alright, that's about everything I wanted and needed to say to you all. Again, thank you for your patience, your understanding and your support. It was because of you awesome readers that I was able to continue this story for so long, to get courage and determination to pursue a career in writing. Though I may have improved a lot (hopefully), there is still more room for growth and I hope that I can get better and better. I wish everything is going well for each and everyone one of you. And if any of you have questions, want to catch up or just need help with something, even if it's just advice or someone to talk to, feel free to contact me. I will always try to get back to you as soon as possible. G_ _ood luck everyone and take care!_

 _Silent is out!_


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